Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump met with Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell Monday evening for an informal dinner at the White House residence to discuss the health of the US economy, according to a statement from Federal Reserve.

The dinner, which had not been on the President's public schedule, comes weeks after White House aides floated the idea of inviting the former investment banker to sit with Trump in person to allay his concerns about a string of rate hikes.

Historically, Federal Reserve chairs have met with sitting presidents from time to time, but Powell noted last month while speaking at the Economic Club of Washington such meetings tend to be "rare."

A White House spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump has repeatedly railed against the Fed's rate changes, breaking precedent by openly attacking Powell and expressing his hopes, via Twitter, that central bankers would keep rates steady. Such a move could risk letting the economy overheat amid continued strong hiring.

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