Robert Lighthizer has been a supporter of Donald Trump's tough approach to trade with China since at least 2011, when he penned an op-ed for the Washington Times. | AP Photo Trump expected to pick Lighthizer for trade post

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to name Robert Lighthizer, a veteran trade attorney and supporter of Trump's defensive view of trade, as his pick for the next U.S. trade representative, according to two transition officials.

The longtime trade lawyer, who served as deputy U.S. trade representative under Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, was an early supporter of Trump and had been advising the incoming administration on its transition efforts at the trade-negotiating agency.


Before his stint in the Reagan administration, he served as chief of staff on the Senate Finance Committee, where he developed an understanding of congressional dynamics. He moved into private practice in the late 1980s and now works as a partner at the Skadden law firm, where he represents U.S. Steel Corp. and other domestic giants in their efforts to keep foreign steel imports at bay.

Lighthizer has been a supporter of Trump's tough approach to trade with China since at least 2011, when he penned an op-ed for the Washington Times.

Lighthizer met with the president-elect at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, on Dec. 19.

