Trump, citing interest rate hikes, says he 'maybe' regrets nominating Fed boss Powell
President Trump went after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Tuesday, blaming him for threatening U.S. economic growth.
"Every time we do something great, he raises the interest rates," Trump said of Powell, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
The president said it appeared that Powell "almost looks like he's happy raising interest rates."
Trump declined to elaborate, and a spokeswoman for the Fed declined to comment.
Trump said it was "too early to tell, but maybe" he regrets nominating Powell last November to succeed Janet Yellen, who departed in February after leading the Fed for four years.
Powell was previously appointed to the Fed’s Board of Governors by former President Barack Obama in December 2011.
The Fed has raised its benchmark rate three times this year, most recently in September to a range between 2 percent and 2.25 percent.
Most officials expect the Fed to raise it again at its December meeting.
The president's comments about Powell came as Trump repeatedly described the economy in personal terms. He referred to economic gains during his time in office as "my numbers," saying, "I have a hot economy going."
He described his push for growth as a competition with Obama's record, saying that increases under his Democratic predecessor were skewed because of low-interest rates.
In an interview earlier this month, Trump told FOX Business’ Trish Regan that he saw the Fed as the biggest threat to his presidency. He stated it was bigger than the Mueller investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election or the midterm elections.
Trump was asked in the Journal interview under what circumstances he would remove Powell from his position.
"I don't know," he said. "I'm just saying this: I'm very unhappy with the Fed because Obama had zero interest rates."
The Fed held interest rates at ultralow levels for years in response to the 2007-09 financial crisis amid anemic growth both in the U.S. and abroad, and began slowly lifting rates in December 2015.