"Gary Cohn is going to put his talents as a highly successful businessman to work for the American people,” Donald Trump said in a statement. | Getty Trump taps Goldman Sachs president for top economic adviser

President-elect Donald Trump has selected Gary Cohn, the president and chief operating officer of Goldman Sachs, to serve as assistant to the president for economic policy and director of the national economic council.

“As my top economic advisor, Gary Cohn is going to put his talents as a highly successful businessman to work for the American people,” Trump said in a statement. “He will help craft economic policies that will grow wages for our workers, stop the exodus of jobs overseas and create many great new opportunities for Americans who have been struggling. He fully understands the economy and will use all of his vast knowledge and experience to make sure the American people start winning again.”

Trump took aim at Wall Street firms during the campaign, labeling them part of an elite network that failed American workers. But after winning, he has turned to top financiers — particularly from Goldman Sachs — to fill key posts in his incoming administration. Trump’s pick for Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin, and chief strategist, Steve Bannon, both had stints at the Wall Street leviathan.

“Being chosen to serve in the President-elect’s administration is a great honor,” Cohn said in a statement released by the transition. “I share President-elect Trump’s vision of making sure every American worker has a secure place in a thriving economy, and we will be completely committed to building a nation of strength, growth and prosperity.”

