Raising rates was the easy part.

Following the Federal Reserve's first tightening move in three years, Chairman Kevin Warsh then had to take to the podium. He explained before the cameras and a roomful of reporters the rationale for the interest-rate increase and the central bank's plan from here on out. He largely sidestepped questions on potential fallout for his relationship with President Trump, who picked Warsh to lead the Fed on the premise that Warsh was the man to bring rates lower-not higher.

Here are the key takeaways from Warsh's question-and-answer session with reporters.

Warsh's patience for stubborn inflation ran out

Since he became Fed chairman in May, Warsh has vowed to corral inflation that has run above the Fed's 2% target for more than five years. The Fed held rates steady at the first two policy meetings Warsh steered, in June and July. On Wednesday, however, he said the latest data showed the Fed it could wait no longer.

"This summer's inflation readings do not tell me that underlying trends have meaningfully improved," Warsh said. He noted that in the latest data, "too many categories are still posting increases above 3%, on both a six- and 12-month basis."

A strong U.S. economy gave the Fed runway to raise rates

When it cut rates last year, the Fed was balancing elevated inflation against concerns that the job market was faltering. Warsh argued that the economy's recent strength allayed such risks, opening the door to confront stubborn price increases with higher rates.

"There's been a pretty wide-ranging set of data, including the labor markets, that the economy has strengthened," Warsh said. It was a point he emphasized throughout the press conference.

Warsh's take on recent bond-market drama was conspicuously upbeat

A recent run-up in Treasury yields has put investors on edge. In many traders' eyes, the bond-market selloff accelerated amid concerns about persistent inflation, the high U.S. government-debt burden-and how institutions like the Fed and the Treasury Department are responding to those pressures.

Warsh offered a sunnier interpretation of why Treasury yields have moved higher, citing increased expectations for economic growth and the artificial-intelligence investment boom, alongside geopolitical risks.

Indeed, careful readings of bond-market data suggest the rise in yields doesn't spring entirely from fears about runaway inflation. But on Wall Street, the mainstream view holds that rising yields largely reflect trepidation about the future, not unalloyed optimism.

More rate increases could be coming

Wednesday's rate increase was broadly anticipated by investors. Less clear was what the Fed planned to do next: Would the move be a one-off event, or the start of a series of hikes to confront inflation head on?

Ever reluctant to tip the Fed's hand, Warsh refrained from giving an explicit answer. But he hinted that Wednesday's move was merely the first step in a larger anti-inflation campaign, which-along with projections from other officials of more increases later this year-markets have interpreted as a sign of higher rates to come.

"Today's action starts to show we're serious about this, and we will deliver on the price-stability objective," Warsh said. "And as the statement said, we'll do it on a timelier basis.

Warsh shook up the press-conference ritual by quickening the pace

Past Fed news conferences sometimes had the feel of a college seminar. Warsh's approach was more like a lightning round.

Warsh, who has proposed fewer annual Fed meetings and dispensing with regular news conferences entirely, flew through the queries lobbed by reporters. He pointedly allowed just one question each from journalists who in past news conferences got to ask follow-ups.

Some answers were notably terse. Warsh dispatched with a complicated theoretical question from CNBC's Steve Liesman with about 75 words and in less than 30 seconds.

Recent news conferences from both Warsh and his predecessor, Jerome Powell, often lasted 45 minutes or more. On Wednesday, the final reporter was called on 28 minutes in, and Warsh promptly wrapped up by 3 p.m.