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"Well, I like to see low interest rates. The Fed is doing what
it thinks is necessary but I don't like what they're doing
because we have inflation really checked, and we have a lot of
good things happening," Trump said to reporters on the White
House lawn before departing for an Iowa event. "I just don't
think it's necessary to go as fast."
The U.S. Federal Reserve last raised interest rates in September
and left intact its plans to steadily tighten monetary policy,
as it forecast that the U.S. economy would enjoy at least three
more years of economic growth.
The Federal Reserve is mandated by Congress to aim for low
inflation and low unemployment. Currently U.S. consumer price
inflation is above 2 percent annually and the unemployment rate
is the lowest in about 40 years.
"Also, very importantly I think, the numbers we're producing are
record-setting," Trump added. "I don't want to slow it down,
even a little bit, especially when you don't have the problem of
inflation. And you don't see that inflation coming back. Now, at
some point it will and you go up"
Trump has publicly stated his concerns before, but on Tuesday
said he had not discussed them personally with Federal Reserve
Chair Jerome Powell, explaining that "I like to stay
uninvolved."
(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Additional reporting by Tim Ahmann;
Writing by Lisa Lambert)
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