History of Kevin Hassett in Timeline

Kevin Hassett is an American economist currently serving as the director of the National Economic Council since 2025. Previously, he held the position of senior advisor and chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers from 2017 to 2019. His career reflects a focus on economic policy and advising government officials on financial matters.

Sections (1)

Full Timeline

March 20, 1962: Kevin Hassett Born

On March 20, 1962, Kevin Allen Hassett was born. He is an American economist.

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 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 became an associate professor at Columbia Business School.

1994: End of Tenure as associate Professor at Columbia Business School

In 1994, Hassett's tenure as associate professor at Columbia Business School ended.

1997: Joined AEI as a Resident Scholar

In 1997, Hassett joined the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) as a resident scholar, focusing on tax policy, fiscal policy, energy issues, and stock market investing.

1997: End of Tenure as Economist at Federal Reserve Board of Governors

In 1997, Hassett's tenure as economist in the Division of Research and Statistics at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors ended.

October 1, 1999: Publication of "Dow 36,000"

On October 1, 1999, "Dow 36,000: The New Strategy for Profiting from the Coming Rise in the Stock Market" by James K. Glassman and Kevin Hassett was published, predicting a significant rise in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

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

Check it on Amazon

2000: Chief Economic Advisor

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

October 9, 2002: Dow Jones Industrial Average Decline

By October 9, 2002, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had declined 37.8% from its peak after the publication of "Dow 36,000" in 1999.

2003: Director of Economic Policy Studies at AEI

In 2003, Hassett was named director of economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI).

2004: Economic Advisor

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

2005: Weekly Column for Bloomberg

Since 2005, Hassett has written a weekly column for Bloomberg.

2007: Argued the US was on the wrong side of the Laffer curve

In 2007, Hassett argued that the United States was on the wrong side of the Laffer curve regarding corporate tax rates, leading to some criticism of his supporting graph.

2008: Economic Advisor

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

2012: Economic Advisor

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 in the Trump administration.

December 2017: Advocating for Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

During the period of August to December 2017, Hassett labeled Ireland as a tax haven on several interviews when advocating for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

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: Boom in Onshoring of U.S. Intellectual Property

In July 2018, Seamus Coffey, Chairperson of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council posted that Ireland could now see a "boom" in the onshoring of U.S. intellectual property, via the Irish Capital Allowances for Intangible Assets (CAIA) BEPS tool which is enhanced by Hassett's TCJA legislation.

September 5, 2018: Released analysis on wage growth under Trump

On September 5, 2018, Hassett released new analysis indicating that real wage growth under President Trump was higher than reported.

September 13, 2018: Remarks on Ireland as a tax haven

On September 13, 2018, during an official visit to Ireland, Hassett stated that U.S. tax law being written by someone on acid was the reason for Ireland being considered a tax haven.

February 2019: Criticism of TCJA

In February 2019, Brad Setser from the Council on Foreign Relations, wrote a New York Times article highlighting the failings of Hassett's TCJA in addressing the use of tax havens by U.S. corporates and why the TCJA incentivized U.S. corporate use of tax havens.

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 term 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 senior advisor and chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers ended.

March 20, 2020: Return to White House to Advise on Economic Policy

On March 20, 2020, it was announced that Hassett would be returning to the White House on a temporary basis to advise President Trump on economic policy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

April 15, 2020: Appointment as Senior Advisor

On April 15, 2020, the Trump administration announced Hassett's appointment as a senior advisor, where he constructed a model that forecast lower coronavirus deaths than what actually occurred.

May 2020: Suggested Re-opening of Economies

In early May 2020, Hassett suggested there might not be a need for more coronavirus economic relief, believing most state economies could reopen by the end of May, which contradicted public health experts' assessments.

2020: Return to 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 26, 2024: Appointment as Director of National Economic Council

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

2024: Shortlisted for Federal Reserve Chair

In 2024, Hassett was reportedly shortlisted for nomination as Chair of the Federal Reserve if former president Donald Trump were to win re-election.

February 2025: Defended Tariff Threats Against Canada

In February 2025, when questioned about the president's tariff threats against Canada, Hassett defended his position by citing drug-related incidents in Edmonton, Alberta, and said that "Canada has a drug crisis, and it's spilling into the U.S."