In an interesting turn of events, Federal Reserve Governor and prominent stablecoins advocate Chris Waller has emerged as the frontrunner to become the next Fed Chairman. This development comes amid a monetary policy battle between US President Donald Trump and current Fed Chairman Jerome Powell.
Trump’s Fed Chair Candidate?
Over the past few months, Trump has publicly criticized Powell over the Fed Chair’s decision to maintain the market interest rate in the range of 4.25% – 4.50%. Notably, the head of the US apex bank has consistently rejected calls to lower this rate, fearing sporadic inflation, despite potential benefits such as stimulating economic growth due to lower borrowing rates.
This policy stalemate between the White House and the Federal Reserve has resulted in statements by Trump in which the Republican has either pressured Fed Chair Powell to step down or hinted at firing the former investment banker. However, amid the strong possibility of Jerome Powell seeing out his tenure, which ends in May 2026, there have been speculations on the next Fed chief.
In a recent post on X, popular analyst Jim Bianco highlighted Polymarket data showing growing market backing for Chris Waller to become the next Fed Chairman. Waller, who was nominated to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in 2020, is reportedly the favourite among Trump’s team to take charge of the apex bank after Powell’s tenure expires.
According to Bloomberg, Waller voted for an interest rate cut in the last Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting alongside Fed Vice Chair Michelle Bowman, albeit resulting in a 9-2 defeat against opposing votes by Powell and other board governors. Therefore, Waller may influence the FOMC as Fed Chairman in support of Trump’s call for a rate cut if “promoted” in May 2026.
Notably, Waller has also previously voiced support for stablecoins, lauding the potential benefits of these dollar-pegged cryptocurrencies to the US financial system. In July, He stated that stablecoins could stimulate competition in the payments industry while boosting the demand for the US dollar in general.
Crypto Market Overview
At the time of writing, the total crypto market cap is valued at $3.87 trillion following a 1.27% gain in the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, general market trading volume is now valued at $174.14 billion.
Notably, an interest rate cut would be highly beneficial to the digital asset market, as it frees up capital for investment in riskier assets. If this materializes, combined with other pro-crypto initiatives from the Trump administration, it could signal promising times ahead.
