Photo: IMAGO/Aaron Schwartz - Pool via/IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire
Photo: IMAGO/Aaron Schwartz - Pool via/IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire

Politics

The President’s Most Annoying Buddy

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick remains in his position, despite a series of blunders.

First published in The Atlantic on November 11, 2025.

by Vivian Salama, Ashley Parker and Michael Scherer, The Atlantic
November 13, 2025 | reading time: 11 Min.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick went on CNBC this fall to promote a deal so great that he deemed it “off the rails.” The government of Japan, he explained, had brought down its tariff rate by giving President Donald Trump $550 billion to spend on whatever he wants. “They are going to give America money when we ask for it to build the projects,” he said with a grin.

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