President Donald Trump slammed a reporter who asked him Thursday about rising prices, while pointing a finger at Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for refusing to cut interest rates.
Trump was hosting Italian Prime MinisterGiorgia Meloni in the Oval Office - the first European leader to come see him since he paused a 20 percent tariff on European Union imports for 90 days.
Trump was asked by ABC News' Rachel Scott about his timeline to make trade deals, with the journalist observing, 'Americans are seeing prices rise.'
'So they've already seen it get much better. Because if you were truthful, which you're not, I know you very well. You have gasoline that hit $1.98 yesterday in a couple of states,' Trump replied. 'The prices of groceries are substantially down.'
Trump continued: 'When I came in, you hit me with eggs.
'And they were screaming at me, the press, the fake news, like you, you're fake, and the fake news is screaming at me about eggs,' the president added.
Trump boasted that egg prices - which were heightened due to the bird flu - have come down.
'The only thing that's gone up, actually, is interest rates, because we have a Federal Reserve chairman that is playing politics,' Trump said. 'Somebody that I've never been very fond of actually. He's playing politics.'
President Donald Trump (right), alongside Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (left) got upset when a reporter asked him about a timeline for making trade deals, as she said that 'Americans are seeing prices rise'
President Donald Trump put the blame squarely on Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell (pictured) who warned Wednesday at the Economic Club of Chicago that Trump's tariffs will likely push up prices
'Interest rates should be down now, they should be coming down,' the president insisted. 'But our guy wants to be cute.'
Powell sounded an alarm Wednesday during an appearance at theEconomic Club of Chicago, saying that Trump's tariffs have been 'significantly larger than anticipated' and the uncertainty swirling around them inflict lasting economic damage.
The Fed chair said that 'in all likelihood' inflation will go up.
He also said that a portion of the tariffs is going to be 'paid by the public.'
In the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump continued to insist that his tariffs were making the country rich.
'We're taking in tremendous amounts of money with the tariffs, we were treated very unfairly on trade, and countries are having a hard time getting used to the fact that they can't do that to us anymore, because we have a real president,' Trump said.
Trump was the president who nominated Powell, back in 2017, and he's held the position since February 2018.
His term is overMay 15, 2026.
'Oh he'll leave, if I ask him to,' President Donald Trump said Thursday in the Oval Office about Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell
When Trump was reelected, Powell said he wouldn't step down and noted that the president may not fire or demote the Fed chair.
Trump apparently didn't believe that was the case, when answering questions in the Oval Office on Thursday.
'Oh he'll leave, if I ask him to,' Trump said.
During Meloni's visit, the Italian prime minister, who's politically aligned with Trump, invited the Republican president to Rome.
'So I want to thank President Trump for having accepted an invitation to pay an official visit to Rome in the near future,' Meloni said. 'And consider the possibility in that occasion to meet also with Europe.'
Italy is part of the European Union, which will need to ink a new trade deal with Trump to avoid the 20 percent tariffs he originally pitched as part of his 'Liberation Day' plan.
Both leaders expressed confidence during the White House visit that a deal U.S.-EU deal will come together in the 90-day timeframe.
'Oh there will be a trade deal, 100 percent,' Trump said Thursday during a Cabinet Room meeting alongside Vice President J.D. Vance, top advisers and the Italian delegation.
