Kevin Hassett, chairman of the White House National Economic Council (NEC), said on the 21st (local time) that the U.S. central bank, the Federal Reserve (Fed), "has ample room to cut interest rates."

Hassett told CBS that the "three-month moving average" of core inflation, excluding food and energy, was 1.6%, which is "lower than the Fed's target of 2%."

This is interpreted as Hassett, a strong contender to be the next Fed chairman, signaling that he shares President Donald Trump's views on interest rates, given that Trump has declared he would nominate a proponent of significant interest rate cuts as the next Fed chair.

The Fed lowered the benchmark interest rate by 0.25 percentage points (p) to 3.50-3.75% at its Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting on the 10th. The first FOMC meeting to decide the benchmark interest rate next year will be held on January 27-28.

Hassett is among the candidates for the next Fed chairman, who will take office in May next year, and Trump is expected to nominate the next chairman within weeks.

Hassett also stated on Fox News that "President (Trump)'s words that 'the Fed is slow' are correct," arguing that "interest rates should have been lowered earlier."

Hassett emphasized, "Looking at the data now, we are seeing inflation much lower than the target," adding, "We are experiencing supply shocks. This means we can achieve high growth without inflation."

He further relayed that even Austin Goolsbee, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, "admitted it was a mistake to vote against the last rate cut upon seeing the latest inflation figures," and that Goolsbee "said he would support more rate cuts going forward."

He mentioned that Trump "wants someone who will operate the Fed in the way it should be operated. Someone who makes sound and independent judgments based on data."

Hassett refuted media reports that the cost increases resulting from the Trump administration's tariff policies have been significantly passed on to consumers, stating, "I cannot accept that."

He predicted, "Foreign producers are desperate to sell their goods to the United States. If we impose tariffs, they will lower prices (to remain competitive). Therefore, the ultimate impact on U.S. consumer prices will not be significant."

He added that the tariff policy has led to a "surplus in federal finances over the past few months. The deficit in one year has decreased by $600 billion to $700 billion compared to last year," stating, "We have achieved 4% growth and 1% inflation."

Meanwhile, Hassett announced that the Trump administration is preparing measures to alleviate the financial burden on U.S. homebuyers, stating, "There will be a major plan to be announced soon in the early part of the new year."

To this end, he said that economic advisors are "scheduled to spend a significant period after Christmas at Mar-a-Lago (President Trump's resort)," and that "a list of housing-related ideas that ministers have carefully reviewed will be presented to the president within one to two weeks."

Kevin Hassett, Chairman of the White House National Economic Council. EPA Yonhap News