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- President Donald Trump sat with CNBC’s Joe Kernen in the Oval Office for a wide-ranging interview about his finances, the economy and legislation moving through Capitol Hill.
- The president defended his family’s business and said he feels bad that the presidency creates a conflict of interest in any of his children’s investments, while also saying his son Eric Trump handles his money.
- Trump still wants to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook, and also wouldn’t say whether he would sign a long-awaited housing affordability bill.
watch nowVIDEO03:02Trump says he feels bad for his kids: ‘Anything they do’ in business raises potential conflictsFast Money
President Donald Trump sat with CNBC’s Joe Kernen in the Oval Office on Thursday for a wide-ranging interview about his finances, the economy and legislation moving through Capitol Hill.
Here are five takeaways from the interview:
President Donald Trump speaks with CNBC’s Joe Kernen in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on July 2, 2026. CNBC
1. Trump feels bad for his kids over investment scrutiny
The president defended his family’s business and said he feels bad that the presidency creates a conflict of interest in any of his children’s investments.
“Anything they do, because the presidency is so powerful … if they buy a cupcake company, well, the energy to make the cupcakes, is you know, sort of like, how’s my energy policy?” Trump said during the interview.
The president added, “Almost anything they do, if they want to buy a truck … if they buy an energy efficient truck, they have insider information.”
The investments of the president’s children have been heavily scrutinized, especially as their portfolio has aligned with the strategic goals of the elder Trump’s administration. The Trump administration has approved deals or contracts with multiple companies that the younger Trumps have invested in, from drone manufacturers to mining ventures.
Those investments have raised eyebrows in Congress, with some Democrats aiming to scrutinize the younger Trumps’ deals for potential insider trading or conflicts of interest.
2. Trump says his son Eric handles his money
Donald Trump Jr., left, and Eric Trump speaking on “Squawk on the Street” on Feb. 18, 2026.CNBC
Fresh off the release of a massive financial disclosure showing the president made more than $2 billion in 2025, Trump said his son, Eric Trump, handles his finances along with large financial institutions.
“It’s given to big firms … my son Eric handles it,” Trump said. “I don’t talk to him about things such as this. I think I’d be allowed to, I’m not sure even what the status is, but I don’t.”
Trump said Eric Trump “gives it into these like semi-blind trusts or blind trusts where people invest.” The White House has previously said Trump’s finances are managed by his children, and the president specified one of his five children.
Trump’s financial disclosures have sparked immense scrutiny over potential profiteering off the presidency. The White House has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
Trump’s disclosure also listed about $515 million from Trump-aligned World Liberty Financial token sales and $65 million from sales of equity in WLF’s holding company. Trump in the interview said there was “nothing illegal” and “nothing wrong” with the crypto venture.
3. The president still wants to fire Lisa Cook
Trump doubled down on his desire to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, even after the Supreme Court barred him from doing so for now.
The high court ruled earlier this week that Trump could not fire Cook for now because her legal challenge against her firing is still playing out. But the justices, in a 5-4 decision, left the door open to Cook being fired on the merits.
Trump wasn’t deterred by the decision, saying in the interview that he would oust Cook by “winning the case.”
“They sent it back, not based on the merits” but on “process and procedure,” Trump said.
Trump is attempting to fire Cook over alleged mortgage fraud, which was dug up by Bill Pulte, the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, who is now also the acting director of national intelligence.
4. Trump is milquetoast on the housing bill; still wants SAVE Act
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) returns to his office after speaking to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on June 11, 2026 in Washington, DC. Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images
The president offered a lukewarm answer on whether he would sign a bipartisan housing bill that cleared Congress last month, a week after he torpedoed a triumphant signing ceremony on Capitol Hill hours before it was to begin over the stalled SAVE America Act voter-ID bill.
“There’s a lot of Democrat points in there that I don’t even think are good, but it’s fine,” Trump said when asked if he would sign the housing bill. “But I’ve made the case I’d rather not sign anything until we sign the SAVE America Act.”
Trump has been pushing for the SAVE Act for months. The bill that would require voter identification at polls for proof of citizenship to register to vote and could make it more difficult to vote, especially for low-income and minority communities. The president also wants other conservative wish list ideas attached to the bill, like a ban on mail-in voting, which has only limited support in Congress.
But the president’s signature blockade has now delayed the overwhelmingly bipartisan housing bill, which both parties were hoping to use as an example of resolving the affordability crisis.
The SAVE Act push has also shut down the House floor, as certain Republican members of Congress threaten to continue to vote down other pieces of legislation until the SAVE Act is passed.
The Senate does not have the votes to pass the measure, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and his caucus do not appear to have the appetite to get rid of the 60-vote filibuster.
“What I’d really like is for them to kill the filibuster, terminate the filibuster,” Trump said.
The housing bill will become law with or without Trump’s signature, unless he vetoes it. He has not said he will veto it and did not say so in the interview.
5. ‘Our’ justices
Trump complained during the interview that the three liberal justices of the Supreme Court vote as a bloc, while the conservatives often splinter.
“Very, very seldom do they not vote as a bloc,” Trump said of the liberals. “Whereas our people, and we have six, but they move around a little bit.”
“Republicans want to show everybody how they’re not controlled, how they’re so honorable,” Trump said.
Supreme Court justices are technically nonpartisan, though they do tend to be appointed based on their ideological tilt. However, a lifetime appointment shields them from partisan politics, and they often buck the party of the president who appointed them.
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