Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential elections brought some internal policy changes and important moves in the structure of several big tech companies. Firms that were once “at odds” with him now have to smooth things over. This list does not include Samsung, but they may soon change some things to improve relations with Trump in the US.
Large companies usually have a “public affairs” department. This is responsible for, among other things, ensuring that the business is on favorable terms with local representatives. It is not unusual to see changes in public affairs departments of companies after a change of government. This happens especially when the new administration handles different political-social views. In line with that, Samsung could soon change the current head of its North American public affairs.
Samsung could replace its US public affairs head with Republican close to Trump administration
Currently, Mark Lippert is the person in charge of Samsung’s US public affairs office. But Korean media reports claim that the representative is on the verge of resigning. It’s noteworthy that Lippert was the US ambassador to South Korea during the Obama administration. Samsung hired him in 2022 for his capabilities and closeness to the Democratic Party.
However, Samsung is already reportedly looking for a replacement for the position. According to reports, the South Korean giant is looking for a profile with ties to the Republican Party and closeness to the Trump administration.
The potential move could come at a time when upcoming decisions could impact Samsung in general. Trump has expressed the idea of setting tariffs on chip imports. This would especially affect Samsung’s semiconductor division. The tariffs would make the company’s products more expensive, so American businesses could look for other suppliers. Samsung is also setting up new chip manufacturing facilities in Texas. The last thing the company wants is for potential tariffs to severely impact its plans.
A strategy similar to Meta’s
Samsung is not the only company that is expected to make changes to its public affairs office following Trump’s arrival. Meta has been working hard on getting closer to the US president. The firm has already replaced its policy team head in favor of a former Republican staffer. Plus, Mark Zuckerberg made changes to Meta’s moderation policies in favor of freedom of expression. Zuckerberg himself has met with Trump on a few occasions as well.
