US president elect Donald Trump has put forward Howard Lutnick to lead the commerce department, a key position in an administration that promises to implement sweeping tariffs.
It’s one appointment that Ireland will be watching and – with good reason – fearing.
Lutnick has criticised Ireland’s trade balance with the US, posting on X: “It’s nonsense that Ireland of all places runs a trade surplus at our expense. We don’t make anything here any more – even great American cars are made in Mexico. When we end this nonsense, United States will be a truly great country again.”
Joining In the News to explain what this appointment might mean for Ireland is Norman Ornstein, a political scientist, Emeritus scholar at conservative think tank, the American Enterprise Institute, and a contributing editor to the Atlantic.
He also gives a snapshot of some of Trump’s other nominations from vaccine denier Robert Kennedy jnr and TV doctor Mehmet Oz who will be in charge of health to Linda McMahon, his pick to head the department of education even though one of the controversies that follow her is lying about a college degree.
Other controversial nominations include Pete Hegseth, Kristi Noem and Thomas Homan.
What Trump appears to be prizing most is not sectoral experience or political track record – it’s loyalty. Also, most of his super wealthy picks were heavy donors to his campaign.
Though as Ornstein explains, Trump appears to have adopted a “flood-the-zone” strategy, betting that the Senate won’t dare to turn all his nominations down so some of his most controversial picks just might not make it.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Aideen Finnegan.
