FX.co ★ Trump’s shortlist: three contenders for Fed chair

Christopher Waller

Christopher Waller, 66, a current member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, is seen as one of the most experienced and independent candidates. Before being appointed to Washington in 2020, he served as chief economist at the St. Louis Fed Research Center. Waller was among the first to call for rate hikes in 2021 to combat inflation, predicting that unemployment would not rise, and he was proven right. Today, he supports policy easing and even voted against the Fed's July decision to keep interest rates unchanged. His odds stand at 28% on Polymarket and 27% on Kalshi.

Kevin Hassett

Kevin Hassett, 63, director of the National Economic Council, is one of the most recognizable economists in Republican circles. He first joined Trump's team during his first term, serving as chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers from 2017 to 2019. Hassett has been a consistent supporter of Trump's tariff policy and his criticism of Powell. He backed the resignation of the Bureau of Labor Statistics chief following a significant revision in employment data, and he shares the president's skepticism toward the Fed. His odds are 18% on Polymarket and 30% on Kalshi.

Kevin Warsh

Kevin Warsh, 55, a former Federal Reserve governor, is now a visiting fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. He nearly became Fed chair in 2018, but Donald Trump ultimately chose someone else. Appointed to the Fed by George W. Bush in 2006, Warsh became a key liaison to Wall Street during the 2007-2009 financial crisis. However, he later criticized the Fed's large-scale bond purchases, calling them excessive interference in fiscal policy. Since then, Warsh has been a vocal critic of the Fed in public forums. His odds currently stand at 13% on Polymarket and 19% on Kalshi.