Trump Says He Wants Warsh to Have Free Hand on Interest Rates

President Trump said in an exclusive interview with NBC's Meet the Press that he intends to give Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh autonomy over interest rate decisions, distancing himself from direct involvement in monetary policy.

"I want him to do whatever he wants," Trump said of Warsh. "I don't want to have a big influence on him."

Trump characterized Warsh as "fantastic" when discussing the economy during an interview that also covered U.S. tensions with Iran. The president's comments suggest a shift in approach from his past criticism of Federal Reserve leadership over interest rate increases.

Warsh, who took the helm of the central bank under Trump's appointment, has faced decisions on rate policy as inflation and economic growth remain in focus for the administration. Trump's statement indicates he plans to refrain from publicly pressuring the Fed chair on monetary decisions, a departure from his previous pattern of commenting on Federal Reserve actions.

The interview marked one of the few occasions Trump has explicitly stated his intention to avoid influencing the Federal Reserve's rate-setting process. Prior Fed chairs under his administration heard repeated criticism from Trump over rate increases, which he argued hurt economic growth.