The Man Behind Trump's Trade War with China

Robert Lighthizer is the United States Trade Representative and a longtime China hawk. He served as the deputy US Trade Representative under Reagan before becoming a lobbyist for the steel industry at Skadden Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Although known for being a tough negotiator, Lighthizer has also forged bipartisan alliances with Democrats, including Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, who are critical of US trade policy.

From the Bloomberg article:

Asked what he had learned about negotiating with the Trump administration after the U.S. and Mexico announced an agreement in principle on Nafta in late August, Mexico’s economy minister, Ildefonso Guajardo, says: “Any deal where Lighthizer is not responsible for the architecture doesn’t see the light of the day.”