WASHINGTON, July 9 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday called on the Federal Reserve to lower the federal benchmark interest rate by at least 3 percentage points, renewing his call for the U.S. central bank to lower rates to help reduce the cost to service the nation's debt.

A top White House budget official said President Trump is "troubled" by Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell's management, as Mr. Trump pressures him over interest rates.

President Donald Trump on Monday continued his extended attack against Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and the central bank’s Board of Governors, calling for ultra-low rates in an intensifying campaign demanding interest rate cuts.

President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign against the Federal Reserve and Chair Jerome Powell to lower interest rates entered a new front this week

The central bank is quietly pushing back with a new “Frequently Asked Questions” page on its website defending the central bank’s renovation.

President Donald Trump is escalating his pressure campaign to get the Federal Reserve chairman to either lower interest rates or quit his post by targeting the expensive renovation at the central bank’s headquarters.

President Donald Trump and his allies have seized upon a new way to criticize the head of the US central bank: his handling of an expensive renovation of the Fed’s headquarters.