Kevin Hassett, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, addresses reporters during a regular briefing at the White House in Washington, United States, on February 22, 2018.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
President-elect Donald Trump has named Kevin Hassett to head the National Economic Council, putting him at the center of the administration’s policy-making discussions on everything from trade to taxes to deregulation.
The move brings President Trump closer to finalizing his economic team, with the U.S. trade representative being the last remaining key post.
President Trump made the announcement in a post on Truth Social.
During the first Trump administration, Hassett served as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers for two years, supporting the Republican corporate tax cut and defending President Trump’s punitive tariffs.
Mr. Hassett, 62, also worked with President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner on immigration and supported efforts to end sanctions waivers for countries that buy Iranian oil.
The appointment comes as President Trump reiterates his commitment to increase tariffs by an additional 10% on all Chinese goods imported into the United States and impose a 25% tariff on all products from Mexico and Canada. . Such a move would end the region’s free trade agreement.
Trump, who will be sworn in as the next US president on January 20, cited illegal immigration and illegal drug trafficking as reasons for the tariffs.
Hassett was a fiscal policy scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, before President Trump nominated him for the White House role in 2017.
Late last week, President Trump signaled that he would nominate Scott Bessent, the founder of hedge fund Key Square Group and a seasoned market professional, to be Treasury secretary.
