TV pundit cast as new guru on economy

WASHINGTON — President Trump has chosen Larry Kudlow to be his top economic aide, elevating the influence of a long-time fixture on the CNBC business news network who previously served in the Reagan administration and has emerged as a leading evangelist for tax cuts and a smaller government.

Kudlow, 70, said on Wednesday that he has accepted the offer, saying the U.S. economy is poised to take off after Trump signed $1.5 trillion worth of tax cuts into law.

“The economy is starting to roar and we’re going to get more of that,” he said.

The famously pinstripesuited Kudlow would succeed Gary Cohn, a former Goldman Sachs executive who is leaving the post in a dispute over Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum.

With Trump’s tax cuts already being implemented, Kudlow would be advising a president who appears increasingly determined to tax foreign imports — a policy that Kudlow personally opposes. Kudlow said that he is “in accord” with Trump’s agenda and that his team at the White House would help implement the policies set by the president.

Trump has promised to reduce the trade imbalance with China and rewrite the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico. Kudlow declined to say what advice he would give the president on trade issues.

Friends and colleagues say Kudlow possesses two critical attributes prized by the president: He is a bluntly spoken debater and is resolutely loyal.