It’s a more public event than the support Powell has previously displayed, but it comes as Trump threatens to bring criminal charges against the Fed chair.
Published on January 19, 2026
United States Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will attend the Supreme Court’s oral argument in the attempted firing of Fed Governor Lisa Cook, an unusual show of support for a central bank president.
The High Court is considering Can US President Donald Trump fire Cook?He said he would do so in late August in an unprecedented attempt to fire one of the seven members of the Fed’s governing body. Powell plans to attend Wednesday’s session of the high court, a person familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity.
It’s a more public event than the Fed chair’s previous support for Cook. But following Powell’s announcement that the Trump administration had sent subpoenas to the Fed, The threat of unprecedented criminal charges of the Fed Chair. Powell — appointed to the post by Trump in 2018 — appears to be abandoning last year’s more subdued response to Trump’s frequent attacks on the central bank in favor of a more public confrontation.
Powell issued a video statement on Jan. 11 denouncing Trump’s efforts to force a sharp cut in key interest rates as “pretexts” by the Fed. Powell oversaw three rate cuts late last year, lowering the rate to about 3.6 percent, but Trump has argued that it should be as low as 1 percent, a position some economists support.
The Trump administration has accused Cook of mortgage fraud, a charge Cook has denied. No charges have been filed against Cook. She sued to keep her job and the Supreme Court issued a summary order on October 1 She was allowed to stay on board When they consider her case.
If Trump is successful in removing Cook, he could appoint another person to fill her position, giving his appointees a majority on the Fed’s board and greater influence over the central bank’s decisions on interest rates and bank regulation.