Trump Nominates Christopher Phelan to Lead White House Economic Council

Donald Trump nominated Christopher Phelan, a University of Minnesota economics professor and longtime adviser at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, to lead the White House Council of Economic Advisers, putting a macroeconomist with deep central-bank experience into one of the administration’s most influential economic jobs.

The move matters because the council is not just a ceremonial shop. Created by Congress in the 1946 Employment Act, the Council of Economic Advisers is charged with giving the president objective advice on domestic and international policy. The White House says the council bases its recommendations on economic research and empirical evidence, and it prepares the annual Economic Report of the President. The White House released the 2026 report last week, describing it as a 14-topic review of issues affecting the economy and American families.

Phelan brings a different profile than a partisan operative. The Minneapolis Fed says he has served in various roles there since 1998 and is currently an adviser to the research department. He has taught at the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago in 1990 and earned his A.B. and A.M. from Duke University and the University of Chicago. His research covers dynamic contracting, government reputation, game theory, macroeconomics and banking, and his published work has appeared in Econometrica, the Review of Economic Studies and the Journal of Monetary Economics.

That background suggests Trump is reaching for technical cover at a politically sensitive moment. The White House is still dealing with high gas prices, tariff fallout and public anxiety over the cost of living, while Trump has also pressed the Federal Reserve for lower rates even as he warns that easier money could fuel inflation. Phelan’s first tests, if confirmed, are likely to come in the administration’s framing of tariffs, deficits and labor-market conditions, three areas where economic theory often collides with political instinct.

The nomination also comes after a rapid turnover at the council. Stephen Miran resigned as CEA chair on February 3, 2026 after his stint as a Federal Reserve governor extended past February. The Senate had confirmed Miran as chair on March 12, 2025 by a 53-46 vote. The White House said Pierre Yared is serving as acting CEA chair, and Aaron Hedlund remains a member of the council under Trump.

Phelan will still need Senate confirmation before taking over. If approved, his appointment would give Trump a policy economist who can defend the administration’s agenda in technical language while helping shape the White House’s explanation of growth, inflation, trade and employment at a moment when the economy remains politically fragile.