When President Donald Trump grows heated on camera, he tends to lock in and push forward. A grievance often evolves into something larger, especially after months of buildup.
That tendency resurfaced on Wednesday during a sit-down with Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo, as Trump directed his ire at one of his longest-running gripes, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, whose term ends next month.
“He’s not performing well,” Trump said of Powell. “He ought to be reducing interest rates.”
Powell’s tenure as Fed chair is slated to end in mid-May, though he’s pledged to remain until a successor is confirmed.
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“That’s what the law requires,” Powell told reporters last month. “And that’s the course we’ll follow in this situation.”
Trump has repeatedly threatened to oust the Fed chairman, though his authority to do so remains uncertain. Earlier this month, Trump nominated former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh as Powell’s replacement.
During the interview, Bartiromo pressed Trump about whether Warsh could face pushback from North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis—a line of inquiry that seemed to provoke him.
Trump responded by inaccurately claiming that Tillis was no longer a senator, leaning into the claim even as the moment began to slip.
In fact, Tillis remains in office and will serve through the end of his term, though he announced last June that he would not seek reelection this fall.
Nevertheless, even as Bartiromo initially moved past Trump’s gaffe, he pivoted back and forced the issue into the spotlight again.
“Thom Tillis is no longer a senator, correct? He quit,” Trump insisted.
“Well, he’s on his way out,” Bartiromo pushed back.
“No, he quit. He quit,” Trump repeated, digging in deeper.
He then offered his own theory for Tillis’ departure, saying, “I think he’s trying to avoid the legacy of blocking someone who could be exceptional. He doesn’t want to be remembered for letting an unfit person remain in that role longer than necessary.”
Viewers were split: some were surprised by the pushback, while others were startled by Trump’s insistence on a fact many considered settled.
“This came off as unusually hostile from Fox News,” one observer wrote.
“She provokes him. He responds impulsively. He has no power to fire him. The media is seizing on it. Fox News appears to be pursuing a divisive agenda. Forever,” another added. A third commented, “He seems utterly confused and lost.”
“The man who launched a conflict and holds the launch codes doesn’t even seem to know who sits in the Senate,” one commenter on X wrote.
“If dementia is a factor, it’s only going to worsen,” another user added on X.
Tillis has stated he will not vote to confirm Trump’s pick for Powell’s post until the Justice Department concludes its probe into cost overruns at the Fed’s headquarters renovation, NPR reports.
The president has not indicated whether U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro would back away from pursuing that investigation.
“If Powell isn’t stepping aside on schedule—I’ve held back on firing him, I’ve wanted to, but I don’t want to be controversial, you know. I’d like to avoid controversy, but he will be fired,” Trump replied.
“Man, that post suggesting civilization would die, said in that clip he dislikes being ‘controversial,’” @NewsiesNeighbor commented on X.
Trump’s phrasing underscored the gravity of the stakes and the possible complications facing the administration if Powell does not step down from the seven-seat Federal Reserve Board.
Reuters notes that Trump appointed three of the current board members, including Fed Governor Stephen Miran. Former President Joe Biden appointed three others.
Powell rose to the top central bank job under Trump but has shown independence from the president’s pressure and threats, and even Trump appointees like Fed Governor Christopher Waller are not expected to back sweeping changes or heed Trump’s guidance on interest rates, Reuters reports.
Trump told Bartiromo he would not direct prosecutors to drop their inquiry into the Federal Reserve.
