The president wanted to take Jerome Powell, the Fed chair, to task over the cost of renovations to the central bank’s headquarters, but Mr. Powell was having none of it.

The administration has repeatedly criticized Jerome H. Powell, the chair of the central bank, for his handling of the economy and the cost of renovations at the institution’s…

The president has lambasted the U.S. central bank chief repeatedly for not cutting interest rates more aggressively, musing publicly about firing him.