Trump urges – President Donald Trump swore in Kevin Warsh as the next Federal Reserve chair, telling him to be “totally independent” as investors and lawmakers watch for pressure on the central bank. The week also brought fresh friction with Congress over Trump’s war with I
When the president stepped to the microphone in the East Room, he didn’t sound like a man trying to blur influence. He was direct with the new leader of the Federal Reserve.
Donald Trump hosted a White House swearing-in ceremony for Kevin Warsh as Federal Reserve chair. urging him to be “totally independent. ” and then warning him not to overly constrain the central bank because of inflation concerns. Trump was also expected later Friday to test his economic messaging in a New York stump speech. even as voters broadly disapprove of his stewardship.
Warsh—briefly nodding to the issue of independence—told the packed ceremony that he viewed former Fed chair Alan Greenspan as a model for the role. He said the Fed’s mandate is to promote price stability and maximum employment. and he tied independence and resolve to lower inflation and stronger growth. adding that real take-home pay can be higher “when we pursue those aims with wisdom and clarity.”.
The oath was administered by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was also present, along with members of Trump’s Cabinet, other top Trump administration officials, and current and former members of Congress.
Warsh said it was an honor to be sworn in by his “esteemed friend. ” Thomas. and he explained Kavanaugh’s presence by telling the audience that the two of them had worked at the White House earlier in their careers. He also described Greenspan as an idol and said that. like Greenspan. he intends to fill the Fed chair role “with energy and purpose.” Trump opened the ceremony by praising Warsh and predicting he “will go down as one of the truly great chairmen of the Federal Reserve. ” adding that he believed Warsh “has abilities that very few people have.”.
Trump’s message to Warsh was not delivered as a suggestion. “I really mean this. This is not said in any other way,” he said. “I want Kevin to be totally independent. I want him to be independent and just do a great job.” Trump followed with an instruction that underscored the theater of distance: “Don’t look at me. don’t look at anybody. Just do your own thing and do a great job, okay?”.
The pressure Trump placed on outgoing Fed chair Jay Powell to lower interest rates has already raised questions about the independence of the Federal Reserve. and the ceremony arrived against a wider political backdrop where Republicans have been struggling to hold together support for Trump’s agenda.
In Washington, Republicans have been locked in fights both procedural and political. The party has struggled to find votes to keep supporting Trump’s war with Iran. Thursday. House leaders declined to hold a vote after it became clear Republicans would not have the numbers to dismiss a war powers resolution brought by Democrats. The House had scheduled the vote to compel Trump to withdraw from the war with Iran. but the decision to pull back signaled slipping support in Congress for a conflict Trump launched more than two months ago without congressional approval.
The Senate showed a similar strain. with Republicans trying to ensure they had the votes to dismiss another war powers resolution that advanced to a final vote earlier this week. after four GOP senators supported the resolution and three other senators were absent. House Speaker Mike Johnson postponed a vote on a war powers resolution designed to halt Trump’s military action in Iran. avoiding a direct confrontation with the president.
The tension hit its sharpest point this week. when angry Republican senators—pushed to a breaking point by Trump’s demands—rejected the idea that Congress would simply absorb every push. Trump’s political revenge tour met a rare counterpunch: Republican senators refused to proceed. “closed up shop. ” and went home. a moment described as daring and as uncommon as it was striking.
That break from the usual script came alongside a different kind of revolt—one that has been simmering inside the Republican conference over Trump’s use of political leverage through law enforcement.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed off on a nearly $1.8 billion fund meant to compensate Trump’s allies for alleged political prosecution. The move agitated Republican lawmakers who would need to support Blanche’s permanent job. and it landed at a time when the party’s top priority—funding Trump’s immigration and deportation operations through 2029—has already been thrown off schedule.
Voting on a roughly $70 billion budget package that would fuel those operations for the remainder of Trump’s term into 2029 was postponed until Congress resumes next month. blowing Trump’s June 1 deadline to have it on his desk. Trump shrugged when asked during an Oval Office event if he was losing control of the Senate. saying. “I really don’t know.”.
Even more directly, the nearly $1.8 billion fund has drawn blistering responses from leading Republicans. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina called it “stupid on stilts” and a “payout for punks.” Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. the former majority leader. called the plan morally wrong. saying it meant “the nation’s top law enforcement official is asking for a slush fund to pay people who assault cops.”.
Trump’s handling of the fund has been portrayed as part of a broader collision with Congress—one that helps explain why senators moved so abruptly on the war powers issue and why Republicans in both chambers have appeared less willing to provide automatic cover.
The same pattern of friction is showing up beyond Washington, too. In Europe. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with NATO counterparts in Sweden and held meetings in Helsingborg. reiterating U.S. demands for Europe and Canada to increase defense spending and military industrial capabilities. Rubio said the U.S. remains committed to NATO but that the force posture of American troops in Europe is contingent on what allies contribute.
Rubio told reporters he believed NATO allies recognized that American troop levels in Europe would eventually be reduced. and he pointed to the situation in Germany. saying the Germans “didn’t freak out about it” because the numbers were brought back to where they were three years ago. But NATO allies have been confused by contradictory statements from Trump and his top aides. including an announcement last week that troop levels would be reduced in Poland that Trump appeared to reverse on Thursday.
Trump on Thursday said the U.S. would send an additional 5. 000 troops to Poland. stirring confusion after weeks of shifting statements about reducing—not increasing—the U.S. military footprint in Europe. NATO allies were described as blindsided despite a U.S. pledge to coordinate troop deployments, with NATO’s top military officer, U.S. Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, promising on Wednesday that the alliance would stay “well-synchronized.”.
Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said it was “confusing indeed, and not always easy to navigate.” A U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters, said the U.S. had spent “the better part of two weeks reacting to the first announcement” and didn’t know what the latest change meant.
Rubio also linked the military and diplomatic push to the Iran situation. He said U.S. force posture changes were part of a broader evaluation and that Trump’s views. including disappointment at some NATO allies’ response to U.S. operations in the Middle East. “they are well documented” and need to be addressed by NATO leaders at their summit in Turkey in July.
Diplomacy around the war with Iran has been moving alongside separate disputes about the Strait of Hormuz. Rubio said that an Iranian tolling system “can’t happen. ” telling reporters that if such a system were to be allowed in the Straits of Hormuz. it would happen “in five other places around the world.” He said the U.S. would need a “Plan B” if Washington and Tehran do not reach a deal.
Rubio said he and other foreign ministers discussed reopening the critical waterway and that “Someone’s going to have to do something about it. okay?” adding. “They’re not just going to voluntarily reopen the straits in that scenario.” He said he received “lots of ‘nods’ from European allies” when he raised it Friday. and he confirmed that progress is being made in the negotiations. without exaggerating or diminishing it. saying. “there’s more work to be done.”.
As disputes over strategy and congressional backing tighten, Trump’s immediate challenge remains whether he can keep enough support to carry out his agenda—at home and abroad.
The question the week has left hanging is hard to miss: Trump has been loudly insisting that key institutions like the Federal Reserve stay independent. while simultaneously pressing relentlessly on political fronts—through law enforcement funding fights. war powers battles. and shifting military signals—that increasingly collide with lawmakers from his own party.
Donald Trump Kevin Warsh Federal Reserve Clarence Thomas Jay Powell Alan Greenspan War powers Iran Marco Rubio NATO Poland troops Todd Blanche anti-weaponization fund