U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he would not appoint anyone to head the Federal Reserve who would not lower interest rates from where they are, setting perhaps the most explicit litmus test yet for candidates to be the next central bank chief to align with his demands for steep rate cuts in order to get the job.

The cost of living rose slowly in May for the third month in a row, but the rate of inflation is probably still too high for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates soon against the backdrop of ongoing trade wars.

The Fed has insisted all year that it’s not time to cut interest rates yet on account of tariff uncertainty. However, as Opening Bell Daily has maintained for several months, the labor market data justify lower rates, as do the five consecutive months of cooler-than-expected inflation reports.