Amid a swirl of headlines and speculation, a misleading narrative has taken root — that President Donald Trump asked the U.S. Supreme Court to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. However, a deeper look reveals that the actual legal move is far more nuanced — and Powell's name was never directly mentioned in the formal request.
According to a Bloomberg report, President Donald Trump asked the US Supreme Court to let him fire top officials at two independent agencies, filing an emergency request that, if granted, could bolster White House control over federal regulators. The case in question challenges a precedent set in a 1935 Supreme Court ruling that allowed Congress to shield high-ranking officials from being removed by a sitting president.
This case could carry wide-ranging implications. If successful, it would allow Trump (or any future president) to exert far greater influence over independent regulatory agencies — and yes, “The legal wrangling ultimately could test whether Trump has the power to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell”, as Bloomberg carefully phrased it.
What’s Really Going On?
Trump’s emergency request is part of a broader legal effort to revisit the boundaries of executive authority over independent federal bodies. At the center of this is the nearly century-old case of Humphrey’s Executor v. United States (1935), which allowed Congress to restrict the president’s ability to remove certain officials without cause. Trump’s filing challenges that ruling, arguing that such restrictions infringe on the constitutional powers of the executive branch.
Contrary to viral claims, Trump’s move is not about Jerome Powell specifically. Rather, it’s about removing structural limits on presidential power. If the Supreme Court takes up the case and rules in favor of Trump’s interpretation, it could potentially open the door for him to dismiss the Fed Chair. But this is a hypothetical outcome, not a direct request.
How the Misunderstanding Spread
The confusion stems from sensationalized headlines and social media posts that wrongly suggested Trump explicitly asked to fire Jerome Powell. This is inaccurate. The Bloomberg report, which many of these rumors originated from, made it clear that Powell’s role may be impacted by the case — but that he was not the target of the filing.
Disclaimer
To clarify: President Donald Trump has not asked the Supreme Court to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. What Trump has done is file a request that seeks to remove legal barriers preventing him from firing top officials at independent agencies. While the outcome of this case could one day be used as precedent for dismissing the Fed Chair, Powell was not mentioned in the court filing. Media and social reports suggesting otherwise are misleading.
As this legal battle unfolds, we’ll continue monitoring developments — especially if the Court agrees to hear the case. Until then, it’s important to separate speculative analysis from actual legal action.