President Donald Trump Announces Wall Street CEO Howard Lutnick as Secretary of Commerce, also with responsibility for the USTR (United States Trade Representative)

President Donald Trump has announced Howard Lutnick as his nominee for Secretary of Commerce.

Lutnick, Chairman & CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, served as the Co-Chair of President Trump’s White House transition team alongside Linda McMahon.

Trump shared the announcement on Truth Social:

I am thrilled to announce that Howard Lutnick, Chairman & CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, will join my administration as United States Secretary of Commerce. He will lead our Tariff and Trade agenda with additional direct responsibility for the Office of the United States Trade Representative.

In his role as Co-Chair of the Trump-Vance Transition Team, Howard has created the most sophisticated processing system to assist us in creating the greatest Administration America has ever seen.

Howard Lutnick Bio:

Howard has been a dynamic force on Wall Street for more than 30 years. He joined Cantor Fitzgerald in 1983, and rapidly rose through the ranks to become President and CEO at the age of 29. Tragedy struck on September 11, 2001, when terrorists attacked the World Trade Center, and Cantor Fitzgerald lost 658 of its 960 New York-based employees, including Howard’s brother and his best friend. He emerged from these events with an indominable sense of purpose to rebuild the firm to honor those lost, support their families, and become a beacon of hope for those who remained. He was an inspiration to the world- The embodiment of resilience in the face of unspeakable tragedy.

Howard and the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund donated $180 million to his 9/11 families. He remains deeply committed to philanthropic endeavors, donating more than $100 million to victims of terrorism, natural disasters, and other emergencies around the world.

Howard is on the Board of Directors of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum and Weill Cornell Medicine. He was named the Financial Times’ Person of the Year in 2001 and Ernst & Young’s United States Entrepreneur of the Year in 2010. Howard also received the Department of the Navy’s Distinguished Public Service Award, the highest honor granted to non-military personnel by the Navy.

 

Lutnick was recently on CNBC, where he explained how President Trump will use tariffs as a negotiation tactic.

Just moments ago President Trump officially named Howard Lutnick as his pick to lead the Dept. Of Commerce. He’s a great pick who will reject wokeness. Best of all, he wants products & technological leaps MADE IN AMERICA again!

Congrats @HowardLutnick! pic.twitter.com/obHhLwHaVm

— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) November 19, 2024

In another interview, Lutnick discusses his background and shares the powerful legacy of 9/11 and how the decision to drop his son at kindergarten saved his life (1:35:20).

This 2-hour conversation with @howardlutnick is a must listen.

We discuss the US economy, inflation, currency debasement, government spending, tariffs, the Presidential election, and what Howard endured on 9/11.

I spend much of my time thinking about the economy and how to fix… pic.twitter.com/s8pT7d8GXD

— Anthony Pompliano (@APompliano) October 28, 2024

Here are the remarks Lutnick delivered at Trump’s historic Madison Square Garden rally.