President Donald Trump launched a blistering attack on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell within minutes of the Fed’s announcement of a mere 25-basis-point interest rate cut on Wednesday, branding the decision “absolutely pathetic” and declaring that anything less than a 50-basis-point reduction was an insult to struggling American families and businesses battling stubborn inflation.

Speaking at a packed business leaders’ roundtable in the White House East Room, Trump repeatedly called Powell a “deadhead,” a “stiff,” and “the worst Fed chair in history,” asserting that the quarter-point cut was deliberately designed to choke economic momentum rather than unleash the growth the country desperately needs. He argued that rates remain far too high and that Powell’s cautious approach is suffocating consumer spending and corporate investment.

The latest reduction marks the third cut in 2025, bringing the federal funds rate to 4.75–5.00 percent, yet Powell’s accompanying statement hinted at a possible pause in further easing as core inflation indicators show only gradual cooling. Trump seized on that language, warning that any halt in rate cuts would be “economic malpractice” and vowing to replace Powell with a successor who understands that “low rates mean jobs, high rates mean pain.”

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Trump’s fury revives the intense pressure he has consistently applied on the Federal Reserve since taking office, insisting that the US should return to an era of historically low borrowing costs to turbocharge growth. He openly floated the idea of appointing a new Fed chair who would deliver “honest, aggressive rate cuts” instead of what he described as Powell’s “timid, job-killing half-measures.”

The public dressing-down has sent shockwaves through financial markets and reignited debate over central bank independence, with Trump making clear that he views the Fed’s current leadership as an obstacle to his economic agenda and signaling that Powell’s days could be numbered unless significantly larger rate reductions follow swiftly.

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