Donald Trump’s top economics adviser, Gary Cohn, is resigning from his position, according to a statement from the White House.
The BBC says there has been “speculation” that Cohn, known for his pro-free trade views, was “angered” by last week’s announcement of Trump’s plan to implement import tariffs on steel and aluminium.
Cohn’s resignation sent tremors through both Washington and Wall Street, where many had believed the former Goldman Sachs chief operating officer was a steadying economic influence in the White House.
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CNN reports that Cohn’s relationship with Trump had been “tenuous since last summer”, after Cohn publicly rebuked the President over his remarks about a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Cohn’s departure leaves the door open for Trump to appoint an economics adviser more closely aligned with his economic nationalist and protectionist agenda.
Such a move is likely to widen existing divides between Trump and Republican leaders in Congress, who have publicly stated their fierce opposition to the introduction of tariffs.
In a statement, Trump said Cohn “did a superb job in driving our agenda”, most notably the recent tax cuts, and described Cohn as a “rare talent.”
Cohn joins a growing list of senior figures who have departed recently from the Trump administration, including communications director Hope Hicks who quit last week, as well as White House staff secretary Rob Porter and Director of communications Omarosa Manigault-Newman who also left this year.
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