Trump selects trade lawyer Jamieson Greer as US trade representative

WASHINGTON - US President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday that he has tapped Jamieson Greer, a trade lawyer, to be the next US trade representative, completing the selection of his economic team.

"Jamieson will focus the Office of the US Trade Representative on reining in the country's massive trade deficit, defending American manufacturing, agriculture, and services, and opening up export markets everywhere," Trump said in a statement on his own social media platform Truth Social.

Greer, currently a partner at the law firm King & Spalding, served as the chief of staff to the former US trade representative Robert Lighthizer.

Also on Tuesday, Trump selected Kevin Hassett, a longtime adviser and a fellow in economics at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, to lead the National Economic Council. The position does not require Senate approval.

From 2017 to 2019, Hassett served as the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, a three-person panel that reviews economic data. "Kevin played a crucial role in helping to design and pass the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017," Trump said in another statement. Hassett returned to the White House in 2020 to serve as Trump's senior advisor.

Trump also chose Vince Haley, who served as a speechwriter and adviser during his first term and on the campaign trail, to lead the Domestic Policy Council. The position does not require Senate approval.

Trump's economic team has taken shape. Last week, he tapped hedge fund manager Scott Bessent to be the next treasury secretary. He selected Howard Lutnick, CEO of financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald, to be commerce secretary. The trade representative, treasury secretary, and commerce secretary are all Cabinet-level positions that require Senate confirmation.