Trump announces departure of chief economist Hassett – POLITICO

President Donald Trump announced Sunday night that Kevin Hassett, his chief economist and a prominent promoter of the president’s tax cuts, will be stepping down from his position with a replacement to be named soon.

“Kevin Hassett, who has done such a great job for me and the Administration, will be leaving shortly,” Trump, who is visiting the U.K., said in a tweet. “His very talented replacement will be named as soon as I get back to the U.S. I want to thank Kevin for all he has done – he is a true friend!”

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Hassett, who was confirmed as chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers in September 2017, has been one of the more traditionally conservative voices in the White House and one of the few prominent economists in Trump’s circle.

Known for his consistently upbeat demeanor, he strongly supported Trump’s idea that the economy can achieve sustained 3 percent annual growth.

More recently, he helped Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, write the president’s new immigration plan unveiled last month, which is still being put into bill form. The emerging legislation, which boosts security at the southern border and pushes the nation to admit more high-skilled, well-educated immigrants, rather than immigrants who enter the U.S. based on family ties, is expected to be released in the coming days.

Hassett, a former scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, wasn’t a perfect fit for Trump’s ideology, given his free trade inclinations and his past writings on the benefits of immigration. But he avoided becoming the target of Trump’s wrath during his tenure.

The Council of Economic Advisers serves as the in-house economic analysis operation for the White House. It helps produce the annual Economic Report of the President and serves as the main liaison between the West Wing and the economic data offices at the Labor and Commerce departments and other federal agencies.

Hassett’s replacement will have to be confirmed by the Senate.

Trump will return to the U.S. next weekend.

Anita Kumar contributed to this report.