Trump Threatens to Remove Fed Chair Powell Over Term End and Successor Confirmation Delays

Lead

US President Donald Trump has said he will fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell if Powell does not step down at the end of his term as chair, according to remarks in a Fox Business interview reported across multiple outlets including Al Jazeera, the BBC, the South China Morning Post and The Guardian. Powell’s term as chair expires on 15 May, though he has indicated plans to remain in a temporary leadership role until a successor is confirmed by the Senate. Trump’s comments arrive amid delays and opposition surrounding the confirmation of his nominee, former Fed governor Kevin Warsh, and against the backdrop of a Justice Department investigation into renovations at the Federal Reserve’s headquarters.

Trump told Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo that he had “held back firing him” but would act if necessary. “I’ll have to fire him, OK, if he’s not leaving on time. I’ve held back firing him. I’ve wanted to fire him, but I hate to be controversial,” Trump said, according to accounts carried by the South China Morning Post, Al Jazeera, the BBC and The Guardian. He added that he wanted to remain “uncontroversial” yet reiterated that Powell “will be fired” if the timeline is not met. Trump did not specify an exact date for any removal action, the South China Morning Post reported.

Coverage Comparison

Reporting from Al Jazeera, the BBC and one Guardian account centers on Trump’s direct threat and the immediate timeline around Powell’s May departure as chair. These outlets emphasize the president’s Fox Business interview and link the remarks to ongoing friction over interest-rate policy and the building-renovation investigation. The South China Morning Post provides additional detail on Powell’s separate seat on the Board of Governors, which runs until 2028, and quotes Powell stating he has “no intention” of resigning from the board until the Justice Department investigation is “well and truly over.”

Guardian coverage varies in emphasis across its reports. One account focuses on Warsh’s forthcoming confirmation hearing and his planned commitment to central-bank independence on interest rates. Another highlights Democratic efforts to delay the hearing, describing the broader context as an attempt by the administration to exert greater control over the Federal Reserve while investigations proceed. A third Guardian piece returns to Trump’s threat language and notes that the prospect of Powell remaining past 15 May has increased amid Senate scrutiny. Dates for the Warsh hearing are reported as 21 April in one Guardian account and as scheduled for 10 a.m. ET or “next Tuesday” in others; the variation appears across outlets without a single reconciled calendar date in the available material.

All major sources converge on the role of Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who sits on the Senate Banking Committee and has said he will block Warsh’s confirmation—and potentially other Fed nominees—until the Justice Department probe involving Powell is resolved. Democratic members of the committee have separately urged a delay until investigations into both Powell and Fed Governor Lisa Cook are closed, according to The Guardian.

Key Claims

• Donald Trump threatened to fire Jerome Powell if he remains in the Federal Reserve chair role past the end of his tenure, according to multi-outlet reporting of a Fox Business interview (Al Jazeera, BBC, South China Morning Post, The Guardian).
• Jerome Powell’s term as Federal Reserve chair expires on 15 May; he plans to remain in a temporary capacity until a successor is confirmed, as reported by Al Jazeera, the BBC and The Guardian.
• Kevin Warsh is President Trump’s nominee to succeed Powell; his Senate Banking Committee confirmation hearing has been scheduled, with reported timing including 21 April and a 10 a.m. ET session (The Guardian).
• Senator Thom Tillis has threatened to block Warsh’s confirmation unless the Justice Department investigation involving Powell is resolved, according to Al Jazeera, the BBC and The Guardian.
• The investigation into Powell is linked to renovations of the Federal Reserve building in Washington, as stated across Al Jazeera, BBC and Guardian reports.
• Powell has said he has “no intention” of resigning from the Board of Governors until the investigation is “well and truly over,” according to the South China Morning Post.
• Powell’s term on the Board of Governors does not end until 2028, per the South China Morning Post.
• Democrats on the Senate Banking Committee have urged a delay in Warsh’s nomination proceedings until investigations into Powell and Lisa Cook are closed, according to The Guardian.
• Trump has repeatedly criticized Powell for not lowering interest rates more aggressively, a point noted in Guardian and BBC reporting.

Perspectives

From the White House and Trump’s public statements, the priority is installing a new Fed chair promptly and resolving what the president describes as mismanagement of a costly building renovation. Trump has framed Powell’s performance on interest rates as inadequate and has said the investigation must continue so that “we have to find out what happened there,” according to BBC reporting of the Fox Business interview. Allies have expressed hope that Powell will also leave his board seat when his chair term ends.

Powell and institutional defenders emphasize continuity and legal process. Powell has stated that remaining as chair pro tempore if needed “is what the law calls for” and reflects past Fed practice, per BBC reporting. He has dismissed the renovation probe as connected to policy disagreements. Skanda Amarnath of the think tank Employ America told Al Jazeera that presidential threats to fire Powell are “not consistent with what the law provides,” citing ongoing court challenges to related removal efforts.

Democratic senators on the Banking Committee view the timing of Warsh’s hearing as inappropriate while criminal investigations into sitting Fed officials proceed. In a letter to committee chair Senator Tim Scott reported by The Guardian, the 11 Democrats called it “absurd on its face” to allow the president to select the next chair under those circumstances and referenced public presidential criticism of a federal judge who had ruled against aspects of a related probe.

Senator Tillis, a Republican, has said he supports Warsh’s nomination in principle but regards the Powell investigation as having reached “the point of absurd,” according to The Guardian, and has conditioned his support on resolution of the probe. Trump has expressed hope that Tillis will ultimately drop the objection, the BBC reported, while declining to end the investigation himself.

Warsh, in prepared remarks cited by The Guardian via AFP, is expected to affirm that “the conduct of monetary policy remains strictly independent” and to stress a commitment to fighting inflation. Lawmakers are also anticipated to question him on personal financial disclosures and other matters during the hearing.

The situation remains fluid pending the confirmation process and any further developments in the Justice Department inquiry. Powell’s dual status—as outgoing chair but continuing board member until 2028—creates a structural complication should confirmation of a successor be delayed beyond mid-May.