President Donald Trump confirmed reports that Larry Kudlow will serve as the next National Economic Council director in a Thursday morning tweet.
“Our country will have many years of great economic and financial success, with low taxes, unparalleled innovation, fair trade and an ever expanding labor force leading the way!” he said.
Larry Kudlow will be my Chief Economic Advisor as Director of the National Economic Council. Our Country will have many years of Great Economic & Financial Success, with low taxes, unparalleled innovation, fair trade and an ever expanding labor force leading the way! #MAGA
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 15, 2018
Kudlow will replace Gary Cohn, who resigned last week after reportedly expressing his opposition to Trump’s new tariffs on steel and aluminum. Officially, the White House said there was no single factor that led to Cohn’s resignation.
Trump told reporters Tuesday that he was “very strongly” considering Kudlow for the position. The Washington Post and CNBC were first to report Wednesday that Kudlow would replace Cohn. Kudlow, currently a CNBC financial analyst, was an adviser to Trump during the 2016 campaign. He also worked in the Ronald Reagan administration as an economic policy adviser. Kudlow has also previously expressed his opposition to the new tariffs and has been vocal about breaking with Trump on other issues.
When Trump offered Kudlow the job, he reportedly told Kudlow that his staff wasn’t aware that he was offering him the job, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Per WSJ:
At one point during their call Tuesday, Mr. Kudlow said the president seemed to revel in the fact that his staff didn’t know they were discussing the job. The president told him, “‘No one else knows that you and I are having this conversation.’ I loved it,” said Mr. Kudlow. “He is who he is.”
