President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit the U.S. Federal Reserve on Thursday, marking a rare presidential tour of the central bank as he intensifies his public pressure campaign against Fed Chair Jerome Powell. The visit comes amid ongoing criticism from Trump over Powell’s refusal to lower interest rates and the ballooning costs of the Fed’s Washington headquarters renovation.
Although the White House has not confirmed whether Trump will meet Powell during the visit, such an encounter would likely be welcomed by the president, who has repeatedly expressed frustration with the Fed chair. Trump has called Powell “stupid” and a “loser” in the past and has accused him of deliberately holding back the economy by maintaining the short-term interest rate at 4.3 percent.
Trump’s attack on Powell has shifted focus to a controversial $2.5 billion renovation of the Federal Reserve’s headquarters, which has surged from an original estimate of $1.9 billion. Trump and his budget director, Russell Vought, have accused Powell of fiscal mismanagement, with Vought sending a stern letter earlier this month denouncing the “ostentatious overhaul.”
This visit also coincides with renewed scrutiny of Trump’s past ties to Jeffrey Epstein. According to reports by the Wall Street Journal, Attorney General Pam Bondi informed Trump earlier this year that his name appears in Epstein’s case files. The revelation has added pressure to the former president, who faces increasing backlash over the Justice Department’s decision to close the Epstein investigation.
In response, Trump has ramped up criticism of Powell and other perceived enemies to deflect attention from the Epstein controversy. On Wednesday, he used his Truth Social platform to blame Powell for a sluggish housing market, again calling for interest rate cuts.
Legal experts remain divided on whether Trump has the authority to fire Powell. A recent Supreme Court ruling reaffirmed the independence of certain agency leaders, likely shielding the Fed chair from direct presidential dismissal.
As Trump prepares to sign executive orders Thursday afternoon and the Department of Justice interviews Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell in Florida, all eyes remain on his visit to the Fed an institution increasingly caught in political crossfire.
