Chapter 895: The White House Council of Economic Advisers

'Rhodes, it's been a long time. How have you been?'

'Mr. Xia, it's good to see you. I've had a very fulfilling time.'

...

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Xia Yu led Rhodes Saxon to the living room and sat him down.

'The hard times are finally over, and now we're entering the season of harvest. Would you like to celebrate with some champagne?'

Xia Yu said to Rhodes Saxon with a smile.

The latter smiled and said, 'If there is any, that would be great.'

'Just a moment,'

said Xia Yu, walked over to the closet, took a bottle of champagne from the grid and placed it on the coffee table, then brought two more stem glasses.

Rhodes Saxon skillfully opened the champagne and poured some into the two glasses that had just been placed on the table.

The two men raised their glasses and lightly touched them together.

Xia Yu smiled and wished, 'Rhodes, I wish you a bright political career.'

'Thank you, I couldn't have done it without your help! If you hadn't recommended me, I might still be wasting my time on Wall Street.'

Rhodes Saxon beamed with joy and thanked him from the bottom of his heart.

He graduated from Stanford University with a degree in public policy and finance, and after graduation, he entered Wall Street and worked for a number of banks and investment banks. He gradually rose from a junior economist to a senior economist, and in his spare time, he also wrote economic articles for the Wall Street Journal. He was definitely an elite talent.

However, the United States has the most talented people in the financial sector, not to mention the elite-filled Wall Street, where there are even more talented people.

Rhodes Saxon believed that he was not a bad talent. Although the work he was doing suited him, it did not bring his true talent into play. After all, he was not just a financial talent, but a political and economic elite.

It was not until Xia Yu found him that he had a long chat with him and introduced him to Ronald Reagan, and then he became a member of Ronald Reagan's campaign team.

With Ronald Reagan about to move into the White House, he could also foreseeably become an official in the White House.

He had no political experience, but he stepped into the White House in one step. This starting point was not to be underestimated, and his starting point was the end point that many people could not reach even if they worked hard.

He also knew that all of this could not be separated from Xia Yu, so he was sincerely grateful to Xia Yu.

'This is fate, isn't it?'

'And if you didn't have real talent, I don't think you could have impressed me, or Ronald Reagan.'

Xia Yu smiled faintly, but in his heart he secretly thought that he had chosen the right person.

Rhodes Saxon shook his head and said, 'There are many talented people on Wall Street, but you chose me. To use a Chinese saying, you have been a benefactor to me, and you have changed my life.'

Xia Yu laughed heartily and raised his glass again, saying, 'I wish you an even better future!'

'I wish your career a prosperous development! And I wish our friendship will last forever!'

'Cheers!'

'Clink!'

After setting the glass down again, Xia Yu let out a breath, feeling relaxed all over. Leaning back against the soft sofa backrest, he asked, 'Rhodes, in a little over two months, our Mr Reagan will take office as president. You must have thought about your goals, right?'

Rhodes Saxon nodded with a serious expression on his face and said, 'I have thought about it, but the choice of appointment is in Mr. Reagan's hands. After the election results came out yesterday, I could feel that everyone's hearts were wavering within the team, so I'm not sure.'

'And although some members joined later, they have powerful backgrounds, which are all uncertain factors.'

Xia Yu understood Rhodes Saxon's thoughts very well.

He has studied Ronald Reagan's campaign team and can say that it went through three stages.

The first stage was the beginning, when he ran for the Republican presidential nomination. The team was basically recruited by Reagan himself using his connections, although there was also an investor like Xia Yu who recommended someone to join from the start, and there was only one such person, Xia Yu.

Because at the beginning, only Xia Yu had high expectations for Ronald Reagan and gave him a huge boost.

The second stage was after defeating George H.W. Bush and becoming the Republican presidential candidate, the campaign team underwent a huge change.

First, it was organised with George H.W. Bush, and the latter's campaign manager Jim Baker (James Edison Baker III) gradually replaced Ronald Reagan's original campaign manager and became the number one figure in charge of the campaign team.

Not only that, but some of George H.W. Bush's elite advisors also joined in, and after representing the will of the Republican Party, several bigwigs within the Republican Party also joined in, plus representatives of the will sent by the Rockefeller and Texas state consortia, and the team changed dramatically.

The final stage was the members who joined in the election process in order to continuously increase their strength and connections. The changes in this stage were not as great as those in the second stage.

However, no matter when they joined, they all worked hard for Ronald Reagan. Some people rose to prominence and were gradually entrusted with important responsibilities due to their abilities, while some veterans were gradually marginalised due to their lack of ability.

Ronald Reagan had built a kingdom, so naturally he had to reward his ministers. However, there was a lot to learn about how to reward them, as it involved factors such as personal ability, connections, and background, which Ronald Reagan needed to consider and arrange comprehensively.

Of course, there were also people who were in charge of special tasks on the campaign team, and their positions in the White House and the cabinet later corresponded exactly, so they didn't worry about others taking their jobs.

For example, James Brady first served as director of public affairs and research on the campaign team, and then became the spokesperson for the President-elect's office. He did a very good job, and was able to steadily become the director of the White House Press Office two months later, that is, the super-high-profile White House press secretary.

Another example is William Joseph Casey, former US Deputy Secretary of State, who served as the head of the initial campaign team and later gave up his position to Jim Baker. However, he was not marginalized, but rather recruited former federal agents to build a political intelligence network for Ronald Reagan. He did a very good job and there is no doubt that the position of the new CIA director will definitely fall to him.

Rhodes Saxon was not as lucky, because he was not the only financial advisor on the campaign team, even though he was one of the first to join!

"So Rhodes, where do you think you fit in?'

Xia Yu asked.

Rhodes Saxon spoke his mind: 'I think I can handle the position of Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Council of Economic Advisers.'

After he finished speaking, he stared intently at Xia Yu.

As Xia Yu's brows furrowed slightly, Rhodes Saxon's heart lifted slightly.

'Rhodes, I can definitely get you the position of Assistant to the President, but the position of Director of the White House Council of Economic Advisers has influence that ranks among the top six in the White House. Generally speaking, it is the chief economic adviser, and it has direct contact with the cabinet in many fields. Ronald Reagan will definitely be very cautious.'

'And as far as I know, Ronald Reagan likes to listen to John Rutledge's opinions, so he should be your biggest competitor, right?'

Although the words were a question, Xia Yu's tone carried a hint of certainty.

This John Rutledge was no small figure in later generations. Not only did he have a doctorate, he was also the main architect of the US economic framework during the Reagan era, as well as a tax policy advisor to the White House during the Bush Sr. era. He was a senior thinker for two successive presidents.

As expected, Rhodes Saxon nodded with a faint wry smile: 'Yes, John Rutledge's economic views are very bright. I agree with him in many ways, but there are also some differences, and my resume is a little worse than his.'

'The White House Council of Economic Advisers is suitable for me except for the position of director, and the following three positions are not suitable for me. Except for this department, it is difficult to demonstrate my political views in the economic field in other positions.'

Xia Yu nodded slightly in recognition.

The White House Council of Economic Advisers is a department that, apart from the position of director, is made up of three academic economists. Rhodes Saxon is not an academic economist.

Furthermore, Rhodes Saxon and John Rutledge have overlapping views. If he were to work under him, his dissenting opinions would be easily overruled, and his light would be overshadowed, which would be very detrimental to his political career.

It is understandable that Rhodes Saxon does not want to be second to John Rutledge.

'Rhodes, I understand your concerns.'

'Judging from your previous performance, if you compete with John Rutledge for this position, your success rate is estimated to be only one in five. Even if I go and talk to Ronald Reagan, your success rate will only be half at best.'

Upon hearing this, Rhodes Saxon immediately said, 'Half is not low at all. If this fails, I have nothing to say.'

This was the reason why he came to see Xia Yu. As the leading figure in fundraising for the campaign team, Rhodes Saxon knew where his real credit came from, and it was mostly due to Xia Yu providing the funds.

Although this was only known to him and Ronald Reagan,

it would definitely become a factor to consider.

However, he also knew that Xia Yu had made an indelible contribution to Ronald Reagan's campaign. As long as Xia Yu was willing to speak, Ronald Reagan would definitely consider it carefully. This was his advantage, so as soon as the result came out yesterday, he hurried over today.

Xia Yu smiled lightly and said calmly, 'Rhodes, don't worry. You are the person I recommended, so I will naturally give you a push.'

'But at the moment, this is not a guarantee,'

'And most importantly, are you just going to go up there for a few months and get kicked out, or are you going to stay for a few years?

'Or maybe you should take a more secure position and work there for a few more years?'

'You're only 45 years old, and you've just entered politics, but you've entered the White House in one step. The most important thing is for you to gain a foothold and spend enough time demonstrating your talents. That's what's most important.'

Rhodes Saxon frowned, feeling that he couldn't grasp Xia Yu's meaning, and asked, 'Mr. Xia, which one do you think I'm suitable for?'