Can Trump Fire Powell? The Law Says No.

Kathyrn Judge, professor at Columbia Law School, says that the law doesn't back President Trump's threats to fire Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, but that the bigger issue may be Trump's efforts to undermine the Fed's authority and credibility.

President Donald Trump’s unprecedented walk-through of the Federal Reserve’s now-controversial building renovation project with Jerome Powell ended with a sign of relief for the central bank chief who’s been under pressure for months to slash interest rates.

There’s “no tension” with Powell, Trump said after the Thursday tour — which featured the two men publicly trading barbs over the cost of a project that the president’s allies have used to blast the Fed chair’s leadership.

The president indicated that problems with the project probably weren’t reason enough to fire the central bank head. “To do that is a big move, and I just don’t think it’s necessary,” he told reporters.

The remarkable tour was not without moments of tension. The president joked that he might ordinarily remove a project manager who oversaw similar cost overruns. He ribbed Powell — who for months has faced presidential criticism — over interest rates.

“Well, I’d love him to lower interest rates. Other than that, what can I tell you?” Trump said.

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