New Commerce Secretary Excited for Trump's Economic Agenda

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Newly confirmed Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick, is focused on advancing Trump’s economic agenda, including balancing the federal budget by the end of Trump's term.
• The Republican-led Senate confirmed Lutnick with a 51-45 vote, and he pledged to divest his financial holdings to ensure impartiality. He previously co-chaired Trump’s 2024 transition team.
• Lutnick supports Trump’s trade and tariff agenda, aiming to address trade imbalances through reciprocal tariffs and eliminate tax scams harming America. He also backs reforms to entitlement programs like Social Security.

Following his recent confirmation, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is already focused on advancing President Donald Trump's economic objectives.

"That's our goal. Balance the budget of the United States of America by the end of Donald Trump's term. And I am so pumped up for it because we are going to make America the greatest country on earth by a country mile," Lutnick said on "Jesse Watters Primetime" Wednesday.

The Republican-led Senate confirmed Lutnick as Trump's commerce secretary on Tuesday, just days after voting to invoke cloture on his nomination. He secured a simple majority for full confirmation, with the vote tallying 51-45.

"The Democrats didn't show up for me at all," he joked. "I guess they're afraid of good government."

Lutnick, the chairman and CEO of investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald, is among the wealthiest individuals to serve in a presidential administration. He pledged to divest his financial holdings upon confirmation to ensure impartiality.

Trump nominated Lutnick as commerce secretary two weeks after his election. Lutnick also served as co-chair of Trump's 2024 presidential transition team.

The "pumped up" secretary discussed findings from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an initiative he helped establish before Trump's inauguration.

Lutnick explained his "agreement" with Musk, stating, "Elon was set to eliminate $1 trillion in waste, fraud, and abuse. Consider this: we have nearly $4 trillion in entitlements, and no one has ever examined it."

"You know Social Security is wrong. You know Medicaid and Medicare are wrong. So he's going to cut a trillion, and then we'll get rid of all these tax scams that hammer against America, and we're going to raise $1 trillion of revenue."

Lutnick also told Fox News host Jesse Watters that the Trump administration’s goal of balancing the federal budget will be achieved by the end of his term.

The newly confirmed commerce secretary has expressed support for Trump's "trade and tariff agenda," which aims to address trade imbalances through reciprocal tariffs. His confirmation marks a significant step forward for Trump’s America First policy.

"Donald Trump announced the External Revenue Service, and his goal is very simple. His goal is to abolish the Internal Revenue Service and let all the outsiders pay," he said.

Lutnick further stated that the current trade "tax scam" will "come to an end" under the Trump administration.

"We've got to use tariffs. We've got to use the External Revenue Service to take care of America and cut the scams and the abuse, the waste," Lutwick said.

"It's so exciting because think of how great America will be under Donald Trump and what we're trying to do."