President Donald Trump’s fresh comments on potential candidates to replace Jerome Powell as the next chair of the Federal Reserve sparked a wave of speculation on prediction markets.
National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh, current Fed Governor Christopher Waller and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had all been floated as contenders to lead the central bank.
In a wide-ranging interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Trump spoke highly of Hassett and Warsh, while revealing that Bessent, enjoying his current post as Treasury Secretary, has taken himself out of contention.
“He’s very good,” Trump said, referring to Warsh. “Sometimes they’re all very good, until you put them in there, and then they don’t do so good. But ... I think he’s a very good guy. I’d say Kevin and Kevin, both Kevins are very good.”
Wagers on prediction market Kalshi moved quickly after Trump’s comment, assigning Hassett and Warsh a 35% chance each of being named the next Fed chair. Waller, whom Trump didn’t mention in the interview, has a 15% probability of being his pick and his odds decreased somewhat following the interview.
