Donald Trump has called Federal Reserve chair Jay Powell a “numbskull” for not cutting interest rates, saying the White House may “have to force something” if the US central bank does not reduce borrowing costs. “We are going to spend $600bn a year because of one numbskull that sits there, [saying] ‘I don’t see enough reason to cut the rates’,” Trump told reporters, referring to Powell, who he has nicknamed “too late”. The president added: “I may have to force something.” Trump did not specify what he meant by force — and said he would not fire the Fed chair ahead of the end of his term in May 2026.