Dec 23 (Reuters) – White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said stronger-than-expected U.S. economic growth reported Tuesday for last quarter is a product of President Donald Trump’s trade policies and of investment in artificial intelligence, and heralds faster job gains ahead.

“It’s really a fantastic number and it’s a great Christmas present for the American people,” he said in an interview with CNBC of the 4.3% annualized pace of GDP growth in the third quarter. “This recovery is really taking off and there’s a heck of a lot of people coming off the sidelines and entering the labor force… we’re going to see (monthly payroll gains) back to the 100,000, 150,000 range if we stay in the 4% GDP growth range as we head into the New Year.”

(Reporting by Ann Saphir; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama )