White House economic adviser Gary Cohn tried to stop President Trump from wounding himself. When Cohn failed and Trump announced steep steel and aluminum tariffs that will directly harm most American manufacturers and destroy jobs, Cohn resigned.

Those keen on rooting out what they view as “globalist” influences from the administration would be very wrong to gloat over Cohn’s departure. For it smacks less of the typical Trump White House chaos than it does of someone jumping from a ship before it drives into the rocks.