Waller Says Interview for Fed Chair Role Was “Excellent,” Not Political

Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said on Friday that his interview with Treasury Secretary Scott Besant for the position of the next U.S. central bank chief went very well and was entirely focused on economic issues, with no political overtones.

Waller — widely viewed as a leading contender to succeed Chair Jerome Powell when his term ends next year — told CNBC that the discussion was “all about serious economic matters.”

“I don’t know if I’m a finalist,” Waller said. “I thought the interview went great. I didn’t face any tough challenges.”

According to CNBC, Besant, who is overseeing the vetting process for President Donald Trump, has conducted initial interviews with 11 candidates, narrowing the list down to five: Waller; Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman; White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett; former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh; and Rick Rieder, Chief Investment Officer for Fixed Income at BlackRock.

Betting markets Kalshi and Polymarket currently show Hassett as the favorite, with Waller running second in contracts wagering on whom Trump will nominate.

Trump has repeatedly called for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates and has continued to criticize Powell, whom he initially appointed during his first term but later turned against.

“It was a really great interview,” said Waller, who was appointed to the Fed by Trump in 2020. “We talked in depth about several of my speeches and the issues raised in them. They wanted to understand my perspective better. I thought it was an excellent, serious economic discussion — nothing political at all.”

Questions over political influence at the Fed — and its independence as an institution — have become central again after Trump took the unprecedented step of firing sitting Fed Governor Lisa Cook over alleged fraudulent mortgage applications.

Cook has denied the allegations, no charges have been filed, and her legal challenge to the dismissal will be heard by the Supreme Court in January.