Howard Lutnick

Howard William Lutnick (born July 14, 1961) is an American businessman and government official who has served as the 41st United States secretary of commerce since 2025. In 1983, Lutnick was hired at Cantor Fitzgerald under the mentorship of the firm's founder, B. Gerald Cantor. In 1990, Lutnick became president and chief executive of Cantor Fitzgerald. After Cantor's declining health in 1995, Lutnick became involved in a contentious legal battle with Cantor's wife, Iris, over succession plans, filing suit in Delaware court claiming Cantor lacked sufficient mental capacity to make decisions. Following a settlement that gave Lutnick management control, he was appointed chairman of Cantor Fitzgerald after Cantor's death in 1996. He invested significantly in technology, establishing an electronic trading platform known as eSpeed. In the September 11 attacks, Cantor Fitzgerald lost 658 employees, including Howard's brother, Gary. Lutnick's handling of the aftermath, including the immediate cessation of salaries to families of deceased employees, drew both praise for his efforts to rebuild the firm and criticism from victims' families. After fundraising for Hillary Clinton in 2016, Lutnick was a fundraiser for Donald Trump's 2020 and 2024 presidential campaigns and a vocal proponent of Trump's tariff proposals. In August 2024, he was named co-chair of Donald Trump's presidential transition team. President-elect Trump nominated Lutnick for Secretary of Commerce in November 2024. Following a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing in January 2025, he was confirmed by the Senate in February. As commerce secretary, he has advocated for tariffs and made controversial statements regarding Social Security payments. Time listed Lutnick as one of the world's 100 most influential people in 2025.