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Secretary of Commerce
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Howard William Lutnick is the 41st United States Secretary of Commerce, confirmed by the Senate in February 2025. He is the billionaire former CEO of the financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald. Lutnick is a figure of immense resilience; he famously rebuilt his company from the ashes of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which destroyed the firm's World Trade Center headquarters and killed 658 of his employees, including his own brother. Having served as the co-chair of Donald Trump's 2024 presidential transition team, Lutnick emerged as the most vocal, unapologetic champion of the President’s aggressive trade policies. As Commerce Secretary in 2026, he commands over 50,000 employees and controls the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). He is the central executor of the administration’s massive, punitive tariff regime against China and neighboring allies (Mexico, Canada), operating under a strict mandate of "reciprocity." He is also tasked with aggressively enforcing export controls on advanced AI and semiconductor technologies to cripple Chinese technological advancement.
Confirmed as the U.S. Secretary of Commerce (February 2025), acting as the administration's chief trade enforcer and tariff architect
Rebuilt Cantor Fitzgerald into a global financial powerhouse after losing two-thirds of his workforce in the 9/11 attacks, subsequently establishing a massive relief fund for the victims' families
Faced severe ethical scrutiny from the New York Times and ethics watchdogs in late 2025 regarding massive conflicts of interest, as he placed his 20-something sons in charge of Cantor Fitzgerald while his Commerce Department decisions directly impacted the firm's global trading markets
His dismissal of mainstream economic warnings that his sweeping, across-the-board tariffs would cause massive domestic inflation was heavily criticized during his confirmation hearings
Criticized for aggressively utilizing the threat of crippling tariffs against Canada and Mexico to force compliance on immigration and fentanyl border enforcement, threatening the stability of the USMCA trade agreement
News articles featuring Howard Lutnick
Served as Co-Chair of the Donald Trump 2024 Presidential Transition Team, vetting and selecting the vast majority of the new cabinet
Oversaw the sweeping implementation of the CHIPS and Science Act funding to reshore semiconductor manufacturing
