Greer emerges as key power in Trump's trade team as Lutnick's influence fades

By Seo Ji-yeon, The Herald Business

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is rapidly emerging as the central figure driving Donald Trump's trade policy, as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick — once the public face of tariff and trade negotiations — fades into the background. Analysts say trade policy authority within the Trump administration is shifting toward the USTR.

According to the Wall Street Journal on Sunday (local time), Lutnick was the real power behind trade policy in the early days of the second Trump administration. When nominating Lutnick as commerce secretary, Trump said he would also take on direct responsibility over the USTR.

In practice, Lutnick led from the front in trade negotiations with South Korea as well. He served as the lead US representative in talks that exchanged lower tariff rates for large-scale Korean investment in the United States, while Greer played a comparatively supporting role.

The gap in their standing was also visible inside the administration. The WSJ reported that when Greer met with senior Indian officials at USTR headquarters last year, Lutnick expressed strong displeasure. It subsequently became standard practice for meetings with foreign dignitaries to be held at the Commerce Department building, with Lutnick present.

Of late, however, the dynamic has shifted considerably. This month, Greer traveled to India without Lutnick to hold direct talks on a bilateral trade agreement — a moment widely seen as symbolic of Greer's emergence as the face of trade negotiations in the second Trump term.

Greer is now leading trade negotiations not only with India and other Asian nations but also the renegotiation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

His portfolio has expanded further. After the Supreme Court struck down Trump's country-specific reciprocal tariffs, Greer took charge of designing a replacement tariff framework. He is also overseeing the establishment and operation of the US-China trade commission.

Greer has also become a noticeably more frequent presence in broadcast interviews and public events, where he personally explains the Trump administration's trade policy.

Greer is a trade specialist who served as chief of staff to former USTR Robert Lighthizer during Trump's first term. A lawyer by training, he is known for a hard-nosed negotiating style and is widely regarded in Washington as Lighthizer's heir apparent.

Lutnick, by contrast, has kept a relatively low profile of late, despite once being counted among Trump's closest allies.

Analysts say his political standing has been weighed down by two developments: allegations that a company run by his son sought to profit from a business trading tariff refunds, and renewed scrutiny of Lutnick's past ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The White House, however, drew a line at suggestions of a rift between the two men.

Greer told the WSJ that he works "very closely and constructively" with Lutnick to advance the president's trade agenda.

White House spokesperson Kush Desai said Lutnick and Greer "each play different roles according to their respective legal authorities," framing the shift as a division of responsibilities rather than a change in standing.

The WSJ nonetheless assessed that, judging by how policy is actually being executed, the center of gravity in the Trump administration's trade policy has moved from the Commerce Department to the USTR — with Greer at its center. The paper said this suggests his influence is likely to grow further, both in US policy toward China and in trade negotiations with major trading partners including South Korea.