Gary Cohn has no plans to leave the White House, at least in the next seven days.
"I'm here today, and I'm here next week," the White House chief economic advisor told CNBC on Friday, without giving assurances beyond that time frame.
Speculation has swirled about whether Cohn, the former No. 2 executive at Goldman Sachs, will stay in his White House post following the passage of a massive tax overhaul. Cohn was one of two Trump administration officials leading negotiations with congressional leaders on the Republican plan that went into law at the beginning of the year.
Tax reform was seen as a signature issue for Cohn, who reportedly drafted a resignation letter following the president's divisive response to violence at a white nationalist rally in Virginia last year.
"Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House," an explosive book released Friday, also claims that Cohn has called Trump "dumb as s--t." Cohn has not confirmed that he actually made the comment.
In coming weeks, the White House plans to turn its focus to new policy pushes. Trump administration officials will meet with House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, among others, at the Camp David retreat in Maryland this weekend to discuss their legislative agenda.
The White House will decide whether a massive infrastructure package or welfare reform will come next, Cohn said Friday. Both could happen simultaneously, he added.
Senate Republicans would need to use the special budget reconciliation process, which requires only a simple majority vote, to pass welfare reform. Republicans hold a 51-seat majority and likely would not be able to overcome a Democratic filibuster to make possible changes to social safety net programs.
— Correction: The white nationalist rally in Virginia took place last year.
