Sen. Elizabeth Warren bristled on live TV Wednesday after a CNBC anchor compared her approach to the Federal Reserve with President Donald Trump’s push to install a new Fed chairman.
The Massachusetts Democrat appeared on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” to argue that Trump’s pick to lead the central bank, Kevin Warsh, is unfit for the job because of what she described as his close alignment with the president’s views.
CNBC host Sarah Eisen pushed back, noting Warren has long weighed in publicly on what the Fed should do and has supported nominees who shared her policy instincts.
“I mean, you yourself have been very outspoken on this show and otherwise on what the Fed should be doing,” Eisen said. “You also advocated for Lael Brainard and Janet Yellen, who you were aligned with on policy views. I mean, this isn’t that different, you know, with the president expressing what he wants in terms of policy and who he wants.”
Warren snapped back, rejecting the comparison and accusing Trump of trying to intimidate the Federal Reserve into compliance.
“I’m sorry, is that real?” Warren said. “It is not different to just say, here’s my opinion and here’s how I read the numbers and here’s who I think has a good track record? You think that’s the same as being the president of the United States and employing the Department of Justice to bring criminal charges against someone? Sending someone a notice that they have been fired? Donald Trump is not expressing an opinion. Donald Trump is trying to control the Fed. You know it and I know it. And what he’s also trying to do is to control the Fed by terrifying all of them.”
NEW: Senator Elizabeth Warren fumes after CNBC host Sarah Eisen compared her to President Trump.
Eisen: You yourself have been very outspoken on this show and otherwise on what the Fed should be doing… This isn’t that different than what President Trump is doing…
Warren:… pic.twitter.com/WO3HnhGqqX
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 22, 2026
Warren previously supported the confirmations of former Federal Reserve Vice Chair S. Lael Brainard and former Fed chair Janet Yellen, both nominated under Democratic administrations. She has also accused Trump of trying to pressure the Fed by backing a criminal inquiry involving current Fed Chair Jerome Powell, who has faced allegations of providing false or misleading testimony to Congress tied to costly renovations at the Federal Reserve building.
The clash on CNBC came a day after Warren tangled with Warsh during his Senate Banking Committee confirmation hearing, pressing him to identify a single point of disagreement with Trump’s economic agenda.
“Name one aspect of President Trump’s economic agenda with which you disagree … I’m asking for something you disagree with Donald Trump on,” Warren said at the hearing. “Just one, just one little place where you disagree with Donald Trump.”
Warsh responded with a dry joke that seemed to irritate the senator.
“Well, I do have a disagreement actually, Senator, with the president,” Warsh said. “I think even this morning, he said that he thought I was out of central casting. I think central casting, I’d look older, grayer, maybe show up here with a cigar of sorts.”
Warren fired back.
“Quite adorable,” Warren replied. “But, you know, we need a Fed chair who is independent. That’s the only way we preserve the independence of the Federal Reserve. If you can’t answer these questions, you don’t have the courage and you don’t have the independence.”
Warsh, for his part, stressed the importance of Fed independence in his testimony and pushed back on suggestions he would take marching orders from the White House. He denied he would be Trump’s “human sock puppet” and said he would refuse to take orders from the president on interest rates.
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