'I'd love to fire his a**': Trump explodes at Fed Chair Jerome Powell, says he has 'mental problems'
.@POTUS: "Mortgage rates are down despite the Fed. @SecScottBessent, you gotta work on this guy... There's something wrong with him... I'll be honest, I'd love to fire his ass. He should be fired — guy's grossly incompetent." 🤣 pic.twitter.com/MwHTmfsyra
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 19, 2025
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump lashed out at Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Wednesday, November 19, saying that he would “love to fire his a**” and accused the central bank chief of having “some real mental problems.”
Speaking at the US-Saudi Investment Forum at the Kennedy Center, Trump declared, “Mortgage rates are down despite the Fed. I mean, Scott, you’ve got to work on this guy. He’s got some real mental problems."
"There’s something wrong with him. Be honest. I would love to fire his a**. He should be fired. Guy is grossly incompetent,” Trump added, referring to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Jerome Powell.
The president has repeatedly clashed with Powell throughout his second term, but Wednesday’s tirade allegedly marked one of his most aggressive attacks yet.
Trump re-enacts White House internal debate
Trump added that Powell "should be sued for spending $4 billion to build a little building."
"I’m building a ballroom that’s going to cost a tiny fraction of that, and it’s bigger than the whole thing put together," he claimed.
The president then went on to describe an internal split among his top economic advisers over whether to remove Powell before the end of his term.
He said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had privately urged him to wait.
“'Sir, don’t fire him. Sir, please don’t fire him. He’s got three months to go,'” Trump revealed, re-enacting the conversation.
It is the first time he has suggested publicly that Bessent has been the “voice of reason,” arguing against firing Powell.
But Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Trump said, was firmly in the opposite camp.
"I think Howard’s a little bit more for firing him. I think Howard would say, get him the hell out of there," Trump stated.
Trump also turns to Bessent over interest rates
Even as he cast Bessent as the adviser holding him back, Trump also aimed the same threat at him jokingly.
Turning to the Treasury chief during his speech, Trump said, “The only thing Scott’s blowing it on is the Fed. The rates are too high, Scott, and if you don’t get it fixed fast, I’m going to fire your a**, OK?”
Trump reportedly did not show such hostility toward Powell when he appointed him in 2018, praising him at the time as the right person to guide monetary policy.
But since returning to office, Trump has repeatedly slammed the Fed chair over high interest rates, blaming him for economic problems in a critical election year.
