Trump does not want a dollar that hurts his country's competitiveness

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - US President Donald Trump has rebuffed his criticism of the Federal Reserve, saying his tightening of monetary policy contributes to the strength of the dollar and harms the United States' ability to compete.
"I want a strong dollar, but I want it to be a good dollar for our country and not a dollar so strong that it prevents us from dealing with other countries," Trump said at a conference.

"We have a polite man in the Federal Reserve who favors quantitative tightening, we want a strong dollar, but to be rational, can we imagine if we leave interest rates as they are ... if we do not resort to quantitative tightening, that would lead to a slightly lower dollar price, .

Trump made the economy a key part of his political agenda, repeatedly criticizing the Federal Reserve, and his boss, Jerome Powell, whom he personally appointed to the post, for raising interest rates.

After raising interest rates four times last year, the central bank recently indicated that it would wait before another raise in recognition of growing concerns about the economic outlook, amid fluctuations in financial markets, slowing global growth and a US-China trade war.

A weak currency often strengthens the competitiveness of the country's exports.