Larry Kudlow, National Economic Council director, hospitalized after suffering heart attack, Trump says
June 12, 2018 in News, Video by RBN Staff
Larry Kudlow, the National Economic Council director, has been hospitalized after suffering a heart attack, President Trump said Tuesday from Singapore.
“Our Great Larry Kudlow, who has been working so hard on trade and the economy, has just suffered a heart attack,” Trump tweeted ahead of his historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. “He is now in Walter Reed Medical Center.”
Kudlow, 70, a conservative commentator, had replaced Gary Cohn who resigned in March.
“Earlier today National Economic Council Director and Assistant to the President Larry Kudlow, experienced what his doctors say, was a very mild heart attack,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement.
“Larry is currently in good condition at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and his doctors expect he will make a full and speedy recovery,” Sanders continued. “The President and his Administration send their thoughts and prayers to Larry and his family.”
Kudlow has long been known as a respected business and economics commentator, getting his own CNBC show in 2011. Since then, he’s hosted a variety of shows on the network, including “The Kudlow Report” and “Kudlow & Cramer.”
He also served as associate director for economics and planning in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) during the Reagan administration. A former chief economist for a Wall Street firm, Kudlow battled addiction and took time off from Bear Stearns for a stint in drug rehab.
His commitment to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings reportedly was a contributing factor in why he ultimately ruled out a Connecticut Senate bid in 2016.
In recent days he has been a vocal critic of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his interactions with Trump during the G7 summit following a debate between the two leaders over tariffs.
He called Trudeau’s post-summit press conference, in which he said Canada wouldn’t be “pushed around” by the U.S. after Trump had already left the meeting, a “sophomoric, political stunt for domestic consumption.
“Karen and I are praying for our dear friend @Larry_Kudlow tonight,” Vice President Mike Pence tweeted in reply to the president’s announcement.
Fox News’ Kaitlyn Schallhorn contributed to this report.