- After speculation about his health, President Trump insisted he’s “never felt better” and turned his attention to demanding Judge Jia Cobb recuse herself from the case over his attempted removal of Fed governor Lisa Cook. Trump cited Cobb’s past membership in Delta Sigma Theta, which has voiced support for Cook, though legal experts told Fortune the president’s attacks threaten the Fed’s independence.
Following a week of speculation about his health, President Trump posted to Truth Social that he has “never felt better in my life.” Perhaps in an even surer sign of strong spirits, the president also began teeing up his next battle over the Federal Reserve.
Over the past week spectators have questioned how well Trump may be, after persistent bruising was spotted on the back of his right hand.
Rumors were further stoked when Vice President JD Vance told USA Today he was ready to take on the role of commander in chief if needed, saying: “I’ve gotten a lot of good on-the-job training over the last 200 days.” That said, Vance also hailed the good health of the 79-year-old Republican president, saying he has “incredible” energy.
After being spotted on the golf course over the weekend, President Trump’s Truth Social page was active on Sunday evening.
As well as posting about crime statistics in various U.S. metropolises, Trump also began a campaign for Judge Jia Cobb to recuse herself from proceedings in a court case between the president and Fed governor Lisa Cook.
That’s because both Cook and Cobb are, or were, both members of the same sorority, Delta Sigma Theta.
On Friday the judge oversaw an emergency hearing at which Cook’s legal team requested a temporary restraining order against Trump, after the president claimed he had fired Cook from her position at the Federal Reserve.
The motion came after Trump, and senior officials in the administration, accused Cook of making false statements on her mortgage documents. Trump alleged Cook claimed two primary residences (in Ann Arbor and Atlanta) in 2021 in order to secure better terms.
The Fed governor responded that she had no intention of being “bullied” out of her role, adding: “I do intend to take any questions about my financial history seriously as a member of the Federal Reserve, and so I am gathering the accurate information to answer any legitimate questions and provide the facts.”
While Judge Cobb came to no immediate ruling on Friday, President Trump has already begun pressuring the jurist to remove herself from further proceedings.
Trump shared a post written by the sorority, which both women were members of, in which the international president of the organization, Cheryl Turner, said the group stood behind the Fed governor.
“Dr. Cook was vetted, confirmed, and is uniquely qualified to serve on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors,” the post read. “Undermining her role is not just about one individual—it is a threat to the independence of the Federal Reserve and carries grave economic implications for families and communities.”
It added that the sorority “unequivocally opposes any measures that silence Black women, whose voices and leadership remain vital to the progress of our nation.”
The sorority isn’t alone in backing Cook. Robert Hockett, a professor of law and public finance at Cornell Law School, wrote to Fortune last week: “Trump has found yet another pretext on which to attempt to remove a Fed governor from office and, having failed in trying that strategy with Chair Powell, apparently thinks he has found a ‘softer’ target in governor Cook, the first African American woman to serve on the Fed board.
“If Congress cares about the stability of the dollar, it should censure Trump immediately for this attempted stunt. If it does not, the federal courts will.”
The White House argued to Fortune last week that Cook’s removal “improves the Federal Reserve Board’s accountability and credibility for both the markets and American people.”
Calls to recuse
President Trump’s issue is that Cobb previously confirmed she was a member of the society and had been named its National Collegiate Member of the Year in 2002. In public statements before the U.S. Senate, Cobb (nominated by President Biden in 2021) confirmed she was an inactive member of the sorority some two decades later.
Meanwhile Cook confirmed her support of the sorority in 2023, when she told members of the network: “There is not much that Deltas cannot conquer—we have gone to Congress, to the president’s cabinet, to Fortune 500 companies, and to space. And to the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors! I hope to see some of you in the same halls one day.”
Trump—despite the fact that Judge Cobb has yet to make any decision in the case—branded the affiliation as a “total conflict of interest” and said the judge must “RECUSE, IMMEDIATELY!!!”
Trump’s ire was further stoked by the fact the federal judge was the individual to block his administration’s plan to fast-track the deportation process. Cobb blocked the plan last month, saying prioritizing speed may lead to immigrants being “erroneously” removed from the country.
In one of his final posts before signing off last night, the president called—a second time—for Cobb to recuse herself from the proceedings.
