Trump is expected to choose his treasury chief from two contenders.
President-elect Donald Trump will announce his selections for his economic team next week, with two serious contenders emerging for the top treasury job, according to Corey Lewandowski, a senior adviser to the incoming president.
“Next week is when the president’s team is scheduled to roll out the economic team that includes the national economic adviser, the Council on Economic Advisers, and others,” Lewandowski said Friday in an interview on NewsNation.
“This week was Homeland Security week, and you’ve seen that,” he said.
Trump announced a series of high-profile nominations for his national security team, notably drawing heavily on sitting and former members of Congress. He asked Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) to be his national security adviser, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) to be secretary of state, former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard to be director of national intelligence, and former Texas congressman and Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe to direct the CIA.
Throughout the week, Trump also chose Fox News host and veteran Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to be secretary of homeland security, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel, and real estate developer Steven Witkoff to be special envoy for the Middle East, a new position.
The Cabinet positions are pending Senate confirmation.Lewandowski also shed light on the competition for secretary of treasury, naming Square Group founder Scott Bessent and Cantor Fitzgerald Chair and CEO Howard Lutnick—who also co-chairs Trump’s transition team—as the top contenders.
According to Lewandowski, Trump is looking for a Treasury chief who will ensure the economy is “moving again,” maintain low interest rates, and bolster domestic manufacturing.
“What you see in the two candidates are both have extensive experience on Wall Street,” he said of Bessent and Lutnick. “Both are recognized as experts in their respective field.”
Bessent has garnered the backing of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who called him an “outstanding” choice. Lutnick, meanwhile, appears to have the endorsement of Elon Musk, who the president-elect has named in a new government efficiency post.
“Courage during tough times is a great virtue,” Musk wrote Saturday, replying to a post discussing the role Lutnick played in taking free speech platform Rumble public.
“My view [for what it’s worth] is that Bessent is a business-as-usual choice, whereas [Lutnick] will actually enact change,” Musk wrote in an earlier post.