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Judge blocks Trump from closing East Potomac Park golf course for now Trump asks Supreme Court to curb judges' power to void unlawful rules nationwide On tape: Richard Blumenthal says the Trump administration let $190 million in anti-human trafficking grants lapse On tape: Rep. Chip Roy, a Republican, on the House floor: the president never asked Congress before sending troops… Massie to force new House vote to end Trump's Iran war before he leaves in January Over 200 Democrats ask appeals court to strike down VA's abortion ban for veterans Kushner says U.S. is brokering Europe-Russia talks and planning next Ukraine round Blumenthal says Lutnick 'must go' over stalled Nvidia chip blacklist for Megaspeed NBC says Democrat Mary Peltola likely to beat Sen. Dan Sullivan in Alaska On tape: Hakeem Jeffries: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick could face Intel Committee subpoenas over Nvidia scandal Judge blocks Trump from closing East Potomac Park golf course for now Trump asks Supreme Court to curb judges' power to void unlawful rules nationwide On tape: Richard Blumenthal says the Trump administration let $190 million in anti-human trafficking grants lapse On tape: Rep. Chip Roy, a Republican, on the House floor: the president never asked Congress before sending troops… Massie to force new House vote to end Trump's Iran war before he leaves in January Over 200 Democrats ask appeals court to strike down VA's abortion ban for veterans Kushner says U.S. is brokering Europe-Russia talks and planning next Ukraine round Blumenthal says Lutnick 'must go' over stalled Nvidia chip blacklist for Megaspeed NBC says Democrat Mary Peltola likely to beat Sen. Dan Sullivan in Alaska On tape: Hakeem Jeffries: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick could face Intel Committee subpoenas over Nvidia scandal

The Administration · Inside the White House

Christopher Phelan

Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers

A University of Minnesota economist who studies government debt and central banks, Phelan became the president's chief economist in August 2026 after the post had been without a confirmed chair for nearly a year.

Biography

Christopher Phelan was born in 1963. He studied economics and computer science at Duke and earned a doctorate in economics from the University of Chicago in 1990. 4 2 He taught at the University of Wisconsin and Northwestern, worked as an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, and joined the University of Minnesota faculty in 2007, chairing its economics department from 2012 to 2021. 2 His research covers macroeconomic theory, money and how governments earn or lose the trust of lenders. 2

President Trump nominated him on April 21, 2026 to chair the Council of Economic Advisers, the small office that analyzes the economy for the president. 1 The previous chair, Stephen Miran, had moved to the Federal Reserve Board in September 2025, and the vice chairman, Pierre Yared, had been acting chair. 1 The Associated Press noted that Phelan's interest in central banks mattered because Trump was pressing the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates sharply. 1

At his Senate Banking Committee hearing on June 25, 2026, senators pressed him on inflation and on the cost of tariffs to consumers. He defended the tariffs and the administration's deregulation and said it was too early to judge the tariffs' effect. 3 He joined the council as vice chair in July and became chair on August 10 after Senate confirmation. 4 5

In the job

The acts and events that have defined the post so far, oldest first.

  1. Nominated by President Trump. 1 2

  2. Testified before the Senate Banking Committee, defending tariffs and deregulation. 3

  3. Became vice chair of the council as acting chair Pierre Yared left, according to Wikipedia. 4 5

  4. Confirmed by the Senate. 4

  5. Took office as chair. 4 5

Disputes, and their side

What critics, courts or investigators have said, and the answer given. An allegation is not a finding.

  1. Democratic senators said at his hearing that he did not directly answer questions about recent inflation figures, American Banker reported. 3

    Their side: Phelan said inflation had been worse under the Biden administration and that it was too soon to measure the tariffs' impact. 3

Career

  1. Faculty posts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Northwestern University
  2. Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
  3. Professor of economics, University of Minnesota (department chair 2012-2021)
  4. Consultant to the research department, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
  5. Vice chair, Council of Economic Advisers
  6. Chair, Council of Economic Advisers

Our reporting

We have not yet published a story that names Christopher Phelan. When we do, it will appear here.

Sources for this file

  1. AP (via WTOP), Trump picks a University of Minnesota professor to lead his economic council, April 21, 2026
  2. University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts, Christopher Phelan Nominated to be Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, April 21, 2026
  3. American Banker, CEA nominee pressed on inflation, tariffs during Senate hearing, June 25, 2026
  4. Wikipedia, Christopher Phelan, Nov. 13, 2026
  5. Wikipedia, Council of Economic Advisers, Nov. 13, 2026
  6. Congress.gov, PN931-6 - Nomination of Christopher Phelan for Executive Office of the President, 119th Congress (2025-2026), Aug. 7, 2026

File checked Nov. 13, 2026. Something wrong or out of date? Tell the desk.