Boston Herald

Mnuchin: Trump not trying to influence Fed

Prez critical of board’s rate hike

- —ASSOCIATED­PRESS

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said yesterday that President Trump was not trying to put pressure on the Federal Reserve when he criticized its decision to raise interest rates.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a Group of 20 meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Mnuchin said he can’t comment on why Trump made the comments but he doesn’t think they were a mistake.

“I can assure because I’ve spoken to the president. His intention is not to in any way put pressure on the Fed,” the treasury secretary said, referring to the U.S. central bank. “I just want to assure you this was not intended to put pressure on the Fed or jeopardize the Fed’s independen­ce.”

On Friday morning, Trump for a second day criticized the Federal Reserve, breaking with a long-standing tradition at the White House of avoiding any influence, real or perceived, on the independen­ce of the U.S. central bank.

In a tweet, he said: “China, the European Union and others have been manipulati­ng their currencies and interest rates lower, while the U.S. is raising rates while the dollars gets stronger and stronger with each passing day — taking away our big competitiv­e edge.”

Trump added, referring to the Fed’s rate increases: “The United States should not be penalized because we are doing so well. Tightening now hurts all that we have done.”

Last month, the Fed raised its benchmark rate for a second time this year and projected two more increases in 2018. Its rate hikes are meant to prevent the economy from overheatin­g and igniting high inflation. But rate increases also make borrowing costlier for households and companies and can weaken the pace of growth.

Trump’s tweet followed more extensive criticism he made of the Fed’s rate hikes in an interview with CNBC in which he said, “I don’t like all of this work that we’re putting into the economy and then I see rates going up.”

Mnuchin’s comments to reporters came at a meeting of finance ministers and central bank presidents from G-20 countries. The United States is being represente­d at the gathering by Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, who was selected last year by Trump to succeed Janet Yellen as Fed chairman after Trump decided not to give Yellen a second term.

The Fed has had no comment on Trump’s interview comments or his tweet, but last week Powell said in an interview that the Fed had a long tradition of conducting policy in a way that is “independen­t of all political concerns.”

 ?? APPhOTO ?? NO PRESSURE: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin speaks to the media in Buenos Aires, Argentina, yesterday.
APPhOTO NO PRESSURE: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin speaks to the media in Buenos Aires, Argentina, yesterday.

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