President Trump has chosen economist and media analyst Larry Kudlow to direct the National Economic Council, Politico reported Wednesday. Kudlow will replace Gary Cohn, the Goldman Sachs executive who resigned from the post amid disagreements over Trump's steel and aluminum import tariffs.
Trump called Kudlow on Tuesday night to offer the job, and Kudlow accepted, CNN reports. Kudlow was long considered a frontrunner to step in as the chief economic adviser, after his role informally helping to shape Trump's messaging on taxes and other economic issues during the 2016 presidential election, reports CNBC.
Kudlow is a CNBC senior contributor and on-air personality, and worked for former President Ronald Reagan in the Office of Management and Budget, helping to craft economic policy. His former CNBC cohost, Jim Cramer, reported that Kudlow was a strong contender for the job earlier this week.
CNBC reports that Trump spoke of welcoming Kudlow's perspective Tuesday. "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."