Hassett says the White House plans no economic policy shift after the election rout and will not stop the AI build-out

Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, said the administration has no plans to change course after Republicans’ midterm defeat^1,6. “I don’t think we have a policy change we need to plan,” Hassett said^1,14.

He said President Donald Trump will not change his economic policies after the election⁶. He also said the Democratic wave will not stop the build-out of artificial-intelligence infrastructure², and that data center growth should continue^5,16.

Hassett said that any locality that does not want a data center does not have to allow it¹⁵. A White House message summed up that position as “AI investment will not be disrupted”¹¹.

Why it matters to investors

The comments matter for companies building AI capacity after voters backed local curbs. Hassett addressed the ballot curbs directly and said the build-out will continue^2,5. He also said the economy would still be “blockbuster” even if the data center build-out slows, describing it as resilient¹².

He pointed to the labor market as evidence. The US economy added 165000 jobs in October, and Hassett called the number “through the roof”⁷. “Demand for labor is skyrocketing,” he said^10,17. He described the latest data by saying “the data are singing a beautiful song”³, and in a television interview pointed to the trend over the last three months^8,9.

On prices, Hassett said inflation is “driven by energy prices”^4,13. That is the administration’s explanation for elevated prices, after Democrats clinched huge wins on inflation anger and Trump fatigue¹⁴.

What to watch

Asked about the outlook for the Federal Reserve, Hassett pointed to recent remarks by the new Fed chairman, Kevin Warsh³. Separately, he said he is moving forward with a hearing related to Fed Governor Lisa Cook, while saying he is “looking forward to collegially working” with her¹⁷.

For investors, the message from the White House is continuity on economic policy and data centers despite the change in control of Congress^1,2. Whether that stance survives contact with a Democratic Congress, and with local governments that have the power to block projects, is the open question Hassett himself acknowledged when he said localities do not have to accept data centers^5,15.

The administration’s view that energy prices drive inflation⁴ will be set against each new data release, which Hassett has so far greeted as evidence of strength^3,7.