Yes, The President Can Fire Politically-Appointed Bureaucrats

This week, President Trump sent a letter to Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, who was appointed by President Joe Biden in 2022, informing her of her immediate removal from her position of service, citing allegations of mortgage fraud.

In a time when buying a home is out of reach for millions of Americans, in part due to the high interest rates set by the Federal Reserve, it is obvious that someone who allegedly committed mortgage fraud by claiming two different homes as their main residence to get better loan terms would be unfit to serve. While the President provided documentation alleging fraud, time will tell whether Ms. Cook indeed committed fraud. Innocent until proven guilty.

Aside from this point, however, there is a much larger problem at play.

The Constitution is clear: All members of the Executive Branch report to the President of the United States. This is a basic chain-of-command that is not difficult to understand.

Yet time and time again, we see political appointees cling for dear life to their appointed, and temporary, positions of service, exhibiting unmatched levels of arrogance and entitlement.

Take Lisa Cook, for example.

A decorated former professor of economics who has conducted plenty of research and advised the Obama administration, her resume passes muster. Still, are there not thousands of other economic experts who might serve the American people in this position?

Not according to Ms. Cook, who remains defiant.

“I will not resign,” she pouted through her attorney like a petulant child, adding that the President of the United States has no authority to fire her.

Just received this statement from Lisa Cook, via her attorney:
“President Trump purported to fire me ‘for cause’ when no cause exists under the law, and he has no authority to do so. I will not resign. I will continue to carry out my duties to help the American economy as I have… https://t.co/57C6p0cwMI

— Ben Casselman (@bencasselman) August 26, 2025

Credit: @bencasselman/X

Of course, that is not true.

As every middle school civics student knows, and as President Trump spelled out quite clearly in his letter, his authority comes from Article II of the Constitution of the United States: The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America.

Lawyers are scrambling in Washington and across the nation to come up with legal arguments for both sides. But it doesn’t take a Juris Doctorate, just a basic reading comprehension level, to understand that the President oversees the Executive Branch. Ultimately, all members of the Executive Branch report to him.

If that were not the case, then who is in charge? 

Who has the authority to appoint and fire within the Executive? Lisa Cook?

Let’s take it a step further to examine the practicality of the matter: Why on earth would Ms. Cook wish to continue her service when her boss, the President, has fired her? She is no longer wanted in the Trump administration. This was not a lifetime appointment. She was always going to have to return back to the real world and her real job.

Cue the arrogance to center stage.

Ms. Cook apparently believes she alone is capable of serving as on the Board of Governors at the Fed, and that her politically-appointed position holds more power in it than the President of the United States holds via Article II of the Constitution.

She will use the mainstream media and the fury of liberal Democrats who suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome (looking at you, Gavin Newsom) for as many news cycles as she can to stir up trouble and get her 15 minutes of fame.

Meantime, those Americans trying to afford a home will just have to wait.

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Lisa Cook is not the first, nor will she be the last, to throw a temper tantrum when asked to leave. She is just one of thousands of bureaucrats in Washington who mistakenly believe they are independent from and just as important as the sitting President of the United States.

Woe to anyone, including the president, who challenges that notion!

But perhaps the American people can use this moment to see just how difficult it is for the president to exert his authority over the very government he has been elected to lead. Millions of Americans voted for President Donald Trump. Nobody voted for Lisa Cook.

They voted for his vision, his leadership, and his discretion. They voted for his judgment. Politically-appointed bureaucrats may not like it, but that is how democracy works.

Time to pack your things, Ms. Cook.

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Carly Bird is a Republican strategist and founder and president of Bird’s Eye Consulting. She previously served as the national spokeswoman for Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign.

The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.