Trump dismisses report he is unhappy with Treasury's Mnuchin

[WASHINGTON] US President Donald Trump said on Twitter on Friday that he was quite happy with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's performance, after The Wall Street Journal reported that the president was dissatisfied with Mr Mnuchin.

"I am extremely happy and proud of the job being done by @USTreasury Secretary @stevenmnuchin1," Mr Trump said in a tweet.

The Journal reported that Mr Trump blames Mr Mnuchin for the appointment of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, who has been steadily raising US interest rates. Mr Trump is concerned that higher rates could undercut economic gains ahead of his 2020 reelection bid, the newspaper reported.

Quoting unnamed sources, the Journal said Mr Trump has also expressed displeasure with Mr Mnuchin over stock market turbulence and the Treasury secretary's skepticism about the White House trade actions against China.

"The FAKE NEWS likes to write stories to the contrary, quoting phony sources or jealous people, but they aren't true. They never like to ask me for a quote b/c it would kill their story," Mr Trump said on Twitter.

REUTERS