Reports have emerged that Donald Trump, the President-elect of the United States, is considering Kevin Hassett, former chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), for the position of chairman of the National Economic Council (NEC), the economic chief of the next administration's White House.
Kevin Hassett, former Chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA). Hoover Institution
Local media, including the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), cited sources saying that Hassett is expected to be nominated as the next NEC chairman. The NEC chairman serves as the control tower overseeing the White House's economic policies, coordinating economic policy decisions such as taxes, trade, and fiscal spending in Trump’s second-term administration. The role also involves advising the president on economic policy directions and monitoring the implementation of policy agendas.
A prominent conservative economist, Hassett led the White House economic think tank CEA during Trump’s first term. He has argued that tax cuts and deregulation are key to economic growth and is known for designing and promoting the 2017 tax cut legislation that lowered corporate tax rates under the Trump administration. Even after leaving the CEA chairmanship in 2019, he collaborated with the Trump administration to help devise economic measures during the early stages of the pandemic. At one point, he was also recommended by Trump aides as a candidate for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. He is currently serving as a visiting scholar at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.
If Hassett is appointed as NEC chairman, he will work alongside Treasury Secretary nominee Scott Bessent to implement Trump’s economic plans, including large-scale tariffs, tax cuts, and deregulation. In an interview with CNBC last August, he praised Trump’s reciprocal tariff plan, saying, "What he wants to do is immediately adjust U.S. tariffs to be the same as those imposed on the U.S. by other countries."
Other candidates for the NEC chairman position include Robert Lighthizer, former U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) during Trump’s first term, Jim Donovan from Goldman Sachs, and Peter Navarro, former chairman of the White House National Trade Council (NTC). The WSJ noted that among these, Lighthizer and Navarro were deeply involved in designing trade and commerce agendas during Trump’s first term. However, the outlet also reported that while Lighthizer was once considered a 'trade czar,' it is unclear whether he will be included in the second-term administration, adding, "Sources say he has expressed interest in other roles."
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