The chief economic adviser to United States President Donald Trump, Gary Cohn, on Tuesday said he would resign from the White House. Cohn is said to be upset by Trump’s plans to impose heavy tariffs on aluminium and steel imports – a move that has triggered fears of a global trade war.

Cohn is likely to leave in the coming weeks, reported The New York Times. “It has been an honour to serve my country and enact pro-growth economic policies to benefit the American people, in particular the passage of historic tax reform,” Cohn said in his statement. “I am grateful to the president for giving me this opportunity and wish him and the administration great success in the future.”

The former president of the Goldman Sachs bank had helped Trump push through his tax reforms in 2017. However, Cohn has not always been the president’s favourite. In August 2017, he had criticised Trump’s reaction to a far-right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Cohn had said the administration “can and must do better” in condemning hate groups. He reportedly drafted a resignation letter after the incident, according to BBC.

Trump thanked him for his service, and called him “a rare talent”. “Gary... did a superb job in driving our agenda, helping to deliver historic tax cuts and reforms and unleashing the American economy once again,” he said.