The Program: Trump, Tariffs and Trade. 

A discussion Trump’s extremely novel approach to trade relations with allies and adversaries alike, the floating tariff levels he has used as leverage in those trade negotiations, and the Supreme Court on his tariffs that, by coincidence, will be argued the week I travel to New Mexico.  We may not know the Supreme Court outcome yet, but we do know that trade and tariffs will be in the headlines that week.

Presenter: Nelson W. Cunningham

Presenter: Nelson W. Cunningham was most recently Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment.  In  2024, President Biden nominated him to be Deputy US Trade Representative, but the Senate failed to act on his nomination.

He is the co-founder and former president of McLarty Associates, advising US and multinational companies, foundations and universities on economic and policy issues around the globe.  Since 1998, he helped grow McLarty Associates into a global firm with a team of 100 experts in 20 countries, and spearheaded the opening of offices in Brussels, Beijing, Singapore, and New Delhi.  Before founding McLarty Associates, he worked in the Clinton White House on Latin American and trade issues, and previously was General Counsel to Senate Judiciary Chair Joseph R. Biden.

Before his public service, Nelson Cunningham was a longtime member of the boards of leading NGOs such as the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU), the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, the Institute of the Americas, the American Security Project, and Yale-NUS College in Singapore.  He has also served on the Secretary of State’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board, the Department’s Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy, and the US ExIm Bank Advisory Committee, where he was chair.

He grew up in seven Latin American countries, the son of an American businessman, and graduated from Yale College and Stanford Law School.

Thursday, November 6, 2025 – 6:00 PM,
Albuquerque Country Club, 601 Laguna SW