President Trump Donald John TrumpHR McMaster says president's policy to withdraw troops from Afghanistan is 'unwise' Cast of 'Parks and Rec' reunite for virtual town hall to address Wisconsin voters Biden says Trump should step down over coronavirus response MORE's top economic adviser maintained Thursday that people calling for the real estate mogul to release his personal income tax returns are "wasting time."

"I can't even understand my own taxes and what I pay, and my tax returns are, you know, 2 feet high up the table," Gary Cohn Gary David CohnGary Cohn: 'I haven't made up my mind' on vote for president in November Kushner says 'Alice in Wonderland' describes Trump presidency: Woodward book Former national economic council director: I agree with 50 percent of House Democrats' HEROES Act MORE, the director of the National Economic Council, said on Fox News's "Special Report with Bret Baier."

"How am I gonna understand his tax returns? You know, I think people are spending too much time wasting — wasting time on that issue," added Cohn, who previously served as president and chief operating officer at Goldman Sachs.

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Instead, Cohn said people should "waste time" creating jobs and bolstering the U.S. economy.

"Let’s waste time on creating jobs in America and growing our economy, and making sure that every American has the opportunity to get a better job," Cohn said. "Remember, if we lower the tax rates for the middle class, they end up with more disposable income."

Trump broke from decades of tradition on the campaign trail by refusing to release his personal income tax returns. He argued at the time that he could not make the documents public because he was under audit by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), but the IRS said Trump was free to release the returns and defend their accuracy himself.

Since taking office in January, the president has continued to resist calls by lawmakers and ethics watchdogs to release his tax returns. The issue has continued to hold attention, with thousands of people marching earlier this month in cities calling for Trump to release his returns.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin insisted at a news conference on Wednesday that "the American population has plenty of information" regarding Trump's finances.