No. 8: Howard Lutnick: US Secretary of Commerce, and Trump’s tariff dealmaker-in-chief

Howard Lutnick, US Secretary of Commerce, has become a central figure in President Donald Trump's trade agenda, earning him the moniker "tariff dealmaker-in-chief." He frequently communicates with Trump, discussing various topics from Canadian steel tariffs to politics. Lutnick advocates for using tariffs as leverage to attract manufacturing and investment to the US, a strategy that has drawn criticism for potentially disrupting trade and increasing costs. Beyond tariffs, the Commerce Department under Lutnick oversees critical export controls, semiconductor policy, and plays a significant role in technological competition with China and artificial intelligence. Lutnick's public life was profoundly shaped by 9/11, an experience he links to his support for Israel. He and his wife are long-time supporters of Birthright Israel and United Hatzalah, and his relief fund committed $7 million to aid those affected by the war. He also accompanied Trump to the Lubavitcher Rebbe's grave, meeting relatives of an American hostage. His tenure has faced personal controversy, including a 2012 lunch on Jeffrey Epstein's island, which he denied was wrongdoing.