Bessent Says Trump Won't Fire Powell -- MarketWatch

MarketWatch · 07/15 11:30

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday that President Donald Trump has no plan to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. "As President Trump said, he's not looking to fire chair Powell," Bessent said, in an interview with Bloomberg Television.

Speculation has risen sharply in recent days, as White House officials have publicly criticized the handling of a $2.5 billion renovation project at the central bank's headquarters, that Trump might point to that matter in seeking to remove Powell, whom he has criticized for not lowering interest rates.

Powell's term at the Fed expires in May 2026.

Bessent allowed that the White House has started a formal process to select Powell's replacement. "There's a formal process that's already starting. There are a lot of great candidates, and we'll see how rapidly it progresses. It's President Trump's decision, and it will move at his speed," Bessent said.

Bessent ducked a question over whether he might be selected to run the Fed.

-Greg Robb

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July 15, 2025 07:30 ET (11:30 GMT)

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