The New York Times reported on Thursday that Gary Cohn threatened to resign over trade tariffs.
Since President Trump announced on Thursday that his administration plans to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, many have expressed opposition to the move. And as it turns out, those reportedly include people within the administration.
"Trump's chief economic adviser, Gary D. Cohn, warned the chief of staff, John F. Kelly, that he might resign if the president went ahead with the plan, according to people briefed on the discussion. Mr. Cohn, a former Goldman Sachs president, had lobbied fiercely against the measures," the New York Times reported Thursday.
However, according to The Hill, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Friday downplayed the possibility of Cohn's departure.
"Gary was here yesterday afternoon, I talked to him in my office several times, so I don't have any reason to think otherwise," Sanders told reporters.
Meanwhile, despite widespread criticism, Trump continued to push his case for tariffs on Twitter.
"When a country (USA) is losing many billions of dollars on trade with virtually every country it does business with, trade wars are good, and easy to win. Example, when we are down $100 billion with a certain country and they get cute, don't trade anymore-we win big. It's easy!" the president wrote in a tweet on Friday.