President Donald Trump’s nominee for US trade representative is telling lawmakers he would seek to restore the nation’s “hard power” by using trade policy to revitalize manufacturing and counter “global volatility.

Jamieson Greer, President Donald Trump’s choice to be the top U.S. trade negotiator, promised to pursue the president’s hardline trade policies.

Greer previously served as the chief of staff to the trade representative during President Donald Trump's first administration.

Donald Trump’s nominee for US trade representative championed the president’s combative approach on trade Thursday while Democrats denounced it as “reckless,” saying it could hurt US consumers by raising prices and unsettling partners.

Thursday’s hearing wasn’t a sign of congressional action — it was a political weather vane, showing which way the politics is blowing. And the message to Trump’s pick for trade representative was: Don't apply big tariffs on Canada.

Jamieson Greer is testifying before the Senate Finance Committee Thursday morning in his bid to be the U.S. trade representative. Greer, tapped by President Trump for the role, served as an aide in the office during the president’s first term in office.