A top Trump cabinet official has decided to step down to dedicate more time to her family in New York.
Commerce Department Chief of Staff Wendy Teramoto, a long-time aide to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, “will be sorely missed,” said a key administration official. The announcement was made by the Commerce Department.
Teramoto, 44 years old, was one of the highest-ranking women and Asians in the administration. She was a networker of the highest order in helping to push and define trade policy . Teramoto worked closely with the president, Wilbur Ross, Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner and daughter Ivanka Trump.
Wilbur Ross had this to say about Teramot’s departure; “Wendy has been instrumental in helping put policies, processes, and people in place to ensure that the department succeeds in its mission of creating the conditions for economic growth and opportunity for the American people. I will miss her dedication, insight, and counsel, and am deeply grateful for her service and her continued friendship”.
Teramoto, the granddaughter of a U.S. Marine, has worked for Ross for more than 20 years. She was a founding partner and managing director of his WL Ross & Co. She has been credited as the mastermind behind the Trump administration’s’ policies on international trade, including tariffs on industrial metal, as well as ad hoc bilateral trade deals.
Her associates said that her plans include a return to New York from where she still commute to Washington weekly. Bloomberg reported that “she regularly takes a 3:25 a.m. regional train to Washington on Monday mornings to reach her desk near Ross’s office by 8 a.m.”
Her international trade work has been the standout of her time at Commerce which started shortly after the Inauguration. She worked on trade, tariffs and helped Ivanka Trump establish the workforce policy board.
She was at every Tuesday trade meeting held by the president’s trade team, including Ross, Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and often coordinated with top aides to those on the team, including Kushner’s aide Avrahm Berkowitz and Ivanka’s chief Julie Radford.
One official said that was key to keeping Commerce at the trade table with the White House team. “She kept Commerce in the game and understood the importance of staying close to the White House,” said an administration official.
“She carried herself with significant class and intellect,” added an associate.
And in his farewell message to his top aide, Ross said, “Wendy and her young family have made tremendous sacrifices to serve at the Department of Commerce.”
Source: One America News Network. and WashingtonExaminer
