Larry Kudlow is going from being a familiar face seen on cable TV to one of those who will be seen standing behind President Trump. As Director of the National Economic Council, Kudlow is the President's new chief economist, replacing Gary Cohn.
Kudlow, 70, was born and raised in New Jersey, where he attended private schools. We went on to study at the University of Rochester and Princeton University, before going to work for the federal government, first at the Federal Reserve and then at the Office of Management and Budget under President Reagan.
In 1987, Kudlow moved to Wall Street, as chief economist at Bear Stearns. His media career began in 2001, when he became economics editor at National Review Online. That same year, he began his career at CNBC, where he served as an anchor, commentator and contributor. He has written four books.
Kudlow, who started out as a Democrat, has been a politically-active economist in Republican circles for decades. Known for his ever-optimistic take on supply-side economics, Kudlow was an informal advisor to the Trump campaign and stayed in touch with the President thereafter.
Kudlow's career, however, is not without setbacks. He had to leave his job at Bear Stearns to seek treatment for drug and alcohol addiction, a process which led to him converting from Judaism to Catholicism.