Trump's Smart Choice for Economic Adviser

After months of uncertainty and some false starts, President Donald Trump seems to have picked someone to be the head of his Council of Economic Advisers. That someone is Kevin Hassett, an economist at the American Enterprise Institute, a center-right think tank.

This is a great move, for a number of reasons. First, along with the hiring of H.R. McMaster as national security adviser, it seems to indicate a turn toward picking responsible, mainstream conservative figures for key positions. Hassett has a lot of respect in the community of think-tank researchers and policy advisers, including from Democrats and left-leaning scholars. He has worked extensively with Glenn Hubbard, who was Mitt Romney’s economic adviser. Hassett’s work is broad, covering taxes, fiscal policy, finance, inequality and energy policy. It’s hard to imagine Trump picking anyone better qualified.