Jamieson Greer Bio
Jamieson Lee Greer is an American government official, attorney, and former Air Force officer who has served as the 20th United States Trade Representative in the second Trump administration since February 2025. A member of the Republican Party, he has been characterized as a key architect of the administration’s tariff policy. The New York Times has described him as the quiet architect of President Donald Trump’s tariffs during his second term.
Before joining the cabinet, Greer built a career in trade law, military service, and senior advisory work in Washington. He previously served as chief of staff to United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer during the first Trump administration and was a partner in the international trade practice at King and Spalding. His education spans institutions in the United States and Europe, and his professional experience blends legal practice, public service, and international negotiations.
Early Life and Background
Jamieson Lee Greer was born in Albany, New York, and grew up in Northern California. He graduated from Paradise High School in Paradise, California, in 1998, completing his secondary education in the same community where he spent his teenage years.
After high school, Greer spent two years as a Mormon missionary in Belgium, an experience that exposed him to European languages and cultures. He then enrolled at Brigham Young University, where he majored in international relations, building the academic foundation that would later support his career in international trade law and policy.
Greer continued his education overseas, pursuing master’s degrees in law at Sciences Po and Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University in France. He later returned to the United States to attend the University of Virginia School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor. Between September and December 2007, he worked as a law clerk at the European Court of Justice, gaining firsthand exposure to international legal proceedings.
Path to US Politics
After completing his legal education, Greer began his professional career in the United States Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps, commonly known as the JAG Corps. From 2008 to 2012, he served as an officer in the Air Force, with assignments in Kansas and Turkey. He was deployed to Iraq, where he served as chief of military justice, and he was honorably discharged from military service in 2012.
Following his military service, Greer transitioned to private legal practice, joining firms that specialized in international trade. He worked at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom, where he represented United States Steel in a lawsuit against China, a case that gave him practical experience with high-stakes trade disputes. He later became a partner in the international trade group at King and Spalding, contributing as a speaker at Federalist Society events on trade-related legal topics.
Jamieson Greer Career
Early Career (2008–2016)
Greer’s early professional years were shaped by military service and private legal practice. His time in the Air Force JAG Corps gave him experience in military justice, leadership, and international assignments, while his work at major law firms allowed him to specialize in trade and international economic law. These combined experiences prepared him for senior advisory roles in the federal government.
By 2016, Greer had established himself as a trade law specialist with a reputation for handling complex international cases. His representation of major American corporations in disputes with China positioned him at the center of debates over trade enforcement and economic security.
First Trump Administration Breakthrough (2017–2020)
Greer joined the first Trump administration as chief of staff to United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, serving in that role from 2017 to 2020. In this position, he became involved in some of the most significant trade negotiations of the era, including trade talks with China and the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico.
His work during this period placed him at the center of the administration’s confrontational approach to global trade, and it laid the groundwork for many of the tariff and negotiation strategies later pursued in the second Trump administration. The experience gave Greer direct insight into how trade policy is crafted at the highest levels of the federal government.
Second Trump Administration Era (2024–Present)
On November 26, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Greer to serve as the United States Trade Representative in his second administration. Greer became the first Mormon cabinet-level official since Mike Leavitt served as Secretary of Health and Human Services in 2009. The Senate Committee on Finance voted 15 to 12 to approve his nomination on February 12, and the full United States Senate confirmed him on February 26, 2025, by a vote of 56 to 43. He was ceremonially sworn into office by Vice President JD Vance on April 7, 2025.
Since taking office, Greer has been a leading voice for the administration’s across-the-board tariffs, arguing that short-term economic pain is necessary to reduce trade deficits and bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States. In April 2025, amid substantial economic turmoil, President Trump paused the tariffs for 90 days, a decision that Greer was not informed of until after the announcement. Also in April 2025, Greer was appointed as acting director of the Office of Government Ethics and as acting special counsel; he was succeeded as acting director of the Office of Government Ethics by Eric Ueland on August 26, 2025.
Greer has described trade deficits as a huge problem and has supported tougher economic policies toward China, including aggressive enforcement of the trade deal that resulted from the China-United States trade war, as well as the use of export controls and sanctions. He has also backed trade agreements with countries such as the United Kingdom, Kenya, the Philippines, and India to counter Chinese influence, while supporting efforts to restore the United States manufacturing base.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among Greer’s most notable achievements are his Senate confirmation as the 20th United States Trade Representative, his role in shaping the second Trump administration’s tariff policy, and his earlier service as chief of staff during the renegotiation of NAFTA. His confirmation as the first Mormon cabinet-level official in more than a decade also marked a significant milestone in the demographic profile of recent administrations.
Jamieson Greer Family
Family Background and Personal Life
Public information about Jamieson Lee Greer’s immediate family is limited. He was born in Albany, New York, and raised in Paradise, California, where he attended Paradise High School. His educational and professional path has taken him across the United States, France, Belgium, and the Middle East, reflecting a life shaped by public service and international engagement.