Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s Most Lunkheaded Moments

This spring the president of the United States suggested he was “ purposely ” crashing the economy, then abruptly paused most of his tariffs, which he described as both up for negotiation and “ permanent .” So you might think making zany and contradictory public declarations isn’t the kind of thing that bothers members of Donald Trump ’s second administration. But Howard Lutnick found a way.

Recent reporting on the Commerce secretary reads like a Politico cover of “Not Like Us.” Last month, the outlet reported that both White House officials and Trump’s outside allies have grown “increasingly frustrated” with Lutnick due to his attempts to ingratiate himself with the president, his tendency to give terrible policy advice, and his “abrasive personality.” One Politico source accus