- Title: Trump says he would love to fire Fed chair Powell
- Date: 19th November 2025
- Summary: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (NOVEMBER 19, 2025) (REUTERS) U.S. PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP, SHAKING HANDS WITH SAUDI CROWN PRINCE MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN AND WALKING TO LECTERN (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP, SAYING: "And eggs are way down now. Mortgage rates are down despite the Fed. I mean, you got to work at this guy (Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powe
- Embargoed:
- Keywords: Bin Salman Crown Prince Donald Trump Fed Jerome Powell Saudi Arabia president
- Location: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES
- City: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES
- Country: US
- Topics: Budget/Taxation/Revenue,North America,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001335719112025RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday (November 19) doubled down on his criticism of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell for not lowering interest rates more quickly, saying: "I'll be honest, I'd love to fire his ass."
Trump, speaking at a Saudi Arabia-backed investment forum in Washington, urged his Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, to accelerate the hunt for a successor for Powell.
"You've got to work on him, Scott. The only thing Scott's blowing it on is the Fed," Trump said about Bessent, who was in the audience for the event at the Kennedy Center in Washington.
"The rates are too high, Scott, and if you don't get it fixed fast, I'm going to fire your ass," Trump said, apparently in jest.
Bessent, which is leading the search for a new Fed chair, on Tuesday told Fox News that Trump is slated to meet the three finalists for the job after Thanksgiving, with a new pick likely to be announced before Christmas.
Trump has repeatedly praised Bessent's work, and has said the Treasury secretary would be his pick for the Fed job, although Bessent has told him he would rather remain at the helm of Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service.
(Production: Greg Savoy, Bernat Parera) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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