Bessent will present 3 or 4 Fed chief candidates to Trump after Thanksgiving

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday said he plans to present three or four candidates to lead the Federal Reserve to President Donald Trump for him to interview sometime after Thanksgiving.

"At the end of the day, he'll take input like he always does from dozens, hundreds of people and then make a decision," Bessent said at a CNBC event held on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank annual meetings in Washington.

Asked if one of the criteria to succeed Fed Chair Jerome Powell is a desire to lower interest rates, Bessent said: "One of the criteria is to have an open mind."


Trump has routinely lashed out at Powell and the U.S. central bank more widely for not lowering interest rates at the speed and magnitude he desires. Powell's term as Fed chief ends next May.