Following a week that saw the departure of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, rumors are already swirling about the next official to Trump wants out.
According to a new report, the president has been talking to advisers about firing Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.
The president and the Fed chief have been at odds over increases in the interest rate, which the central bank has done four times this year, including an increase of a quarter point to 2.5 percent this week. The president has publicly criticized the rate hikes.
Bloomberg reports that sources familiar with the complaints say Trump has been talking privately this week about firing Powell.
Both the White House and a Fed spokeswoman declined to comment to Bloomberg, which also reports the president’s ability to fire Powell, part of a board of governors for the traditionally independent central bank, is legally murky.
Powell, who joined the board in 2012, became chairman in February with Trump’s approval. Trump’s opinion has soured, but the president has said in recent months he would not fire Powell.
