Who is Stephen Miran, Trump’s key economic advisor behind US tariff policies?
World | At Harvard, Miran was mentored by distinguished economist Martin Feldstein, who served as the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under former president Ronald Reagan in the early 1980s.
The mind behind the sweeping “reciprocal tariffs” announced by US President Donald Trump that sent shockwaves across the world is his key economic advisor, Stephen Miran.
On Wednesday (Apr 10), the US president announced a “90-day pause” and a “substantially lowered reciprocal tariff” for over 75 nations that have sought negotiations with the Trump administration following the reciprocal tariffs imposed on April 2.
However, as tensions escalate between China and the US, Trump raised tariffs on China to 125 per cent “starting immediately” after Beijing refused to back down against his threats and “blackmail”.
Who is Stephen Miran?
Stephen Miran, an economist with a PhD from Harvard University, was appointed as the head of the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) by Trump last year in December. He has emerged as one of the most vocal backers of Trump’s tariff policies that triggered a trade war globally.
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“The President has promised to rebuild our broken industrial base and pursue trade terms that put American workers and businesses first… Our military and financial dominance cannot be taken for granted, and the Trump Administration is determined to preserve them,” he said, according to a statement on the White House website on April 7, the day the US president announced raising tariffs on China to a whopping 104 per cent.
The US president’s key economic advisor earned his undergraduate degree in economics, philosophy, and mathematics at Boston University in 2005. In 2010, he completed his PhD in economics from Harvard University.
At Harvard, Miran was mentored by distinguished economist Martin Feldstein, who served as the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under former president Ronald Reagan in the early 1980s.
Also read | ‘Threats, blackmail not right way to deal’: Beijing open for talks with US amid Trump tariff war
He worked as a senior strategist at Hudson Bay Capital, a global investment firm, before joining the Trump administration.
Miran’s opinion on tariffs
In November 2024, he wrote a 41-page “User's Guide to Restructuring the Global Trading System”, which detailed a framework to adjust financial systems and global trading to benefit the US.
His work argued that tariffs could be used as a strategic leverage to secure market access for US exports from other countries, a strategy evident in Trump’s recent moves.
“Tariffs deserve some extra attention. Most economists and some investors dismiss tariffs as counterproductive at best and devastatingly harmful at worst. They’re wrong,” Miran said in a statement. He added that Trump’s reciprocal tariffs target “unfair trade practices” like currency manipulation and dumping, instead of just generating revenue. He also noted that revenue generated from tariffs can help lower taxes and boost US competitiveness.
(With inputs from agencies)
