Trump says no decision yet on Yellen but likes her ‘a lot’

Trump said, “I like her and I respect her.” (U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery/Released)

WASHINGTON— President Donald Trump says he has not made a decision yet on whether he will re-nominate Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen for another term but says he respects her “a lot.”

Asked about Yellen by reporters on Air Force One on a trip back from Florida on Thursday, Trump said, “I like her and I respect her.”

The president also noted that the economy is doing well, with the stock market hitting new highs, unemployment very low and companies moving jobs back from overseas.

Separately, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told a conference in Washington that he has enjoyed working with Yellen but that Trump has “a lot of great candidates” to choose from if he decides to pick someone else when Yellen’s term ends in February.