Trump tweets top White House economist Kevin Hassett leaving

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says the White House’s top economist is leaving soon.

In a tweet Sunday night, Trump says the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, Kevin Hassett, will be departing “shortly” and praises him as having “done such a great job for me and the Administration.”

Trump says he will name what he calls a “very talented replacement” as soon as he returns to the U.S. from his trip to Europe.

The president adds: “I want to thank Kevin for all he has done – he is a true friend!”

Hassett began serving in the Senate-confirmed post in September 2017.

According to Bloomberg, Hassett, 57, who directed economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute before joining the administration, regularly credited the overhaul of the tax code with boosting financial markets and wages during television appearances and media briefings.

He provided relentlessly positive economic analysis, served as a booster for the president’s trade policies and was well liked at the White House. Hassett thrived despite initial skepticism from hardliners within Trump’s circle who were upset when he was first appointed because of his past support for immigration as a driver of economic growth.