Today at Nooon EDT: How the Fed Might Navigate Trump's Attacks
Wharton's Peter Conti-Brown joins me to discuss the legal battles, historical precedents, and future of America's central bank
Today at noon Eastern, I'll sit down with Peter Conti-Brown, one of the nation's leading experts on Federal Reserve governance and my dissertation advisor (!), to consider how presidential influence over the Fed actually works. The answer to “Can the President fire the Fed Chair?” is more complicated—and more interesting—than you might think. Sign up here!
Peter is a financial historian and legal scholar at the Wharton School who literally wrote the book on Fed independence. He also has a very active Substack of his own. We'll be covering:
The "for cause" question: What does the law actually say about removing a Fed Chair? And what about the workaround of demotion?
Historical showdowns: The dramatic near-misses of 1933 and 1951 when Fed independence hung by a thread
The Supreme Court's recent "quasi-private" language, suggesting the Fed may be safe from presidential interference: What does this mean for the Fed's future?
The "too big" critique: Has the Fed overstepped with its massive balance sheet and climate initiatives, justifying Trump’s threats?
These aren't just academic questions—they have real implications for monetary policy and the economy.
Join us live today at noon ET on Substack Live. Come with your questions! See you there.