Alumni Gazette

Lawrence (Larry) Kudlow ’69, once described by the Washington Post as the “reigning optimist on Wall Street,” was tapped by President Donald Trump in March to be the next director of the National Economic Council.

The council, which President Bill Clinton founded by executive order in 1993, is situated within the White House and advises the president on US and global economic policy. As director, Kudlow becomes one of Trump’s top advisors.

A history major at Rochester, Kudlow began his career as a junior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, followed by stints at Paine Webber and Bear Stearns, before joining the Reagan administration as associate director for economics and planning in the Office of Management and Budget. An informal advisor to Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, he’s best known to the public as the former host of CNBC’s The Kudlow Report.

“Kudlow is a guy who does not mince words and is not afraid to take on the lion in his own den,” says Peter Regenstreif, a professor emeritus of political science, who taught Kudlow at Rochester.

David Primo, Ani and Mark Gabrellian Professor and Associate Professor of Political Science and Business Administration, says that Kudlow’s economic philosophy is generally aligned with Trump’s, with some key exceptions.

“Kudlow is much more of a free trader than Trump,” he says, “so the big question is whether Trump will come around to Kudlow’s views on this issue, or vice versa.”

The University awarded Kudlow an honorary degree in 2013. In presenting the award, the University recognized Kudlow for “candid analysis and savvy understanding of investment markets, the financial industry, and fiscal and monetary strategy.”

—Peter Iglinski