President-elect Donald Trump said he does not intend to remove Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell from his position despite repeated criticism of the central bank’s leader.
When asked in an interview with NBC that aired on Sunday if he planned to fire Powell, Trump responded: “No, I don’t think so, I don’t see it.”
“I think if I told him to, he would. But if I asked him to, he probably wouldn’t. But if I told him to, he would.”
In response to a follow-up question, Trump confirmed he does not have plans to ask Powell to resign.
Trump has often criticized Powell since 2018 over rising interest rates and “a lot of bad decisions,” even calling him “the enemy” in 2019. However, he previously told Bloomberg he intends to allow Powell to see out the rest of his term, ending in May 2026.
Following Trump’s election last month, Powell told reporters he would not resign if he was asked to by Trump. He has also said he does not believe Trump can fire him, arguing this is “not permitted under the law.”