GARY COHN/SPENDING/TARIFFS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Gary Cohn, President Donald Trump’s former top economic adviser, blamed Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum for depressing capital investment by U.S. companies, saying he would hold back too if he were a CEO. Cohn, who left the White House last year, criticized his former boss’s policies during a panel discussion on macroeconomic trends affecting capital markets at an event hosted by the SEC. He said investment was also being curbed by uncertainty over the 2020 presidential election. In response to a question from SEC Chairman Jay Clayton about the global financial outlook, Cohn cited low spending as a ‘concern’ for U.S. financial markets that he has had for ‘a year and a half.’”
–Kellie Mejdrich, “Cohn blames Trump tariffs, uncertainty for weak capital spending,” Politico, December 4, 2019