“Unlike my predecessor, I respect the Federal Reserve's independence as they pursued a mandate to bring inflation down,” Biden said during a speech to the Economic Club of Washington. “And that independence has served the country well. And by the way, I've never once spoken to the chairman of the Fed since I became president.”
Biden was photographed with Powell inside the White House in May 2022, during what US media described as his “third in-person” meeting with Powell.
Biden also introduced Powell at a press conference announcing his nominations for chair and vice chair for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.
In February, Special Counsel Robert Hur was investigating Biden’s handling of classified documents but declined to press charges because he felt Biden would appear as an “elderly man with a poor memory” to a jury, making it difficult to prove intent.
Biden had difficulty remembering when he served as Vice President and which year his son Beau died, according to the transcript of his meeting with Hur. Considering that the latest Powell meeting happened over two years ago, it is doubtful that many were surprised that they slipped Biden’s mind, it seems most things have.