Advisers Fear Trump Will Launch 'Trade War' in New Year: Report

Those close to President Donald Trump fear the new year may see the president go “full Trump” concerning key issues such as trade and North Korea — issues his top advisers have pushed him to handle with restraint up until this point, according to a new report.

Axios reported on Friday that while the president has mostly governed using “conventional conservative” principals when it comes to his Supreme Court pick, deregulation and tax cuts, some figures close to him worry that 2018 will see Trump unchained — a president who bucks his top advisers, who are largely conventional conservatives, and pursues what he “really wants on trade, immigration and North Korea.”

According to the report, Trump is looking for a “trade war,” which he's wanted for a long time. “Trump keeps asking for tariffs — on steel and aluminum, in particular,” Axios reported on Friday.

Trump's top advisers have convinced him to delay his desired trade actions in 2017, but next year may be a different story, according to the report. While adviser Gary Cohn and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have implored the president to use restraint in regard to trade, those around him believe he will carry out his trade actions in 2018 whether Tillerson and Cohn remain in the administration or not.

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