Trump Friend: Gary Cohn Will Be Fed Chair If He Wants To Be

Gary Cohn Image by Getty Images

By Josh Nathan-Kazis August 7, 2017

The director of the National Economic Council, Gary Cohn, “will absolutely” be named chairman of the Federal Reserve if he wants the job, Tom Barrack, a businessman and close friend of President Trump told Bloomberg at a Hamptons polo match on Sunday.

Barrack, who chaired Trump’s inauguration committee, said he didn’t think Cohn would want to make the switch.

“Honestly, he’s certainly capable and qualified for that job,” Barrack said. “But I think there’s other things that he can do that are even more important.”

Cohn, dubbed “Globalist Gary” by his White House enemies, is a former president of Goldman Sachs, and is seen as a moderating force in the Trump White House. Trump has said in recent weeks that he is considering replacing current Fed chair Janet Yellen with Cohn when her term expires early next year.

Cohn himself was also in the Hamptons over the weekend, attending a fundraiser for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

“I’m supporting an amazing cause, I’m supporting my wife and I’m supporting these great New York women,” Cohn told Bloomberg.

Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at [email protected] or on Twitter, @joshnathankazis.

Josh Nathan-Kazis is a staff writer for the Forward. He covers charities and politics, and writes investigations and longform.

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