President Donald Trump’s economic team is betting big on foreign capital.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick this week previewed what Washington insiders are calling the most consequential SelectUSA Investment Summit yet, signaling the Trump administration’s intensified effort to turn the United States into a global magnet for foreign direct investment.
“The time to invest in America is now,” Lutnick said ahead of the summit’s Monday kickoff at National Harbor.
The 2025 SelectUSA Investment Summit, running May 11–14, is expected to bring more than 5,000 participants from over 90 international markets to the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center. Behind closed doors, administration officials say they are preparing for a wave of deal-making and headline-ready announcements that could total tens of billions of dollars in foreign direct investment.
“President Donald Trump is committed to bringing in trillions of dollars in new investment into the United States, and SelectUSA is key to making that happen,” said Secretary Lutnick, the former Cantor Fitzgerald CEO and longtime friend of the president.
“We are committed to working together with leaders across industry and government because the time to invest in America is now.”
Big Names, Political Stakes
Newly confirmed speakers include:
- Ola Källenius, Chairman and CEO, Mercedes-Benz Group AG
- Barbara Humpton, President and CEO, Siemens USA
- Rene Haas, CEO, ARM Holdings plc
- Mark England, President, GlobalWafers Co. Ltd.
They join previously announced executives Ashley Magargee of Genentech and José Muñoz of Hyundai Motor Company.
The administration is also sending a visible signal through its lineup of federal officials slated for the main stage:
- Labor Secretary Lori Michelle Chavez-DeRemer
- Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau
- National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett
Governors from both parties are expected to make a direct play for global capital. Newly added names include Delaware’s Matt Meyer, Mississippi’s Tate Reeves, and New Mexico’s Michelle Lujan Grisham. They’ll join a cross-section of U.S. governors, from Virginia’s Glenn Youngkin to Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer, pitching their states as America’s next investment hubs.
Officials say more than ten major foreign direct investment announcements are likely, including site expansions and international partnerships brokered directly with U.S. state economic development agencies.
In 2024, the SelectUSA program facilitated more than $135 billion in new investment commitments and helped support over 105,000 jobs. But this year, as Trump pushes forward with trade negotiations amid a backdrop of reciprocal tariffs, the stakes are even higher. His team sees an opportunity to cement the United States as the world’s premier destination for foreign investment.
The Pavlovic Today will be on the ground all week, tracking the deals, the diplomacy, and the domestic pitch behind America’s foreign investment offensive.
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