5 takeaways from President Donald Trump’s interview with CNBC
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 felt bad that the presidency created a conflict of interest in any of his children’s investments.
“Because the presidency is so powerful, whatever they do… if they buy a cupcake company, you know, the energy to make the cupcakes, you know, what’s my energy policy?” Trump said during the interview.
The president added, “If they want to buy a truck, they have insider knowledge in almost everything they do… if they buy an energy-efficient truck.”
The investments of the president’s children have come under intense scrutiny, particularly because their portfolios align with the strategic goals of the elderly Trump administration. The Trump administration has approved deals or contracts with multiple companies in which the younger Trumps have invested, from drone manufacturers to mining startups.
Those investments have sparked backlash in Congress, with some Democrats seeking to scrutinize the younger Trumps for potential insider trading or conflict of interest dealings.
2. Trump says his son Eric manages his money
Donald Trump Jr., left, and Eric Trump speak on “Squawk on the Street” on February 18, 2026.
CNBC
Fresh from the launch of a major release Trump said his son Eric Trump manages his finances along with major financial institutions, according to a financial disclosure that showed the president had more than $2 billion in income in 2025.
“This is being given to big companies…my son Eric is handling this,” Trump said. “I don’t talk to him about things like that. I think that’s allowed, I’m not even sure what the situation is, but I don’t.”
Eric Trump “puts money into these, like half-blind trusts or blind trusts where people invest,” Trump said. The White House has previously stated that Trump’s finances are managed by his children, with the president naming one of Trump’s five children.
Trump’s financial disclosures have sparked intense scrutiny for potential profiteering through his presidency. The White House has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
Trump’s statement also listed about $515 million from sales of Trump-aligned World Liberty Financial tokens and $65 million from sales of shares in WLF’s holding company. In the interview, Trump said there was “nothing illegal” or “anything wrong” with the crypto venture.
3. The President still wants to fire Lisa Cook
Trump doubles down on desire to fire Federal Reserve Chairman Lisa Cook, even though the Supreme Court has barred her from doing so for now.
The Supreme Court ruled earlier this week that Trump cannot fire Cook for now because his legal challenge to his firing is still ongoing. But in a 5-4 decision, the justices left the door open to firing Cook on the merits.
Trump did not back down on the decision and said in the interview that he would oust Cook by “winning the case.”
“They sent it back based on process and procedure, not on the merits,” Trump said.
Trump is now trying to fire Cook over alleged mortgage fraud uncovered by Federal Housing Finance Agency head Bill Pulte, who is also acting director of national intelligence.
4. Trump is hot on the housing bill; still wants the SAVE Act
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) returns to his office after speaking with reporters at the U.S. Capitol on June 11, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images
The president responded lukewarm on whether he would sign an agreement. It comes a week after the bipartisan housing bill that cleared Congress last month torpedoed a triumphant signing ceremony on Capitol Hill hours before the stalled SAVE America Act voter ID bill was set to begin.
Asked if he would sign the housing bill, Trump said, “There’s a lot of points here that I don’t even think the Democrats are good at, but that’s okay.” “But I stated that I would prefer not to sign anything until he signs the RELIEVE America Act.”
Trump has been pushing for the SAVINGS Act for months. The bill, which requires voters to be identified at the polls as proof of citizenship in order to vote, could make it even more difficult to vote, especially for low-income and minority communities. The president also wants other conservative wish list ideas included in the bill, such as banning mail-in voting, which has only limited support in Congress.
But the president’s signature blockade has delayed the overwhelmingly bipartisan housing bill that both parties hope to use as a model for solving the affordability crisis.
The SAVE Act push also turned off the House floor, as some Republican members of Congress threatened to continue rejecting other bills until the SAVE Act was passed.
The Senate does not have the votes to pass the measure, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R.S.D. and his group doesn’t seem to have the appetite to get rid of the 60-vote fraud.
“What I really want them to do is kill the filibuster, end the filibuster,” Trump said.
The housing bill will become law with or without a signature unless Trump vetoes it. He didn’t say he would veto it, and he didn’t say so in the interview.
5. ‘Our’ judges
Trump complained during the interview that the three liberal justices on the Supreme Court vote as a bloc, while conservatives are often divided.
“Very, very rarely do they vote as a bloc,” Trump said of liberals. “Whereas our people, and we have six people, but they move around a little bit.”
“Republicans want to show everyone how they are not controlled, how honorable they are,” Trump said.
Supreme Court justices are technically nonpartisan, but they tend to be appointed based on their ideological leanings. But lifetime appointments protect them from partisan politics, and they often oppose the party of the president who appointed them.
