Larry Kudlow's Lucrative Career in Finance and Politics, Explained

Larry Kudlow, the assistant to former President Trump for economic policy and the director of the National Economic Council, currently hosts his own Fox Business program. His new assignment to host his financial show Kudlow came at the beginning of 2021 after his tenure working for the Trump administration ended.

Over the past decades, Kudlow has held several positions within the financial and political spheres. His precise net worth isn't known for sure, although some sources have estimated that it's around $10 million or $12 million. Financial disclosures that he made in 2018 showed a maximum of $2 million in assets, according to Bloomberg.

Kudlow has worked for the Wall Street firm Paine Webber, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and for securities trading and brokerage firm Bear Stearns, according to Yahoo Finance.

In the 1990s, Kudlow publicly admitted to his battle with drug and alcohol addiction. He said that he had gone into drug rehab and was now “on top of” his addiction, reported the New York Times in 1994.

Prior to the Fox gig, Kudlow spent many years as a senior CNBC contributor in financial matters. The Kudlow Report was his show analyzing the stock market. He also offered economic analysis across a variety of CNBC programming, including Squawk Box.

In 2018, Kudlow took on the role of Director of the National Economic Council under President Trump. His job was to coordinate the domestic and economic policy agenda for the administration. So, his role was key in Trump’s economic, tax, and trade initiatives.

Kudlow has also authored several books:

• American Abundance: The New Economic and Moral Prosperity (1997)

• JFK and the Reagan Revolution: A Secret History of American Prosperity (2016)

• Insanity Once More (2018)

Early in 2021, Kudlow started his new role as a host of a Fox Business Network weekday show. His program Kudlow was announced in January and launched in February. He focuses on financial analysis on both a domestic and global scale.

Recently, Kudlow lambasted President Biden and other Democrats on his Fox Business show. He claimed that the Democrats have pushed through Biden’s infrastructure plan in order to implement higher taxes and entitlements.

“They're not tax cuts. They are spending. They are permanent spending,” Kudlow said in reference to Biden’s proposed policies. “They are government cash payments without any work qualifications or other employment incentives. They are middle-class entitlements.”

Kudlow has been affiliated with the Republican Party since 1981 when he served under the Reagan administration. He was an associate director for economics and planning at the Office of Management and Budget from 1981–1985.

Kudlow’s personal and professional life were understandably impacted by his drug and alcohol addiction problems. However, he remains married to Judith Pond Kudlow, his third wife, whom he married in 1986. 

The media has estimated that Kudlow’s net worth falls within a wide range. However, Bloomberg reported that in 2018, when releasing financial documents to work for the government, he was worth about $2 million.