America is the first country in history to fund the rise of its rivals. We need to stop now
before it's too late. One of the most consequential U.S. Trade Representatives in our history
Robert Lighthizer led a great reset of American trade policy that has endured across
Administrations. For more than 40 years he litigated negotiated and editorialized against
the failed policies of one-sided free trade as part of both the Reagan and Trump
administrations and as a private lawyer. As Trade Representative he fought against globalists
importers lobbyists foreign governments and big businesses whose interests diverged from
those of the American workers. For decades unbalanced free trade was the preferred option for
the most powerful in Washington and millions of ordinary Americans paid the price. Instead of
prioritizing healthy American communities good jobs higher wages and a promising future for
our workers Washington too often cared more about corporate profits cheap imports and the
concerns of foreign governments including the Chinese. In return we got cheaper coffee makers
and tee shirts while thousands of factories closed wages stagnated communities deteriorated
economic inequality rose in our country and we racked up trillions of dollars in trade
deficits. Part memoir part history and part policy analysis No Trade is Free tells the story
of how America found itself at this point and how the Trump administration took on the
orthodoxy of the trade establishment with astonishing results. With in-depth character
sketches of some of the most important leaders of our time-from Donald Trump to Xi Jinping to
Nancy Pelosi to Andrés Manuel López Obrador-Lighthizer explains how trade negotiations
actually work and why leverage is the key to success-no trade is free. This book is a wake-up
call to our politicians thought leaders but most importantly everyday Americans. It presents
the case against the policies that have weakened America and left our families and communities
behind. It argues for a worker-focused trade policy. It tells the story of our fight for every
American job and how for the first time a US administration took on China. But most
importantly it is a guide to the new world economy-one which will require a worker-focused
trade policy.
