How one top Trump official is planning 'even more disruptive set of policies next year': report

04 August 2024

Many Democrats, political and legal experts have warned that a second Donald Trump presidency would likely mean the end of American democracy, based on his proposed policies like mass deportation through force of the National Guard, and using the Department of Justice to target his political enemies.

In a Sunday, August 4 report published by Politico, reporter Gavin Bade highlights another aspect of a second presidency that would also be a danger to democracy — former top Trump trade official, Robert Lighthizer.

Foreign Policy columnist Edward Alden, in May, wrote an article about Lighthizer, titled, "The Man Who Would Help Trump Upend the Global Economy, asserting: "As President Donald Trump’s trade representative, he turned the United States away from six decades of support for a rules-based, multilateral trading system and toward a robustly nationalist approach."

Alden added:

Even as most of Trump’s former officials have denounced him as unfit to be president again, Lighthizer has kept the faith—seeing in Trump, as many others do, a flawed vessel for some greater public good. He remains one of Trump’s top policy advisors in the 2024 campaign and would be set for a bigger job—likely Treasury secretary—if Trump wins in November. Lighthizer’s mission of transforming not just U.S. trade policy but broader U.S. international economic policy is just getting started.

Likewise, Bade warns in his article, "If Trump wins in November, Lighthizer is poised to pursue an even more disruptive set of policies next year, one that is already raising alarms in foreign capitals, on Wall Street and among many economists."

Additionally, Bade reports:

According to four former Trump officials, granted anonymity to speak about sensitive personnel issues, Lighthizer is a candidate for a number of senior roles in a second Trump administration, from Treasury or Commerce secretary to a second turn as USTR, or as an economic adviser or even White House chief of staff. His profile rose further last month with the selection of Ohio Sen. JD Vance as Trump’s running mate, a committed protectionist who aligns with Lighthizer ideologically.

The Politico reporter also notes that Lighthizer isn't only friends with Republicans.

"Even Democrats on Capitol Hill, who fought Trump doggedly on other policies, often found common ground with Lighthizer," Bade notes.

"But even some lawmakers who like Lighthizer personally, like [Rep. Richard] Neal (D-MA) and [Senate Finance Chair Ron] Wyden (D-Ore.) Wyden, are wary of his more aggressive second-term agenda, which many economists warn could spike inflation and threaten the American economy’s leading role among world nations."

Neal told Politico, "Those plans, including higher tariffs across the board and moves to decrease the value of the U.S. dollar, entail 'an awful lot of risk without a proper assessment.'"

Bade's full report is available at this link. Alden's full column is here.

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