Robert E. Lighthizer is an attorney and longtime government official who most recently served as the U.S. Trade Representative during the Trump administration. Lighthizer has more than 30 years experience as an international trade lawyer working for Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. He has also worked on Capitol Hill, as a senior staff member and one time chief of staff for the late Senator Bob Dole, the Kansas Republican. He also served as deputy U.S. Trade Representative during the Reagan administration. For much of his career, he represented trade groups and criticized U.S. trade policies that he believes have undermined America’s manufacturing base and resulted in American jobs being shifted overseas. This year, he published a book, No Trade Is Free: Changing Course, Taking on China, and Helping America's Workers, in which he argues strongly against the rise of the World Trade Organization and America’s embrace of free trade agreements. In this lightly edited inter