President Donald Trump has vowed to push forward with his bid to oust Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. This comes after the Supreme Court ruled that she can keep her job for now. The president dismissed the court’s decision as a procedural setback rather than a defeat on the merits.
Donald Trump wants Lisa Cook to be fired
Speaking with CNBC, Trump made it clear that the legal case is far from over. Asked how he intends to remove Cook from the central bank’s board, his answer was, “By winning the case.”
The Supreme Court ruled earlier this week that Cook cannot be fired while her lawsuit challenging the removal attempt continues. The justices split 5-4, maintaining an injunction that lower courts had already granted.
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion, pointing to a long tradition of shielding the Federal Reserve from White House interference. “We see no reason to leave the public in limbo, or to sow doubt as to the status of one of our nation’s most important financial institutions,” Roberts wrote (via Bloomberg).
Donald Trump, however, insisted the ruling changed nothing about the underlying dispute with Lisa Cook. “They sent it back, not based on the merits” but on “process and procedure,” he told CNBC. The decision keeps Cook in her role for months, or potentially years, as the case winds through the lower courts.
The clash dates back to August 2025, when Trump announced on social media that he had fired Cook. It followed claims from Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, that Cook had committed mortgage occupancy fraud. Pulte alleged she listed two different properties as her primary residence simultaneously. It’s a practice that can secure borrowers lower interest rates reserved for primary homes.
Cook, appointed by former President Joe Biden, sued immediately. She argued the firing violated a federal law stating presidents may only remove Fed governors “for cause.” That protection, enshrined in the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, was designed to insulate the central bank from political pressure.
