AsianFin - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday escalated his criticism of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, calling for a dramatic 2.5 percentage point cut to interest rates—equivalent to 10 standard rate cuts—amid growing tensions over monetary policy.

Trump, who appointed Powell to lead the central bank in 2017, has repeatedly rebuked the Fed chief for maintaining borrowing costs at levels he views as too high.

The latest comments came just a day after the Fed announced it would hold its benchmark rate steady between 4.25% and 4.5%, citing a resilient U.S. economy but continued uncertainty over inflation—partly driven by the sweeping tariffs Trump has imposed on imports.