Trump ‘certainly’ can fire Fed chair Powell ‘if there’s cause’: Hassett National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said the White House is looking into whether it has the authority to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. President Donald Trump has said that he does not want to fire Powell, but Hassett’s comments suggest that top administration officials are still considering the possibility. The Trump administration has zeroed in on the Fed’s $2.5 billion renovation project as a possible “cause” for removing Powell.