The National Economic Council director Gary Cohn walking to Marine One across the South Lawn of the White House on August 14 for the short trip to Andrews Air Force Base en route to New York with President Donald Trump. AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster 
 
 Gary Cohn, President Donald Trump's top economic adviser, has criticized the White House's response to Charlottesville, Virginia, in his first public remarks about the deadly violence earlier this month. 
 
 "This administration can and must do better in consistently and unequivocally condemning these groups and do everything we can to heal the deep divisions that exist in our communities," Cohn told the Financial Times. 
 
 Cohn said he felt compelled "to voice my distress over the events of the last two weeks." 
 
 Cohn, who is Jewish, was reportedly "disgusted" and "appalled" with Trump's response to white nationalists' role in the violence in Charlottesville. The president blamed "both sides" for the violence, which left one counterprotester dead. 
 
 "Citizens standing up for equality and freedom can never be equated with white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and the KKK," Cohn told the FT. 
 
 After Trump's remarks, Cohn said, he felt "enormous pressure" both to resign and to stay in the administration. But he told the FT he was "reluctant" to leave based on a "commitment" to the American people. 
 
 False rumors that Cohn was leaving the White House after Trump's remarks spooked Wall Street, appearing to spark a sharp dip in the S&P; 500. 
 
 As Business Insider's Bob Bryan notes: 
 
 "Finance-focused political analysts warned after the rumors that there could be a serious loss of investor confidence if Cohn were to depart Trump's administration. Some observers doubt the business-friendly and economically stimulative policies on taxes and infrastructure promised by Trump can actually materialize without Cohn in the White House." 
 
 Trump's Treasury secretary, Steve Mnuchin, who also is Jewish, also faced pressure to resign following the president's remarks. 
 
 Nearly 400 of Mnuchin's Yale University classmates signed a letter strongly urging him to resign. 
 
 Mnuchin, however, put out a statement actively defending his boss. 
 
 "While I find it hard to believe I should have to defend myself on this, or the president, I feel compelled to let you know that the president in no way, shape or form, believes that neo-Nazi and other hate groups who endorse violence are equivalent to groups that demonstrate in peaceful and lawful ways," Mnuchin wrote. 
 
 Both Cohn and Mnuchin worked at Goldman Sachs, and they are now charged with leading the Trump administration's efforts to overhaul the tax system. Cohn is also believed to be Trump's preferred pick to lead the Federal Reserve after Janet Yellen's term expires in February. 

 Gary Cohn says Trump's Charlottesville reaction put 'enormous pressure' on him to resign 9:02 AM ET Fri, 25 Aug 2017 | 01:03 
 
 Top White House economic advisor Gary Cohn says he seriously considered resigning after President Donald Trump's reaction to the violent protests in Charlottesville, Virginia. 
 
 "I have come under enormous pressure both to resign and to remain in my current position," Cohn said during an interview with the Financial Times about economic policy. 
 
 "As a Jewish-American, I will not allow neo-Nazis ranting 'Jews will not replace us' to cause this Jew to leave his job. I feel deep empathy for all who have been targeted by these hate groups. We must all unite together against them," Cohn said. 
 
 The former president of Goldman Sachs has said that the administration "must do better" when condemning neo-Nazis and white supremacists. Initially following the protests the president blamed "both sides" for causing protests to become deadly. Trump also said there were some "very fine people" among the white supremacist protesters. 
 
 Cohn met with Trump privately last Friday and even drafted a resignation letter, The New York Times reported. 
 
 Cohn leads the White House national economic council and is jointly guiding Trump's effort to enact tax reform with Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin. 
 
 "Citizens standing up for equality and freedom can never be equated with white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and the KKK," Cohn said in the interview. 
 
 Trump himself has also signaled that Cohn is a top contender to become the next Federal Reserve chairman should Janet Yellen be replaced. Leaving the White House would squelch virtually any chance Cohn would have at attaining the Fed position. 
 
 Cohn told the FT he is "reluctant" to leave the administration because he feels a duty to the American people. 
 
 It's unclear how Trump will respond to these comments from Cohn. "A source close to Trump predicts he will explode when he reads the Cohn interview," Axios reported after the FT interview was posted. 
 
 Read more from the Financial Times here. 

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– President Trump just got publicly scolded by a key member of his administration over his response to Charlottesville. In an interview with the Financial Times, top financial adviser Gary Cohn said "this administration can and must do better in consistently and unequivocally condemning these groups and do everything we can to heal the deep divisions that exist in our communities." Cohn said he felt pressure to resign after the president blamed "both sides" for the violence, but concluded, "I will not allow neo-Nazis ranting 'Jews will not replace us' to cause this Jew to leave his job." He added that he felt compelled to voice his "distress," however, because "citizens standing up for equality and freedom can never be equated with white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and the KKK." Cohn is a former Goldman Sachs exec who is respected on Wall Street, and Business Insider notes that mere rumors he would quit were blamed for sending the markets into a tizzy last week. Trump has previously signaled that Cohn might someday replace Janet Yellen as Fed chief, notes CNBC, but now the key question is how Trump will respond to the criticism. A source predicts to Axios that Trump will "explode" not only because he hates criticism from subordinates but because Cohn's comments undercut the president's claims that the media mischaracterized his Charlottesville response. Treasury chief Steven Mnuchin, also Jewish and also a former Goldman Sachs exec, took a different approach last week by defending Trump in a statement.