On December 21, President-elect Donald Trump announced the creation of the White House National Trade Council (NTC), a new council whose mission will be to “advise the President on innovative strategies in trade negotiations, coordinate with other agencies to assess U.S. manufacturing capabilities and the defense industrial base, and help match unemployed American workers with new opportunities in the skilled manufacturing sector.” According to the Trump Transition Team, “{f}or the first time, there will be a council within the White House that puts American manufacturing and American workers first, and that thinks strategically about the health of America’s defense industrial base and the role of trade and manufacturing in national security.”
Many of the details regarding the NTC’s functions and role within the White House are yet to be announced, but the incoming Trump Administration has explained that the NTC will work closely with the National Security Council, the National Economic Council, and the Domestic Policy Council “to fulfill the President’s vision of peace and prosperity through military and economic strength.” In addition to its collaboration with other White House councils and the mission described above, the NTC “will also lead the Buy America, Hire America program to ensure the President-elect’s promise is fulfilled in government procurement and projects ranging from infrastructure to national defense.”
President-elect Trump selected Dr. Peter Navarro as the inaugural head of the NTC and as Assistant to the President and Director of Trade and Industrial Policy. Dr. Navarro, a Professor at the University of California-Irvine, who holds a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard, has researched and written extensively on international trade and issues related to China’s trade and defense policies. The Trump Administration will expect Dr. Navarro to “develop trade policies that shrink our trade deficit, expand our growth, and help stop the exodus of jobs from our shores.” When the creation of the NTC was announced, Dr. Navarro stated that he is “deeply honored for the opportunity to serve the President-elect and this nation and to advise on policies to rebalance our trade, rebuild our industrial base, and restore America’s comprehensive national power by making America great again.”
Although the precise role, functions, and effects of the NTC will be more visible after President-elect Trump enters the White House, it is clear that the NTC was created largely to help U.S. manufacturing. According to the Trump Transition Team, the creation of the NTC “further demonstrates the President-elect’s determination to make American manufacturing great again and to provide every American the opportunity to work in a decent job at a decent wage.” Additional information about the NTC and its work will be provided in later editions of the Alert.
