Either "incompetent" or "corrupt"! Trump continues to criticize Powell, saying "he will be gone soon."

President Trump once again publicly criticized Powell on Tuesday, bluntly stating that the Federal Reserve Chairman is either "incompetent" or "corrupt." These comments come amid a criminal investigation launched by the Department of Justice against Powell, causing strong backlash from both parties and continued concerns about the central bank's independence in the market. On that day, Trump, outside the White House answering questions from reporters, was asked whether the unprecedented investigation by the DOJ into the Federal Reserve Chairman would weaken public confidence in the central bank's long-standing independence. Trump responded by saying that Powell had "overspent billions of dollars" on the renovation project at the Federal Reserve headquarters in Washington, obviously referring to the core issue of the investigation. "So, he's either incompetent or corrupt," Trump told reporters. "I don't know which one he is, but what I do know is that he's not doing a very good job." Later, while visiting a Ford Motor Company factory in Michigan and speaking at the Detroit Economic Club, Trump continued to escalate his attacks on Powell, calling the Federal Reserve Chairman a "jerk" and indicating that "he will be gone soon." Trump's tough stance comes at a time when opposition to the DOJ's investigation is growing. Several Democrats and Republicans have publicly voiced support for the independence of the Federal Reserve, including some of Trump's staunch supporters. Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, stated to the media after releasing the bank's fourth-quarter financial report on Tuesday: "Everyone we know believes in the independence of the Federal Reserve. Anything that undermines this may not be a good idea." He warned that such actions could have the opposite effect, "raising inflation expectations and raising interest rates in the medium to long term." Dimon's view was echoed by some Republican lawmakers. Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, said on Monday that if someone wants to "design a system to ensure that interest rates only rise and never fall, the best way to do that is to put the Federal Reserve and the U.S. administration in a power struggle." He said, "We absolutely do not need this situation." Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin has expressed concerns to Trump. According to informed sources quoted by the media, Mnuchin believes that the DOJ's investigation could complicate the established arrangement for appointing the next Federal Reserve Chairman after Powell's term ends in May this year. However, Jeanine Pirro, a federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C., made it clear early Tuesday morning through social media that her office has no intention of abandoning legal action against the Federal Reserve and Powell. She said that her office had been ignored in several attempts to address the issue of cost overruns in the renovation project and Powell's related testimony to Congress and the Federal Reserve, so they had to resort to legal measures. "This is not a threat." Pirro also emphasized, "'Criminal charges' are words that Powell himself said, not anyone else. If they had responded to our contacts initially, none of this would have happened." She added that the prosecutor makes decisions based on the merits of the case itself and reiterated "no one is above the law," so she hopes Powell will fully cooperate with the investigation. Powell himself issued a video statement last Sunday night, stating that the DOJ had issued him a subpoena to a grand jury and threatened "criminal charges" because of his testimony in the Senate regarding issues with the Federal Reserve building renovation. He stated that this investigation was closely related to Trump's long-standing dissatisfaction with the Federal Reserve's slow pace of interest rate cuts. "The threat of criminal charges is based on the Federal Reserve making rate policy decisions based on its best judgment of the public interest, not to cater to the president's preferences," Powell said. He also emphasized, "Of course, no one, including the Federal Reserve Chairman, can be above the law, but this unprecedented action should be viewed in the larger context of continued pressure and threats from the government." In response, Trump categorically denied that the subpoena was related to his stance on interest rates. He stated in a news interview last Sunday night: "No, it has nothing to do with interest rates, I wouldn't even think that way. The real pressure on him should be that the rates are too high, that's his only pressure source."