The Lighthizer Doctrine

CPAC DC 23

Former United States trade representative Robert Lighthizer and co-host of CPAC NOW Mercedes Schlapp sit down at CPAC 2023 for a conversation about trade policy and specifically, Lighthizer’s unique approach that contributed to the success of the Trump administration. Lighthizer flipped the attitude of previous administrations on its head. He attributes the success of his own trade negotiations to his prioritizing of American interests. He explains, "Trade policy, at least since the ‘90s, has been a policy of free trade, globalism, corporate profits, maximizing consumption, price optimization, and what did we do? We wanted a policy that started off with what kind of America do you want? It’s not important how much your third TV costs. It’s important that we have strong communities.” Lighthizer and the entire Trump administration took the perspective of the American worker, not the American consumer. They wanted to make the United States a producer of goods and not just a consumer. In doing so, they worked to encourage a sense of work ethic, pride, and responsibility in the culture of the country at large. They combatted Americans’ contentedness with materialism and consumerism to re-instill the founding principles in the fabric of the country and reinvent the economy to a thriving, diverse, and productive entity.