Peter Navarro, the White House economic adviser renowned for his protectionist views on trade with China, said Wednesday that he is not a candidate to replace Gary Cohn as top economic adviser to President Trump.
Trump has a long list of potential replacements for Cohn, Navarro said on Bloomberg TV, but he is not on it.
“I’m not on that list, let me be clear,” he said.
Instead, he has a “very full plate” with his current role as director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy.
Cohn announced his intention to resign on Tuesday, as Trump moved forward with a plan to implement new steel and aluminum tariffs. The former Goldman Sachs president reportedly opposed the tariffs, while Navarro, previously an economics professor who published books highly critical of U.S. economic relations and trade with China, had supported them. As a campaign adviser to Trump, Navarro also criticized trade deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement.
On Wednesday, Navarro acknowledged that he’s clashed with Cohn in the past, but said that he enjoyed working with him.
“Gary’s a great colleague,” he said. “Myself, I loved having discussions with him because we have differing points of view.”
Trump tweeted Tuesday that he will decide soon on a replacement for Cohn.
“Many people wanting the job — will choose wisely!” he remarked.
