President Donald Trump said Thursday that if he asks Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to leave, "he'll be out of there."
"I don't think he's doing the job," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, reports The Hill. "He's too late. Always too late. A little slow. And I’m not happy with him. I let him know it."
Powell has insisted that he can't be fired and won't leave the job before his term ends, even if Trump demands he do so.
"If I want him out, he'll be out of there real fast, believe me," Trump said, also accusing Powell, who is also a Republican, of "playing politics."
The stock market dropped on Wednesday after Powell warned that the economy is at risk of facing higher prices and lower growth because of the Trump tariffs. Stock indexes were mixed heading into Thursday's market close.
Earlier Thursday, Trump attacked Powell on social media, saying that his "termination cannot come fast enough" and said he can "certainly lower" interest rates now.
Powell's term as chair does not end until 2026. He said in November that he will not step down even if Trump asks and that it is not allowed under federal law for the president to fire him or any other Fed governor.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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