Recent reports have stated that President Donald Trump will name economist and former CNBC senior economic advisor Larry Kudlow as the director of the National Economic Council. Following the resignation of Gary Cohn over the recent steel and aluminum tariffs, Kudlow is a free trade advocate who may butt heads with Trump over his protectionist views.
The announcement could be made as early as Thursday, CNBC reports.
Kudlow has warmed to the president’s “America First” policy on trade and tariffs after criticizing targeted trade actions at first. President Trump, as with nearly all of his political appointees, claims he will welcome disagreement with Kudlow if he follows through with the job offer.
“We don’t agree on everything, but in this case I think that’s good,” Trump said. “I want to have different opinions. We agree on most. He now has come around to believing in tariffs as a negotiating point.”
By bringing in Kudlow, Trump adds an advisor to the White House roster who is on track for supporting his pushes for lower taxes, fewer federal regulations, and a merit-based immigration system. Though, he may find the New Jersey native an occasional critic of his trade policies.
Just as Cohn assisted the president on the implementation of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act, the National Economic Council director will work to advise Trump on further economic policy. Kudlow has been a large supporter of the December tax cuts and claims, “there may be more action on that front.”
Kudlow has been on the economic front for a while. During the Reagan Administration, he was associate director for economics and planning in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). He also informally advised then-candidate Trump on economic issues during his 2016 presidential run.
As a self-described Reagan-esque supply-sider, Kudlow opposes estate taxes, as well as taxes on dividends and capital gains. He also believes that the ultimate guide to increasing tax revenue is economic growth through reducing tax rates and expansion.
Kudlow claims he is “looking forward to working with” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and says Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, “‘is very, very enthusiastic’ about him taking the job.”
“I’m looking forward to serving the president,” Kudlow said. “The way I was brought up in the Reagan years, you talk it out and you argue it out, but once the president has made a decision, that’s it. My job is to execute. You don’t go through these endless bureaucratic things and delays. The National Economic Council is in some ways an information broker and i look forward to that role.”
