WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he was “highly unlikely” to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, a public statement made less than 24 hours after suggesting in a private meeting that he was leaning in favor of dismissing the head of the nation’s central bank.

The Fed is self-funding and doesn’t need outside approval for building projects, according to the law that created the central bank.

President Trump appears to be inching closer to firing Jerome Powell as Federal Reserve chair, according to news reports and his own comments.