President Trump said Tuesday Larry Kudlow, a conservative economist, has a “very good chance” of replacing Gary Cohn as his chief economic adviser.

“He’s a very, very talented man, a good man, and I think Larry Kudlow has a good chance,” Trump told reporters before departing for California. “I’m also speaking to many others, but I think Larry has a very good chance.”

If selected, Kudlow would replace Cohn as director of the National Economic Council. Cohn announced last week he is resigning his post.

Kudlow currently serves as a CNBC contributor and has informally advised Trump in the past.

Cohn split with Trump during his tenure in the White House, with the most recent disagreement coming over the president’s decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

The president said Kudlow, too, disagreed with him regarding the tariffs, but has “come around.”

“I’m looking at Larry Kudlow very strongly,” Trump said. “I've known him a long time. We don't agree on everything, but in this case, I think it's good. I want to have a divergent opinion. We agree on most. He now has come around to believing in tariffs as also a negotiating point. I'm renegotiating trade deals and without tariffs we wouldn't do nearly as well.”

Trump said Kudlow has been a friend of his “for a long time,” and said the conservative economist was one of his initial supporters.

