US President Donald Trump on Tuesday hinted that he wants to nominate his chief economic adviser Kevin Hassett to replace outgoing Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell next year.

Introducing guests at a White House event attended by Hassett, Trump said: "It's a great group, and I guess a potential Fed chair is here too."

He added: "I don't know, are we allowed to say that, potential? He's a respected person that I can tell you. Thank you, Kevin."

At a meeting of his cabinet earlier in the day, Trump said he would announce his pick "probably early next year for the new chairman of the Fed."

"I think we probably looked at 10 and we have it down to one," he said.

Hassett, a PhD economist, is currently chair of the National Economic Council, a White House body which advises the presiden

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