Trump says strong dollar hurting U.S. competitiveness

President Donald Trump on Saturday renewed criticism of the Federal Reserve and said the U.S. central bank's tight monetary policy was contributing to a strong dollar and hurting the United States' competitiveness.

"We have a gentleman that likes a very strong dollar at the Fed," Trump said at a Conservative Political Action Conference. "I want a strong dollar, but I want a dollar that's great for our country not a dollar that is so strong that it is prohibitive for us to deal with other nations."

Trump, who has made the economy a key part of his political platform, has repeatedly criticized the Federal Reserve and its chairman, Jerome Powell, whom he appointed to head up the Fed, for raising interest rates. The U.S. central bank recently has signaled that it will be "patient" before tightening monetary policy further. (Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Leslie Adler)