"I would like to see nominees that are economists first and not partisans. I think it's important that the Fed be a nonpartisan entity," Sen. Mitt Romney said. | Mark Wilson/Getty Images congress Romney dings Herman Cain for Trump’s Fed

Mitt Romney is not particularly impressed with the idea of Herman Cain joining the Federal Reserve, though President Donald Trump is pushing forward on the possible nomination.

In an interview, the Utah Republican senator brushed off the prospect of Trump following through and officially nominating Cain: “I doubt that will be a nomination. But if it were a nomination, you can bet [what] the interest rates he would be pushing for.”


“If Herman Cain were on the Fed, you’d know the interest rate would soon be 9-9-9,” Romney said in an interview on Thursday afternoon.

Cain, who served on the board of the Kansas City Federal Reserve, would make for an unusually partisan Federal Reserve Board pick. He ran against Romney in the 2012 race for the GOP presidential nomination — touting his “9-9-9” economic plan — before being accused of inappropriate behavior and dropping out of the race. He also founded a pro-Trump super PAC.

Later Thursday, Trump announced that he had “recommended“ Cain for the position, saying that Cain was undergoing a background check and “would be in great shape.”

“I find Herman to be an outstanding person, a truly outstanding individual,“ the president said. “I would think he would do very well there.“

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Trump has also said he intends to nominate another unorthodox pick, conservative economist Stephen Moore, to the Fed Board. Romney declined to endorse or oppose him.

Romney said he was still “evaluating” Moore’s likely nomination, but made a broader critique of the direction Trump may be trying to take the Fed, which sets interests rates and has broad sway over the economy.

“I would like to see nominees that are economists first and not partisans. I think it’s important that the Fed be a nonpartisan entity,” Romney said. “The key is that someone is outside of the political world and is an economic leader not a partisan leader.”

Rebecca Morin contributed to this report.