(AUSGEBUCHT) The Trump Administration's Economic Policies and Their Effects
Keynote by
Prof. Dr. rer. pol. Michael Hüther,
Director and Member of the Presidium, German Economic Institute
followed by a panel discussion with
Payne Griffin,
Senior Director, FTI Consulting; former Deputy Chief of Staff to the U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer
and Christin Schack,
Vice President & Managing Director Central Europe Region (A-BE-CH-D-NL), 3M
moderated by
Nicole Bastian,
Handelsblatt
Tuesday, October 28, 2025 | 6:00 p.m.
InnoDom Cologne | Weyertal 109 | 50931 Cologne
President Donald Trump’s economic policies have far-reaching consequences for the United States and its global partners. While the administration seeks to stimulate domestic growth and employment, its protectionist measures challenge the foundations of international trade. A year after the 2024 election, in which the state of the US economy was a major concern for voters, we look at President Trump’s economic policy agenda and its effects: What is the current implementation status and what are likely next steps? How are tariffs and the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” specifically affecting the US economy, the labor market, and the national debt? Is the Trump Administration meeting the expectations of its voter base? And what do these changes mean for businesses in Germany and North Rhine-Westphalia in particular?
We are looking forward to discussing these and further questions with:
Prof. Dr. Michael Hüther has been Director and Member of the Presidium of the German Economic Institute since July 2004. He studied economics as well as medieval and modern history at the Justus-Liebig University in Giessen from 1982 to 1987. Upon completion of his doctorate in economics in 1991, he became a member of the scientific staff of the Council of Experts for the Evaluation of Macroeconomic Development. In 1995, he was appointed Secretary General of the German Council of Economic Advisers. In 1999, he joined DekaBank as chief economist and in 2001 additionally as Division Manger economics and communication. Since August 2001, Michael Hüther is Honorary Professor at the EBS Business School in Oestrich-Winkel, and since April 2019, he is chair of the supervisory board of TÜV Rheinland AG. In 2016, 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024, he was Gerda Henkel Adjunct Professor in the Department of German Studies at Stanford University, CA, USA.
Payne Griffin advises clients on a range of policy and regulatory issues, including trade, national security, and global regulatory matters at FTI Consulting. During President Trump’s first term, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff to the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer, playing a key role in shaping and implementing the Administration's trade policy agenda. Mr. Griffin worked inside the Administration to implement the President’s global trade agenda including the Section 232 tariffs into steel and aluminum, the Section 201 tariffs on solar panels and washing machines, and the Section 301 tariffs on China. He also worked with the USTR team to implement the tariff exclusion process following the implementation of the Section 301 actions against China. He was a member of the President's transition team in 2016, contributing to the development of the Administration's policy priorities. Prior to joining FTI Consulting, Payne Griffin was Chief of Staff for Representative Dale Strong in the U.S. House of Representatives, a member of the Armed Services and Appropriations Committees, and worked for Senator Mike Braun as Legislative Director for the Senator’s work on the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
Christin Schack began her career as a Marketing Trainee at 3M, with increasing responsibility, she spent many years leading 3M's Safety & Industrial business and is now the Chairwoman of the Management Board of 3M Deutschland GmbH. As VP & Managing Director, she oversees the Central Europe Region (Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands). Having lived and worked in France, the USA, and Sweden, she currently resides in Bavaria and loves the mountains. From 1990 to 1995, Christin Schack studied Business & International Management at the Business School of Bremen/Germany and Ecole Superieur de Commerce de Grenoble/ France.
Nicole Bastian is the Head of Podcast, Video and Live Journalism at Handelsblatt. After studying East Asian Studies with a focus on economics in Duisburg and Kyoto, she completed a traineeship at the German Press Agency (dpa). Nicole Bastian then worked as an editor in the dpa economics department in Hamburg and as a business reporter in Berlin. In 2002, she moved to Handelsblatt. For five years, she wrote about the economy and politics in Japan, South and North Korea as a Tokyo correspondent. Just in time for the outbreak of the financial crisis, she moved to Frankfurt as a banking correspondent in spring 2007. In 2011, she took over as head of the finance department, and from 2014 until 2024, she was Handelsblatt's foreign editor.
This event is sold out.
We are looking forward to discussing these and further questions with:
Prof. Dr. Michael Hüther has been Director and Member of the Presidium of the German Economic Institute since July 2004. He studied economics as well as medieval and modern history at the Justus-Liebig University in Giessen from 1982 to 1987. Upon completion of his doctorate in economics in 1991, he became a member of the scientific staff of the Council of Experts for the Evaluation of Macroeconomic Development. In 1995, he was appointed Secretary General of the German Council of Economic Advisers. In 1999, he joined DekaBank as chief economist and in 2001 additionally as Division Manger economics and communication. Since August 2001, Michael Hüther is Honorary Professor at the EBS Business School in Oestrich-Winkel, and since April 2019, he is chair of the supervisory board of TÜV Rheinland AG. In 2016, 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024, he was Gerda Henkel Adjunct Professor in the Department of German Studies at Stanford University, CA, USA.
Payne Griffin advises clients on a range of policy and regulatory issues, including trade, national security, and global regulatory matters at FTI Consulting. During President Trump’s first term, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff to the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer, playing a key role in shaping and implementing the Administration's trade policy agenda. Mr. Griffin worked inside the Administration to implement the President’s global trade agenda including the Section 232 tariffs into steel and aluminum, the Section 201 tariffs on solar panels and washing machines, and the Section 301 tariffs on China. He also worked with the USTR team to implement the tariff exclusion process following the implementation of the Section 301 actions against China. He was a member of the President's transition team in 2016, contributing to the development of the Administration's policy priorities. Prior to joining FTI Consulting, Payne Griffin was Chief of Staff for Representative Dale Strong in the U.S. House of Representatives, a member of the Armed Services and Appropriations Committees, and worked for Senator Mike Braun as Legislative Director for the Senator’s work on the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
Christin Schack began her career as a Marketing Trainee at 3M, with increasing responsibility, she spent many years leading 3M's Safety & Industrial business and is now the Chairwoman of the Management Board of 3M Deutschland GmbH. As VP & Managing Director, she oversees the Central Europe Region (Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands). Having lived and worked in France, the USA, and Sweden, she currently resides in Bavaria and loves the mountains. From 1990 to 1995, Christin Schack studied Business & International Management at the Business School of Bremen/Germany and Ecole Superieur de Commerce de Grenoble/ France.
Nicole Bastian is the Head of Podcast, Video and Live Journalism at Handelsblatt. After studying East Asian Studies with a focus on economics in Duisburg and Kyoto, she completed a traineeship at the German Press Agency (dpa). Nicole Bastian then worked as an editor in the dpa economics department in Hamburg and as a business reporter in Berlin. In 2002, she moved to Handelsblatt. For five years, she wrote about the economy and politics in Japan, South and North Korea as a Tokyo correspondent. Just in time for the outbreak of the financial crisis, she moved to Frankfurt as a banking correspondent in spring 2007. In 2011, she took over as head of the finance department, and from 2014 until 2024, she was Handelsblatt's foreign editor.
This event is sold out.
This event is a cooperation between AmerikaHaus NRW e.V. and AmCham Germany. We kindly thank the State Government of North Rhine-Westphalia and BridgehouseLaw for their support.
