Hassett’s move this time was impeccably timed.

He directly called on the Fed to cut rates by 25 basis points next week. What’s even bolder is that he made this statement during the Fed officials’ blackout period—when the sitting chair, Powell, is bound by rules and can’t speak, Hassett is able to leverage his special status to publicly address the market. Wall Street’s reaction was honest: the market almost immediately priced in Hassett’s remarks. What does this indicate? Traders are already voting with their actions, implicitly acknowledging him as the next Fed chair.

Trump’s attitude may seem to be wavering these past few days, but in reality, he’s executing a well-coordinated strategy. His roadmap is clear: warm up public opinion first, then make an official announcement, insert a period of shadow control in between, and finally let his chosen candidate take the position naturally.

Right now, this shadow control phase is the most critical. Powell is being forced into a dilemma: if he cuts rates next week, it’s in some sense as if he’s following the shadow chair’s instructions, giving Hassett a preemptive show of authority; if he doesn’t, then any economic turbulence in the future provides Trump’s team with an easy target for criticism.

The entire strategy has a clear goal—to gradually acclimate the market to the new rules of the game (where it’s no longer just about the data, but also about political winds), to slowly seize control, and in the end, smoothly install their preferred choice as the Fed chair. Once the groundwork is laid, resistance naturally diminishes.