Trump said he has chosen his next Federal Reserve chair but has not announced the nominee. Prediction markets place an 86% chance on Kevin Hassett, head of the National Economic Council and a longtime Trump adviser. Hassett’s close ties to Trump have raised concerns about Fed independence as Trump escalates criticism of Jerome Powell and seeks to remove Governor Lisa Cook. Economists told Al Jazeera that Hassett would likely support faster rate cuts, though not as aggressively as Trump wants.