Politics

Report: Trump May Dump Pick For Fed Chair Over Charlottesville

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Amber Randall Civil Rights Reporter
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President Donald Trump may choose not to nominate Gary Cohn as Federal Reserve chairman over comments he made about the Charlottesville riots, sources told The Wall Street Journal.

Trump is considering backing off from making Cohn, Trump’s chief economic advisor, the Federal Reserve chairman after Cohn criticized Trump’s position on the Charlottesville riots, according to a Wednesday WSJ report.

In past months, Trump had made comments to TheWSJ that Cohn could be a potential replacement for Janet Yellen, the current Federal Reserve chair, whose term ends in February. “He doesn’t know this, but yes he is,” Trump said in July when asked if Cohn was a potential pick. “I actually think he likes what he’s doing right now.”

Trump seems to be changing his mind in light of criticisms coming from Cohn, sources with knowledge of the situation told TheWSJ. When Trump blamed both sides for the violence at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Cohn called on Trump to “do better” in an interview shortly after.

“This administration can and must do better in consistently and unequivocally condemning these groups and do everything we can to heal the deep divisions that exist in our communities,” Cohn said at the time. “As a patriotic American, I am reluctant to leave my post … because I feel a duty to fulfill my commitment to work on behalf of the American people.”

A person close to Trump said that he wasn’t expecting Cohn’s comments, while another source told TheWSJ that Trump seems annoyed when Cohn’s name is mentioned.

Cohn remains “focused on his responsibilities … including a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to deliver meaningful tax reform that creates jobs and grows the economy,'”a White House spokesperson said.

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