Trump: Bessent an option to replace Fed chair, 'but I like the job he's doing'

By Andrea Shalal and Jasper Ward

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent could be a candidate to replace Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, but suggested that might not happen.

After landing at Joint Base Andrews following a trip to Pittsburgh, Trump was asked if Bessent was his top choice to replace Powell, whose term ends in May 2026.

"He's an option, and he's very good. Well, he's not, because I like the job he's doing, right?" Trump told reporters.

Trump has railed against Powell for months for not lowering U.S. interest rates and has repeatedly urged him to resign. On Tuesday, Trump said cost overruns on a $2.5 billion renovation of the Fed's historic Washington headquarters could amount to a firing offense.

"I think it sort of is," Trump said, when asked if he could fire the Fed chair over the renovation cost overruns, which have been sharply criticized by Trump administration officials.

The president cannot fire Powell over a monetary policy dispute. Trump had originally appointed Powell, a fellow Republican, during his first time in office, and he was reappointed to a second term as Fed chief by Democratic President Joe Biden,

With the unemployment rate low and inflation above the Fed's 2% target, U.S. central bank officials have been reluctant to cut interest rates from the current 4.25% to 4.5% range until it is clear that Trump's tariff policies won't lead to a fresh surge in prices.

U.S. data on Tuesday showed that consumer prices rose across an array of goods from coffee to audio equipment to home furnishings in what economists say is evidence that the increasing import duties are being passed through to consumers. Overall consumer prices rose 0.3% in June, a roughly 3.5% annual rate, after a 0.1% increase in May.

Other people under consideration to replace Powell include former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh and Trump's top economic adviser, Kevin Hassett.

Bessent, who has also played a key role in Trump's trade negotiations with a host of countries, told Bloomberg Surveillance on Tuesday that a "formal process" was already starting to identify a potential successor to Powell.

"There are a lot of great candidates, and we’ll see how rapidly it progresses," Bessent said.

He said it would be confusing for Powell to remain at the Fed after his term as chair ends in May 2026. Powell's term as Fed governor extends until January 31, 2028.

Trump administration officials argue that a tax bill nearing passage in Congress will boost private sector investment and strengthen the U.S. economy, and insist that while tariff increases could result in a one-time bump in prices, they should not drive up inflation over the longer term.

(Reporting by Jasper Ward and Andrea Shalal; Editing by Leslie Adler)