Trump says he'd still like to fire Jerome Powell

Core Viewpoint - President Donald Trump is actively seeking to remove Jerome Powell as chair of the Federal Reserve, indicating he is "getting pretty close" to firing him and plans to announce a replacement in January [1][5]. Group 1: Trump's Criticism of Powell - Trump has publicly insulted Powell, labeling him "an absolute fool" and criticizing his decision-making regarding interest rates, specifically stating "too late Powell" for not lowering rates quickly enough [2]. - Trump intends to file a "gross incompetence lawsuit" against Powell, reiterating his long-standing grievances about Powell's management of interest rates and expenditures on the Federal Reserve building renovation [2]. Group 2: Powell's Tenure and Trump's History with the Fed - Jerome Powell, who has been the Fed chair since 2017, was nominated by Trump and reappointed in 2022, with his current term set to end in May 2026 [5]. - Trump has consistently called for Powell's resignation since taking office, expressing urgency in a Truth Social post in April, stating that Powell's "termination cannot come fast enough" due to Powell's criticism of Trump's tariffs and their potential economic impact [5]. Group 3: Legislative Support and Backtracking - In July, sources indicated that Trump consulted lawmakers about the possibility of firing Powell, receiving their approval for such a decision [6]. - However, Trump later appeared to retract this stance, suggesting it was "highly unlikely" he would proceed with firing Powell and that a new candidate would be chosen within the next eight months [6].