The departure of Democrat and Hillary Clinton confidant Gary Cohn as Chairman of President Trump’s Council of Economic Advisors opens a key White House position that should be filled by a conservative Trump loyalist who shares the President’s economic vision.

Economist and Wall Street guru Lawrence Kudlow fits that description to a T and we strongly urge the President to appoint Mr. Kudlow to fill the now vacant position.

Mr. Cohn, while he may have had a lot of credibility on Wall Street, by virtue of his former position as chief operating officer at Goldman Sachs, never shared Trump’s America First economic vision regarding tax policy or the other major economic decisions facing the White House. Instead, he represented an establishment governor on the President’s populist economic urges.

Furthermore, as a Democrat, and major Hillary Clinton donor, Cohn had little ability to sell the President’s policies to Republicans, and – if he even tried – he had no success in selling them to his fellow Democrats.

Mr. Kudlow, on the other hand, served in the Office of Management and Budget during President Ronald Reagan’s administration and is highly regarded among Republicans on Capitol Hill and conservatives for his contributions to the Reagan economic boom and for his subsequent writing and commentary advocating pro-growth economic policies.

Kudlow, according to reporting by The Washington Post is described by White House officials as someone who connects with the president personally and politically. Born and raised in New Jersey, Kudlow and Trump share a hard-charging personality and relish being media figures — both have hosted television programs. Kudlow has also been an informal Trump adviser over the past year and was also an adviser to Trump during the 2016 campaign, working closely with now-Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin on the design of Trump’s well-regarded campaign tax plan.

But Mr. Kudlow is not a typical DC “YES” man. In media appearances in the past month, Kudlow has been critical of Trump’s plan to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

On March 3, Larry Kudlow joined Steve Moore and Arthur Laffer in a column for CNBC.com that was sharply critical of Trump’s proposal to impose the tariffs.

“Trump should also examine the historical record on tariffs, because they have almost never worked as intended and almost always deliver an unhappy ending,” they wrote, according to The Washington Post.

However, in their recent discussions Kudlow has told Trump that he and the president agree on the bigger points of economic policy, such as a focus on tax cuts and growth, White House insiders report.

Opposition such as that by another candidate might be disqualifying, the column has not disqualified Kudlow from consideration, the people briefed on the discussions said, according to the Washington Post’s reporting.

The other leading candidate for the position appears to be Christopher Liddell. Liddell is a former chief financial officer of General Motors, Microsoft and International Paper. He has been at the White House since last year, but as Robert Costa, Damian Paletta and Josh Dawsey observed in their reporting for the Washington Post, he hasn’t left a distinct impression on economic policy.

"I'm looking at Larry Kudlow very strongly," the President told reporters on the South Lawn as he headed off to California.

"I’ve known him a long time. We don't agree on everything," he said.

"But in this case, I think that’s good."

Trump, who argued he wants differing opinions in the White House, said Kudlow has "come around to believing in tariffs as also a negotiating point," reports The Hill’s Vicki Needham.

“I’m renegotiating great deals. Without tariffs, we wouldn't do nearly as well.”

"It’s a Trumpian way of negotiating," Kudlow said. "You knock them in the teeth and get their attention. And then you kind of work out a deal and I think that's what he’s done. My hat's off to him. He had me really worried. Now I’m not."

Larry Kudlow’s personal relationship with President Trump, his credibility with conservatives and Republicans on and off Capitol Hill, and most importantly, his ability to channel President Trump instead of trying to impose his own ideas make him the ideal candidate for the job of Chairman of the National Economic Council – we strongly urge the President to select Mr. Kudlow for the position without delay.