President Donald Trump on Wednesday again threatened to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and said the probe into the renovation of the central bank’s headquarters needs to continue.
If Powell stays on as a Fed governor after his successor is confirmed, Trump said he’ll have him removed from office.
“Then I’ll have to fire him,” the president said during an interview on Fox Business. “If he’s not leaving on time — I’ve held back firing him. I’ve wanted to fire him, but I hate to be controversial. I want to be uncontroversial.”
Powell’s term as chair expires May 15, and Trump has nominated former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh as his successor.
Though Powell’s time as chair is nearly finished, he has two years remaining on his term as governor. Though most Fed chairs in the past have left the central bank after being replaced, Powell has demurred under repeated questions on what he plans to do.
