Top Trump economic adviser Gary Cohn leaving White House over trade

WASHINGTON — Top Trump economic adviser Gary Cohn is leaving the White House after breaking with President Donald Trump on trade policy.

Cohn, the director of the National Economic Council, has been the leading internal opponent to President Trump's planned tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum. He has tried to orchestrate an eleventh-hour effort to push President Trump to reverse course. But President Trump has been resistant to those efforts, and reiterated Tuesday he will be imposing the tariffs in the coming days.

In a statement, Cohn says it was his honor to serve in the administration and "enact pro-growth economic policies to benefit the American people."

President Trump praised Cohn despite the disagreement, saying Cohn has "served his country with great distinction."