In the Oval Office on Saturday morning, amid the scratching of pens for an executive order bringing IndyCar racing to the nation’s capital, President Donald Trump effectively erased a sitting United States senator from existence.
When pressed by reporters about the stalled nomination of financier Kevin Warsh for chairman of the Federal Reserve, Donald Trump, 79, offered a dismissal that was as casual as it was factually incorrect. He referred to Senator Thom Tillis, the North Carolina Republican who has single-handedly deadlocked the Banking Committee, in the past tense.
“That kind of thinking is why he’s no longer a senator,” Donald Trump declared, waving off the legislative blockade that has imperiled his choice for the central bank. “He’s going to be out of the office, which is too bad. I always liked him, but he did some things that were not smart.”
President Trump Signs Executive Orders https://t.co/zeMleYWtrp
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 30, 2026
Thom Tillis is, in fact, still very much a senator. The 65-year-old Republican sits on the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, where he possesses the leverage to halt the administration’s agenda in its tracks. His term continues until January 2027.
Although Donald Trump corrected himself—suggesting his team might simply have to “wait” for a new senator—the error exposed the President’s genuine irritation. Tillis has shifted from a reliable vote to a major obstacle.
To the White House staff, the confusion over whether Tillis is in or out of the office speaks to the strange reality of the moment. The North Carolina Republican has been cast aside by the party’s base, yet he retains the raw power to block the President. This isn’t just a staffing dispute. It has morphed into a battle over the Federal Reserve itself.
Tillis’s refusal to advance Warsh’s nomination is rooted in what he views as a politicized assault on the current Fed Chair, Jerome Powell.
President Trump is jumpstarting the AMERICAN DREAM for millions of children. 🇺🇸
From everyday families to leaders and entrepreneurs, the message is clear: Trump Accounts are bringing real financial freedom to America’s children. pic.twitter.com/Z6zKOdAQrl
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 29, 2026
Earlier this month, the Justice Department launched a criminal probe into Powell, alleging improprieties regarding the renovation of the Federal Reserve’s headquarters. The investigation, which centers on cost overruns and contract management, has been characterized by Powell’s allies as a transparent instrument of political coercion.
Trump has long berated Powell for refusing to cut interest rates, and critics view the criminal inquiry as the ultimate lever to force his resignation.
For Tillis, the Warsh nomination cannot proceed under the cloud of this investigation. In a statement released Friday, January 30, the senator drew a hard line in the sand, distinguishing between his respect for the nominee and his duty to the institution.
“Kevin Warsh is a qualified nominee with a deep understanding of monetary policy,” Tillis said. “However, the Department of Justice continues to pursue a criminal investigation into Chairman Jerome Powell based on committee testimony that no reasonable person could construe as possessing criminal intent. Protecting the independence of the Federal Reserve from political interference or legal intimidation is non-negotiable.”
The relationship fractured last summer. In June 2025, Tillis split with Donald Trump over the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” the administration’s flagship legislation. Tillis voted no, claiming the bill would damage Medicaid coverage in North Carolina. That decision effectively ended his standing within the modern GOP.
Days later, Tillis announced he would not run for reelection in 2026. The decision freed him from the threat of a primary challenge, leaving him with little political capital to lose and no reason to hold back.
“In Washington over the last few years, it’s become increasingly evident that leaders who are willing to embrace bipartisanship, compromise, and demonstrate independent thinking are becoming an endangered species,” Tillis observed at the time.
Since then, the senator has operated with the reckless abandon of a man with nothing left to lose. He has become a persistent thorn in the administration’s side, publicly challenging cabinet officials like Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and sparring with White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.
Yet, it is the Banking Committee deadlock that poses the most immediate threat to President Donald Trump’s designs. With the panel’s margins razor-thin, Tillis’s defection denies the Republicans the majority needed to report Warsh’s nomination to the full Senate.
🏁START YOUR ENGINES!
Today, President Trump signed an executive order launching the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. – the first ever @INDYCAR street race in the Nation’s capital! pic.twitter.com/te1oUdehFD
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 30, 2026
As the President signed the IndyCar order, effectively wishing the problem away, the parliamentary math remained stubborn. Tillis is still in the room, and until January 2027, the road to the Federal Reserve runs through him.
“If he doesn’t approve, we will have to wait until someone comes in that will approve,” Donald Trump told reporters, signaling a siege mentality. But in the arcane world of Senate confirmation, a year is a lifetime, and the “ghost” of Thom Tillis appears content to haunt the administration until the very end.
