1. Robert Emmet Lighthizer is an American attorney and government official who was the US Trade Representative in the Trump administration from 2017 to 2021.
22 Facts About Robert Lighthizer
1. 2.
In 1983, Robert Lighthizer was confirmed by the US Senate to be Deputy US Trade Representative for President Ronald Reagan.
3.
Robert Lighthizer was an architect of American trade policy during Trump's first presidency.
4.
Robert Lighthizer played a key role in the administration's renegotiation of NAFTA and the United States' trade war with China.
5.
Robert Lighthizer was born on 11 October 1947 to Orville James and Michaelene Robert Lighthizer in Ashtabula, Ohio, where his father practiced medicine.
6.
Robert Lighthizer attended Gilmour Academy in Gates Mills, Ohio, and later graduated from Georgetown University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1969 and a Juris Doctor in 1973.
7.
When Dole became Chairman of the Finance Committee in 1981, Robert Lighthizer became the committee's staff director and chief of staff.
8.
In 1983, during the administration of President Ronald Reagan, Robert Lighthizer was nominated and confirmed to serve as Deputy US Trade Representative under William Brock.
9.
Robert Lighthizer practiced international trade law at Skadden for over 30 years, representing American workers and businesses ranging from manufacturing to financial services, agriculture, and technology.
10.
Robert Lighthizer served in a senior position in the 1988 presidential campaign of US senator Bob Dole.
11.
At his confirmation hearing, Robert Lighthizer was introduced by former senator Bob Dole and US senators from Ohio Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman.
12.
Robert Lighthizer has a long history of fighting on behalf of American manufacturers, and I would add, American workers.
13.
Robert Lighthizer was sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence on May 15,2017.
14.
Robert Lighthizer played a key role in the administration's renegotiation of NAFTA and the United States' trade war with China.
15.
Robert Lighthizer has stated that using tariffs to promote American industry was a Republican tenet dating back to the pro-business politicians who established the party.
16.
Robert Lighthizer has called for a "new American System" of trade policy that uses tariffs to offset the United States's trade deficit and restore the manufacturing sector in the United States.
17.
Robert Lighthizer has accused the country of China of unfair trade practices, and he believes China needs to make substantive and structural changes to its trade policies, as opposed to only minor changes it has offered in the past.
18.
Robert Lighthizer suggested that the US should bring more cases against China for failure to comply with the regulations of the World Trade Organization.
19.
In March 2020, Robert Lighthizer stated that the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that the United States must promote domestic manufacturing of medical supplies and reduce its reliance on foreign countries.
20.
Robert Lighthizer has two children, Robert and Claire, and three grandchildren.
21.
Robert Lighthizer's brother, O James Robert Lighthizer, is an American Civil War expert.
22.
James Robert Lighthizer was the president of the American Battlefield Trust, a battlefield preservation organization, and a former member of the Maryland House of Delegates.