Donald Trump announced on Friday that he had finally chosen Kevin Warsh, a former governor of the Federal Reserve (Fed), to lead the central bank of the United States, which he has been constantly pushing around in the hope of obtaining lower interest rates.

For Mr. Warsh's nomination to be effective, it will have to be confirmed by the Republican-majority Senate.

The current Fed chairman's term expires in May.

"I am pleased to announce that I am proposing the nomination of Kevin Warsh to the position of CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM," the president wrote on his Truth Social platform.

"I've known Kevin for a long time and I have no doubt that he will go down in history as one of the GREAT Fed chairman's, perhaps the best. Above all, he has 'everything a leading man needs', and he will never let you down. Congratulations Kevin!", he added.

His message was sent in the early morning for the United States, before the opening of Wall Street, which was eagerly awaiting his decision.

After weeks of claiming he had made his choice, but repeatedly postponing the announcement, Donald Trump rushed things on Thursday.

He initially said he would reveal his choice "next week". Then, in the evening, he said it would finally be "Friday morning", at a preview screening of the documentary "Melania", dedicated to the First Lady.

"It will be an exceptional person, who will not surprise people too much. Many, many people think it's someone who could have held this position a few years ago," Mr. Trump said, leaving little suspense about the identity of his candidate.

Kevin Warsh was among those considered to head the institution in 2018, when Donald Trump ultimately preferred Jerome Powell - a choice the President has since lamented.

- The issue of independence -

The US president has stated that he expects the next Fed chairman to share his views on monetary policy.

He reiterated on Thursday that interest rates were, in his view, "too high, intolerably too high".

However, Donald Trump's interventionism risks making his candidate suspect in the eyes of investors.

Jerome Powell's revelation of the existence of a Justice Department proceeding against him recently sparked outrage in the business community and among several Republican elected officials, who see it as a further attack on the independence of the monetary institution.

- Critique of the institution -

Donald Trump had hinted last month that he was considering appointing his economic advisor Kevin Hassett, before backtracking, explaining that he needed his talent to defend his policies on television.

The other "Kevin" therefore overtook him in the final straight.

Kevin Warsh was a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors from 2006 to 2011.

He had been propelled to this position by the then Republican president, George W. Bush, and had become, at 35, the youngest governor in the history of the central bank.

He could have kept this position until 2018, the initial end of his term, but resigned in 2011 criticising the continuation of the exceptionally accommodative monetary policy adopted to support the recovery after the 2008-09 crisis.

This then categorized him as a "hawk," a term used at the Fed to refer to those who are very committed to fighting inflation and are wary of low interest rates.

This point weighed against him in the eyes of the current administration. But he spent 2025 sending signals to the White House by advocating for rate cuts and criticizing the monetary institution.