President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Haverford alum Howard Lutnick ’83 to lead the Department of Commerce. Lutnick graduated from Haverford College in 1983 with a degree in Economics and has been a long time donor to the institution. He is the CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, a Wall Street Finance Firm, and a key supporter of the Trump campaign. Throughout the election, he served as the Co-Chair of Trump’s re-election campaign, where his role was to provide a shortlist of candidates who will work in the administration of Trump’s second term.
Since graduating, Lutnick has donated over $65 million to Haverford College, including several buildings such as the Lutnick Library, Douglas B. Gardner Integrated Athletic Center and Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery. He remains the largest donor that the college has ever had. His dedication to the institution is rooted in the support he received from previous Haverford president, Robert B. Stevens, after his father passed away during the first few weeks of his freshman year. Having no way of financing his education, Lutnick had planned to drop out his freshman year. However, Robert B. Stevens offered him a full scholarship to complete his four years at Haverford. Since graduating, Lutnick has shown his immense gratitude to the institution through his donations and also served as the Chair of the Board of Managers in 2014.
Trump and Lutnick met decades ago in New York. Lutnick has been a long time donor to the Trump administration and fundraised for the Trump campaign in 2020. Throughout the 2024 election, he remained an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump and gave a speech at Madison Square Garden at the Trump-Vance Rally on October 27. Over the summer, Lutnick held a fundraising dinner at his home in New York with over 100 attendees, ultimately raising $15 million for the Trump campaign.
Trump announced his pick on November 19 via a press release on Truth Social, stating that Lutnick will “lead our Tariff and Trade agenda, with additional direct responsibility for the Office of the United States Trade Representative.” Trump also stated that as the Co-Chair of the Transition Team, “Howard has created the most sophisticated process and system to assist us in creating the greatest Administration America has ever seen.”
This nomination means that Lutnick would be in charge of the Cabinet’s imposition of trade restrictions on imported goods, particularly from China. Lutnick told CNBC in September that “Tariffs are an amazing tool for the president to use — we need to protect the American worker.”
In a statement on X, Lutnick thanked the President-elect, writing “Thank you, President Trump for your trust in me to help Make America Great Again. As the next Secretary of Commerce, I will join the best administration the US has ever seen and unleash our full economic potential.”
