Trump: If Fed chair wanted to resign ‘I wouldn’t stop him’

President Trump on Friday said he wouldn’t discourage Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell from resigning if he wanted to, capping a day in which he unleashed intense criticism of the central bank leader, calling him an “enemy.”

“Do I want him to resign? Let me put it this way: If he did, I wouldn’t stop him,” Trump told reporters as he left the White House for the Group of Seven (G-7) summit in France, adding that he was “not happy” with Powell.{mosads}

“I don’t think he’s much of a chess player. But I’ve got him,” he said.

The president has repeatedly pushed for lower interest rates from the Fed and blamed Powell for holding back the U.S. economy with his leadership of the central bank.

His feud with Powell reached new heights Friday after the Fed chairman warned that the central bank is not responsible for resolving the trade disputes driven by Trump.

Trump shot back on Twitter that Powell, who he appointed to lead the Fed in 2017, could be a bigger threat to the U.S. than Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The president has previously claimed that he has the power to fire Powell, though experts have questioned that assertion.