The Trump administration has frequently intervened in financial markets, and the European Central Bank (ECB) fears this "claw" could extend to the Federal Reserve.

ECB officials have recently grown increasingly concerned over the US government’s frequent interventions in foreign exchange and Treasury markets. Sources familiar with the matter said that during last week’s Jackson Hole Symposium, Federal Reserve officials proactively reached out to reassure their European counterparts, committing to upholding existing international cooperation arrangements. However, given the Fed’s institutional independence from the US administration, Fed officials cannot guarantee that the Trump administration will not abruptly reverse course. European officials are particularly focused on recent financial market operations by the US Treasury. On August 1, the US Treasury intervened in FX markets by selling euros and buying yen, and European sides expressed dissatisfaction over the US failure to provide advance notice of such operations as is customary. Additionally, US Treasury Secretary Bessent’s recent expansion of long-term Treasury repurchase operations has also sparked European officials’ concerns over the growing blurring of lines between fiscal, exchange rate and monetary policies. European officials further warned that if the US administration continues to deploy financial tools for economic and trade goals, markets could start questioning the Fed’s policy independence and the stability of the US dollar swap lines. There are also worries that the US government may further pressure the Fed to directly intervene in Treasury markets in the future. No signs have emerged that the dollar swap arrangements will change. New Fed Chair Kevin Warsh has recently stepped up communication with European policymakers, and his performance in international financial cooperation has drawn relatively positive feedback from European officials.