Trump calls Fed Chairman Powell a ‘fool’ but despite relentless attacks, he may be keeping him around for one key reason

• President Donald Trump Relaxed the president of the Fed, Jerome Powell, since he took over the office, recently qualifying him as “idiot” on Thursday morning after the Fed chose to maintain stable interest rates the day before. However, while Trump said he could remove Powell if he wanted, he can keep the Fed chair to serve as a scapegoat in case the economy will show signs of weakness.

Since the office resumption, President Trump has relentlessly attacked the president of the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell. However, despite the insults, Trump can keep Powell for at least a key reason.

The president launched his last attack on Powell on Thursday, calling him “idiot” after the Fed chose to hold stable interest rates on Wednesday.

Jerome Powell “Too late” is a fool, who has no idea. Other than that, I love her very much! Down oil and energy, almost all costs (grocery store and “eggs”), practically no inflation, money price in the United States – the exact opposite of “too late!” Take advantage, ”wrote Trump in a social truth job Early Thursday.

The president previously changed to find out if he would reject Powell. During a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni last month, Trump said that if he wanted it, he could remove Powell “very quickly”. However, he later demonstrated, and in an interview with Meet the press Who broadcast this week, reiterated that he would not hide Powell.

“Why could I do this? I can replace the person in another short period,” said Trump, removing Powell.

Powell's mandate as president of the Fed was in May 2026, and reported that he wanted to serve the rest of his mandate. Removing it would be a rare sign of interference with the independent central bank and would probably lead to market instability.

However, Trump can have another good reason to keep Powell, said Robert R. Johnson, a finance professor at the University of Creighton.

“My conviction is that Trump's criticism with regard to the president of the Fed, Jerome Powell Fortune. “That is to say, according to Trump, if the economy works well, its pricing policies and its general treatment of the economy will be the reason. If the economy undergoes a recession, then it is Powell's fault.”

The weight of Trump's reference prices at 10%, plus the 145% prices on China, has already started to appear in the economy. Several companies have announced higher prices to come and American GDP contracted For the first time in three years in the first quarter, according to the Commerce Department.

However, the economy is not so bad. While the risks of unemployment and inflation increased compared to March, Powell note Wednesday that the fundamentals of the economy are strong.

“If you look at the type of distortions of GDP in the first quarter, you always have an economy that seems to grow at a solid pace. The labor market seems solid. Inflation is a little more than 2%. It is therefore an economy that has been resilient and in good condition.”

This story was initially presented on Fortune.com