Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Gary Cohn to Resign as Trump's Top Economic Adviser

The departure of Mr. Cohn, a free-trade oriented Democrat who fended off a number of nationalist-minded policies during his year in the Trump administration, could have a ripple effect on the president's economic decisions and on the financial sector.

Even the mere threat, last August, that Mr. Cohn might leave sent the financial markets tumbling.

Mr. Trump's announcement last week that he would levy tariffs on aluminum and steel imports was the most immediate catalyst for Mr. Cohn's departure, according to people familiar with his thinking.

Mr. Cohn, a longtime proponent of free trade, believed the decision could jeopardize economic growth.

His plan to leave also followed conversations Mr. Cohn held with the president in recent weeks about the possibility of replacing John F. Kelly as White House chief of staff, said people who were briefed on the matter.

The president never formally offered Mr. Cohn the job, those people insisted, but Mr. Trump had discussions with him about whether he would be interested.

People close to Mr. Cohn said that he had planned to stay for roughly a year, and that he had accomplished a number of things he cared about.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/06/us/politics/gary-cohn-resigns.html 

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