Follow up to this post, quote from PoliticoAdministration re: Hassett to Fed:
One former ally, who was granted anonymity to speak frankly about Hassett’s candidacy, said they were worried that the NEC director would struggle to put on a “Fed chair hat” given the depth of his relationships in Trump world. Another said that even if Hassett were able to separate himself from the political responsibilities of his current role, many business leaders and investors already perceive him as being overly willing to follow the president’s wishes, which could jeopardize his ability to steer the Fed through periods of economic turmoil.
Well, if one former ally is thinking that, I bet lots more are in the same boat.
In defense of doing musical chairs within the Trump economic team, it’s notable there is no outreach to anybody seemingly new…
In a statement, spokesman Kush Desai said the president “has put together the best and most experienced trade and economic team in modern political history, and he will continue to hire and nominate the most qualified individuals to key government positions. Any discussion about any potential nominations until officially announced by President Trump, however, is pointless speculation.”
Here’s the team as of today:
Notes: Clockwise from top left: Bessent (to Treasury, maybe to NEC Chair; Yale; Key Square Group), Luttnick (to Commerce: Haverford; Cantor Fitzgerald), Hassett (to NEC; Swarthmore, Penn; AEI), Vought (to OMB; Wheaton, GWU Law; Heritage/CRA/Project 2025), Greer (to USTR; BYU, UVA Law; USTR and King & Spalding); Miran (to CEA and Fed Board: BU, Harvard; Hudson Bay Capital Mgmt), Navarro (to EOP; Tufts, Harvard; UC Irvine and EOP), Faulkender* (to Treasury Dpty; UC Davis, Northwestern; Treasury, UMD) Place Theurer: The.
Faulkender’s tenure was exceptionally short. Don’t know why…
