Thom Tillis is retiring, but he hasn’t left the Senate yet. Fact-checking Trump

President Donald Trump and Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., have been at odds over the next chairman of the Federal Reserve.

They can’t even agree on whether Tillis is still a senator.

During his second term, Trump has tangled with Fed Chair Jerome Powell, with the president saying Powell hasn’t lowered interest rates fast enough and Powell seeking to invoke the Fed’s traditional independence. The Justice Department has been investigating Powell over cost overruns involving Fed headquarters renovations, but the investigation has been criticized as politically driven and has run into court obstacles. 

Tillis is a member of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, which would weigh in on the confirmation of Trump’s intended Fed chair successor, Kevin Warsh. Tillis has said he would not vote to confirm a new Fed chair until the legal issues involving Powell are settled. This has displeased Trump.

During a Fox Business interview that aired April 15, host Maria Bartiromo asked Trump about the effort to confirm Warsh, including the Justice Department’s probe and Tillis’ opposition. 

Trump insisted Tillis, who is not seeking reelection, is no longer in office, even after Bartiromo corrected him.

Bartiromo: "And you think Kevin Warsh can get confirmed? Do you think Thom Tillis is going to give you a vote?"

Trump: "That's why Thom Tillis is no longer a senator."

Bartiromo: "OK. On the on the AI thing —"

Trump: "You know Thom Tillis is no longer a senator, right? He quit."

Bartiromo: "Well, he's on his way out."

Trump: "Well, no, he quit, but he quit."

Bartiromo is right.

Tillis decided not to run for reelection this year, but he didn’t resign from the Senate. 

Trump may consider Tillis a quitter in a broader sense, but it’s factually wrong to say — twice — that Tillis is not a senator. 

In June 2025, following attacks by Trump for voting against advancing his signature tax and spending bill, Tillis announced he would not seek another term.

"In Washington over the last few years, it’s become increasingly evident that leaders who are willing to embrace bipartisanship, compromise, and demonstrate independent thinking are becoming an endangered species," Tillis’ statement said.

But a retirement announcement is not the same thing as a resignation announcement. Tillis, whose term ends in January 2027, is listed as a current member on the Senate website, and he cast a vote as recently as April 14.

Tillis’ continued presence in the Senate is why his threat to oppose a new Fed chair carries weight.

Tillis’ office did not respond to an inquiry for this article. 

This is not the first time Trump has said Tillis is no longer a senator. In Jan. 30 comments to reporters, he responded to a similar question about Tillis and the Fed confirmation process by saying that Tillis’ stance "is why he's no longer a senator," though he went on to say, less definitively, "You know, he's going to be out of office."

The White House referred PolitiFact to April 15 remarks by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who said, "Well, I'm sure Sen. Tillis wants to do the best thing for the Federal Reserve, for the American people. He has publicly said that Kevin Warsh is a great candidate for the chair. So let's get to the hearings and see where we are then."

Our ruling

Trump said, "Thom Tillis is no longer a senator."

Tillis has announced he will not run for a new term, but he is remaining in the Senate and performing his duties until his term ends in January 2027.

We rate the statement False.