#TrumpVsPowell

Financial Panic Risk Tempering Trump in Shooting at Powell

President Trump attacked the chair of the Federal Reserve again this week, but advisors say the president has become more cautious about policies that could reignite extreme financial volatility.

President Trump revived a long-standing threat against Jerome H. Powell this week when he accused the Federal Reserve chairman of 'playing politics' and moving too slowly to lower interest rates. But in private, according to people close to Mr. Trump, the president has been aware for months that trying to oust Mr. Powell could inject more volatility into the nervous financial markets.

Investors are already uneasy after a tumultuous period due to a barrage of tariffs announced by the administration this month. Undermining the Fed's political independence, which is considered critical on Wall Street, could risk a much more significant financial panic.