Atlanta Federal Reserve President Raphael Bostic, the first black and openly gay person to lead one of the central bank’s 12 regional banks, said on Wednesday he will retire at the end of his current term on Feb. 28, an unexpected departure amid a push by President Trump for more influence over the Fed.

Trump does not select the presidents of the regional Fed banks, but the appointments must be approved by the central bank’s Board of Governors, which the president is trying to reshape through the attempted firing of Governor Lisa Cook and the upcoming choice of a replacement for Fed Chair Jerome Powell when his term as Fed chief ends next spring.

All 12 regional presidents are up for reappointment to new five-year terms, a usually quiet process guided by local boards of directo

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