Lighthizer Rolls Out Trump’s Campaign Talking Points on Trade
Robert Lighthizer, the U.S. trade representative, at a Senate committee hearing in June.
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/BloombergThe biggest trade upheaval in decades made a cameo in the first presidential debate of 2020, with the word “trade” itself mentioned just three times in a 90-minute match derided as a schoolyard squabble devoid of policy substance.
“He talks about these great trade deals,” Democratic challenger Joe Biden said halfway through that evening last week in Ohio, noting that trade deficits with China and Mexico have widened under the incumbent.