Imagine being Jerome Powell this week. On Friday, August 22, the Federal Reserve chairman will step onto the stage at the Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium — the most closely watched monetary retreat in the world — with markets, politicians, and even building contractors staring him down.
President Donald Trump is pressing him for interest-rate cuts. Congress is questioning Fed independence. Meanwhile, he's weathering criticism about a costly renovation of the central bank's D.C. headquarters. And hanging over it all: Trump and his allies are hyping a successor who pledges to keep cutting rates in 2026.
