Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System Jerome Powell speaks during an event hosted by the Economic Club of Chicago, Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)2025-04-17T12:14:08Z Follow live updates on President Donald Trump and his administration WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump slammed Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Thursday, reiterating his frustration that the Fed has not aggressively cut interest rates and saying that the central bank leaders termination cannot come fast enough.Trump hinted at moving to fire Powell, whose term does not expire until May 2026. The Republican presidents broadside comes a day after Powell signaled that the Fed will keep its key interest rate unchanged while it seeks greater clarity on the impact of policy changes in areas such as immigration, taxation, regulation and tariffs.Powell also reiterated that Trumps tariffs would likely raise inflation and slow the economy, which could make it harder for the Fed to cut rates anytime soon. The Fed chair also suggested that the central bank will focus on fighting inflation in the wake of the tariffs, even if the duties did weaken the economy. Powells comments contributed to a drop in stock prices Wednesday. Oil prices are down, groceries (even eggs!) are down, and the USA is getting RICH ON TARIFFS, Trump said in a social media post. Referring to the European Central Bank, he added that Powell should have lowered Interest Rates, like the ECB, long ago, but he should certainly lower them now. Powells termination cannot come fast enough! AP AUDIO: Trump gripes about interest rates and says Fed Chair Powells termination cannot come fast enough AP Washington correspondent Sagar Meghani reports President Trump is showing more frustration with Fed chair Jerome Powell over interest rates. The European Central Bank on Thursday lowered its key interest rate from 2.5% to 2.25%. Powell was initially nominated by Trump in 2017, and he was appointed to another four-year term by President Joe Biden in 2022. At a November news conference, Powell indicated he would not step down if Trump asked him to resign.He has also said that the removal or demotion of top Fed officials was not permitted under the law.Trumps comments come with the backdrop of a legal case at the Supreme Court that could determine whether presidents can fire the heads of independent agencies such as the Fed. The case stems from Trumps firings of officials from two independent agencies. The Supreme Court last week let the firings stand while it considers the case. It could issue a broader ruling this summer that would enable the president to fire Fed officials, including the chair. Powell said the Fed is watching the case closely, adding that it might not apply to the Fed. Lawyers for the Trump administration have also argued that allowing the president to fire the two officials wouldnt erode the Feds independence. It is difficult to overstate the consequences at this stressed moment of a Court ruling that found that President Trump ... does have the authority to dismiss the heads of independent agencies and did not establish a clear carve-out for the Fed, Krishna Guha, an analyst at investment bank Evercore ISI, wrote on Thursday. If you liked the tariff debacle in markets, youd love the loss-of-Fed-independence trade.Powell started Trumps second term in a relatively secure spot with a low unemployment rate and inflation progressing closer to the Feds 2% target, conditions that could have spared the U.S. central banker from the presidents vitriol. But Trumps aggressive and haphazard tariffs have increased the threat of a recession with both higher inflationary pressures and slower growth, a tough spot for Powell, whose mandate is to stabilize prices and maximize employment. With the economy weakening because of Trumps choices, the president appears to be looking to pin the blame on Powell.Powell, in his remarks at the Economic Club of Chicago on Wednesday, said the Fed will base its decisions solely on what is best for all Americans.Thats the only thing were ever going to do, Powell said. Were never going to be influenced by any political pressure. People can say whatever they want. Thats fine, thats not a problem. But we will do what we do strictly without consideration of political or any other extraneous factors.Our independence is a matter of law, Powell continued. Were not removable except for cause. We serve very long terms, seemingly endless terms. Trump has unleashed a rash of tariffs that have put the U.S. economy and the Fed in an increasingly perilous spot. On April 2, the president rolled out aggressive tariff hikes based off U.S. trade deficits with other nations, causing a financial market backlash that almost immediately led him to announce a 90-day pause in which most countries would be charged a baseline 10% tariff while negotiations go forward. But Trump increased his tariff hikes on China to a rate of 145%, in addition to his existing tariffs on Canada, Mexico, autos and steel and aluminum.Wall Street banks such as Goldman Sachs have raised their odds that a recession could start. Consumers are increasingly pessimistic in surveys about their job prospects and fearful that inflation will shoot up as the cost of the import taxes get passed along to them. The risk of stagflation stagnant growth and high inflation would make it harder for the Fed to respond with the same playbook as recent downturns. The Budget Lab at Yale University estimated that the increased inflationary pressures from the tariffs would be equal to the loss of $4,900 in an average U.S. household.___AP journalists Sagar Meghani and Christopher Rugaber contributed reporting. AAMER MADHANI Madhani covers the White House for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington. twitter mailto JOSH BOAK Boak covers the White House and economic policy for The Associated Press. He joined the AP in 2013. twitter mailto