Overview
- In Oval Office remarks, President Trump said he thinks he already knows his choice and that he is speaking with various people, but he did not name a nominee.
- He renewed his criticism of Jerome Powell’s handling of interest rates and said he would like to remove the current chair immediately.
- Trump reiterated that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent declined to be considered for the role.
- Bessent has identified five finalists—Kevin Hassett, Kevin Warsh, Christopher Waller, Michelle Bowman and Rick Rieder—and plans to present top candidates to the president in December.
- The Federal Reserve has begun receiving shutdown-delayed economic data, and officials remain split between pushing another rate cut and prioritizing inflation control.