Trump Starts Process to Replace Fed Chair, Won’t Oust Powell Early, Bessent Says

The treasury secretary said a formal search has started for Powell’s successor amid Trump’s frustration over Fed interest rates the president said are too high.
Trump Starts Process to Replace Fed Chair, Won’t Oust Powell Early, Bessent Says
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell attends a press conference in Washington, on June 18, 2025. Kevin Mohatt/File Photo/Reuters
Tom Ozimek
Tom Ozimek
Reporter
|Updated:
0:00

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on July 15 that the “formal process” for selecting a successor to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is already underway, but he emphasized that President Donald Trump has no plans to remove Powell before his term expires in May 2026, despite the president’s criticism of the Fed chief’s performance.

In an interview on Bloomberg Television on Tuesday, Bessent was asked whether there have been any updates to his prior indication that work on finding Powell’s replacement would start sometime in the fall.
Tom Ozimek
Tom Ozimek
Reporter
Tom Ozimek is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times. He has a broad background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education.
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