Trump says it’s ‘highly unlikely’ he’ll fire Powell after suggesting otherwise in meeting with lawmakers

President Donald Trump said Wednesday it’s “highly unlikely” that he’ll fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell after signaling otherwise a day earlier in a private meeting with lawmakers.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday it’s “highly unlikely” that he’ll fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell after signaling otherwise a day earlier in a private meeting with lawmakers. The mixed messages come as the administration has sought to build maximum pressure on the chair, whom Trump would very much like out of his job, even if he’s reluctant to decree his termination. When asked if he has completely ruled out firing Powell, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he never rules anything out but it was “highly unlikely.” But he offered an important caveat: “Unless he has to leave for fraud.” Behind closed doors, the president has seemed more intent on axing the chair, who’s been a frequent target of his ire, particularly for not lowering interest rates fast enough. In a meeting with lawmakers on Tuesday, he polled them about whether he should fire Powell, a senior White House official told CNN. And he told them that he was going to fire him – maybe Wednesday – pointing to the $2.5 billion renovation plan at the Federal Reserve building, which he claimed he was not happy about, according to a source briefed on the president’s remarks in the meeting.