Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has emerged as one of President Trump’s closest confidants, fielding regular phone calls from the 79-year-old commander in chief around 1 a.m. as both men discussed everything from Canadian steel tariffs to mundane daily topics.
The nocturnal conversations would occur just after Lutnick, 64, climbed into bed, creating a ritual that underscored the unusual bond between the president and his chief dealmaker. Trump’s pattern of late-night calls to allies, Cabinet officials, and television personalities has persisted throughout his second term, echoing behavior from his first four years in office.
Lutnick acknowledged in 2025 that “Trump has other people he calls late at night,” though he declined to identify them.
Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, who took over from Kristi Noem in March, revealed during a February 2026 podcast that Trump was calling him at night, with his wife Christie noting “that happens a lot.”
A wide-ranging New Yorker profile in 2025, by Antonia Hitchens, reported that Trump and Lutnick regularly spoke around 1 a.m., often about both important matters and trivialities. The pattern mirrors a first-term habit: a 2018 New York magazine piece described Trump frequently phoning Fox News host Sean Hannity after his show and the pair “gabbing like old girlfriends” about ratings, the press, and Trump’s opponents.
A Washington Power Player
Lutnick and his wife, Allison, bought Fox News anchor Bret Baier’s residence for $25 million and decorated it with pieces by Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning, and other prominent artists. The president attended a private dinner at their home last week, celebrating Lutnick’s birthday.
The profile suggests both men share an unusual social standing: extraordinarily wealthy yet “never granted access to the most rarefied Manhattan circles.” A source close to Lutnick starkly contrasted their receptions: in the heartland, Trump and Lutnick are celebrated as shining successes, while at New York cocktail parties, they prompt eye rolls.
Inside the 1 a.m. Ritual
The conversations sometimes shift to “real stuff,” Lutnick said in 2025, including serious trade topics such as tariffs on Canadian steel. Most of the time, though, the talk drifts to everyday matters.
It remains unclear who initiates the calls, but the pattern reflects Trump’s longstanding habits from his first administration.
From “Buffoon” to Cabinet Confidant
The former Cantor Fitzgerald chairman and CEO once called Trump a “buffoon” to an acquaintance in 2016 and contributed to Hillary Clinton that year. He reversed course by 2020, supporting Trump over Biden, and became one of the campaign’s top fundraisers by 2024 before being selected to co-chair the presidential transition.
After falling short in his pursuit of the more coveted Treasury position ultimately awarded to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Lutnick was sworn in as Commerce Secretary in February 2025. He now portrays himself as Trump’s chief dealmaker, telling the magazine he is “experienced in business in the way none of these people are—except Donald Trump.”
Supporters say he wants to become the most impactful commerce secretary since Herbert Hoover in the 1920s. Administration critics paint a different picture. One official described him as “an errand boy,” while another said Bessent’s role in the Cabinet “reassures us there is someone smart looking out for us.”
The commerce secretary, who once participated in a Celebrity Apprentice charity auction, claims he grasps Trump better than anyone. “I know him so well that I know where the puck is going,” he asserted. Whether that insight will produce policy victories, or merely more 1 a.m. calls, remains the question troubling supporters and detractors on Capitol Hill.
Tariff Turmoil and Capitol Hill Stumbles
Their close relationship hasn’t shielded Lutnick from presidential outbursts. Following Trump’s April 2, 2025, announcement of a universal 10-percent tariff and several “reciprocal” tariffs — a rollout he framed as a way to “Liberate America” — the math behind the proposal drew fierce scrutiny. Trump called Lutnick furiously, demanding an explanation of how the numbers were derived. Lutnick lacked a clear answer but was dispatched on TV to defend them regardless.
His congressional testimony has proven rocky. Lutnick faced criticism from lawmakers over the administration’s trade strategy at an April 22, 2026, Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing. He endured additional scrutiny on April 23 from a House Appropriations subcommittee, where Democrats questioned him on tariffs and his connections to Jeffrey Epstein. On April 24, he appeared before another House panel to request more trade-enforcement funding.
Bipartisan lawmakers are demanding Lutnick’s resignation over the newly revealed Epstein ties. Rep. Thomas Massie publicly told Lutnick to resign to “make life easier on the president.”
Lutnick has also been a prominent public advocate for Trump’s Gold Card visa initiative, though, as of his Hill testimony, only a single applicant had been approved.
On April 30, 2026, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden wrote to Lutnick and Tether CEO Paulo Ardoino seeking documents tied to reports that the crypto firm extended large loans to a trust benefiting Lutnick’s children, loans connected to his divestment from Cantor Fitzgerald. “We want to ensure that Tether has not sought to bribe or otherwise exert control or influence over you,” the senators wrote.
