Overview
- Kevin Hassett, the White House National Economic Council director, said on May 24 there are "no storm clouds gathering" for the U.S. economy and pointed to positive indicators alongside the record Dow.
- Hassett argued that a record-low consumer-sentiment reading is skewed by partisan sampling and said broader consumer confidence measures line up with other strong economic data.
- He tied recent Memorial Day gas-price increases to an Iran-related shipping disruption and said once key straits reopen he expects tankers and refineries to restore global supply in about one to two months.
- A proposed $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund to compensate allies of the president prompted private Republican backlash and helped derail an appropriations measure that included ICE and CBP funding.
- The White House is defending a privately financed ballroom as a security project while conducting legislative outreach, but critics say the optics and the fund could complicate midterm political calculations.