On his hit TV show “The Apprentice,” host Donald Trump could exercise his absolute power to dismiss contestants with just two words: “You’re fired.”

As president, Trump now acts as if he has the absolute power to fire federal officials. He doesn’t.

One of the latest in a long line of highly qualified federal public servants Trump has fired is Lisa Cook, a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve. Trump has accused her of mortgage fraud, which does not appear credible.

Cook refuses to bow down to Trump and has filed a lawsuit contending that he has no power to force her out of her job. “I will not resign,” she said after Trump fired her in August. Her attorney said in a court filing that she “did not ever commit mortgage fraud.”

U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb in Washington issued a temporary restraining order Sept. 9 blocking Cook from being fired while her case proceeds. Whether Cook ultimately stays at the Fed will be decided by the courts, likely the Supreme Court.

The president has no power to fire members of the Fed Board except "for cause," meaning serious misconduct or neglect of duty. Until now, no president has ever tried to fire a member of the Fed Board in its 112-year history. Trump is absurdly claiming that unsubstantiated allegations of mortgage fraud against Cook meet the “cause” requirement.

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