President Donald Trump speaks with CNBC’s Joe Kernen in the Oval Office of the White House on July 2, 2026 in Washington.
CNBC
1. President Trump feels sorry for his children over investment scrutiny
The president has defended his family’s businesses and said he feels it is unfortunate that the presidency creates conflicts of interest when it comes to his children’s investments.
“The president’s power is so powerful that whatever they do…if they buy a cupcake company, they need energy to make cupcakes, and you know what my energy policy is?” Trump said in an interview.
He added: “If they want to buy a truck, pretty much anything they do, if they buy an energy efficient truck, they’re going to have insider information.”
The investments of the president’s children have come under intense scrutiny, especially because their portfolios align with the elder Trump administration’s strategic goals. The Trump administration has approved deals and contracts with multiple companies in which the younger Trump family has invested, from drone manufacturers to mining ventures.
The investments have raised eyebrows in Congress, with some Democratic lawmakers looking to scrutinize the younger Trump’s dealings for possible insider trading or conflicts of interest.
2. President Trump says son Eric controls his money
Donald Trump Jr. (left) and Eric Trump speak at “Squawk on the Street” on February 18, 2026.
CNBC
Shortly after the release of extensive financial information showing the president earned more than $2 billion in 2025, President Trump said his son Eric Trump is managing his finances along with major financial institutions.
“It’s being given to big business…My son Eric is handling it,” Trump said. “I don’t talk to him about stuff like this. I think it would be allowed, but I don’t even know what the status is, but it’s not allowed.”
Trump said Eric Trump is “funding things like semi-blind trusts and blind trusts that people invest in.” The White House has previously said President Trump’s finances are managed by his children and that the president has identified one of his five children.
President Trump’s financial disclosures have drawn intense scrutiny over the possibility that he may use his office to profiteer. The White House has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
Trump’s disclosures also listed about $515 million from a token sale by Trump-affiliated World Liberty Financial and about $65 million from a stock sale in the WLF holding company. President Trump said in an interview that there was “nothing illegal” and “nothing wrong” with the cryptocurrency venture.
3. The president still wants Lisa Cook fired.
President Trump has doubled down on his desire to fire Federal Reserve Board President Lisa Cook, even though he has prohibited the move for the time being.
The high court ruled earlier this week that President Trump cannot fire Cook for now because a legal challenge to his firing is still ongoing. However, in a 5-4 decision, the justices left open the possibility that Cook could be fired on the merits.
Trump was unfazed by the decision, saying in an interview that he would oust Cook by “winning the case.”
“They sent it back not based on merit, but based on process and procedure,” Trump said.
President Trump is seeking to fire Cook over mortgage fraud charges uncovered by Bill Pruitt, former head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and now acting director of national intelligence.
4. President Trump is enthusiastic about the housing bill. Still needs SAVE Act
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) returns to his office after meeting with reporters at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on June 11, 2026.
Kevin Dietch | Getty Images
A week after the president gave lukewarm answers about whether he would sign the bipartisan housing bill passed by Congress last month, a high-spirited signing ceremony at the Capitol took place hours before the start of the stalled SAVE America Act voter ID bill.
When asked if he would sign the housing bill, President Trump replied, “I don’t think it’s a good thing because there are a lot of things that Democrats have pointed out, but that’s fine.” “But I insisted I didn’t want to sign anything until I signed the SAVE America Act.”
President Trump has been promoting the SAVE Act for months. The bill would require voter identification at polling places to prove citizenship for voter registration, potentially making voting more difficult, especially for low-income and minority communities. The president also wants other ideas on conservative wish lists, such as banning mail-in voting, which has limited support in Congress.
But the president’s signature blockade has delayed an overwhelmingly bipartisan housing bill that both parties had hoped to use as an example of solving the affordability crisis.
Some Republican lawmakers have threatened to continue to vote down other bills until the SAVE Act passes, and the House floor was also shut down in the push for the SAVE Act.
The Senate does not have the votes to pass the bill, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R.S.D.) and his caucus appear unwilling to eliminate the 60-vote filibuster.
“What I really hope is that they abolish the filibuster and end 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, nor has he said so in interviews.
5. “Our” Judge
In an interview, President Trump complained that the Supreme Court’s three liberal justices vote together, while conservatives are often divided.
“It’s very rare that they don’t vote as a bloc,” Trump said of liberals. “On the other hand, we have six employees, and they move around a little bit.”
“The Republican Party wants to show everyone how uncontrolled they are and how honorable they are,” Trump said.
Although Supreme Court justices are technically nonpartisan, they tend to be appointed based on ideological leanings. However, lifetime appointments are protected from partisan politics and often run counter to the party of the appointing president.
