Trump Calls Fed Chair Warsh Multiple Times Since May, Testing Fed Independence
Updated
Updated · Yahoo Finance · Aug 6
Trump Calls Fed Chair Warsh Multiple Times Since May, Testing Fed Independence
3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Finance · Aug 6
Summary
Trump has held multiple phone calls with Fed Chair Kevin Warsh since Warsh’s May confirmation, asking about his forecasts and views in an unusual line of contact between a president and central bank chief.
Those conversations did not include pressure for any specific action, according to one person, and it remains unclear whether the two discussed monetary policy directly.
The outreach still underscores Trump’s long-running push for lower interest rates, though he has taken a less combative tone since Warsh replaced Jerome Powell and now publicly stresses the Fed’s independence.
Warsh told lawmakers on July 15 that Trump had not tried to interfere and said he would remain “an independent guy,” while declining to detail any private discussions.
The contacts add to scrutiny of Fed independence because direct presidential engagement with a sitting chair is rare, even if past presidents and Fed leaders have occasionally spoken.