Jerome Powell's Last Day: The Fed Chair Who Fought Inflation, Survived Trump, and Changed the Fed Forever

# Jerome Powell's Last Day: The Fed Chair Who Fought Inflation, Survived Trump, and Changed the Fed Forever

> **Quick answer:** Jerome Powell's last day as Federal Reserve Chair is May 15, 2026 — tomorrow. His eight-year tenure spanned COVID, a 9.1% inflation peak, 525 basis points of rate hikes, and sustained White House pressure to cut. Kevin Warsh was confirmed 54-45 on May 13. In an unprecedented move, Powell stays on as a Fed governor, refusing to leave the institution he spent years protecting.

Jerome Powell's last day as Federal Reserve Chair is May 15, 2026. For eight years, the 73-year-old lawyer-turned-central-banker held the most consequential economic job in the world — and he earned almost every scar that comes with it. Tomorrow, he hands the keys to Kevin Warsh. But he isn't walking out the door.

*This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Consult a qualified financial advisor for personal financial decisions.*

## What Powell Accomplished as Fed Chair: The Full Eight-Year Record

When Powell was first appointed by President Trump in 2018, he was a relatively low-profile pick — a Federal Reserve governor without a PhD in economics, the first non-economist to chair the Fed in decades. What followed was anything but quiet.