Trump, 79, Totally Confused About Sitting U.S. Senator
The president claimed that one of his enemies in the Senate is “no longer a Senator.”
The president is losing track of his enemies.
Trump, 79, claimed to the press during an Oval Office meeting on Friday that sitting U.S. Senator Thom Tillis’s opposition to his new Federal Reserve Chair pick was the reason the North Carolina Republican was “no longer a senator.”
“That kind of thinking is why he’s no longer a senator,” said Trump, in response to a question from a reporter about Tillis’s repeated promise to block any Trump nominee.
Senator Thom Tillis said he would not vote for any nominee for the Federal Reserve Chair until the legal probe into Jerome Powell is resolved, leaving the White House's hands tied.
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Trump claimed Tillis is “no longer a senator,” though he appeared to mean Tillis is leaving office when his term ends next January. The president acknowledged that Tillis, 65, could hold up the confirmation of his Fed Chair nominee, Kevin Warsh, until 2027.
Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, serves on the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, which must vote to advance Warsh’s nomination to the Senate. Tillis signaled he will oppose Warsh’s nomination, leaving the committee deadlocked.
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“He’s going to be out of office, which is too bad,” Trump continued to reporters, after signing an executive order to bring an IndyCar race to the streets of Washington, D.C. “I always liked him, but he did some things that were not smart. If he doesn’t approve, we will have to wait until someone comes in that will approve.”
President Donald Trump holds up a signed executive order alongside Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, Roger Penske, Chair of the Penske Corporation, Bud Denker, President of Penske Corporation, and U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, in the Oval Office of the White House on January 30, 2026, in Washington, DC.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
Tillis, a more moderate Republican, announced in June that he would not seek re-election in 2026 after he voted against Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
“In Washington over the last few years, it’s become increasingly evident that leaders who are willing to embrace bipartisanship, compromise, and demonstrate independent thinking are becoming an endangered species,” Tillis said at the time.
Since announcing his retirement, Tillis has become one of Trump’s most outspoken GOP critics. He been quick to slam top members of the Trump administration, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.
Tillis has spent his final year in office vocally criticizing Trump and his administration.
REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein
Tillis’s opposition to Warsh is not through any fault of the 55-year-old financier, however. Tillis has vowed to oppose any Fed Chair nominee until the Trump administration’s investigation into current Fed Chair Jerome Powell is resolved.
Earlier this month, the Department of Justice opened a criminal probe into Powell over accusations of impropriety in the Fed’s renovation of its Washington, D.C. headquarters. Powell and others believe the probe is another example of Trump weaponizing the DOJ against his political enemies. Trump has long raged at Powell for his reluctance to cut federal interest rates.
Tillis reiterated that position in a statement on Friday.
“Kevin Warsh is a qualified nominee with a deep understanding of monetary policy. However, the Department of Justice continues to pursue a criminal investigation into Chairman Jerome Powell based on committee testimony that no reasonable person could construe as possessing criminal intent,” said Tillis.
“Protecting the independence of the Federal Reserve from political interference or legal intimidation is non-negotiable.”
Tillis agrees that Kevin Warsh is qualified to lead the Fed.
Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty Image
The White House reiterated its eagerness to get Warsh confirmed. Spokesperson Kush Desai told The Daily Beast, “Kevin Warsh’s academic credentials, private sector success, and prior experience on the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors make him eminently qualified to serve as the next Fed Chairman. The White House looks forward to working with the Senate to quickly confirm him and get the Federal Reserve back on track.”
Tillis’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Donald Trump nominated Jerome Powell to Fed chair in 2017, but has spent the past several months attacking and insulting him.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Trump has long contended that cutting federal interest rates would help boost the economy, an issue that’s significantly damaging the GOP’s chances of maintaining its slim congressional advantages heading into the 2026 midterms.
If Tillis refuses to confirm Warsh until the end of his term, Warsh won’t get a chance to implement Trump’s favored economic strategy until after the election.
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