Trump Says Powell Would Be Fired if Not for Resignation, Likelihood of Walsh Taking Office by May 15 is 43%

**Trump Threatens to Fire Powell If He Fails to Resign Promptly; Yellen Uncertain on Wash Confirmation** April 15 — In a Fox News interview, U.S. President Trump said he will fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell if Powell does not resign promptly. Trump also emphasized he will not drop the Justice Department’s investigation into Powell, adding: *“If he doesn’t leave on time, I’ll have to fire him. I’ve held back from firing him — I want to, but I hate controversy. I hope there’s no controversy, but he will be fired.”* Powell’s Fed chair term expires in May, though his term as a Fed board member runs through 2028. He previously stated he will serve as interim chair if his successor is not confirmed by May. Trump allies had hoped Powell would also resign from the board then, but Powell said he has no intention to step down until the DOJ’s investigation into a restructuring project is “properly concluded.” Trump, however, hinted no plans to end the probe, saying it “must be clarified.” Additionally, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen just indicated uncertainty over whether nominee Wash will be confirmed by May 16. There is widespread hope Wash will join the Fed in May. Per PolyBeats monitoring, the prediction market Polymarket puts the probability at 43% that *“Wash will be formally confirmed as Federal Reserve Chair before May 15.”*