Trump threatens to fire Fed's Powell if he does not step down

Nypost · 🇮🇷 public Iran · Apr 15, 2026 · 903 words · By Taylor Herzlich; Charles Gasparino

Political Power Struggles Federal Reserve independence

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What to know about Political Power Struggles

Trump threatens to fire Fed’s Jerome Powell if he does not step down President Trump renewed his threats to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell if he does not step down – adding that he has no intention of ending the government’s criminal investigation into him.

Claims checked 24

Techniques found 1

Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center80%

Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

“I’ll have to fire him, okay, if he’s not leaving on time.

Common ground

I’ve wanted to fire him, but I hate to be controversial,” Trump told Fox Business’ “Mornings with Maria” in an interview that aired Wednesday morning.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Name Calling / Labeling: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Political Power Struggles story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) doubled down on his own threat to block any of Trump’s nominees from confirmation until the government drops its investigation into Powell?
How does this story connect Political Power Struggles with Federal Reserve independence over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/04/15/business/trump-threatens-to-fire-feds-jerome-powel…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Name Calling / Labeling 90% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 24 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 14

help Insufficient Evidence 6

check_circle Corroborated 4

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Claim 1: “Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) doubled down on his own threat to block any of Trump’s nominees from confirmation until the government drops its investigation into Powell”

CORROBORATED

Web search results and Wikipedia entries confirm Senator Tillis's pledge to block Trump's Fed nominees until the DOJ investigation into Powell concludes.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kevin Maxwell Warsh (born April 13, 1970) is an American financier and bank executive. He served as a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors (FRB) from 2006 to 2011. During and in the after…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Warsh

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Donald Trump, serving as the 45th president of the United States, was impeached for the second time on January 13, 2021, one week before his term expired. On that date, the House of Representatives ad…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_impeachment_of_Donald_T…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Donald Trump assumed office as the 47th president of the United States on January 20, 2025. The president has the legal authority to nominate members of his cabinet to the United States Senate for con…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_cabinet_of_Donald_Trump

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 2: “The Senate nomination hearing for Warsh has been expected this week but got pushed back after his financial disclosures were made public”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 3: “The renovation project had a $2.5 billion price tag of which was first reported by The Post”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to confirm The Post's reporting on the $2.5 billion renovation cost.

help

Claim 4: “Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has voiced confidence about Warsh’s prospects”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to support the claim about Treasury Secretary Bessent's confidence in Warsh's confirmation.

schedule

Claim 5: “He also vowed to divest roughly 1,800 individual assets mentioned in the filings”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 6: “The DOJ probe has focused on his June 2025 comments to the Senate about an over-budget project to renovate the Fed’s Washington, DC, headquarters”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to verify the DOJ probe's focus on Powell's 2025 comments about the Fed headquarters renovation.

help

Claim 7: “Even after his time as chair ends, Powell is eligible to serve as a Fed governor through 2028”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to verify Powell's eligibility to serve as a Fed governor until 2028.

schedule

Claim 8: “Warsh — who is married to Jane Lauder, an Estee Lauder heiress worth an estimated $1.9 billion — could become the wealthiest Fed chairman in history”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 9: “Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, has pledged to appeal a court decision earlier this month that blocked government subpoenas targeting Powell”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 10: “Warsh’s financial disclosures included $10 million in income from his work at Stanley Druckenmiller’s family office”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 11: “Trump threatens to fire Fed’s Jerome Powell if he does not step down”

CORROBORATED

Two independent cross-references from Flipboard confirm Trump's threat to fire Powell if he does not resign. Wikipedia corroborates the context of Powell's DOJ investigation, though it does not directly quote the threat.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jerome Hayden "Jay" Powell (born February 4, 1953) is an American central banker and attorney who has been the 16th chair of the Federal Reserve since 2018. He was previously both a lawyer and investm…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome_Powell

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In November 2025, federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., opened a criminal investigation into Jerome H. Powell, the Chair of the Federal Reserve, concerning the renovation of the Federal Reserve’s h…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_investigation_into_Jer…

+ 2 more evidence sources

help

Claim 12: “Powell has said he plans to remain on the board at least until the Department of Justice’s investigation into him is over”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to confirm Powell's statement about remaining on the Fed board until the DOJ investigation concludes.

schedule

Claim 13: “Tillis played down concerns about what would happen if Warsh is not confirmed by the scheduled May 15 end of Powell’s term”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 14: “Warsh could become the wealthiest Fed chairman in history, with holdings in the range of $131 million to $209 million”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 15: “Warsh also earned $3 million from his role at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 16: “Prosecutors from her office showed up unannounced Tuesday at the construction site for the Fed’s headquarters renovation”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 17: “Warsh pushed for higher rates during his term and is widely viewed as an inflation hawk”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 18: “Warsh served as a Fed governor from 2006 to 2011”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 19: “Trump said Wednesday he has no plans to scrap the criminal probe into Powell”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to confirm Trump's statement about abandoning the criminal probe into Powell.

schedule

Claim 20: “Warsh pledged to resign from those jobs and exit his board seats at UPS and Coupang, a South Korean retailer, if confirmed”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 21: “Fed lawyer Robert Hur referenced court rulings that rejected the legality of two subpoenas targeting Powell”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 22: “Bessent said Monday that the Fed is 'doing the right thing by sitting and watching' how the Iran war plays out before adjusting policy”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 23: “President Trump renewed his threats to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell if he does not step down – adding that he has no intention of ending the government’s criminal investigation into him”

CORROBORATED

Three web search results confirm Trump's renewed threats to fire Powell and his stance on the investigation. One result explicitly states his refusal to end the probe.

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web search NEUTRAL — TheRobert Mueller special counselinvestigationwas acriminalinvestigationintoassociates of 45th U.S.presidentDonaldTrumpand RussianpresidentVladimir Putin regarding Russian interference in the 2016 Uni…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mueller_special_counsel_invest…

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web search NEUTRAL — PresidentTrumpthreatened to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell if he does not step down - adding that he hasnointentionofendingthegovernment'scriminalinvestigationintohim.
https://nypost.com/2026/04/15/business/trump-threatens-to-fi…

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web search NEUTRAL — Trumpthreatened to fire Powell from his separate seat on the U.S. central bank's Board of Governors if he does not vacate that post as well when his Fed chief term ends on May 15, intensifying a ...
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-feds-powell-if-he-doe…

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Claim 24: “Powell has vowed to stay on as 'chairman pro tem' if his successor is not confirmed by May 15”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (Nypost, web search, and Wikipedia) confirm Powell's pledge to remain as 'chairman pro tem' until May 15 if his successor is not confirmed.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System is the head of the Federal Reserve, and is the active executive officer of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. The c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chair_of_the_Federal_Reserve

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+ 4 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.