WASHINGTON _ White House economic adviser Gary Cohn has orchestrated a meeting of executives from American aluminum and steel users with President Donald Trump as part of a last-ditch effort inside the administration to stop or blunt tariffs announced last week, two people familiar with the matter said on Monday night.
The meeting was scheduled as Republicans in Congress are waging an extraordinary campaign to halt the move. Cohn and GOP leaders on Capitol Hill are worried about repercussions, including a trade war that could harm the economy.
Cohn planned the meeting for Thursday, and it is to include representatives of breweries, beverage can manufacturers, the oil industry and automakers. Trump was scheduled to attend the meeting, said the two people, who were granted anonymity to discuss a policy disagreement.
The president on Thursday nevertheless vowed that he would press forward on his tariff plan, even as House Speaker Paul Ryan warned against it.
"No, we're not backing down," Trump told reporters Monday, less than an hour after a spokeswoman for Ryan said the top House Republican was urging the president not to advance with the tariffs.
"We are extremely worried about the consequences of a trade war," Ryan aide AshLee Strong said in a statement.
