Trump to Announce Next Fed Chair on January 30... Former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh Seen as Frontrunner

As of the morning of January 30 (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to announce his nominee for Chair of the Federal Reserve (Fed), with former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh being cited as a leading candidate.

On January 29, President Trump attended the premiere of the documentary film "Melania" at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where he stated, "Tomorrow (Friday) morning, I will announce my nominee for Fed Chair."

With Chair Jerome Powell's term set to end in May this year, President Trump has narrowed down the list of candidates for the next Fed Chair to about four since late last year, conducting personal interviews with each. The leading candidates have included Rick Rieder, Global Chief Investment Officer for Fixed Income at BlackRock; former Governor Kevin Warsh; current Fed Governor Christopher Waller; and Kevin Hassett, Chairman of the White House National Economic Council (NEC).

Among these, some foreign media outlets have reported that former Governor Warsh is the frontrunner. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and Bloomberg News, citing sources, reported that President Trump is preparing to nominate Warsh as Fed Chair. While the WSJ initially reported that Trump would announce his nominee next week, it later stated that the timeline had been moved up following a meeting with Warsh.

However, both the White House and Warsh's representatives declined to respond to requests for comment. Sources also emphasized that no final decision has been made until President Trump makes an official announcement.

Kevin Warsh served as a Fed Governor from 2006 to 2011 and has also acted as an economic policy advisor to President Trump. He was considered a strong candidate for Fed Chair in 2017, but President Trump ultimately selected Jerome Powell.