President Trump escalated his long-running attack on the Federal Reserve, by lashing out at the head of the nation’s central bank, Jerome H. Powell, on Thursday for not doing enough to fortify the economy as the effects of tariffs take hold.

Mr. Trump has long sought to exert control over the politically independent Fed, often denouncing Mr. Powell for keeping interest rates too high for his liking. In an early morning social media post that ricocheted around Washington, Wall Street and beyond, Mr. Trump said: “Powell’s termination cannot come fast enough!”

Speaking in the Oval Office later in the afternoon, the president added, “If I want him out, he’ll be out of there real fast, believe me.”

Mr. Trump’s ire followed remarks by Mr. Powell on Wednesday, when he warned in a speech that the president’s tariffs could create a “challenging scenario” by putting the Fed’s two main goals — stable inflation and a healthy labor market — in tension.

Mr. Powell reiterated that the Fed could afford to be patient with its interest rate decisions until it had more clarity about Mr. Trump’s policies. The Fed chair’s emphasis on ensuring that a temporary rise in inflation from tariffs did not become a more persistent problem suggested that the bar for further rate cuts was high.

The president has been pushing for Mr. Powell to cut rates since returning to the White House. The Fed last lowered rates in December and held them steady for two consecutive meetings this year. Traders overwhelmingly expect the Fed to maintain rates at its next meeting in early May.

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