A Democracy Drive Thread
The Fed chair called a “fool” and put under criminal investigation, a Fed governor fired on a debunked accusation, the jobs-data chief fired for bad numbers — and the bipartisan boards Congress walled off from the White House, emptied.
Congress deliberately placed some parts of the government beyond the president’s direct control: the Federal Reserve, which sets interest rates; the statistics agencies, whose numbers markets and voters rely on; and bipartisan regulators whose members serve fixed terms and can be removed only for cause. That insulation is what keeps money, data and market rules from being bent to whoever holds the White House. This thread tracks, in chronological order and with sources, the second Trump administration’s campaign against that independence — the executive order claiming control of the independent agencies, the firings of officials the law protected, the public pressure on the Fed to cut rates, and the criminal investigations aimed at the people who would not comply. The entries are presented in order so the pattern speaks for itself.
February 7, 2025
On the ground
Dellinger, confirmed in 2024 to a five-year term, sued on February 10, and a judge temporarily reinstated him. The email said only that his position “is terminated, effective immediately.”
February 18, 2025
On the ground
The order, “Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies,” requires independent regulators to submit draft rules for White House review, to set up White House liaison offices, and to “regularly consult with and coordinate policies and priorities” with the White House, which also sets their performance standards. Agency lawyers may not take legal positions that contradict the president or the attorney general. Only the Federal Reserve’s monetary-policy functions are exempted. A Texas A&M administrative-law professor called it “pretty unprecedented.”
February 20, 2025
On the ground
The plan, reported by the Washington Post, would put the 250-year-old Postal Service under Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Trump said Lutnick would be “looking at it” as “a kind of merger.” Congress created the Postal Service as an independent agency.
On the ground
Administrative law judges decide cases at agencies like Social Security and the SEC, and federal law lets them be removed only for good cause, such as misconduct.
March 18, 2025
In his own words
Judge Karen Henderson posed the hypothetical during arguments over Trump’s firing of Merit Systems Protection Board member Cathy Harris and NLRB member Gwynne Wilcox. Deputy Assistant Attorney General Eric McArthur answered: “I think that that would be within the president’s constitutional authority under the removal power.”
“I think that that would be within the president’s constitutional authority under the removal power.”
On the ground
Slaughter said, “The president illegally fired me.” The 1935 Humphrey’s Executor ruling held that FTC commissioners can only be removed for inefficiency, neglect or malfeasance.
“The president illegally fired me from my position as a federal trade commissioner, violating the plain language of a statute and clear Supreme Court precedent.”
April 9, 2025
On the ground
Both had won in lower courts, which found the firings illegal under laws protecting their terms. In May the full Court let the firings stand, signaling it would overturn the 90-year-old precedent protecting independent agencies.
April 16, 2025
On the ground
Otsuka said she was told by email late on April 15 that she had been terminated effective immediately; her term ran to 2029, Harper’s to 2027. In a statement she noted that “Congress established the board of the NCUA, like other federal financial regulators, to be bipartisan and independent.” With one member left, the board could not issue rules. The firings followed Trump’s removal of two Democratic FTC commissioners in March and an NLRB member in January. Harper and Otsuka sued, arguing the removals violated the law governing the agency.
“Congress established the board of the NCUA, like other federal financial regulators, to be bipartisan and independent.”
April 21, 2025
Posted that the Federal Reserve chair was “a major loser” amid his campaign to pressure the central bank into cutting rates.
“a major loser”
May 8, 2025
In his own words
On Truth Social Trump wrote that “‘Too Late’ Jerome Powell is a FOOL, who doesn’t have a clue,” adding, “Other than that, I like him very much!” He claimed “Oil and Energy way down, almost all costs (groceries and ‘eggs’) down, virtually NO INFLATION, Tariff Money Pouring Into the U.S.” Inflation was in fact still above the Fed’s 2% target, and food prices had risen in January and March.
““Too Late” Jerome Powell is a FOOL, who doesn’t have a clue.”
On the ground
Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. vowed to fight the firing.
June 13, 2025
On the ground
Hanson said the firing was “contrary to existing law and longstanding precedent regarding removal of independent agency appointees.” Trump had first appointed him in 2020, and Biden made him chairman.
June 18, 2025
In his own words
Hours before the Fed’s rate decision, Trump told reporters “we have a stupid person. Frankly, you probably won’t cut today,” called Powell “a political guy who’s not a smart person, but he’s costing the country a fortune,” and mused about taking the job himself: “I’d do a much better job than these people.” The Fed held rates steady that afternoon.
“Am I allowed to appoint myself at the Fed?”
July 16, 2025
In his own words
Attacking Powell as a “terrible” Fed chair who costs the country money, Trump said: “I was surprised he was appointed. Surprised frankly that Biden put him in and extended him.” Trump nominated Powell to lead the Fed in November 2017, praising his “steady leadership, sound judgment, and policy expertise”; Biden renominated him in 2021. The same day Trump denied reports he planned to fire Powell, calling it “highly unlikely.”
“I was surprised he was appointed. Surprised frankly that Biden put him in and extended him.”
August 1, 2025
On the ground
The July report showed just 73,000 jobs added and revisions cutting 258,000 jobs from May and June. Trump said McEntarfer had “faked the Jobs Numbers before the Election to try and boost Kamala’s chances of Victory” and ordered her fired. He offered no evidence; a former BLS commissioner explained that the commissioner has no access to the data while it is collected or summed and could not alter it. Economists across the spectrum warned the firing would undermine trust in U.S. statistics. Trump later nominated E.J. Antoni, a Heritage Foundation economist, to replace her.
August 12, 2025
In his own words
On Truth Social Trump wrote that he was “considering allowing a major lawsuit against Powell to proceed because of the horrible, and grossly incompetent, job he has done in managing the construction of the Fed Buildings,” claiming the $2.5 billion project should have been “a $50 Million Dollar fix up.” He did not say who would sue. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the president was “considering a lawsuit against the Fed.” A month earlier Powell had corrected Trump to his face during a tour of the site when Trump claimed costs had topped $3.1 billion.
“Jerome “Too Late” Powell must NOW lower the rate.”
August 25, 2025
On the ground
The claims came from Bill Pulte, Trump’s Federal Housing Finance Agency director, who accused Cook of listing two homes bought in 2021, before she joined the Fed, as primary residences. Cook, the first Black woman on the Fed board, refused to go: “President Trump purported to fire me ‘for cause’ when no cause exists under the law, and he has no authority to do so. I will not resign.” Two lower courts blocked the removal. On June 29, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled 5–4 that she can stay while her case proceeds; Chief Justice Roberts wrote that the administration’s theory “would in effect transform the Federal Reserve’s for-cause protection into at-will employment.” Trump then began a new effort to oust her.
“President Trump purported to fire me “for cause” when no cause exists under the law, and he has no authority to do so. I will not resign.”
September 4, 2025
On the ground
Investigators subpoenaed records on Cook’s Atlanta and Ann Arbor properties. The probe was run by Ed Martin, the Trump loyalist also handling mortgage-fraud referrals against other Trump adversaries, including New York Attorney General Letitia James and Sen. Adam Schiff. Cook’s lawyers said how she described her properties was not fraud.
September 5, 2025
In his own words
Days later the Bureau of Labor Statistics revised its count, showing 911,000 fewer jobs added from March 2024 to March 2025 than first reported.
““You’ll take out the people who are just trying to create noise against the president.””
September 12, 2025
On the ground
A May 2021 loan estimate for the Atlanta property lists it as a “vacation home,” showing the credit union knew how it would be used, and on a December 2021 federal security-clearance form Cook listed it as a “2nd home.” She never sought a Georgia primary-residence tax exemption on it. Days later a Michigan official said there was no evidence she had violated primary-residence rules on her Ann Arbor home. Reporting also found Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had made the same kind of dual-residence declarations Trump cited to fire Cook.
October 6, 2025
On the ground
Normally the FHFA inspector general transmits fraud allegations to prosecutors confidentially; Pulte made the referrals personally and publicized them, skipping safeguards meant to stop officials from using their power for partisan ends. In December 2025 the Government Accountability Office opened an investigation into whether Pulte and his staff misused their authority; the White House had also removed the agency’s acting inspector general.
November 19, 2025
In his own words
“I’d love to fire his ass. He should be fired. The guy is grossly incompetent and he should be sued for spending $4 billion to build a little building,” Trump said, turning to Bessent with the joking threat that he would be fired if the Fed did not cut rates quickly.
“I’d love to fire his ass. He should be fired. The guy is grossly incompetent and he should be sued for spending $4 billion to build a little building.”
December 17, 2025
In his own words
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr tells senators “the FCC is not an independent agency.” After Sen. Ben Ray Luján pointed out that the FCC’s own website called it an “independent U.S. government agency overseen by Congress,” the word was removed while the hearing was still going on.
“The FCC is not an independent agency.”
January 21, 2026
On the ground
Brendan Carr’s FCC declares that late-night and daytime talk shows such as “The View” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live” may have to give opposing candidates equal time. It says shows “motivated by partisan purposes” lose the news exemption. Democratic commissioner Anna Gomez called it “an escalation in this FCC’s ongoing campaign to censor and control speech.”
February 18, 2026
In his own words
Hassett said the paper drew “highly partisan” conclusions from analysis “that wouldn’t be accepted in a first-semester econ class.” Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari said: “This is just another step to try to compromise the Fed’s independence.”
“The people associated with this paper should presumably be disciplined.”
February 20, 2026
On the ground
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, the regulator who licenses broadcasters, launches a “Pledge America” campaign. It urges stations to start each broadcast day with the national anthem or Pledge of Allegiance and to air content supporting Trump’s “Salute to America 250” project. The FCC said participation is voluntary.
March 13, 2026
On the ground
The Fed had been served the subpoenas in January 2026, threatening indictment over Powell’s June 2025 Senate testimony about the headquarters renovation; Powell responded in a video statement that “the threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the President.” Boasberg found the justifications so “thin and unsubstantiated” that they could only be “pretextual.” Pirro called him an “activist judge” and said the ruling left Powell “bathed in immunity.” Days later Justice Department leaders backed her appeal and the White House did not oppose it.
“The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the President.”
March 16, 2026
In his own words
Trump made the remarks to reporters with inflation running hot and the economic effects of the Iran war uncertain. Two days later the Fed’s rate-setting committee voted 11–1 to hold its benchmark rate at 3.5%–3.75%.
“What’s a better time to cut interest rates than now? A third-grade student would know that.”
March 24, 2026
On the ground
Prosecutor George A. Massucco-LaTaif made the admission in the sealed hearing that preceded Judge Boasberg’s ruling. On April 24, 2026, Pirro dropped the criminal probe, clearing the way for the Senate to confirm Trump’s pick Kevin Warsh as Powell’s successor, and handed the cost questions to the Fed’s inspector general. On September 30, 2026, the inspector general reported management and oversight failures behind the cost overruns but “no reasonable grounds to believe a federal crime occurred.” Trump responded that Powell should be “forced to resign” from the Fed board.
“We do not know at this time.”
April 15, 2026
In his own words
Powell’s term as chair was ending, but his term as a governor runs to 2028, and he had said he would not leave the board until the Justice Department investigation was “well and truly over.” Trump told Maria Bartiromo, “Then I’ll have to fire him.” By law a governor can be removed only for cause. Senate Majority Leader John Thune urged the administration to end the Powell investigation.
“I’ll have to fire him, OK, if he’s not leaving on time. I’ve held back firing him. I’ve wanted to fire him, but I hate to be controversial.”
July 9, 2026
On July 9, 2026, Trump fired all of the remaining commissioners of the Election Assistance Commission — the bipartisan federal agency created after the disputed 2000 election to help states run their elections — dismissing Democrats Thomas Hicks and Ben Hovland and Republican Christy McCormick and leaving the four-seat body with no commissioners at all, just months before the 2026 midterms. Because the EAC cannot take significant action unless three confirmed commissioners agree, the purge effectively freezes the agency. It came days after the Supreme Court, in Trump v. Slaughter, swept aside decades of precedent that had shielded independent agencies from the White House and held that the president may remove their leaders at will — clearing the path for Trump to pull yet another election body under his direct control.