Trump World was roiled momentarily Tuesday after a fake resignation letter purportedly penned by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell started to make the rounds of high-profile MAGA social media accounts after weeks of speculation about his future.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and conservative personality Benny Johnson were among those who shared the letter, which said Powell was set to resign at the close of business Tuesday. Both quickly deleted their posts.
“There appeared to be one, and it occurred to me seconds after I posted it that I hadn’t seen it anywhere else, so I deleted it out of an abundance of caution,” Lee told The Hill while leaving the Senate GOP luncheon minutes after posting and deleting the letter from his account.
“I don’t know whether it’s legit or not,” he added.
The letter featured a number of typos, and the Federal Reserve’s seal was illegible and appeared to be generated by artificial intelligence.
“The Jerome Powell letter is fake,” Johnson wrote on the social platform X shortly after deleting his initial post. “Please don’t share it. Sorry. Bad look. I still want Jerome Powell to resign really bad.”
Powell, who Trump appointed in 2017, has in the past said he would not resign from his post even if asked to do so by the president.
Trump has for months berated Powell and complained about the Federal Reserve’s decision not to lower interest rates. The president polled a group of House Republicans last week at the White House on whether he should fire Powell but has in recent days indicated he is inclined to let him serve the remainder of his term, which expires in May 2026.
“I think he’s done a bad job, but he’s going to be out pretty soon anyway. In eight months, he’ll be out,” Trump said earlier Tuesday when asked if Powell should resign.
Meanwhile, top White House officials have zeroed in on a $2.5 billion renovation of the Federal Reserve’s Washington offices to ramp up scrutiny on Powell. Those officials, which include deputy chief of staff James Blair and budget chief Russell Vought, have sidestepped questions about whether their probe of the costs is intended as a predicate for firing Powell.
Lee has been known to play fast and loose on his @BasedMikeLee feed at times. Last year, he fell for a fake death announcement regarding former President Carter last July. Carter eventually died in December.
