Meet Howard Lutnick: Trump’s Pick For US Secretary Of Commerce, Trade Negotiator

Howard Lutnick, Chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, has been named by US President-elect Donald Trump as the nominee for Secretary of Commerce. Lutnick will also serve as the country’s top trade negotiator, with direct responsibility for the Office of the United States Trade Representative.  

“I am thrilled to announce that Howard Lutnick…will join my Administration as the United States Secretary of Commerce,” Trump said in a statement. “He will lead our Tariff and Trade agenda.”  

Key Role in US-India Trade Relations

If confirmed, Lutnick will be the counterpart to India’s Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal. The two will likely spearhead bilateral trade engagements, and potentially revive the US-India trade deal under Trump’s administration. Currently, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai hold these responsibilities.  

Wall Street Veteran 

Described by Trump’s transition team as “a dynamic force on Wall Street for more than 30 years,” Lutnick began his career at Cantor Fitzgerald in 1983. By the age of 29, he had risen to become the firm’s President and CEO.  

Cantor Fitzgerald faced unimaginable loss on September 11, 2001, when the World Trade Center attacks claimed 658 of its 960 New York-based employees, including Lutnick’s brother and his best friend. Despite the tragedy, Lutnick rebuilt the firm as a tribute to those lost, offering unwavering support to their families.  

“He emerged from these events with an indomitable sense of purpose…an inspiration to the world,” the announcement read.  

Accolades and Public Service

Lutnick’s contributions have earned him numerous accolades, including being named Financial Times Person of the Year in 2001 and Ernst & Young’s United States Entrepreneur of the Year in 2010. He is a board member of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum and Weill Cornell Medicine.  

He also received the Department of the Navy’s Distinguished Public Service Award, the highest honor granted to a civilian by the Navy.