President Donald Trump, leaving the White House on Friday, has nominated Stephen Moore, former chief economist for the conservative Heritage Foundation, for one of two seats on the Federal Reserve board.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Friday that he will nominate Stephen Moore, a conservative economic analyst and frequent critic of the Federal Reserve, to fill a vacancy on the Fed’s seven-member board.

Moore, a well-known and often polarizing figure in Washington political circles, served as an adviser to Trump during the 2016 campaign. In that role, he helped draft Trump’s tax cut plan.

Trump has been harshly critical of the Fed’s rate increases even after the central bank announced this week that it foresees no hikes this year. Moore, formerly chief economist for the conservative Heritage Foundation, has also been critical of the policies of Chairman Jerome Powell.

A fervent advocate of tax cuts, Moore is close to Larry Kudlow, head of the White House National Economic Council. The two collaborated in shaping the tax overhaul that Trump signed into law at the end of 2017, leading to changes that largely favored tax cuts for corporations and wealthier individuals with the idea of spurring investment and growth.

Moore, interviewed Friday on Bloomberg television after Trump’s announcement, said his criticism of the Fed, including his suggestion that Powell should perhaps be fired, were “probably written in a time of anger.”

“I think everyone would now acknowledge,” Moore added, “that what they did in December with the rate increase was a very substantial mistake. And the Fed has, thank God, reversed that and changed directions.”

Asked whether Trump might want him on the Fed’s board to check Powell’s influence and protect the administration’s economic policies, Moore said, “The only thing (Trump) told me was, pursue policies that are good for the American workers. ... He didn’t really mention anything about differing with Chairman Powell one way or the other.”

Moore’s nomination, which the Senate must confirm, drew sharp criticism from some economists and historians. “It’s unprecedented in the modern era, particularly because he lacks expertise in areas under the Fed’s supervision, like banking and monetary policy,” said Gary Richardson, a professor at the University of California at Irvine.

Given his sharply partisan reputation, Moore could spark opposition among Democrats in the Senate. But Trump can score points with his core supporters — and with the majority Republicans in the Senate — by embracing a conservative activist for a Fed role that would make him a watchdog over the economy.

Trump in his first two years in office has been able to reshape the central bank. He nominated four of the current five members. And he tapped Powell, who had been chosen for the Fed board by President Barack Obama, to succeed Janet Yellen as chairman.

If confirmed by the Senate, Moore would fill one of two vacancies on the board.