Robert Emmet Lighthizer (/ˈlaɪthaɪzər/; born October 11, 1947) is an American attorney and government official who was the U.S. Trade Representative in the Trump administration from 2017 to 2021.

In 1985, Lighthizer joined the Washington office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom as a partner and led the firm's international trade group.

Lighthizer played a key role in the administration's renegotiation of NAFTA and the United States' trade war with China.

[2] He attended Gilmour Academy in Gates Mills, Ohio, and later graduated from Georgetown University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1969 and a Juris Doctor in 1973.

[5] In 1983, during the administration of President Ronald Reagan, Lighthizer was nominated and confirmed to serve as Deputy U.S. Trade Representative under William Brock.

[5] He practiced international trade law at Skadden for over 30 years, representing American workers and businesses ranging from manufacturing to financial services, agriculture, and technology.

[13][14] On January 23, press reports speculated that Lighthizer's nomination might require a waiver of section 141(b)(4) of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended, due to his brief representation of a foreign government in litigation 25 years prior.

[26] Lighthizer played a key role in the administration's renegotiation of NAFTA and the United States' trade war with China.

[27][28][29][30] Lighthizer has stated that using tariffs to promote American industry was a Republican tenet dating back to the pro-business politicians who established the party.

"[34] Speaking at a July 2020 event at Chatham House, Lighthizer stated that bilateral trade agreements and a multilateral system conflict with each other, and that one of those two options should be chosen over the other.

How does allowing China to constantly rig trade in its favor advance the core conservative goal of making markets more efficient?

In testimony before the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission in 2010, Lighthizer said that "USTR (U.S. Trade Representative) should pursue WTO litigation with respect to all such examples of non-compliance.