#PowellVsTrump Trump insults Powell again as another top Fed official joins the call to lower interest rates
By Bryan Mena, CNN
Updated 7:15 PM EDT, Fri June 20, 2025
Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller in Washington, DC, on March 22, 2024.
Washington
CNN
—
President Donald Trump on Friday again demanded the Federal Reserve lower interest rates, insulting Fed Chair Jerome Powell in the process.
But this time, Trump added something new: an acknowledgement that his attacks actually make it harder for Powell to do so.
Trump called Powell a “numbskull” in a social media post, then added: “I fully understand that my strong criticism of him makes it more difficult for him to do what he should be doing, lowering Rates, but I’ve tried it all different ways. I’ve been nice, I’ve been neutral, and I’ve been nasty, and nice and neutral didn’t work!”