Liddell a ‘moderate’ Trump influence
Expat Kiwi Chris Liddell could help moderate United States President Donald Trump’s increasingly tough stance on trade if he were appointed his chief economic adviser, BusinessNZ chief executive Kirk Hope has speculated.
The New York Times reported over the weekend that Trump was considering appointing Liddell to replace Gary Cohn, who resigned from the role in the wake of Trump announcing planned tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum.
Liddell said he did not have any comment on the newspaper report.
Liddell has worked at the White House since the start of the presidency in a role that has included improving the digital delivery of government services.
The New York Times indicated Liddell’s promotion was not a sure thing, reporting he had detractors in the administration, and that some critics believed he had ‘‘a thin record of achievement’’ at the White House.
Hope said Liddell’s position as a frontrunner for the economic role might be good for New Zealand.
‘‘Chris has a strong interest in foreign affairs, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, which is currently focusing on the president’s decisions on tariffs and industry protection,’’ Hope said, questioning whether he might be able to ‘‘moderate the President’s position on trade’’.
‘‘He has a history of bringing large, complex organisations, like General Motors, to profitability, and bringing big-picture ideas to fruition. There is hope that he would be able to bring this skill to bear on the complex and fluid state of national affairs in the US.’’
Liddell was born in Matamata and was chairman of Xero before he joined the Trump administration. He achieved prominence in business circles in the US as chief financial officer of Microsoft and then General Motors.
Speaking to Television New Zealand in 2016, Liddell signalled a nuanced position on trade, saying he was a believer in free markets ‘‘but not unbridled free markets’’.
‘‘I think those days are over, personally. I think we’re going to go through a circular trend of a much more restrained free market,’’ he said then.