WASHINGTON — President Trump said on Thursday that he planned to nominate Herman Cain, who abandoned his 2012 presidential bid in the face of escalating accusations of sexual misconduct, for a seat on the Federal Reserve Board.
Mr. Trump, speaking from the Oval Office, called Mr. Cain, the former chief executive of Godfather’s Pizza, “a truly outstanding individual” and said, “I’ve told my folks that’s the man.”
The decision to consider Mr. Cain is the second time in weeks that the president has floated candidates with deeply held political views and past ethical issues to fill a seat on the Fed, signaling his intent to put allies on a traditionally independent body. It comes as Mr. Trump has continued to attack the Fed and his handpicked chairman, Jerome H. Powell, for raising interest rates in 2018, saying those moves slowed economic growth.