Treasury Secretary Mnuchin denies Trump asked about firing the Federal Reserve chair

Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin
(Image credit: Getty Images)

President Trump has repeatedly asked his advisers whether he has the legal authority to fire Jerome Powell, chair of the Federal Reserve, Bloomberg and CNN reported over the weekend, citing sources close to the administration. Trump has publicly expressed displeasure with Powell's performance in the past, especially his decision to raise interest rates.

But Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin denied the report Saturday night on Twitter:

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Trump appointed Powell to his the chair position in 2017. He reportedly considered renominating Powell's predecessor, Janet Yellen, but elected not to do so in part because he felt she was too short.

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Bonnie Kristian

Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.