Administration

Top Trump trade adviser Everett Eissenstat to leave White House

A senior White House adviser who serves on both the National Economic Council and the National Security Council will leave the Trump administration next month.

Everett Eissenstat, a senior aide specializing in international economic affairs who recently represented the Trump administration at the Group of Seven (G-7) summit among other official gatherings, will exit the White House next month, The Financial Times reports.

Eissenstat is leaving the White House due family reasons and not out of protest to any of the president’s policies, the newspaper reported, citing officials.

{mosads}

“Everett was a consummate professional and a valued member of the White House staff,” White House chief of staff John Kelly told the outlet in a statement. “We will miss his deep expertise, commitment to duty, and skillful management of the National Economic and National Security Council’s international team.”

Eissenstat served as President Trump’s top official at the G-7 earlier this month in his position as deputy director of the economic council. He joined the White House last June after previously working for Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch (R).

The departure is seen as a major loss of policy expertise for the White House amid Trump’s increasingly tenuous trade relationship with longtime trade partners including Canada and the European Union.

Hatch praised Eissenstat’s appointment last June, calling his placement on the two White House councils a sign that the Trump administration was approaching trade “intelligently.”

“If they’re interested in Everett, that shows they’re approaching things pretty intelligently, because he’s very, very good,” Hatch said at the time.