Kevin Hassett, Chairman of the White House National Economic Council. Reuters Yonhap News

Kevin Hassett, Chairman of the U.S. White House National Economic Council (NEC), stated on the 30th (local time) regarding media reports that he is a strong candidate for the next chairman of the U.S. central bank, the Federal Reserve (Fed), "If President Donald Trump nominates me, I will gladly serve."

In an interview with Fox News on the same day, Hassett said, "Several stories were leaked last week, and what I was really happy about while watching them was that, above all, the president has many excellent candidates," adding, "I believe any one of them would be a much better choice than the current situation."

He also commented on the decline in the yield of 10-year U.S. Treasury bonds following the reports of him being a strong candidate for the next Fed chairman, stating, "The market truly welcomed it as it became clear that the president's decision was imminent," and "The market is expecting a new person at the Fed, and expects President Trump to nominate a new individual."

Hassett has been considered a strong candidate since President Trump began the process of selecting a new chairman, as Trump has openly criticized and threatened to dismiss the current Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, who has consistently been reluctant to implement the interest rate cuts Trump desires.

However, Hassett's statement on this day, "If nominated, I will gladly serve," after consistently giving ambiguous answers to questions about his stance in past media interviews, is interpreted as him expressing confidence that he could be nominated as the next chairman.

Meanwhile, regarding the noticeable increase in consumer shopping sales during this year's Thanksgiving holiday period, which included Black Friday (the 28th), Hassett stated, "This is because incomes have significantly increased under President Trump," adding, "With the extra income and the end of the government shutdown, people are feeling comfortable returning to stores."

He also argued, "Incomes have grown much faster than inflation, and that is reflected in these explosive sales," and claimed that next year will be even better due to the Trump administration's tax cut policies.

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