Last updated: March 7th, 2025 at 14:12 UTC+01:00
Everyone who's anyone, whether that be entire countries or some of the world's leading companies, has lobbyists in Washington. They hire people and firms in lobbying and public affairs roles to get a sense of what the administration's thinking is in matters that directly impact them.
There tends to be a change of guard, so to speak, when there's a new occupant in the White House. With President Trump taking office a couple of months ago, Samsung is now reportedly looking to replace its head of public affairs in North America with someone who has deeper ties to Trump's political machine.
Samsung can't afford to be caught unaware by Washington
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Korean media is [reporting](https://www.reuters.com/technology/samsung-seeking-us-public-affairs-head-with-trump-ties-newspaper-says-2025-03-07/) that Mark Lippert, Samsung's current head of North American public affairs, is likely going to resign. Lippert, who previously served as the US ambassador to South Korea during the Obama administration, was hired by Samsung in 2022 during Biden's term in office.
The report mentions that Samsung is looking to hire someone in this role who has ties to Trump's administration and the Republican Party. This is an important role to fill for Samsung as some of the biggest decisions that Trump is expected to take can have drastic outcomes for Samsung's business.
Any changes in chip sanctions could further restrict Samsung's ability to do business with customers in China. Import tariffs could make it more expensive for US companies to buy chips and other components from Samsung. If the administration changes its policy on the [subsidies provided for the development of new semiconductor facilities](https://www.sammobile.com/news/samsung-semiconductor-chip-business-benefit-usa-chips-act/), it could impact the new facilities that Samsung is building in Texas.
Samsung Electronics is already fighting battles on several fronts, and the last thing it would need is for the US administration to make changes that significantly restrict its ability to be competitive. Ensuring that its voice is heard at the very least is just prudent risk management.