History of Kevin Hassett in Timeline

Kevin Hassett is an American economist. He served as the director of the National Economic Council starting in 2025. Before that, he was the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers from 2017 to 2019.

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Full Timeline

March 20, 1962: Kevin Hassett Born

On March 20, 1962, Kevin Allen Hassett was born. He would later become an American economist and director of the National Economic Council.

Others born on this day/year

1989: Assistant Professor at Columbia Business School

In 1989, Hassett became an assistant professor of economics at Columbia Business School.

1992: Economist at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors

In 1992, Hassett became an economist in the Division of Research and Statistics at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.

1993: Associate Professor at Columbia Business School

In 1993, Hassett was promoted to associate professor at Columbia Business School.

1994: End of time as Associate Professor at Columbia Business School

In 1994, Hassett's time as associate professor at Columbia Business School came to an end.

1997: End of time as Economist at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors

In 1997, Hassett's time as an economist in the Division of Research and Statistics at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors came to an end.

1997: Joined AEI as Resident Scholar

In 1997, Kevin Hassett joined the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) as a resident scholar, focusing on tax policy, fiscal policy, energy issues, and investing in the stock market. He collaborated with R. Glenn Hubbard.

1999: Publication of "Dow 36,000"

In 1999, "Dow 36,000: The New Strategy for Profiting from the Coming Rise in the Stock Market," coauthored by Hassett and James K. Glassman, was published before the dot-com bubble burst.

Dow 36,000: The New Strategy for Profiting from the Coming Rise in the Stock Market

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2000: Chief Economic Advisor to John McCain

In 2000, Hassett served as John McCain's chief economic advisor during the presidential primaries.

2003: Director of Economic Policy Studies at AEI

In 2003, Kevin Hassett was named director of economic policy studies at AEI. He also began writing columns in newspapers like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal.

2004: Economic Advisor to George W. Bush

In 2004, Hassett was an economic advisor to the George W. Bush campaign.

2005: Weekly Column for Bloomberg

Since 2005, Hassett has been writing a weekly column for Bloomberg.

2007: Argued US on Wrong Side of Laffer Curve

In 2007, Hassett argued that the United States was on the wrong side of the Laffer curve in terms of corporate tax rates, though some characterized his supporting graph as deceptive.

2008: Economic Advisor to John McCain

In 2008, Hassett served as an economic advisor to John McCain's campaign.

2012: Economic Advisor to Mitt Romney

In 2012, Hassett was an economic advisor on Mitt Romney's presidential campaign.

September 2017: Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers

In September 2017, Hassett became the 29th chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers.

December 2017: Advocated for TCJA, Labeled Ireland as tax haven

In December 2017, Kevin Hassett labeled Ireland as a tax haven in several interviews when advocating for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 ("TCJA").

2017: Senior Advisor and Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers

In 2017, Kevin Hassett became the senior advisor and chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers.

July 2018: Anticipation of Onshoring of US Intellectual Property to Ireland

In July 2018, Seamus Coffey noted that Ireland could see a boom in the onshoring of U.S. intellectual property due to the Irish Capital Allowances for Intangible Assets (CAIA) BEPS tool, which is enhanced by Hassett's TCJA legislation.

September 5, 2018: CEA Released Analysis on Real Wage Growth

On September 5, 2018, the Council of Economic Advisers released new analysis indicating that real wage growth under Trump was higher than reported. Hassett commented that the headlines had missed the real wage growth due to confusion about proper measurement.

September 13, 2018: Remarks on Ireland as a Tax Haven

On September 13, 2018, during a visit to Ireland, Hassett remarked that US tax law was written by someone on acid, when questioned if the U.S. considered Ireland as a tax haven. Hassett had previously labeled Ireland as a tax haven during several interviews between August and December 2017.

February 2019: Criticism of Hassett's TCJA

In February 2019, Brad Setser criticized Hassett's TCJA in a New York Times article, highlighting its failures in addressing the use of tax havens by U.S. corporations.

June 2, 2019: Announcement of Stepping Down

On June 2, 2019, it was announced that Hassett would be stepping down from his role within the coming weeks.

June 2019: End of term as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers

In June 2019, Hassett's time as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers ended.

2019: End of Term as Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers

In 2019, Kevin Hassett's term as the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers came to an end.

March 20, 2020: Return to White House

On March 20, 2020, Hassett returned to the White House on a temporary basis to advise President Trump on economic policy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

April 15, 2020: Appointment as Senior Advisor

On April 15, 2020, Hassett was appointed as a senior advisor in the Trump administration. He built a model forecasting lower coronavirus deaths than what actually happened.

May 2020: Suggested Re-Opening the Economy

In early May 2020, Hassett suggested that there might not be a need for more coronavirus economic relief and proposed re-opening economies in nearly all states by the end of the month. This contradicted public health experts' assessments.

2020: Return to the White House

In 2020, Hassett returned to the White House to work on the administration's economic response to the coronavirus pandemic, influencing policy amid lockdowns and social distancing.

November 2024: Announcement as Director of the National Economic Council

In November 2024, following Donald Trump's election, Hassett was announced as the director of the National Economic Council (NEC).

November 26, 2024: Director of the National Economic Council Appointment

On November 26, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump announced that Kevin Hassett would be the director of the National Economic Council in his second administration.

2024: Shortlisted for Federal Reserve Chair

In 2024, Hassett was reportedly shortlisted to become the chair of the Federal Reserve if former President Donald Trump were to win re-election.

January 2025: Became Director of the National Economic Council

In January 2025, Hassett officially became the director of the National Economic Council at the start of Trump's second administration.

October 2025: Short List for Federal Reserve Chair

In October 2025, Scott Bessent confirmed that Hassett was on the short list of five candidates to replace Jerome Powell as Chair of the Federal Reserve.