Trump says he would likely replace Fed chair Yellen once her term ends

Republican frontrunner Donald Trump has said he has nothing against Janet Yellen but would likely replace her as Fed chair once her term is up.

Republican frontrunner Donald Trump has said he has nothing against Janet Yellen but would likely replace her as Fed chair once her term is up.

Republican presidential front runner Donald Trump speaks to supporters and the media at Trump Tower in Manhattan. (AFP)

In an interview with CNBC, Trump said he thinks it would be appropriate for him to nominate someone else to lead the Fed since Yellen is not a Republican.

“When her time is up, I would most likely replace her because of the fact that I think it would be appropriate,” Trump said.

President Barack Obama selected Yellen, a Democrat who was head of the Council of Economic Advisers in the Clinton administration, to succeed Republican Ben Bernanke. At the time of her nomination, Yellen was serving in the No. 2 post at the Fed. Her four-year term as Fed leader ends on February 3, 2018, but she could remain on the Fed’s seven-member board if the next president decides not to nominate her for another term as chairman.

Yellen’s 14-year term as a Fed board member does not end until January 31, 2024. Trump did not signal any unhappiness with Yellen’s policies. The Fed has been keeping interest rates low until there is more evidence inflation is rising toward the central bank’s 2% target and the economy shows it has successfully navigated through a period of weak global growth.

Many economists believe the Fed may only hike rates one or two times in 2016, in part out of concerns that the prospect of higher rates in the United States could push the dollar higher and hurt exports.

Yellen “has always been a low interest rate person and I must be honest. I am a low interest rate person,” Trump said. “If we raise interest rates and if the dollar starts getting too strong, we’re going to have some major problems.”