Trump says ‘anyone who disagrees’ with him will never run the Federal Reserve | Economic and commercial news

The US president is considering candidates to replace outgoing Federal Reserve chief Jerome Powell, who disagreed with Trump on interest rate cuts.

US President Donald Trump has said he hopes the next chairman of the US Federal Reserve will keep interest rates low and never “disagree” with him.

Trump made the remarks Tuesday as interviews were underway for candidates to replace outgoing Federal Reserve chief Jerome Powell.

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“I want my new Fed Chairman to lower interest rates if the market is doing well, not destroy the market for no reason,” Trump wrote in a lengthy post on his Truth Social platform.

“The United States should be rewarded for its SUCCESS, not beaten down. Anyone who disagrees with me will never be Fed Chairman!”

Since returning to office in February, Trump has consistently pressured the Federal Reserve – the central bank of the United States – to lower interest rates in an effort to spur economic growth throughout the US economy.

Trump also threatened to fire Fed chief Powell for not following his directive to cut interest rates, publicly calling him an “idiot” and a “big loser.” The president’s comments about replacing Powell fueled fears about the Fed’s future independence from political interference – a long-standing convention in the United States.

The Fed has already cut its benchmark interest rate three times this year, dropping it to between 3.5 and 3.75 percent by mid-December. But Trump has previously suggested that rate should be as low as 1 percent.

Lower interest rates make borrowing less expensive and encourage spending, but cutting rates too quickly or too sharply increases the risk of inflation.

Michael Sandel, chief investment officer at Potomac River Capital and Federal Reserve historian, told Al Jazeera that Trump was sending a clear message to the next Fed chair.

“Clearly, the statement made in the final weeks of Powell’s successor selection focuses attention on which of the finalists will do what Trump wants. Or, in other words, who can convince Trump that his path is in his best interest,” Sandel said.

Top candidates to replace Powell include Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council; Kevin Warsh, financier and former Fed governor; and Christopher Waller, current governor of the Fed, according to the media CNBC.

Hassett said this week that the Fed should continue to cut interest rates, even though recent economic indicators show the U.S. economy is doing better than many analysts previously thought.

The U.S. Commerce Department this week recorded gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 4.3% for July through September, higher than the 3.2% growth forecast for the third quarter of 2025 by Dow Jones analysts, according to CNBC.

Much of that growth was fueled by consumer spending and exports, according to the Bureau of Economic Affairs.

Sandel told Al Jazeera that Hassett appeared to be the stronger candidate because of his past working relationship with Trump.

“Among the finalists, my bet goes to Kevin Hassett, who is closest to Trump and as NEC chairman, probably the last one in the room and the one who can make his case best,” he said.

Hassett also has the “rare” skill of being able to “teach Trump economics and evangelize Trump’s inimitable ideas,” he added.