Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, like trade adviser Peter Navarro, is vocal cheerleader for President Donald Trump's tariff proposals. And Lutnick has a strong rapport with the president.
But according to Politico's Dasha Burns, Lutnick is by no means universally loved within the Trump administration. And some White House insiders believe that Lutnick may become the fall guy on tariffs.
In an article published on April 1, Burns explains: "While Americans and much of the world brace for a possible season of pain following the imposition of the new tranche of tariffs, Trump's orbit is ready to play the blame game should things go poorly for the White House. And all the fingers will be pointing at Lutnick, two people close to the administration, granted anonymity to discuss the private dynamics, told Politico."
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One White House insider told Politico, "I think people would take special pleasure in blaming him."
Trump is describing April 2, the day his tariffs are scheduled to go into effect after various delays, as his so-called "Liberation Day" approaches. But a White House insider told Politico that corporate America has "no optimism" that anything good will come from the tariffs.
"They know tariffs are coming," that source said, "and their hope is that the damage will be fast and significant enough to quickly have the administration backtrack."
Another White House source described Lutnick as "a new voice at the table pushing crazy (ideas), adding, "I don't know anyone that isn't p----d off at him."
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Politico's full article is available at this link.