U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has whittled down his short list of candidates to replace Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to five individuals, he said on Air Force One, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Some have connections to the central bank and the White House, while another is a Wall Street powerhouse.

President Donald Trump has kept up his verbal criticism of Powell for not cutting interest rates fast or deep enough, calling the Chairman a "stubborn moron " and "Jerome Too Late Powell", among other things in social media posts and publicly. Bessent plans to brief Trump on the candidates in full after Thanksgiving, although Powell's term ends May 15, 2026.

FOX Business takes a look at the contenders ahead of the Federal Reserve’s October meeting in which policymakers

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