Larry Kudlow steps into the “most toxic work environment on the planet"

Donald Trump welcomed TV pundit Larry Kudlow as his new chief economics adviser Thursday, promising he will deliver years of “financial success.”

But for Kudlow, formerly a senior CNBC contributor, the atmosphere in his new workplace may not be all that pleasant. “This is the most toxic working environment on the planet” is how one White House official described the current mood in the West Wing to Axios.

Kudlow enters the administration at a time of huge upheaval, with Rex Tillerson departing earlier this week and rumors swirling of more blood spilling on the Oval Office carpet before the week is out.

Trump tweeted that Kudlow, as director of the National Economic Council, would help the U.S. “have many years of great economic and financial success, with low taxes, unparalleled innovation, fair trade and an ever-expanding labor force leading the way.”

Kudlow accepted the role Tuesday, after discussions between the two men earlier this week. "I've known him and interviewed him for over 20 years. I'm very comfortable with him and I can't wait to start," Kudlow told CNBC.

Kudlow replaces Gary Cohn who quit shortly after Trump announced sweeping import tariffs on steel and aluminum. Kudlow is a free trade advocate and generally opposes tariffs, but his new boss believes his new economic adviser has changed his mind somewhat:

“We don't agree on everything, but in this case, I think that's good,” Trump said Wednesday "I want to have different opinions. We agree on most. He now has come around to believing in tariffs as a negotiating point.”

Cover image: US conservative commentator and economic analyst Larry Kudlow speaks on the set of CNBC at the closing bell of the Dow Industrial Average at the New York Stock Exchange on March 8, 2018 in New York. (BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP/Getty Images)