U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he will begin meeting with 11 strong candidates to replace Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell around the September 1 Labor Day holiday, with the goal of reducing the list to present to President Donald Trump.

Bessent told CNBC in an interview that the candidates were "an incredible group" and he looked forward to meeting all of them with an open mind.

"I'm going to be meeting with them, probably right before, right after Labor Day, and to start bringing down the list to present to President Trump," he said.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal Editing by Mark Potter)