Since President Donald Trump won reelection and returned to office, he has managed to wrap institutions, companies and powerful figures around his finger, while crushing any opposition to his policy agenda.
But there are some notable exceptions.
Here’s a look at some of the people, institutions and businesses who have chosen not to fold under extreme pressure from Trump:
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell On Interest Rates
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who was first nominated for the top job by Trump in his first presidency and later renominated by Joe Biden, made headlines earlier this month with an extraordinary public message announcing that the Justice Department’s threat to criminally prosecute the U.S. central bank was politically motivated.
“The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates, based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the president,” Powell said. “This is about whether the Fed will be able to continue to set interest rates based on evidence and economic conditions or whether instead monetary policy will be directed by political pressure or intimidation.”
Powell, who has long been targeted by Trump over the Fed’s resistance to adhere to Trump’s demands on interest rates, had previously largely ignored the president’s attacks.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, seen here in December, announced this month that the Justice Department’s threat to criminally prosecute the U.S. central bank was politically motivated.
GOP Sen. Thom Tillis On Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who announced he won’t be seeking reelection after Trump threatened to back a primary challenge against him over his opposition to the “big, beautiful bill,” has emerged as a frequent Trump critic and one of only a handful of Republicans willing to vote in opposition to the president’s wishes.
Most recently, Tillis, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, warned he would “oppose the confirmation of any nominee for the Fed” as long as U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro continues her investigation into Powell.
Tillis has also criticized Trump’s push to acquire Greenland and supported Democrats’ efforts to put up a plaque in the Capitol to honor the police officers who protected lawmakers during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) is a Trump critic and rare Republican willing to vote in opposition to the president’s wishes.
