Kevin Hassett is expected to leave his White House role in the coming weeks, a move that would remove one of Donald Trump’s most prominent economic advisers at a sensitive moment for the administration. Three people familiar with Hassett’s plans said the departure is being discussed now, even though nothing has been formally announced.
The timing is why the search for his next move has picked up. Hassett has been asking about roles outside the administration since well before this month’s midterm elections, and on Friday the expectation that he will leave became public. He was brought back by Trump nearly two years ago to serve as his top economic adviser, after having served in the first Trump administration.
Hassett has not been a background figure. He has been the face of the administration’s response to the economic fallout from the Iran war and Trump’s campaign against Jerome Powell, and he was also in the running to replace Powell. His departure would come after months in which the White House economic team has already been shifting around him.
That shake-up has not been subtle. Hassett’s deputy, Ryan Baasch, left the White House at the end of September, and Trump has also replaced Susie Wiles with Stephen Miller as chief of staff. Scott Bessent and David Zervos are among those being eyed to replace Hassett, with Bessent serving as Treasury Secretary. Howard Lutnick is under scrutiny over his handling of export controls on AI chips.
There is still one important catch: Hassett’s plans have not been officially announced and could change. That leaves the White House with a personnel question that is still open even as the expectation of his exit hardens. If Hassett does go, the next question is not whether the economic shop changes again, but how quickly Trump fills the gap he leaves behind.
