See Trump’s shortlist to replace Jerome Powell

Fed Governor Christopher Waller told CNBC he thought his meeting with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent went “well.”

“I mean, there was a lot of discussion about various aspects of the speeches, I gave my perspective, they wanted to kind of follow through on those narratives,” Waller said in October. “I just thought it was great. I mean, there was really nothing political about it. There was nothing. It was a serious economic discussion. That’s why I thought it was great.”

As of late October, Waller is second to Hassett in major prediction markets, although his lead over other contenders is much smaller than Hassett’s.

Waller, a longtime regional Fed official, was considered a convention pick when Trump nominated him to the central bank in 2019. Simultaneously, Trump also nominated Judy Shelton, a former campaign adviser and Fed critic. The fight over Shelton’s nomination quickly spilled over to Waller’s.

In December 2020, the Senate confirmed Waller 48-47, the narrowest margin for a Fed governor since 1980, according to the New York Times.

In July, Waller joined Governor Michelle Bowman (another Trump first-term pick) in opposing the Fed’s decision not to cut interest rates, the first double dissent in more than 30 years.