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- <!–>Powell’s termination cannot come fast enough!–>
- <!–>I don’t know why it would be so bad, but I’m not going to fire him.–>
- <!–>I talked about the concept of firing him.–>
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[–><!–>Mr. Trump nominated Mr. Powell to his post in 2017. But throughout the president’s first term, he made a habit of heckling Mr. Powell and his colleagues at the Fed.–><!–>
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[–><!–>During a meeting with Republicans in the Oval Office last week, the president showed off a copy of a draft letter written to fire Mr. Powell.–><!–>
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[–><!–>On Thursday, Mr. Trump visited the Fed’s headquarters, seeking to spotlight the costs of its renovation project, which he and his colleagues alleged has been mismanaged. Standing next to Mr. Powell, the president reiterated several times his desire for lower interest rates. But he later indicated that he was not prepared to fire Mr. Powell. “To do that is a big move, and I just don’t think it’s necessary,” he said. “And I believe he’s going to do the right thing.”–><!–>
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- <!–>I’m not happy with him. I let him know it and, oh, if I want him out, he’ll be out of there real fast.–>
- <!–>‘Too Late’ should resign immediately!!!–>
- <!–>I think if Jerome Powell stepped down, it would be a great thing.–>
- <!–>I’d love it if he wants to resign.–>
SECOND TERM
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[–><!–>Mr. Trump reignited his yearslong feud with Mr. Powell in April, after the Fed chair warned that the Trump administration’s tariffs could lead to a “challenging scenario” for the central bank by putting its two main goals — stable inflation and a healthy labor market — in tension.–><!–>
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[–><!–>A day later, Mr. Trump lashed out at Mr. Powell in a lengthy post on Truth Social, saying that his “termination cannot come fast enough!”–><!–>
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–>Equivocations<!–>
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[–><!–>During his first term, Mr. Trump rarely publicly called for Mr. Powell to step down. In private, however, he reportedly asked advisers whether he could fire him or strip him of his chair title and demote him to a Fed governor.–><!–>
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[–><!–>Scholars say the legal case for firing a Fed chair would be shaky, because the chair can be ousted only for “cause,” typically interpreted to mean malfeasance or gross misconduct.–><!–>
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[–><!–>This year, Mr. Trump has been similarly oblique, even as his attacks have intensified. He has tended to go back and forth on his threats to oust Mr. Powell. Last month, he said he wasn’t going to fire Mr. Powell — but that he didn’t know “why it would be so bad” if he did. Later, he indicated on social media that “maybe, just maybe,” he would change his mind.–><!–>
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[–><!–>Mr. Trump and his allies have accused Mr. Powell of mismanaging a project to renovate the central bank’s headquarters and lying to Congress about those plans.–><!–>
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- <!–>He’s like a golfer who can’t putt, has no touch. –>
- <!–>‘Too Late’ at the Fed is a disaster! –>
- <!–>He’s a moron.–>
- <!–>You talk to the guy, it’s like talking to a nothing. It’s like talking to a chair. No personality, no high intelligence, no nothing.–>
FIRST TERM
SECOND TERM
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[–><!–>Past presidents have feuded with the Fed, but such public rebukes were rare in recent decades until Mr. Trump took office.–><!–>
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–>Compliments and complicated feelings<!–>
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- <!–>He’s strong. He’s committed. He’s smart.–>
- <!–>I think he’s a good man. I think he’s trying to do what he thinks is best. I disagree with him.–>
- <!–>I am happy with him, yes. I really think he’s caught up, and he’s done the right thing.–>
- <!–>I do it every way in the book. I’m nasty, I’m nice, nothing works. He’s like just a stupid person.–>
- <!–>I was very nice to him at the beginning because I know how to sell and, you know, at a certain point it didn’t matter anymore because the guy is just not a smart person.–>
FIRST TERM
SECOND TERM
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[–><!–>The Fed did cut its benchmark interest rate to nearly zero in the midst of the Covid pandemic in March 2020, pledging to use all of its power to prevent the economy from collapsing. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Trump said he had called Mr. Powell to say “good job.” He said it might have been the first time he praised Mr. Powell’s job performance. “He was, you know, a little bit slower than I would have liked,” he said.–><!–>
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[–><!–>Mr. Trump formally met with Mr. Powell for the first time this year in May, a few weeks after calling him a “FOOL” whom he nevertheless liked “very much.”–><!–>
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[–><!–>After the meeting, the Fed released a statement saying that Mr. Powell did not “discuss his expectations for monetary policy” during the meeting and that the Fed’s decisions would be “based solely on careful, objective, and non-political analysis.”–><!–>
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Methodology
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[–><!–>To analyze President Trump’s public statements about Jerome H. Powell, The New York Times reviewed and categorized transcriptions on Roll Call FactBa.se of every public appearance by Mr. Trump, as well as posts on Mr. Trump’s Truth Social and X/Twitter accounts, during the entirety of his first term and from the start of his second term to July 23.–><!–>
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