US President Donald Trump said he would not have chosen Kevin Warsh as his nominee for Federal Reserve chairman if Warsh had expressed a willingness to raise interest rates. “If he came in and said, ‘I want to raise rates,’ he wouldn’t get the job, absolutely not,” Trump said in an interview with NBC News on Wednesday. He stated that there was “no” doubt that the Fed would cut rates because “our rates were too high,” but now “we are a rich country again.” When asked if Warsh understood Trump’s desire for him to lower the benchmark interest rate, the president replied, “I think he understands, but I think he wanted to cut rates.” Furthermore, Trump is currently attempting to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook from her post on “just cause” based on allegations of mortgage fraud, a case currently being heard by the Supreme Court. US Treasury Secretary Bessant stated at a hearing of the House Financial Services Committee that he believes the Federal Reserve is an independent institution, but the president has the right to interfere in the Fed’s decisions.