Trump sets necessary conditions: Dare to cut interest rates, "I can never become the Federal Reserve Chairman if I disagree"
Trump posted that he hopes the next Federal Reserve chairman to replace Powell will lower interest rates when the economy and markets are performing well, rather than "killing the market" early due to inflation concerns. He criticized the current market logic, which has turned into "good news is actually bad for the stock market," emphasizing that low interest rates help drive stock market gains, boost the economy, and improve housing affordability, stating that a rising stock market could push the U.S. GDP to grow by 10, 15, or even 20 percent or more in a year
U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Tuesday that if the U.S. economy performs well, he hopes the Federal Reserve Chairman will lower interest rates. Media analysis suggests this is the latest signal indicating that before the announcement of a successor to current Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, Trump is more inclined to choose a candidate who firmly supports rate cuts.
On Tuesday, Trump wrote on social media:
"If the market performs well, I want my new Federal Reserve Chairman to lower rates, rather than destroy the market for no reason."
Trump has repeatedly expressed his intention to break a trend in recent years where good economic data sometimes triggers market sell-offs due to investors' concerns about rising inflation and expectations that the Federal Reserve would subsequently raise interest rates.
Trump wrote:
"I want to see a market we haven't seen in decades—where good news causes the market to rise and bad news causes it to fall; that is how the market should behave, and that is how it used to be.
The inflation issue will resolve itself; if not, we can certainly raise rates at the right time—but the so-called 'right time' is definitely not to kill the upward trend. The upward trend could potentially boost our country's GDP by 10, 15, or even 20 percent within a year, or even more!"
He said:
"We will encourage a well-performing market to get better, rather than making it impossible to continue rising. We will see more natural and better data than ever before.
Anyone who disagrees with my view can never become the Federal Reserve Chairman!"
However, the market performance on Tuesday did not confirm the situation described by Trump. According to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, the annualized growth rate of inflation-adjusted GDP in the third quarter was 4.3%, higher than almost all expectations. However, the S&P 500 index rose for the fourth consecutive trading day and is expected to set a new historical closing high.
Trump's latest remarks come as he hopes to lower borrowing costs through new leadership at the Federal Reserve. As voters' concerns about the cost of living continue to grow, Trump is feeling increasing political pressure. He has repeatedly stated that lower interest rates help improve the real estate market and expressed his desire for future central bank leaders to communicate with him regarding interest rate decisions.
Last week, Trump stated that he has narrowed down the list of candidates for Federal Reserve Chairman to "three to four people" and expects to make a decision soon, with related appointments to be announced "in the coming weeks."
Trump previously hinted that Kevin Hassett, the White House National Economic Council Director, and former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh are the main contenders for the position. He has also interviewed and publicly praised current Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller.
Trump said:
"I think each of them would be a good choice."
Earlier this month, the Federal Reserve lowered the benchmark interest rate to a range of 3.5% to 3.75%, marking the third consecutive meeting with a rate cut. Three committee members opposed this decision, while the Federal Open Market Committee has not reached a consensus on whether to cut rates further. Trump has previously called for the Federal Reserve to lower the benchmark interest rate to around 1%, or possibly even lower
