Costco nominated former President Joe Biden‘s commerce secretary, Gina Raimondo, to its board of directors on Thursday, days after suing the Trump administration to seek a full refund of tariffs that the retail giant paid this year for its foreign products.
“We are very pleased to nominate Secretary Raimondo for election to our Board,” Costco Chairman Hamilton James said in a press release. “Her vast experience in global business, politics and international security at the highest level will add an important dimension to our current expertise. We look forward to her contributions.”
Raimondo oversaw the nation’s trade policy as Biden’s commerce secretary for all four years of his term. Before her federal role, she was the governor of Rhode Island from 2015 to 2021.
The former Biden official is now setting her sights on Costco’s board.
The company will vote on her nomination during a shareholder meeting scheduled for Jan. 15, 2026. She will likely be confirmed, considering new board nominations generally pass.
Costco is challenging the Trump administration over tariffs in a lawsuit filed with the Court of International Trade. In the complaint, the retailer asked the court to prohibit the Trump administration from collecting any more tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Critics of the Trump administration argue the law is being used unlawfully in the case of tariffs, while the White House defends the president’s authority in this area.
The Supreme Court is currently weighing whether President Donald Trump can use the emergency law to impose sweeping tariffs.
Raimondo recently criticized Trump’s use of the IEEPA authority to justify his tariffs on foreign nations.
“Some amount of tariffs, most companies can live with,” she said at a Bloomberg conference last month. “But not, you know, 40%-50%. And, by the way, not changing every other month.”
COSTCO SEEKS REFUND FOR TARIFFS IN LAWSUIT AGAINST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
Beyond her to-be-confirmed role on Costco’s board, Raimondo is considering a 2028 presidential run. The former commerce secretary has not yet made a final decision on the matter. Earlier this year, she revealed her interest in running for the White House but tempered people’s expectations of her.
“I care deeply about this country. I’ve dedicated 15 years to public service, and if I think there’s a big way for me to serve again, including running, I’ll do it,” Raimondo said in April. “But I also, if I thought somebody else would be better, or better able to win, I’d get behind that person in a minute.”