Slugger Jose Canseco asks Donald Trump to make him Fed head
Former Major League Baseball ballplayer Jose Canseco has taken to Twitter to ask President-elect Donald Trump to make him the next chair of the Federal Reserve or at least the U.S. ambassador to Cuba, his birthplace.
Canseco, a contestant on “The Celebrity Apprentice” in 2011, when Mr. Trump was the host, sent the incoming president a barrage of Twitter suggestions this week, ranging from a warning about the S&P 500 to his desire to serve his country as its central bank chief to touting another baseball figure as envoy to Japan, the world’s third largest economic power.
Taking to Mr. Trump’s favorite communications tool, Canseco, 52, who played for four MLB clubs in his career, was referring to Bobby Valentine. The former manager of the Boston Red Sox and the New York Mets reportedly is under consideration as ambassador to Japan. Valentine managed a baseball team in Japan for seven seasons.
Referring to Mr. Trump as “little buddy” is technically accurate: Canseco, at 6-foot-4, is an inch taller than the real estate mogul.
Born in Havana, Canseco could have a problem with the Cuba job, as Mr. Trump is dubious about outgoing President Barack Obama’s opening to the island nation. As a youngster, Conseco immigrated to the U.S. with his parents. Sporting a batting average of .266 and 462 home runs, he admitted using steroids to enhance his athletic performance.
In another tweet, Canseco also said that giving him control of the Federal Reserve will lead to a doubling of the Dow Jones Industrial Average in four years. His, or any Fed chief’s, ability to do so is an open question. Monetary policy is just one factor in stock market performance. But who knows? There will be a Fed vacancy in a little more than a year, when incumbent Chair Janet Yellen’s term is up.
