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A top central banker has warned that President Donald Trump’s attempts to interfere with the Federal Reserve could pose a “serious danger” to both the US and global economy.
“US monetary policy obviously has effects within the United States — to maintain price stability and ensure optimal employment,” Christine Lagarde, the president of the European Central Bank and former head of the International Monetary Fund, told the French radio station Radio Classique on Monday.
“If it were no longer independent for this purpose, and instead depended on the dictates of one person or another, then I believe the balance of the US economy, and consequently the effects this has on the entire world — since it is the largest economy in the world — would be very troubling,” Lagarde added.
She also said she thinks it would be difficult for Trump to take control of the Fed due to legal complications.
Lagarde’s comments came as Trump said he sought to remove Fed governor Lisa Cook last month, citing allegations of mortgage fraud. Cook has denied wrongdoing and has filed a lawsuit to challenge the president’s move.
Trump has long been at odds with the central bank, repeatedly blasting Fed Chair Jerome Powell for keeping interest rates too high.
Although Trump said in April that he had no plans to fire Powell, investors have grown jittery at his efforts to undermine the Fed’s independence.
In July, analysts at Deutsche Bank said Trump removing Powell from his post is “one of the largest under-priced event risks over the coming months.” They said such a move could shake the dollar and Treasury markets.
Other financial leaders have echoed the concerns.
Ray Dalio, the founder of Bridgewater Associates, told the Financial Times in a Tuesday report that a politically compromised central bank “would undermine the confidence in the Fed defending the value of money and make holding dollar-denominated debt assets less attractive which would weaken the monetary order as we know it.”
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said in July the Fed’s independence is “absolutely critical,” warning that political meddling could have damaging consequences.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has tried to calm nerves. “The Fed should be independent. The Fed is independent, but I also think that they’ve made a lot of mistakes,” he told Reuters on Monday.
The Fed has said it would accept the courts’ ruling on Trump’s bid to remove Cook and has stressed its independence.
“The Federal Reserve reaffirms its commitment to transparency, accountability, and independence in the service of American families, communities, and businesses,” a spokesperson for the Fed said last month.
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