ECONOMY/ELECTION/FEDERAL RESERVE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “For the third week in a row, President Donald Trump is criticizing Jerome Powell, the man he picked to lead the Federal Reserve. In an interview Tuesday [10-23-18] with The Wall Street Journal, Trump said that Powell raises interest rates ‘every time we do something great.’ The Fed chair ‘almost looks like he’s happy raising interest rates,’ the president said. He also told the newspaper that it was ‘too early to tell, but maybe’ he regretted nominating Powell to the position. The criticism echoes comments Trump made last week in an interview with Fox Business in which he said that the Fed is his ‘biggest threat.’ Michelle Smith, a spokeswoman for the Fed, declined to comment on Trump’s remarks Tuesday. Presidents have for decades refrained from commenting on the Fed, a stance adopted to avoid compromising its independence — and its credibility with financial markets. In the run-up to the midterms, Trump has pitched voters on his stewardship of the economy. He threw Washington into a frenzy this week by promising to introduce a fresh round of tax cuts before the midterms, expanding on last year’s landmark tax reform.”
–Rob McLean, “Trump launches new broadside against the Fed: ‘I’m very unhappy’,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, Octoer 23, 2018 10:35 pm