“Donald Trump’s advisers have sought assurances from the top candidates to be Treasury secretary that they are committed to his sweeping tariffs plans,” according to James Politi, Colby Smith, Demetri Sevastopulo and Stefania Palma in The Financial Times.
- Scott Bessent, the hedge fund manager, appeared to be the front-runner this week, especially after his pro-tariff op-ed on FoxNews.com
- However, First Buddy Elon Musk tweeted this weekend “Bessent is a business-as-usual choice, whereas @howardlutnik will actually enact change.”
Dark Horse: The Finanical Times also reports that “several people familiar with the discussions inside Trump’s team said Robert Lighthizer, who served as US trade representative in the first administration, had previously expressed interest in becoming Treasury secretary.
Record Pace: President-elect Trump has set a modern record for staffing his government, with 12 Cabinet-level appointments in the 12 days since the election, according to Mike Allen over at Axios.
- That’s 5 times faster than President Biden made the same number of picks for his administration — and 4 times faster than Trump’s pick for his first administration
Bottom Line: In 2016, Trump’s number one issue was immigration. In 2024, it is tariffs. Trump’s long debate on who will implement his tariff plans at Treasury makes this very clear.
