BlockBeats News, February 19, 2026: FOMC Voter and Minneapolis Fed President Kashkari stated that Warsh is fully qualified to serve as Fed Chair. He has consistently been outspoken about the Fed and looks forward to the upcoming discussions. Additionally, it remains uncertain whether the Fed can shrink its balance sheet without a fundamental change.
Moreover, according to PolyBeats monitoring, despite the White House having officially announced Trump's nomination of Kevin Warsh as the next Fed Chair, with preparations underway on February 13, the probability of Warsh's formal nomination in the "Who Will Trump Nominate as Fed Chair" market on Polymarket has dropped from 99.7% to 95%. The likelihood of Trump appointing Judy Shelton as the next Fed Chair has risen to 4-5%.
BlockBeats Note: Judy Shelton has long criticized the Federal Reserve and notably supported a return to some form of the gold standard, hoping to see gold play a larger role in the monetary system. In July 2019, Trump nominated her to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, but her nomination was ultimately not confirmed by the Senate due to her strong criticisms of the Fed's existing policies. Even if Kevin Warsh's Fed Chair nomination changes, Judy Shelton may find it challenging to be a viable option.
