Trump knocks Fed's Powell, muses about appointing himself to lead central bank

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday knocked Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for what he expected would be a decision not to lower interest rates and said the man he put in the role during his last term had done a poor job.

Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House, mused about appointing himself to lead the U.S. central bank, based on his dissatisfaction with Powell.

"Maybe I should go to the Fed," Trump said. "Am I allowed to appoint myself at the Fed? I'd do a much better job than these people."

soft landing, but economists are still waiting for President Trump's tariffs to filter through to consumer prices.

Trump has long criticized Powell and sparked market concern earlier this year when he suggested the central bank chief's termination couldn't come fast enough. Trump has since walked back from that rhetoric, saying he would not fire Powell before his term as chair ends next year, but he has not held back on his broader criticism and has made clear that he will not ask Powell to stay on as the central bank's leader.

"What I'm going to do is, you know, he gets out in about nine months, he has to, he gets fortunately terminated ... I would have never reappointed him, (President Joe) Biden reappointed him. I don't know why that is, but I guess maybe he was a Democrat... he's done a poor job," Trump said.

The Federal Reserve is expected to keep interest rates unchanged on Wednesday as its policymakers weigh signs of a cooling economy, the risk of higher inflation from U.S. import tariffs, and the escalating crisis in the Middle East.