What looks like a legal fight over the Federal Reserve is actually a referendum on how much power any president really has.

In this episode of The Tradeoff, Mattie Duppler breaks down why the administration’s clash with the Fed at Supreme Court of the United States isn’t just about interest rates or one central banker. It’s about whether any independent agency can remain independent, and how many real policy votes President Donald Trump will control for the rest of his presidency.

At the center of it all is the structure of the Federal Reserve itself. With Governor Lisa Cook’s seat in limbo, the president effectively has only one full appointment to shape monetary policy. Even a favorable court ruling doesn’t unlock immediate control. It narrows it.

This episode explains why undermining the Fed’s independence could backfire politically, why courts and markets care more about credibility than loyalty, and how a case meant to increase presidential leverage may instead lock in constraints for years to come.

Because the real tradeoff isn’t winning a court case.

It’s what happens when power looks bigger on paper than it is in practice.

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