President Donald Trump said it was "highly unlikely" he would fire Jerome Powell as chair of the Federal Reserve. His statements, made in the Oval Office, come less than 24 hours after telling a room full of Republican lawmakers that he was considering doing so.

If Trump follows through on removing the head of the central bank, it could send shock waves through global markets.

"It's perpetrated by the Democrats. And some stupid Republicans and foolish Republicans fall into the net..." President Donald Trump calls the controversy surrounding his administration's handling of the files related to Jeffrey Epstein a "big hoax" and blamed Democrats for fueling the fire of the backlash during a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Bahrain in the Oval Office.