White House Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Kevin Hassett denied Monday that his pending departure from the Trump administration had any connection to President Donald Trump’s decision last week to threaten blanket tariffs on Mexico over immigration.
In an interview on CNBC the morning after Trump abruptly announced his departure on Twitter the night before, Hassett said his decision to leave had "been in the works for a little while," noting that his nearly two-year tenure was pretty standard for the role.
"If you look at the history of the CEA, it’s very normal for the CEA chair to move on after about two years, and I think it’s really quite healthy for the organization," he said, arguing that turnover helped the group stay above the political fray of the White House. "Because the CEA is supposed to be this objective economic body rather than a political animal. And I think The longer you stay in the White House, the closer you get with everybody in the West Wing, you know the harder it might be to be objective," he continued.
Hassett, one of the few prominent economists in the Trump White House, has been a chief promoter of the president’s tax cuts and helped adviser and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner craft the White House’s newly unveiled immigration plan, but he has also espoused his belief in the benefits of free trade and immigration, two viewpoints that clashed last week with the president’s trade order.
Trump's decision to levy a 5 percent tax on goods coming from Mexico unless it stopped the flow of migrants entering the U.S. prompted a fierce backlash from economists warning of dire effects and even from Republican lawmakers who protested employing economic threats to solve an immigration issue.
Hassett on Monday defended the tariffs, asserting that they were clearly a successful pressure tactic because Mexican officials had come to the negotiating table.Aside from stepping down out of "respect for the institution and the sort of normal two-year role," Hassett said he was also looking forward to spending time with his family. But he rejected the notion that there was anything suspicious about his departure from an administration known for its constant churn of personnel.
“It’s absolutely normal, circle of life kind of stuff,” he said.
But Hassett is one of the few members of the administration who has managed to remain in Trump’s good graces, as evidenced by the president’s praise-laden tweet calling him a “true friend” Sunday night. Trump said he would name Hassett’s replacement, who will need Senate confirmation, upon his return from a week-long trip to Europe.
Article originally published on POLITICO Magazine