Trump Taps Greer, Hassett to Key Economic Posts

President-elect Donald Trump said he has picked two veterans of his first administration to key economic posts, a day after he announced plans to impose 25% tariffs on all imports from Mexico and Canada and an additional 10% on goods from China.

Trump said that he has chosen Jamieson Greer to be U.S. trade representative and Kevin Hassett to be the director of the National Economic Council.

Greer, a lawyer, was chief of staff under Robert Lighthizer, Trump’s trade representative in his first administration. Lighthizer was instrumental in imposing tariffs on China aimed at boosting U.S. manufacturing and helped create the USMCA free-trade deal between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada that succeeded the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

“Jamieson played a key role during my First Term in imposing Tariffs on China and others to combat unfair Trade practices, and replacing the failed NAFTA deal with USMCA, therefore making it much better for American Workers,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.

Greer, an Air Force veteran and currently a partner at law firm King & Spalding, will focus, Trump said, “on reining in the Country’s massive Trade Deficit, defending American Manufacturing, Agriculture, and Services, and opening up Export Markets everywhere.”

Trump Also Picks Hassett, Another Veteran of His First Tenure

Hassett, meanwhile, Trump said, “will play an important role in helping American families recover from the Inflation that was unleashed by the Biden Administration.”

“Together, we will renew and improve our record Tax Cuts, and ensure that we have Fair Trade with Countries that have taken advantage of the United States in the past,” he added.

Hassett “played a crucial role,” he said, in passing the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, a major tax code overhaul signed into law in 2018. The cuts for individuals expire next year.

Trump’s plans to impose tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China are likely to ramp up tensions with the U.S.’s three top trading partners, who are urging for more negotiations. Economists have warned that such tariffs are inflationary and could lead to higher prices for U.S. consumers, although others believe Monday’s announcement is a negotiating tactic by Trump to gain better deals.