Trump said Janet Yellen wasn’t tall enough to run the Fed: report

President Trump reportedly considered reappointing Janet Yellen as chairwoman of the Federal Reserve, but was bothered by her height.

The Washington Post reported that Yellen, who led the Fed from 2014-2018, impressed Trump during her interview to keep the job in his administration. While advisers urged Trump to nominate his own choice for the role, the president asked aides about whether they thought Yellen was tall enough to keep the position.

He suggested that Yellen, who is 5-foot-3, was not tall enough to lead the bank, the Post reported.

{mosads}The president ultimately named Jerome Powell as the new chairman of the Fed. Powell, who is close to 6 feet, previously served as a member of the Fed’s Board of Governors.

Trump has unleashed a torrent of criticism in recent months about the central bank’s decision to gradually increase interest rates.

In an interview Tuesday with the Post, Trump complained that the Fed “is way off-base with what they’re doing.”

“So far, I’m not even a little bit happy with my selection of Jay,” Trump told the news outlet. “Not even a little bit.

“I’m doing deals and I’m not being accommodated by the Fed,” Trump added. “They’re making a mistake because I have a gut, and my gut tells me more sometimes than anybody else’s brain can ever tell me.”

The Fed has raised rates eight times since the end of 2015, including six times during Trump’s time in office, three of those since Powell took over in February.

The president has argued the Fed should keep interest rates low to stimulate further economic growth. His repeated complaints are a notable break in precedent from past presidents who have declined to publicly comment on the Fed’s decisions.

Trump administration officials have maintained that Trump is merely sharing an opinion and that he respects the Fed’s independence.