US election updates: loyalty trumps all as Kennedy is lined up for health department
Guardian6 days
Trump Taps Lutnick as Commerce Secretary
Above: Howard Lutnick, chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald LP Image copyright: Adam Gray/Contributor/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Facts
Pres.-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday announced on Truth Social that he would be nominating Howard Lutnick — the co-chair of Trump's transition team and the CEO of the financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald — as the next Secretary of Commerce.
The commerce department oversees much of the federal government's economic policies. In his statement, Trump called Lutnick "a dynamic force of Wall Street" who will be at the forefront of the administration's "Tariff and Trade agenda."
The Spin
Republican narrative
In vocally supporting Trump and the president-elect's tariff plan, Lutnick has earned this role by bucking the Wall Street elites. In fact, many of those elites opposed this nomination — proving that Trump has again struck a chord with one of his picks. Lutnick's past experiences and his knowledge of the economy will help make the US great again.
Democratic narrative
Another day has brought yet another unfathomable Trump cabinet nomination. Lutnick has backed Trump's tariff plan despite admitting it would cause prices to rise, and knowing that experts predict it will wreck the economy. He's spewed bigoted and fascist rhetoric on behalf of Trump. In other words, he's a perfect addition to Trump's collection of horrible cabinet picks.