
President Donald Trump has renewed his call for Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to resign, escalating tensions over the independence of the US central bank.
Trump demanded Powell “resign immediately” on Wednesday following criticism from his administration’s top housing regulator. Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, posted on X that Powell should be investigated for “political bias” and “deceptive testimony” regarding renovations at the Federal Reserve headquarters in Washington, DC.
Responding to Pulte’s comments, Trump posted on Truth Social that “Too Late” โ his nickname for Powell โ should resign. This criticism follows Trump’s letter to Powell demanding the central banker lower the benchmark interest rate, currently set at 4.25 to 4.5 percent, by “a lot.”
Trump has consistently criticized Powell for not supporting faster rate cuts, arguing that the Fed chair’s cautious approach constrains economic growth and that inflation concerns are exaggerated. Lower interest rates reduce borrowing costs for businesses and consumers, potentially boosting economic growth, but they also tend to increase inflation, which central banks typically aim to control.
Trump’s proposed tariffs are generally expected to create upward pressure on prices, adding complexity to monetary policy decisions.
Powell explained the Fed’s position at a European Central Bank Forum in Portugal on Tuesday, stating that the central bank adopted a wait-and-see approach to rate cuts while assessing the impact of Trump’s tariffs, many of which face a July 9 deadline.
“In effect, we went on hold when we saw the size of the tariffs, and essentially all inflation forecasts for the United States went up materially as a consequence of the tariffs,” Powell said. “We didn’t overreact. In fact, we didn’t react at all; we’re simply taking some time.”
Trump has repeatedly called for Powell’s departure since taking office in January, despite Powell’s term not expiring until May 2026. Last week, Trump told reporters he would “love” for Powell to step down “if he wanted to.”
In April, Trump stated that Powell’s “termination cannot come fast enough,” but retreated from this position after stocks and the US dollar declined sharply.
Under federal law, the president can only dismiss the Fed chair “for cause,” which is widely interpreted to mean specific misconduct rather than policy disagreements. In May, the US Supreme Court reinforced precedent limiting presidential power to remove the top central banker, specifically noting the Federal Reserve’s distinct status among independent agencies.
Trump indicated Tuesday that he has “two or three” candidates in mind to replace Powell, though he did not specify who is under consideration.
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