Aides and allies to U.S. President Donald Trump are discussing the possibility of naming Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as the president’s top White House economic adviser, potentially elevating him to lead the National Economic Council while he continues to serve as Treasury chief, according to people briefed on the talks.
The idea under consideration would place Bessent at the helm of the National Economic Council in addition to his current Cabinet role, effectively making him the central coordinator of Trump’s economic policy across the federal government. Such an arrangement is being discussed as Trump edges toward a decision on whether to nominate current NEC Director Kevin Hassett as the next chair of the Federal Reserve, a move the president has publicly hinted at in recent days.
Bessent, a former hedge fund manager and major Trump ally on Wall Street, has already emerged as a key architect of the administration’s economic agenda, overseeing the search for a new Fed chief and promoting a platform built around tariffs, tax cuts and looser regulation. Supporters within Trump’s orbit see consolidating Treasury and NEC leadership under Bessent as a way to tighten control over monetary and fiscal messaging and to speed implementation of the president’s priorities on trade and growth.
People familiar with the discussions caution that no final decision has been made and that the personnel shuffle remains contingent on Trump’s Fed choice, leaving the possibility that roles could shift again as the process unfolds. White House officials have repeatedly stressed that any speculation about senior economic posts is premature until the president makes a formal announcement, underscoring the fluid nature of the deliberations.
