PANews reported on April 19 that according to Jinshi, the Wall Street Journal revealed that US President Trump has been privately discussing the issue of firing Federal Reserve Chairman Powell for several months, but he has not yet made a final decision on whether to oust Powell before the end of his term next year. Sources said that at a meeting held at Mar-a-Lago, Trump talked with former Federal Reserve Board member Kevin Warsh about the possibility of firing Powell before the end of his term and possibly choosing Warsh to replace him.

Warsh had advised against firing Powell and believed the Fed chairman should be allowed to complete his term without interruption, according to people familiar with the matter. In a meeting in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump expressed his belief that he had the power to remove Powell. "If I wanted him out, he would be out very quickly, believe me," Trump said, adding that he was not happy with Powell. Any move by Trump to fire Powell would almost certainly go to the Supreme Court. That could cast a shadow of scrutiny over Powell's eventual departure, and any prospect that the Fed chairman could be fired over a policy dispute could frustrate financial markets.

The White House declined to comment. Walsh did not respond to a request for comment.