‘His Life Won’t Be Very Happy’: Trump Threatens Powell If He Refuses to Quit the Fed

President Donald Trump seemed to suggest he’d make things difficult for Jerome Powell if he doesn’t leave the Federal Reserve once his time as Fed chair is up.

Hours after his Wednesday speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the president appeared on CNBC for an in-person interview with Joe Kernen. Naturally, one of the topics discussed in this interview was Federal Reserve. The selection of Trump’s next Fed chair has been the subject of great debate due to Trump’s ongoing feud with Powell — which largely stems from Powell’s refusal to lower interest rates to the president’s liking.

Even when Powell’s term as Fed chair ends, Kernen noted, he can still choose to remain at the Federal Reserve. When posed with that possibility, Trump said:

It’a alright. We’ll have to, we just– in this world, we live with cards you’re dealt. And if that happens, his life won’t be very happy, I don’t think, by doing that. I think he wants to get out. He has not done a good job. He’s done a horrible job on buildings. You know, he took a small little complex, the Federal Reserve complex — I could have redone it. I could have fixed it for 25 million bucks. It would have looked beautiful. I think he’s up to almost $4 billion — the most expensive project ever built per square foot. And he’s either incompetent or he’s crooked, I guess, right?

Trump has also been trying to remove Fed governor Lisa Cook. At the time of writing, the Supreme Court appeared more likely to side with Cook on the matter and allow her to remain on the board. Trump’s Department of Justice also announced a criminal probe into Powell over the years-long renovation of the Federal Reserve building. Powell has dismissed the investigation as punishment for his defiance on interest rates.

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