WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said he met with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently to further discuss his possible nomination as Fed Chair, as the Trump administration moves forward in picking a replacement for Jerome Powell.
Powell’s term in the top job ends in May.
“I talked to Scott about 10 days ago. We had a nice, a great, meeting,” Waller said on the Fox Business Mornings with Maria show.
“I think they are looking for someone who has merit, experience, and knows what they are doing in the job, and I think I fit that.”
The administration has narrowed the Fed selection to a short list reported to include Waller, top Trump economic adviser Kevin Hassett, former Fed governor Kevin Warsh, BlackRock investment chief Rick Rieder, and Fed vice chair for supervision Michelle Bowman.
It’s not clear how many on that list have moved on to the next round of interviews that Waller’s comments indicate are underway.
U.S. President Donald Trump, adamant about wanting the Fed to cut interest rates and eager to move on from Powell, said last week he may go “the standard way” with someone who is “politically correct.”
Bessent in comments to Fox News said he expected the President to meet with three finalists after Thanksgiving and “hopefully have an answer before Christmas.”
(Reporting by Howard Schneider; Editing by Jan Harvey and Nick Zieminski)
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