Trump: Will announce the Federal Reserve Chair nominee on Friday

According to The Wall Street Journal, U.S. President Trump stated on Thursday evening that he will announce his nominee for Federal Reserve Chairman on Friday morning (tonight Beijing time). This appointment will determine the policy direction of the world's most important central bank for the next four years, as the current Chairman Powell's term will end in May this year.

Trump revealed to reporters that the nominee is "very respected and well-known in the financial community," and called it "a very good choice." He added that the nominee "won't be too surprising" and is from the list of candidates.

Treasury Secretary Mnuchin has been leading the selection process and has submitted four final candidates to Trump: former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh, current Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller, BlackRock executive Rick Rieder, and White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett.

This appointment will end the years of tension between Trump and Powell. Trump nominated Powell as Federal Reserve Chairman during his first term but has since criticized the Fed for not lowering interest rates faster. The Federal Reserve kept the benchmark interest rate unchanged this week, pausing after three consecutive rate cuts last year.

Former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin becomes a market favorite

The prediction market Polymarket shows that the probability of former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh being nominated by Trump as the new Federal Reserve Chairman has soared to 79%.

Additionally, a previous article from The Wall Street mentioned that Trump described Rieder as "very impressive" after interviewing him earlier this month. Like Trump, Rieder has clearly stated that interest rates should be lower. His focus on the actual impact of monetary policy, especially in areas like the housing market, aligns closely with the Trump administration's emphasis on affordability. This makes him a candidate in Trump's eyes who supports lower interest rates but is not widely seen as a threat to the Fed's independence.

Trump's long-standing disagreements with the Federal Reserve

Trump has continuously criticized the Federal Reserve led by Powell for years. Although Powell was his nominee during his first term, Trump quickly became dissatisfied with this appointment and frequently attacked the Fed for not lowering interest rates faster. President Biden subsequently reappointed Powell, whose second four-year term will expire in May this year.

On Thursday, Trump stated, "No matter what the Federal Reserve does, interest rates are still falling," indicating his ongoing concern about the direction of monetary policy. The choice of the new Federal Reserve Chairman will directly impact the future path of interest rate policy and the Fed's balancing strategy between addressing inflation and supporting economic growth