Update: and as has been the case recently, the White House had to immediately clarify what Trump meant:
- WHITE HOUSE SAYS TRUMP `RESPECTS THE INDEPENDENCE' OF FED
- WHITE HOUSE SAYS TRUMP ISN'T INTERFERFERING WITH FED DECISIONS
In response, the USD staged a feeble bounce which is already being faded.
* * *
It should perhaps come as no surprise that the president who once called himself a "low interest rate guy", has finally laid into the Fed, and during an interview with CNBC's Joe Kernan, criticized the US central bank saying that he is "not thrilled" about rising rates, and would prefer a weaker dollar to offset the Chinese Yuan which is "dropping like a rock."
"I'm not thrilled," he told Joe Kernen.
"Because we go up and every time you go up they want to raise rates again.
I don't really...
I am not happy about it. But at the same time I'm letting them do what they feel is best."
"But I don't like all of this work that goes into doing what we're doing."
Trump also said he's concerned that the timing of the Fed's rate hikes may be poor and the resulting strong dollar will put the U.S. at a "disadvantage" while the Fed's counterparts like the European Central Bank and the Bank of Japan maintain loose monetary policy.
The statements, which could have comes from Turkey's Erdogan on any given day, and which will immediately be seen as threatening the Fed's independence, is sure to spark another meltdown, this time in the business media.
The president acknowledged that his comments are unusual but said he doesn't care.
"Now I'm just saying the same thing that I would have said as a private citizen," he said.
"So somebody would say, 'Oh, maybe you shouldn't say that as president. I couldn't care less what they say, because my views haven't changed."
"I don't like all of this work that we're putting into the economy and then I see rates going up," he said.
Finally, hinting that trade war is about to become a full-blown currency war, Trump confirmed that he is well aware of what is going on China where the Yuan has been crashing relentlessly for the past month, and said that the Chinese currency is "dropping like a rock"... which it is:
Full interview below:
WATCH: President Trump lays into the Fed, telling CNBC that he's 'not thrilled' about interest rate hikes cnbc.com/id/105340800
Gold spiked:
And stocks hiccuped...
And while Trump's unorthodox comments are sure to set off a firestorm of criticism and complaints that Trump is seeking to eliminate the Fed's independence, which of course it isn't, because as Ben Bernanke's former advisor once admitted, "A lot of people would be stunned to know the extent to which the Federal Reserve is privately owned", here is an excerpt from the NYT, showing how previously US presidents handled Fed "independence":
However, since it is all about preserving the "narrative", the blowback was immeidate with Former Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher telling CNBC that Trump is out of line.
"One of the hallmarks of our great American economy is preserving the independence of the Federal Reserve. No president should interfere with the workings of the Fed," Fisher said. "Were I Chairman Powell, I would ignore the President and do my job and I am confident he will do just that."
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