President Donald Trump has attempted to fire members of the Federal Reserve.

Posted by Bulwark Takes, Aug 21, 2026Checked Nov 2, 2026

Polygraph verdictTrue

Sources: 5 support1 context
Said: 1 time·
Confidence: 88%

Bulwark TakesAug 21, 2026

The sources show Trump attempted to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook in August 2025, which the Supreme Court blocked in June 2026, and he renewed the effort with a letter in August 2026, before the claim's 2026-08-21 date. The only documented target is one governor, so the plural "members" is a minor imprecision that does not change the verdict.

This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.

What was said

… in a heartbeat, uh, 'cause, well, maybe my standards have have adjusted in a way that is disappointing, but at the very least, while he was there, he was something closer to an adult in the room, in retrospect, than the people who are there now. You know, we did not have the president trying to fire members of the Fed, as this president has. In fact, even the reporting at the time had been that Mnuchin had sort of, like, managed Trump away from threatening Powell, who was then the Fed Chair, picked up things off of his desk. Like, really stupid laws or was that somebody else? …

Bulwark Takes · Aug 21, 2026· from the transcriptPost →

What we found

Supports. Trump attempted to remove Fed Governor Lisa Cook in August 2025, citing mortgage fraud allegations, and the Supreme Court blocked that removal in a 5-4 ruling in June 2026.[3][4][5]

Supports. Reuters reported on August 7, 2026 that Trump was renewing his effort to fire Cook, with the White House giving her three weeks to respond, so the renewed attempt predates the claim's date.[1]

Supports. AP reported that Trump's attempts to fire Cook were the first time in the central bank's 113-year history that a president sought to remove a Fed governor.[2]

Context. The sources document attempts against one governor (Cook) rather than multiple members, so the plural in the claim is a loose generalization; a Daily Star piece also reports threats against Fed Chair Powell, but it is undated in substance and not needed for the verdict.[6]

Sources

6 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 2 tier 2, 2 not rated

1Trump renews effort to fire Fed's Cook, continuing attacks ...reuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
2Trump sets up committee to investigate top Federal Reserve ...apnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
3Supreme Court rules Trump can't fire Fed member Lisa ...nbcnews.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
4Supreme Court widens Trump’s power to fire agency leaders ...politico.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
5Trump v. Cook | 609 U.S. ___ (2026)supreme.justia.com · not rated · cited for: supports
6Trump goes to war with the Fedthedailystar.net · not rated · cited for: context

Where this claim was made

Said in 1 published post

Bulwark Takes · Aug 21, 2026Post →

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