David Wessel

As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump campaigned on an economic platform that included such sweeping measures as overhauling the tax code, dismantling trade agreements, tightening restrictions on immigration, and repealing “Obamacare.”

Now, a year into President Trump’s administration, fiscal and monetary policy expert David Wessel will examine the economic landscape thus far, help translate what economic changes may mean for individuals and the country, and guide us toward a better understanding of what may be in store for the future.

Wessel’s presentation, “The View from Washington: Economic Policy One Year into the Trump Presidency,” will cover topics such as productivity growth, fiscal and monetary policy, and inequality and politics.

Prior to joining the Brookings Institution in 2013 as a senior fellow in economic studies and founding director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal & Monetary Policy, Wessel enjoyed an award-winning career in journalism that spanned four decades.

He joined the Boston Globe in 1981 and was part of an investigative team that won a Pulitzer Prize for a series examining Boston’s race relations. Two years later, Wessel joined the Wall Street Journal staff, where he received his second Pulitzer Prize for “clear, concise and comprehensive stories that illuminated the roots, significance and impact of corporate scandals in America.” Throughout his three-decade tenure at WSJ, Wessel served in a number of capacities, including economics editor and writing the weekly “Capital” column. He continues at WSJ as a contributing correspondent.

Wessel has authored or co-authored three books, including two New York Times’ best sellers: “In Fed We Trust: Ben Bernanke’s War on the Great Panic” (2009) which chronicles the Federal Reserve‘s response to the financial crisis of 2007–08; and his most recent publication, “Red Ink: Inside the High-Stakes Politics of the Federal Budget” (2012), a primer on the federal budget and the deficit. His first book, “Prosperity: The Coming 20-Year Boom and What It Means for You,” co-written with Bob Davis, was published in 1998. Wessel also edited the 2014 book, “Central Banking after the Great Recession.”

In addition, Wessel teaches in the Dartmouth Tuck School of Business Global 2030 executive education program. He also is a member of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Data Users Advisory Committee. He can be heard frequently on NPR’s “Morning Edition.”

Wessel’s presentation, “The View from Washington: Economic Policy One Year into the Trump Presidency,” will cover topics such as productivity growth, fiscal and monetary policy, and inequality and politics.

Follow David on Twitter
Check out the Hutchins Center website
Hear Wessel’s economic forecast for 2018