Ex-Fed's Bullard says he's talked with Bessent about Fed chair job

(Reuters) -Former St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank President James Bullard on Tuesday said he spoke with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent last week in connection with the White House search for a new Fed chair, and told Bessent that he’d be “happy to proceed however they want to proceed.”

President Donald Trump is an outspoken critic of Fed Chair Jerome Powell, whose term runs through mid-May, and wants to pick a successor who agrees with his view that the central bank should be cutting rates. Bessent is building a list of candidates that also includes National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett, former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh, a current Fed Governor Christopher Waller, and Marc Sumerlin, a former economic adviser to President George W. Bush.

Bullard signaled his own support for