Washington (AFP)

Donald Trump is planning to separate from his trade secretary Wilbur Ross, who would blame his management of the census of 2020, said Monday NBC News quoting people close to the file.

Asked by AFP, the entourage of Mr. Ross did not formally deny the information but pointed out that for the time being, the secretary was at work, overseeing "currently the department's response to Hurricane Barry" who touched Louisiana this weekend.

"On Friday, the Secretary joined the President during his visit to Wisconsin and Ohio and he will continue to work on behalf of the American people and the President's agenda, America First," further the spokesman said.

However, in a commentary resembling a balance sheet, the official also stressed that "Wilbur Ross has led the Department of Commerce in a new era where, under the direction of the President, we have better supported US companies against unfair commercial practices and finally strengthened our national and economic security ".

The US president had to give up on Thursday to add a controversial issue on nationality to the 2020 census questionnaire that depends on the United States Department of Commerce. It was Wilbur Ross who had worked to try to include the controversial question: "Are you an American citizen?"

Donald Trump has already reduced the role of Wilbur Ross, 81, in the trade policy of the United States. The latter had once led the delicate trade negotiations with China before being divested in favor of Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin.

Wilbur Ross has also been accused of breaching the rules of government ethics regarding his private investments.

The Federal Ethics Office (EMB) criticized Donald Trump's minister for failing to sell all of his BankUnited shares as he pledged.

Wilbur Ross, a multi-millionaire who has made a fortune in energy and steel, has so far managed to keep his job.

But according to NBC, Donald Trump phoned "allies outside the White House to replace Ross".

The question on nationality has been fiercely denounced by opponents of the president and the defenders of immigrants, who believe that it aims to change the demographic balance on the electoral map to favor the Republican party.

The census is all the more important in the United States as it defines the number of seats per state in the House of Representatives and also affects the budget allocated by the federal government.

The Secretary of Commerce, appointed in late November 2016, has long worked for the bank Rothschild, specializing in bankruptcy cases. He had helped Donald Trump when his casinos in Atlantic City (New Jersey) were particularly ill at the end of the 1980s.

In the early 2000s, he had created his own investment company, WL Ross & Co, embarking on a "rescue" operation for steel groups in difficulty.

© 2019 AFP