NationalWatch

FIRST ON FOX: Leading pro-life activist groups are already shifting from celebrating former President Donald Trump’s victory to drawing up plans for his second term, Fox News Digital has learned.

A memorandum shared exclusively with Fox News Digital by Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America (SBA), one of the country’s largest and most influential pro-life groups, lays out the group’s plans and priorities for the upcoming administration in what they hope will serve as the beginning of a roadmap for pro-life victories in the years to come.

It states that while Democrats spent $570 million on abortion advertising, Trump’s blowout victory is evidence that the American people do not support the unrestricted abortion access endorsed by Vice President Kamala Harris and many top Democrats.

“Democrats’ abortion fearmongering campaign was a spectacular failure in the first presidential election since the reversal of Roe,” the memo says. “Meanwhile, President T

rump did what he’s done better than anyone since 2016: he effectively cast the Democrats as the real extremists on abortion who support abortion even in the seventh, eighth and ninth month of pregnancy and even refuse to support giving basic medical care to children who survive attempted abortions.”

CALIFORNIA’S SHOCKING 2024 ELECTORAL MAP FLIP A ‘WAKEUP FOR DEMOCRATS’ 

White women upset about abortion rights could help Vice President Harris win the 2024 election, CNN’s data reporter speculated. (Getty Images)

“With victory in hand,” the memo asks: “What’s next?”

First, the memo states that the Trump administration must immediately undo every abortion policy instituted over the last four years under the Biden-Harris administration.

“The accomplishments from President Trump’s first term become the baseline for the second term,” the memo continues. “However, in order to even get to the baseline, there is much that must be undone from the Biden-Harris regime, which worked tirelessly to promote abortion in every nook and cranny of the federal government. It all must be undone.”

Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of SBA, told Fox News Digital that her group will push for the “cleansing” of tax funding of abortion during the first 100 days of the Trump administration through the Department of Defense, Health and Human Services and other government agencies, as well as through grants to groups like Planned Parenthood.

Dannenfelser added that the Trump administration should clarify what resources and options are available to women who do not want to choose abortion during the first 100 days. She also said Trump should reinstate the “Mexico City Policy” that prohibits the government from pushing or paying for abortion internationally.

GOP CONGRESSMAN-ELECT REVEALS AMBITIOUS 100-DAY PLAN FOR TRUMP ADMIN: ‘NOT GOING TO GET FOOLED AGAIN’

ST CLOUD, MINNESOTA – JULY 27: Republican vice presidential nominee U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) introduces U.S. Republican Presidential nominee former President Donald Trump during a rally at Herb Brooks National Hockey Center on July 27, 2024 in St Cloud, Minnesota. Trump hopes to flip the state of Minnesota this November, which hasn’t been carried by a Republican in a presidential election since 1972.  (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Dannenfelser did not take a national abortion limit off the table, though she admitted it is “not a day one” issue.

While the pro-life movement had a lot to celebrate this past week, seven states passed sweeping amendments to enshrine abortion into their state law, significantly expanding abortion in those states. This followed a series of similar amendments being passed by voters in California, Ohio, Michigan and Vermont.

Dannenfelser acknowledged that she understands Americans are not ready to accept the protection of all unborn life after 50 years under Roe v. Wade, but said she believes there should be at least a “minimum standard” of protection for the unborn across the nation. 

SBA noted in its memo that “to go on offense and truly defeat the abortion industry in the long term, we must strengthen the pro-life, pro-woman, pro-family resolve of the Republican Party, centered on the unalienable right to life for the unborn child that exists under the 14th Amendment.”

Dannenfelser said that the job of the pro-life movement over the next few years will be to help advance the cultural conversation about what minimum standards the country should enact to protect unborn life.

SBA Pro-Life America has spent $92 million on voter contact operations ahead of Nov. 5, 2024. (SBA Pro-Life America)

She pointed to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who she said provides a model of a leader who is effectively engaging in and promoting cultural conversation about abortion.

Florida, along with South Dakota and Nebraska, became the first states to defeat any abortion initiative since the overturn of Roe v. Wade.

Dannenfelser said that DeSantis’ leadership “showed exactly what you do” to win pro-life victories.

“You don’t pretend it’s not happening; you go on offense against extremism,” she said. “DeSantis showed that when you go full-on, you defy all the prognosticators and fend off that horrible initiative.” 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis urged voters to vote “No,” on Amendment 4. He said that the language in the amendment was “vague” and impacts parental rights. (WOFL)

SBA is not the only pro-life group mobilizing since Trump’s victory. Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America (SFLA), told Fox News Digital that her group has also developed a plan titled “Make America Pro-Life Again” that “encompasses both federal action as well as state actions.”

For the early days of the administration, Hawkins said SFLA would prioritize four main policies: 1) Appointing pro-life officials to federal agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services, FDA and DOJ, 2) Releasing pro-life activists imprisoned under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, completely defunding Planned Parenthood and to investigate the harmful chemicals used by chemical abortion pills.

Hawkins also said that she will continue to advocate for abortion restrictions on the federal level, but like Dannenfelser, she granted that will not be likely to happen soon.

For now, she said that Trump’s “day one” priority should be defunding Planned Parenthood.

Planned Parenthood Mobile Clinic outside the Democratic National Convention 2024 (Jamie Joseph/Fox News Digital)

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“Students for Life America has always been very clear; abortion is 100% federal. The pro-life movement is clear that abortion is 100% federal. Why? Because your right to not be killed because you’re simply inconvenient to another does not begin and end at state lines,” she told Fox News Digital. “We disagree with President Trump on this point. However, we are able to work with President Trump at this point and the first thing he must do is defund and debar Planned Parenthood.”

Also looming large behind both these groups’ plans is the possibility of a Supreme Court justice retiring or passing away. Neither Dannenfelser nor Hawkins divulged who they might support for a Supreme Court nomination, but, like before, Hawkins said she expects Trump to appoint justices supporting the unborn.

“Our ask of President Trump in 2015 and 2016 will be the same ask of President Trump in 2025 or whenever that happens in this administration, that if there is a Supreme Court vacancy, no matter if it’s a Sotomayor or it’s a Justice Thomas, that the person that he nominates, the person that will be confirmed by the US Senate, will not be an abortion activist, they will be a constitutionalist, and they’ll know what’s in the Constitution and what’s not in the Constitution. One of the things that’s not in the Constitution is the right to end the life of an inconvenient human child.” 

President-elect Trump is set to meet President Biden at the Oval Office on Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced Saturday.

The announcement comes as the pair work towards a transition of power which will conclude with Trump being sworn in as the 47th president on Jan. 20, 2025.

“At President Biden’s invitation, President Biden and President-elect Trump will meet in the Oval Office on Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. Additional details to follow,” Jean-Pierre announced in a short statement. 

President-elect Trump is set to meet President Biden at the Oval Office on Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced Saturday. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images, left, Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg, right)

DEMOCRATS LOOKING TO POINT FINGERS AFTER ‘HUMILIATING’ ELECTION DEFEAT SHOULD START WITH MEDIA: WSJ COLUMNIST

President Biden addressed the nation from the Rose Garden on Thursday after his Vice President Kamala Harris conceded the 2024 presidential election to President-elect Trump and pledged to a ‘peaceful and orderly’ transfer of power. Trump did not host Biden in 2020 as the 45th president contested the results. 

It has been tradition that the current first lady also hosts the incoming first lady at the White House.

Trump has been busy working on his transition team since he was declared the winner early Wednesday, making a historic appointment by naming Susie Wiles as the first female chief of staff.

“Susie Wiles just helped me achieve one of the greatest political victories in American history, and was an integral part of both my 2016 and 2020 successful campaigns,” Trump said in a statement. “Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected. Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again…. I have no doubt that she will make our country proud.”

President-elect Trump named Susie Wiles as the first female chief of staff. (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images) (Jim Watson)

Trump’s transition team is being headed by professional wrestling magnate Linda McMahon and billionaire businessman Howard Lutnick.

Meanwhile, the Trump-Vance campaign on Saturday announced the formation of the “Trump Vance Inaugural Committee, Inc.,” a 501(c)(4) organization that will plan inaugural events. 

The organization will be co-chaired by longtime friends and supporters of President-elect Trump, Steve Witkoff and Senator Kelly Loeffler. 

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President-elect Trump is on his way back to the White House. Trump is pictured with former First Lady Melania Trump at his victory speech at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida on Wednesday.  (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)

“On Election Night, we made history and I have the extraordinary honor of having been elected the 47th President of the United States thanks to tens of millions of hardworking Americans across the nation who supported our America First agenda,” President Trump said in a statement.

“The Trump Vance Inaugural Committee will honor this magnificent victory in a celebration of the American People and our nation. This will be the kick-off to my administration, which will deliver on bold promises to Make America Great Again.”

“Together, we will celebrate this moment, steeped on history and tradition, and then get to work to achieve the most incredible future for our people, restoring strength, success, and common sense to the Oval Office.” 

Biden on Saturday deflected a question that was shouted by a reporter as he left church in Delaware about whether Trump is “still a threat to democracy.”

“I am going to see him on Wednesday,” Biden answered before getting into an SUV, also ignoring questions about what they would discuss. 

Democratic Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is projected to win re-election in Washington state’s closely watched 3rd Congressional District.

Gluesenkamp Perez has defeated Republican challenger Joe Kent for the second time in two House cycles, The Associated Press reported Saturday.

Gluesenkamp Perez, who was elected to represent the 3rd District in the southwest part of the state bordering Portland, Oregon, was widely viewed as one of the most vulnerable Democrats in the House after winning her 2022 race by less than 2 points.

VOTERS SPEAK OUT IN KEY SWING DISTRICT THAT COULD DETERMINE CONTROL OF HOUSE: ‘KICKED’ TO THE ‘CURB’

Gluesenkamp Perez, running in a district with a significant Republican voter presence, notably declined to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris.

Washington’s 3rd District was one of the most closely watched races in the country. (Getty Images)

The Republican-leaning district featuring sprawling farmlands as well as the suburbs of Portland, narrowly went for Trump in 2020, making it a crucial target for the GOP this year.

Gluesenkamp Perez had sought to showcase herself as an independent-minded moderate. Her actions during her tenure have ranged from co-sponsoring a bill to protect medication abortion to voting in favor of a resolution rebuking Harris’ role in the handling of the U.S.-Mexico border. She was also ranked by the Lugar Center and the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy as having one of the most bipartisan voting records in the U.S. House.

MIKE JOHNSON KICKS OFF SWING-STATE TOUR AS GOP CLINGS TO HOUSE CONTROL

Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Kent, a former Green Beret, blamed his opponent on the campaign trail for her support of a variety of Biden policy items and cited inflation and illegal immigration as top concerns.

GOP House candidate Joe Kent ran for Congress for the second time in 2024. (Getty Images)

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Two years ago, Gluesenkamp Perez came out of nowhere to win a congressional seat against Kent, who had Trump’s backing in a district that hadn’t been in Democratic hands for over a decade. She took over a seat held by a more moderate Republican who lost the primary in part because she voted to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The House of Representatives Oversight Committee has launched an investigation into the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after an employee was terminated for instructing hurricane relief workers in Florida to avoid homes with Trump flags.

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chairperson of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, announced Saturday he sent FEMA Director Deanne Criswell a letter requesting she testify at a hearing to answer questions about the agency’s response to hurricanes Helene and Milton.

In the letter, Comer said the hearing would “permit members to investigate recent reports that a FEMA official instructed relief workers to bypass hurricane-impacted homes displaying campaign signs for President Trump.”

“In the wake of the recent major disasters that impacted Americans of all political persuasions, it is critical that FEMA adheres to its disaster relief mission,” he wrote.

FEMA OFFICIAL DIRECTED HURRICANE RELIEF WORKERS TO AVOID HOMES WITH TRUMP SIGNS AS AGENCY CONDUCTS CLEANUP

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell has been asked to testify before a House committee after it was revealed an agency official directed hurricane aid workers to skip over homes with Trump signs. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

The Oversight Committee’s investigation followed Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’s announcement Friday that he was launching an investigation into the agency.

“The blatant weaponization of government by partisan activists in the federal bureaucracy is yet another reason why the Biden-Harris administration is in its final days,” DeSantis said. “At my direction, the Division of Emergency Management is launching an investigation into the federal government’s targeted discrimination of Floridians who support Donald Trump.

FOLLOW THE MONEY: UNDERSTANDING FEMA’S DISASTER BUDGET IN HURRICANE MILTON AFTERMATH

“New leadership is on the way to D.C., and I’m optimistic that these partisan bureaucrats will be fired.”

A tattered Trump flag amid destruction after Hurricane Helene in Florida. (Office of Congresswoman Kat Cammack)

The investigations were promptly launched after FEMA confirmed to Fox News Digital that an employee had instructed aid workers to deny relief to residents who had Trump campaign signs at their homes. The Daily Wire was the first to report it.

FEMA OFFICIAL FIRED FOR DIRECTING HURRICANE RELIEF AWAY FROM TRUMP SUPPORTERS’ HOMES

“We take our mission to help everyone before, during and after disasters seriously. This employee has been terminated, and we have referred the matter to the Office of Special Counsel,” Criswell said. “I will continue to do everything I can to make sure this never happens again.”

WATCH:

A FEMA spokesperson told Fox News Friday the agency is “deeply disturbed” by the employee’s actions and that it was an “isolated incident.” 

“FEMA helps all survivors regardless of their political preference or affiliation,” the spokesperson said.

“The employee who issued this guidance had no authority and was given no direction to tell teams to avoid these homes, and we are reaching out to the people who may have not been reached as a result of this incident,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that the agency has helped more than 365,000 households affected by hurricanes Helene and Milton in Florida and provided nearly $900 million in direct assistance to survivors.”

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“We are horrified that this took place and therefore have taken extreme actions to correct this situation and have ensured that the matter was addressed at all levels.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to FEMA for comment.

Nikki Haley, a Republican who ran against President-elect Trump months ago, responded after he publicly announced that she would not be joining his administration.

Responding in an equally public format, Haley wrote that she wishes him “great success.”

“I was proud to work with President Trump defending America at the United Nations,” she wrote in a X post Saturday. 

“I wish him, and all who serve, great success in moving us forward to a stronger, safer America over the next four years,” she said.

TRUMP RULES OUT TWO GOP STALWARTS FROM JOINING HIS ADMINISTRATION: ‘WILL NOT BE INVITING’

Nikki Haley wrote a supportive op-ed about President Trump two days before Election Day. (Justin Sullivan/Win McNamee)

Haley’s gracious response came after Trump took to Truth Social to frankly state that U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, as well as former Secretary of State and CIA Director Mike Pompeo would not be participating in his new cabinet. 

The announcement came after rumors have swirled regarding President-elect Trump’s cabinet members.

NIKKI HALEY PENS SUPPORTIVE OP-ED IN FAVOR OF TRUMP AHEAD OF ELECTION DAY: ‘EASY CALL’

“I will not be inviting former Ambassador Nikki Haley, or former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, to join the Trump Administration, which is currently in formation,” the president-elect posted on Truth Social early Saturday evening. 

“I very much enjoyed and appreciated working with them previously, and would like to thank them for their service to our Country,” he continued. “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Nikki Haley, former governor of South Carolina, during a news conference in Sderot, Israel, on Monday, May 27, 2024. The former US ambassador visited sites including Kibbutz Nir Oz and the site of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on the Supernova music festival.  (Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Haley during her run for the Republican candidate attempted to cast herself as an alternative to Trump, but eventually penned a supportive op-ed about the presidential candidate two days before Election Day.

The former South Carolina governor wrote the recently-published opinion piece, which is titled “Trump Isn’t Perfect, but He’s the Better Choice.”

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“I don’t agree with Mr. Trump 100% of the time,” Haley conceded. “But I do agree with him most of the time, and I disagree with Ms. Harris nearly all the time. That makes this an easy call.”

Fox News Digital’s Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.

President-elect Trump has officially won Arizona, avenging his 2020 election loss in the crucial swing state.

The race in Arizona was called by the Associated Press on Saturday evening. With Arizona, Trump has secured 11 more electoral votes, and has won 312 electoral votes in total. His opponent, Vice President Harris, only garnered 226 electoral votes.

Trump’s Arizona pick-up ends the battle for swing states in the 2024 presidential election. In addition to Arizona, he picked up electoral votes in North Carolina, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada, Georgia and Pennsylvania.

President Biden won the state of Arizona by less than one-half of 1% in the 2020 election and the results in the key area of Maricopa County were also slim, with Biden beating Trump by 2%.

Before Biden won Arizona in 2020, Republicans had carried the state every year since 1996.

BATTLEGROUND SERIES: ARIZONA’S 11 ELECTORAL VOTES HINGE ON KEY SWING COUNTY BIDEN WON BY A HAIR IN 2020

President-elect Trump and VP Kamala Harris (Getty Images)

Immigration was arguably the most highly important issue in Arizona, which shares a border with Mexico. 

“We have to have swifter incarceration at the border,” Mary from Phoenix told Fox News Digital last month. “And if there’s a suspicion that they’re going to commit a crime, lock them up.”

HARRIS RIPPED FOR ‘WORD SALAD’ AFTER HECKLER INTERRUPTION DURING CAMPAIGN SPEECH: ‘THE GIBBERISH NEVER ENDS’

Trump speaks at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Ariz., Oct. 31. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Others in Arizona agreed with Harris’ message in her numerous trips to the state that Trump represents a threat to “Democracy.”

“Kamala, Kamala, Kamala!” a Tempe man named Bob told Fox News Digital. “The rich have been riding a wave of tax cuts and not responsibility, and the Supreme Court’s been taking away the rights of the government agencies that regulate things. So we need to get that back in line and Kamala is going to do that instead of putting more Federalist judges up there.” 

Arizona is also home to a higher proportion of Hispanic voters than the rest of the country, and while they favored Biden by 19 points in the last election, they had shown signs of shifting toward Trump leading up to the election.

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Cardi B hugs Vice President Kamala Harris during a campaign rally at the Wisconsin State Fair Expo in West Allis, Wis., Nov. 1. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

The Grand Canyon State is also voting for a new senator after independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema decided not to run for re-election this year. The Republican candidate is Kari Lake, a former TV news host who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2022. The Democrats have fielded Rep. Ruben Gallego, a former Marine who represents Arizona’s 3rd Congressional District.

Fox News Digital’s Remy Numa and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report

President-elect Trump has repeatedly said he wants to unite the country when he serves his second term as president. On Saturday, he came up with a new idea to do just that, saying he’d pay off the Democrats’ debts.

The Harris-Walz campaign is reportedly $20 million in debt, having raised more than $1 billion and had $118 million in the bank as of Oct. 16, according to Politico reporter Christopher Cadelago. 

In the name of unity, or more likely in an epic troll, Trump says people should chip in and bail out the vice president’s campaign. 

DEMOCRATS LOOKING TO POINT FINGERS AFTER ‘HUMILIATING’ ELECTION DEFEAT SHOULD START WITH MEDIA: WSJ COLUMNIST

President-elect Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris (Fox News)

“I am very surprised that the Democrats, who fought a hard and valiant fight in the 2020 (sic) Presidential Election, raising a record amount of money, didn’t have lots of $’s left over,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth.

“Now they are being squeezed by vendors and others. Whatever we can do to help them during this difficult period, I would strongly recommend we, as a Party and for the sake of desperately needed UNITY, do.

“We have a lot of money left over in that our biggest asset in the campaign was ‘Earned Media,’ and that doesn’t cost very much. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Earned media is essentially free media coverage, which Trump says he got in abundance throughout his historic campaign. Trump’s earned media came in the form of viral social media posts, doing free interviews and hosting dozens of rallies that generated their own news stories and headlines. 

TRUMP’S VICTORY DOESN’T GO OVER WELL WITH LIBERAL MEDIA: ‘I’M GONNA THROW UP

Vice President Kamala Harris appeared on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast in early October, and her campaign reportedly spent six figures on building a set for her appearance. (Call Her Daddy YouTube channel)

Questions are being raised as to how the Harris-Walz campaign could spend so much money yet suffer such a resounding defeat to the former president, who won a landslide victory, sweeping all battleground states as well as the popular vote. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Harris-Walz campaign to confirm the $20 million figure but has not received a response. 

The Washington Examiner published a report Friday with details on how the Harris campaign spent its $1 billion war chest, with one particular expenditure raising some eyebrows.

“The Harris campaign spent six figures on building a set for her appearance on the popular “Call Her Daddy” podcast with host Alex Cooper,” The Examiner wrote. “The interview came out in October and was reportedly filmed in a hotel room in Washington, D.C.”

Yet the episode failed to break an audience of 1 million. It’s had 822,000 views since being uploaded Oct. 6, compared to Trump’s Oct. 25 appearance on Rogan that has well over 47 million views on YouTube.

Harris campaign fundraiser Lindy Li told “Fox & Friends Weekend” the campaign ended in an “epic disaster.”

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Trump appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast Oct. 6, and it drew more than 47 million views on YouTube. (Screenshots/The Joe Rogan Experience)

“The truth is, this is just an epic disaster. This is a $1 billion disaster,” Li declared Saturday morning, summing up the result of the Harris campaign.

The DNC member noted she raised money for the campaign based on the understanding the election was a “margin of error race.”

“I raised millions of that. I have friends that I have to be accountable to and to explain what happened because I told them it was a margin of error race. I was promised, [Harris campaign chair] Jen O’Malley Dillon promised all of us that Harris would win. She even put videos out that Harris would win. I believed her, my donors believed her. And so they wrote massive checks.”

Fox News’ Gabriel Hays and Alexander Hall contributed to this report. 

President-elect Trump’s 2024 vote totals have officially surpassed his total vote count from 2020, according to numbers from The Associated Press.

Trump’s popular vote total, 74,372,005 votes and counting, surpasses his 2020 total of 74,223,975 despite certain states like California and Arizona still tabulating votes.

According to the AP, Maryland, Oregon, Arizona, Utah, Alaska and California have still not finished counting votes. California specifically had only counted 63% of its votes as of 5 p.m. ET, according to The Associated Press.

It is unclear when these states will finish their counts. Approximately 5 million votes or so remain to be counted.

FORMER GEORGIA SENATOR KELLY LOEFFLER TO SERVE ON TRUMP’S INAUGURAL COMMITTEE

President-elect Trump arrives to speak during an election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Center Wednesday, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Trump’s definitive victory in Tuesday’s election gives him 301 Electoral College votes over Vice President Harris’ 226, according to The Associated Press.

PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP TO MEET BIDEN IN OVAL OFFICE WEDNESDAY

In the 2016 election, Trump did not win the popular vote but won 304 Electoral College votes compared to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s 227.

Former President Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, speaks during a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York Oct. 27, 2024. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

Republicans winning the presidency and the projected GOP majorities in both chambers of Congress should give Trump more authority to achieve his policy goals in his second term.

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The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

President-elect Donald Trump announced in a public social media post Saturday that he will not be inviting two members of his former administration back to the White House.

Nikki Haley, who served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were both mentioned in the post. The Republicans had been considered two strong candidates for Trump’s new Cabinet.

“I will not be inviting former Ambassador Nikki Haley, or former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, to join the Trump Administration, which is currently in formation,” the president-elect posted on Truth Social early Saturday evening. 

Despite the harsh nature of the announcement, Trump added that he enjoyed working with them.

FORMER GEORGIA SENATOR KELLY LOEFFLER TO SERVE ON TRUMP’S INAUGURAL COMMITTEE

President-elect Donald Trump arrives at an Election Night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center, Wednesday, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Evan Vucci/AP)

“I very much enjoyed and appreciated working with them previously, and would like to thank them for their service to our Country,” he continued. “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Haley, who ran against Trump in the Republican primary earlier this year, has been both publicly supportive and critical of the president-elect in the past. Last week, she wrote a Wall Street Journal op-ed in support of his presidential campaign.

“I don’t agree with Mr. Trump 100% of the time,” Haley wrote. “But I do agree with him most of the time, and I disagree with Ms. Harris nearly all the time. That makes this an easy call.”

NEW YORK DEMOCRAT RIPS ‘FAR LEFT’ FOR TRUMP VICTORY: ‘IVORY-TOWERED NONSENSE’

Vice President Mike Pence, left, United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo listen as President Donald Trump addresses the 73rd U.N. General Assembly, Sept. 25, 2018, in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Pompeo, while not one of Trump’s most vocal supporters, has also expressed support for the president-elect in the past. In an open letter with over 400 signatories, including Gold Star families and national security officials, Pompeo endorsed Trump for president.

“From a world at peace under President Trump, we are closer to a third world war than ever before under the Biden-Harris Administration,” the letter, which was written in October, stated. “With multiple escalating wars around the world, an open border that allows terrorists to flood into the American homeland, and malign actors like China operating unabated, U.S. national security has been profoundly damaged by the failed policies of Kamala Harris and Joe Biden.”

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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to members of the media next to US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley at U.N. headquarters, July 20, 2018, in New York City. (Kena Betancur/Getty Images)

Fox News Digital reached out to Haley and Pompeo for comment, but did not immediately hear back. 

Fox News Digital’s Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.

The race for the majority in the House of Representatives is on with each party vying for power and key races yet to be called.

As of Saturday, Republicans held 212 seats and Democrats held 200. A party needs 218 seats for a majority.

The path to victory for a Democratic majority in the House is narrowing, with the party needing to sweep the most contested races to win power. 

Many undeclared seats are in the western U.S. or in swing districts, including Arizona, Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Louisiana, Ohio, Maryland, New York, Maine and Alaska.

ALL EYES ON CALIFORNIA AS HOUSE MAJORITY STILL HINGES ON TIGHT RACES

President-elect Trump arrives to speak during an election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Center Tuesday, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Key House of Representative Races:

Alaska’s at-large congressional district:

Democratic incumbent Rep. Mary Sattler Peltola is in a tight race in Alaska’s at-large congressional district, where she is trailing Republican entrepreneur Nick Begich.

As of Saturday evening, Begich was leading Peltola 49.49% to 45.42% with 76.5% of the vote counted.

Arizona’s 6th Congressional District:

The race in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District is tight, with the Republican candidate barely leading. 

Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani, a first-term lawmaker, was leading former Democratic state lawmaker Kirsten Engel by just 1,795 votes as of Saturday evening. According to Fox News’ Decision Desk, 75.64% of the vote has been counted.

The U.S. Capitol is seen from the National Mall in Washington, D.C. (Aaron Schwartz/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

California’s 13th Congressional District:

Republican Rep. John Duarte is leading former Democratic state Assembly member Adam Gray in California’s 13th Congressional District, but the highly contested race remains uncalled as of Saturday.

With 61.7% of the vote, Duarte, a first-term lawmaker, was ahead of Gray. Duarte took the lead with 52% of the vote, and Gray trailed with 48.75% with 61.73% of the vote counted.

SHUTDOWN STANDOFF LOOMS IN CONGRESS’ FINAL WEEKS BEFORE TRUMP’S RETURN TO WHITE HOUSE

California’s 47th Congressional District:

The race to succeed outgoing Democratic Rep. Katie Porter in California’s 47th Congressional District is also razor-thin.

Republican Scott Baugh, a former Assembly member, and state Sen. Dave Min, a Democrat, are vying for the open seat.

Min has 50% of the vote to Baugh’s 49.8% with 79% of the votes counted.

Colorado’s 8th Congressional District

Rep. Yadira Caraveo, a Democrat, is trailing Republican state Rep. Gabe Evans in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District.

With 86% of the votes counted, Evans was ahead of Caraveo. The lead, if sustained, would be a flip for Republicans.

Democrats, led by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, have seen their path to the House majority narrowing. (Getty Images)

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has said the House is poised to remain in GOP hands, and he has launched his bid to retain the gavel.

Democrats are holding out hope they could win by a razor-thin majority. 

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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., wrote on X Thursday it “has yet to be decided who will control” the House next year, pointing to ongoing ballot counting in Oregon, Arizona and California.

President-elect Donald J. Trump announced on Saturday that his inaugural committee will be led by former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler of Georgia.

In a statement, the Trump campaign said that the committee, which will plan inaugural events, will be co-chaired by Loeffler and Steve Witkoff, a New York real estate investor. 

“On Election Night, we made history, and I have the extraordinary honor of having been elected the 47th President of the United States thanks to tens [of] millions of hardworking Americans across the nation who supported our America First agenda,” Trump said in a statement. “The Trump Vance Inaugural Committee will honor this magnificent victory in a celebration of the American People and our nation.”

“This will be the kick-off to my administration, which will deliver on bold promises to Make America Great Again,” the president-elect added. “Together, we will celebrate this moment, steeped on history and tradition, and then get to work to achieve the most incredible future for our people, restoring strength, success, and common sense to the Oval Office.”

NEW YORK DEMOCRAT RIPS ‘FAR LEFT’ FOR TRUMP VICTORY: ‘IVORY-TOWERED NONSENSE’

President Trump and Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-GA, at a campaign rally at Dalton Regional Airport, Jan. 4, 2021, in Dalton, Ga. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The appointment of Loeffler came after Trump won the Peach State against Vice President Harris by a surprising margin, picking up 16 electoral votes. As of Saturday afternoon, Trump had roughly 120,000 more votes than Harris in the hotly-contested battleground state.

Loeffler, who served as a senator in 2020 before losing a special election to Democrat Raphael Warnock in 2021, has been a vocal ally of the former president. In 2020, Loeffler was accused of insider trading, but the Department of Justice (DOJ) later dropped its investigation.

Loeffler has been involved in conservative politics since leaving office. Last month, Loeffler called out Mark Cuban on X for claiming that Trump didn’t surround himself with “strong women.”

“@mcuban I’ve been a CEO and professional sports team owner JUST like you,” Loeffler wrote in an Oct. 31 post. “I’m one of the millions of strong, conservative women who back Trump. You might think we’re stupid, or that we’re garbage. We think it’s time to replace you and Kamala with leaders who don’t hate us.”

MONTAGE: LIBERAL MEDIA PUNDITS PREDICTED KAMALA HARRIS VICTORY

Former Republican Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler rallies a group of women to support Republican Senate nominee Herschel Walker in Atlanta, Dec. 1, 2022. (Brandon Gillespie/Fox News)

In September, Loeffler’s conservative advocacy group launched a six-figure ad campaign aimed at exposing “the failures” of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

The group, called the Greater Georgia 501(c)(4), argued that “murders, rapes, burglaries are all on the rise” under Willis’ watch.

“She’s focused on herself, her political ambitions, high profile prosecutions and profiting off partisan lawfare, all at the expense of families living in fear and innocent lives lost. We deserve a district attorney who will do the job to keep us safe,” the ad claimed.

Then-Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler speaks during a campaign event at Valdosta Regional Airport in Valdosta, Ga., Dec. 5, 2020. (Reuters/Dustin Chambers)

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Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump campaign and Loeffler for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Michael Lee and Brianna Herlihy contributed to this report.

Election Day is long gone, but Arizonans and Americans across the nation are still waiting for results from the Grand Canyon State, including the outcome of the closely watched U.S. Senate contest pitting Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego against Trump-backed Republican Kari Lake.

“Elections do not end on Election Day. It takes time to ensure all eligible votes are counted,” the state’s ballot progress page states.

According to the page, the estimated number of uncounted ballots stands at 588,223. 

KARI LAKE ARGUES DEMOCRATS ARE SICK OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY

Former President Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, invites Arizona Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake on stage during a campaign rally at Findlay Toyota Center Oct. 13, 2024, in Prescott Valley, Ariz.  (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)

While Election Day was Tuesday, the outcome of the Senate and presidential race in the state of Arizona remained unclear as of Saturday.

Fox News Digital reached out to request a comment from Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes about why it is taking so long to count 2024 election ballots in the state and when he expects the counting process to be completed.

Deputy communications director JP Martin replied via email, “Arizona has historically taken 10-13 days to count results. The secretary has been reminding the public of this fact before the election even occurred. Your premise is incorrect.”

BORDER STATE ARIZONA BACKS HAVING LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ARREST SUSPECTED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Ruben Gallego and Kari Lake (Getty Images)

“Accurate election results take time,” Fontes noted in a post on X. “Signature verification is the process of comparing the sig. on a voter’s ballot envelope against info in the database. The ballot is then separated to keep the voter’s identity secret and sent for tabulation.” 

Lake has been urging people to volunteer to help “cure” ballots.

7 STATES VOTE TO PROTECT ABORTION RIGHTS, 3 KEEP RESTRICTIONS IN PLACE

“I can’t stress enough how important ballot curing is. Every single vote is going to count for this election, so we need to make sure every single vote gets counted. We have until Sunday to cure ballots. I URGE you to get involved if you haven’t,” Lake tweeted.

Lake’s post links to Turning Point Action.

Tyler Bowyer, the group’s Chief Operating Officer, told Fox News Digital that the group is “hustling” to ensure ballots are cured in Arizona. 

Maricopa County Elections explained, “Curing is the process of resolving any problems with your signature on the green affidavit envelope for early voting. For your ballot to be tabulated, we must have a verified signature each election cycle.​ There is a small window of time to cure signature issues.” 

U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., an Arizona Democratic Senate candidate, speaks at a Harris-Walz Fighting for Reproductive Freedom bus tour stop at Arizona State University Nov. 4, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

The winner of the U.S. Senate contest will replace Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat turned independent who opted not to seek re-election in 2024.

Regardless of whether President-elect Trump wins in Arizona, it is already clear he earned an Electoral College blowout over Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 White House contest.

Qatar has grown increasingly frustrated with “political exploitation” from all sides involved in the months-long Gaza peace talks it has hosted, and insists they informed Hamas they are no longer welcome in their nation without the help of the Biden administration, Fox News Digital has learned. 

U.S. officials said it was the Biden administration who had asked Qatar to push out Hamas political officials after Hamas refused proposals to release even “a small number of hostages” during recent meetings after the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. 

The U.S. had come to the position after the killing of Hersh Goldberg Polin, an American taken hostage on October 7. 

But another diplomatic source briefed on the matter said it was Qatar’s decision on their own to ask Hamas leaders to leave after “both sides repeatedly refused to participate in negotiations except on their conditions without showing willingness to engage constructively.” 

The source said that Qatar had warned U.S. officials, as well as Hamas and Israel, they would not accept “being subjected to political exploitation aimed at gaining political leverage at Qatar’s expense while misleading public perception.” 

“The Qataris have concluded that there is insufficient willingness from either side, with the mediation efforts becoming more about politics and elections rather than a serious attempt at peace.” 

“Once the Qataris had made their decision, they notified both sides, Israel and Hamas as well as the U.S. administration. All sides were given no advance warning and were informed after the decision was made.” 

QATAR AGREES TO KICK HAMAS OUT OF DOHA AFTER REQUEST FROM BIDEN ADMINISTRATION

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani in Doha on October 24, 2024. (Getty Images)

A senior Biden administration official said in response: “Will refer you to Qatar to speak to their decision. The U.S. is continuing to pursue a number of initiatives to secure the release of hostages. That work is ongoing.”

The official breakdown in talks was reported just after President-elect Donald Trump won the U.S. election. But U.S. sources say it was in the works before the election and that the Biden administration asked Qatar to ask Hamas to leave about two weeks ago and that Qatar gave Hamas notice they would no longer be welcome about 10 days ago.

Another source who is familiar disputes that the Biden administration asked Qatar to remove Hamas two weeks ago, but confirmed Hamas was informed of the decision 10 days ago. 

“The State of Qatar notified the parties 10 days ago, during the last attempts to reach an agreement, that it would stall its efforts to mediate between Hamas and Israel if an agreement was not reached in that round,” Dr. Majed bin Mohammed al Ansari, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement posted on X. 

“The State of Qatar will not accept that mediation be a reason for blackmailing it,” he stressed. 

FILE: Palestinian terrorists of the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, take part in a military parade to mark the anniversary of the 2014 war with Israel, near the border in the central Gaza Strip on July 19, 2023.  ( MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images)

The source said that those involved in the talks showed a “very clear demonstration to undermine the efforts by backing out from some of the commitments throughout the negotiations and trying to make them as deal breakers for political optics rather than a serious security matter.”

“The Qataris informed both the Israelis and Hamas that as long as there is a refusal to negotiate a deal in good faith, they cannot continue to mediate. As a consequence, the Hamas political office no longer serves its purpose.”

The source reiterated that Qatar had only notified Israel, Hamas and the U.S. that it would no longer be hosting talks after they had come to the decision, adding they would return to the negotiating table once both sides got serious about ending the war. 

A similar message had been conveyed in April, prompting members of Hamas to leave for Turkey. 

ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU FIRES DEFENSE MINISTER YOAV GALLANT

But two weeks after that, the Biden administration and Israeli government asked Qatar to request Hamas’ return, because they were keen to continue the talks. 

Qatar, along with the U.S. and Egypt, has been attempting to broker peace between Israel and Hamas.  (Nathan Howard/Pool Photo via AP)

A Palestinian man walks past the rubble after Israeli forces withdrew from the area around Kamal Adwan hospital, amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip October 26, 2024 (Reuters/Stringer)

Since the start of the war in Gaza, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani has said to have played a key role in peace talks between Israel and Hamas, alongside the U.S. and Gaza, helping to secure the release of nearly 200 hostages over the past year. But U.S. officials say Hamas has shown no signs of budging off “unrealistic”demands to remain in power in Gaza, a position the U.S. and Israel will no longer accept. 

With Trump’s win, the Biden administration, now in a race against time to salvage its foreign policy legacy, has just over two months to secure a ceasefire deal.

“When it comes to the Middle East, we will continue to pursue an end to the war in Gaza, an end to the war in Lebanon, a surge of humanitarian assistance. And that is our duty to pursue those policies right up until noon on January 20th,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters this week. 

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Protesters rally outside the Defence Ministry against the government and to show support for the hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly October 7 attack, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, September 1, 2024. Reuters/Florion Goga (Reuters)

Trump, having run on a platform of negotiating ends to conflicts around the world, will also be keen to see peace return to the Middle East. He reportedly told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he wants Israel to win the war quickly. 

Trump and al-Thani met in Florida in September and had “productive” discussions about bringing peace to the region, a source who was familiar said. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but did not hear back by press time. 

An Israeli official in Netanyahu’s office issued a statement to reporters welcoming Qatar’s decision, saying that no country should host the terror group.

The Times of Israel reported that the Israeli official also stated that “Donald Trump’s election victory this week also contributed to the decision, suggesting that the Republican president-elect would not have supported Hamas’s continued presence in Doha.”

The FBI notified Todd Blanche, an attorney for President-elect Donald Trump, that Chinese hackers breached his phone and procured voice recordings and texts, though the material did not pertain to Trump, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Reports last month suggested that hackers tied to China had targeted Trump, Vice President-elect JD Vance and others, including individuals connected with Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign.

CNN first reported the news.

“The U.S. Government is investigating the unauthorized access to commercial telecommunications infrastructure by actors affiliated with the People’s Republic of China,” the FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said in a joint statement last month.

CHINESE HACKERS ATTEMPTED TO BREACH TRUMP AND HARRIS CAMPAIGNS’ CELLPHONE DATA

Former President Donald Trump speaks alongside his attorney, Todd Blanche, right, as he arrives for his hush money trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 30, 2024 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

“After the FBI identified specific malicious activity targeting the sector, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) immediately notified affected companies, rendered technical assistance, and rapidly shared information to assist other potential victims,” the statement noted.

Trump is now president-elect after decisively defeating Harris in the 2024 White House contest earlier this week.

He won key swing states including Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan, sailing to an Electoral College blowout.

CHINA-LINKED HACKING GROUP TARGETS PHONES BELONGING TO TRUMP FAMILY, BIDEN AIDES: REPORT

Attorney Todd Blanche listens as his client, former President Donald Trump, speaks as he arrives for his hush money trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 30, 2024 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

While the U.S. and China engage in significant trade, the Communist nation is widely viewed as a rising competitor and adversary that challenges U.S. hegemony on the world stage.

U.S.-China relations are one of the many challenges Trump is expected to confront next year after he returns to the White House.

“On November 7, 2024, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Donald J. Trump on his election as the next President of the United States,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated. 

XI JINPING WARNS TRUMP US WOULD ‘LOSE FROM CONFRONTATION’ WITH CHINA AS RENEWED TRADE WAR LOOMS

Former President Donald Trump, left, gives brief remarks alongside his attorney Todd Blanche after the conclusion of his hush money trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 30, 2024 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

“Xi Jinping noted that history tells us that both countries stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation,” the ministry added.

In the final days of President-elect Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign, he honed in on a culture war issue that may have locked in more swing votes and with it the election, a conservative activist instrumental in the ad campaign argues.

“Kamala is for they/them, President Trump is for you,” the narrator of Trump’s advertisement said.

The ad, which focused on men in women’s sports and Vice President Kamala Harris’ track record of ushering in sex change procedures for incarcerated people in California, was in part due to the influence of American Principles Project’s president, Terry Schilling, who began pushing out these ads in 2019.

HARRIS NOW THE SECOND DEM CANDIDATE TO LOSE TO TRUMP AND NOT SPEAK TO SUPPORTERS ON ELECTION NIGHT

Harris and Trump. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

Schilling said back then, the issue was “too premature” to make waves in the conservative movement. But over the course of the Biden-Harris administration, as the gender ideology wars began to make it into the mainstream spotlight, Schilling believed it would be a winning issue for conservatives.

The American Principles Project spent tens of millions on ads highlighting the transgender issue in states across the country, and Schilling went to Mar-a-Lago a few months ago to personally encourage Trump to lean in on the opportunity.

“The cue of giving sex change procedures to inmates is so radical, it’s so extreme, and it’s one of those issues that touches on not just the culture war, but the economy, too,” Schilling told Fox News Digital. 

“You have a lot of families that are hurting, they’re struggling to put food on the table,” Schilling said. “They’re struggling to be able to afford to send their kids to a decent school where they can learn to read and write properly, and they’re scrapping all their pains together, and then they see that their government is paying to give people that committed very serious crimes that are in federal prisons, sex change procedures that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

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(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“When you go to prison, you have to lose some rights, and it was an issue that really resonated,” he continued. “Trump gets so much credit. I have heard from several people that that maniac-madman-genius actually came up with that closing line of, ‘Kamala Harris is for they/them, Donald Trump’s for you.’ He’s so good at the branding.”

Schilling said there was record-breaking fundraising for his organization this year, noting a 50% increase from the previous year, growing from $12 million to $18 million. He highlighted that this funding has driven extensive research, ad production, and messaging guidance, which has reportedly influenced Republicans to focus on transgender issues in campaign ads. 

According to Schilling, Republicans spent over $215 million on ads targeting transgender issues.

Last year, Schilling’s organization produced an ad featuring women’s activist Riley Gaines advocating for candidate Daniel Cameron against Democrat Andy Beshear for governor in Kentucky. 

ADVOCATE FOR ‘GENDER AFFIRMING CARE’ FOR PRISONERS NAMED BY AG GARLAND TO CORRECTIONS ADVISORY BOARD

CatholicVote’s anti-Harris ad declares, “Kamala Harris stands with they/them. Not with you.”  (YouTube screenshot | CatholicVote)

In August 2023, APP released a post-2022 election report, titled, “The Failed Red Wave: Lessons from the GOP Letdown,” arguing that Republicans performed poorly in part because they failed to take advantage of Democrats’ cultural extremism on transgender issues.

This summer, APP announced an $18 million ad campaign exposing Kamala Harris and other Democrats’ stances on transgender issues.

“We spent over seven figures on polling and focus groups and message testing, and we’ve been passing it out, beating our heads against the wall with candidates up and down the ballot. And 2024 was the year that it finally broke through,” Schilling said. 

The ads came during a time during the election cycle where several actions by the Biden-Harris administration gave the messaging a boost. 

In June, health officials in the Biden administration urged international transgender health nonprofit, World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), to omit the age limit in its guidelines for transgender surgical procedures for adolescents – and succeeded – according to unsealed court documents.

More than a dozen states in the U.S. have enacted bans on surgical procedures and hormonal prescriptions for transgender youth. 

Idaho, North Dakota, Florida, Oklahoma and Alabama have passed laws making it a felony to perform sex changes on children. Several blue states, meanwhile, have enacted “sanctuary state” laws in recent years shielding medical providers from facing penalties for conducting transgender procedures on adolescents. 

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Trump’s success in reaching people in this issue hasn’t come without its opposition. The executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union pledged “to combat” the forthcoming Trump administration’s proposed policies on critical issues such as abortion, border security and LGBTQ rights.

The left-wing civil liberties organization launched 434 legal challenges against President Trump during his first term, and will continue during his second term, according to Romero’s open letter. They plan, for example, to use the courts to “invalidate Trump administration policies” impacting the gay and transgender communities, such as actions that keep biological males out of women’s bathrooms or that prevent them from playing on women’s sports teams.

Fox News Digital’s Alec Schemmel contributed to this report. 

Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., said in a statement that the Margate Police Department informed him about a possible plot to kill him.

The congressman, who won re-election this week, said authorities informed him of the news a day ahead of the election.

“The day before the election, I was notified by the Margate Police Department, located in my Congressional District, about a potential plot on my life. The individual in question was arrested not far from my home; he is a former felon who was in possession of a rifle, a suppressor, and body armor,” Moskowitz said in the statement.

DEM CONGRESSMAN SAYS TRUMP SHOULD TALK ABOUT DROPPING OUT AFTER DEBATE

Rep. Jared Moskowitz speaks during a press conference held to address MAGA Republicans’ decision to prioritize the impeachment of President Joe Biden over other domestic issues in the United States on Dec. 13, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Congressional Integrity Project)

“Found with him was a manifesto that, among other things, included antisemitic rhetoric and only my name on the ‘target’ list. There are many other details that I will not disclose as I do not want to interfere with an ongoing investigation,” the lawmaker noted.

“This is outrageous,” Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., tweeted in response to Moskowitz’s statement about the potential plot. “Nobody should hurt Jared!”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Margate Police Department regarding the potential murder plot against Moskowitz, and Maj. Alain Banatte provided a press release that discusses the arrest of 41-year-old John Lapinski.

GEOGRAPHIC TERRITORY OF HURRICANE DISASTER IS ‘GIGANTIC’: REP JARED MOSKOWITZ

Rep. Jared Moskowitz, a Democrat from Florida, during a hearing with the full task force on the assassination attempt of former President Donald J. Trump in Butler, Penn, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 26, 2024. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“On November 2, 2024, the Margate Police Department conducted an investigation that resulted in the arrest of John Lapinski, DOB 07/23/83, a resident of Margate, for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and other firearms related charges,” the release noted. 

“During the investigation, our detectives located several firearms and evidence that indicated he may have been planning some type of criminal act,” the press release continued. “The Margate Police Department contacted the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to assist with the investigation.

“Since this investigation is still active and ongoing the Margate Police Department will not be providing further comment. The ATF is currently the lead agency for this investigation,” the press release concluded.

REP. JARED MOSKOWITZ: WE NEED TO GET TO A CEASE-FIRE, BUT WE MUST GET THE HOSTAGES OUT

Rep. Jared Moskowitz, a Democrat from Florida, during a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on Monday, July 22, 2024. (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Moskowitz congratulated Susie Wiles in response to the news that President-elect Donald Trump had picked her as his chief of staff. 

“Congrats to @susie57!” he tweeted. “I worked with Susie in the DeSantis Administration. She is brilliant, tough, strategic. She will serve the country well.”

Americans are turning the page on the woke left’s approach to crime, if this week’s district attorney elections are anything to go by.

A majority of the 25 George Soros-linked district attorneys on the ballot this week were defeated, signaling a backlash against progressive policies that critics say are to blame for a surge in crime across the country in recent years.

Many of the losing Soros candidates were running for office in deep blue jurisdictions and suffered heavy losses despite Vice President Harris clocking up comfortable majorities in those same areas – indicating that a large portion of Democrats are also done with the progressive Left’s soft on crime experiment, according to the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund, a pro-police non-profit that tracked the 25 races. 

Of the 25 Soros-linked district attorneys on the ballot, 12 were either defeated or recalled. 

Hungarian-born US investor and philanthropist George Soros and Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images, left, and Fabrice Cofferini / AFP, right.)

‘FAILED EXPERIMENT’: EXPERTS REVEAL WHY SOROS-BACKED POLICIES TOOK BEATING IN DEEP BLUE STATE

Soros, the Hungarian-born left-wing billionaire, runs a dark money web of non-profits that bankroll various candidates around the world who align with his progressive agenda, including his Open Society Foundations. Soros has given over $32 billion to Open Society Foundations since 1984, according to its website. 

The most high-profile loss this week came in the city of Los Angeles, where District Attorney George Gascón, backed by Soros, was thumped 24% by his tough on crime opponent, Nathan Hochman, a former federal prosecutor, with crime being a top issue of the election cycle.

In contrast, Harris swept Los Angeles County by 30 points. 

In other areas of the liberal bastion state, hard-on-crime San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins comfortably beat out prosecutor Ryan Khojasteh, who was the handpicked candidate of former district attorney Chesa Boudin, who was recalled in 2022.

Jenkins claimed in January that the city has been experiencing a “hard turn to the right” in recent years. Those sentiments were echoed by Gascón after his loss this week. 

In another loss for Soros-backed prosecutors in the Golden State, District Attorney Pamela Price was recalled in Alameda County, home to Oakland and Berkeley, less than two years after taking office following backlash for her alleged soft-on-crime approach. Vice President Harris clinched the county 75%-25%. 

“Across the battleground states and in Vice President Harris’ home state of California, a sizable share of Democrats voted to oust progressive prosecutors,” Sean Kennedy, the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund’s policy director, tells Fox News Digital. 

Nathan Hochman unseated Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon on Tuesday. Gascon survived two recall attempts and came under fire for his progressive criminal justice policies.  (AP)

“The election results show that the soft-on-crime approach is not only a failed policy experiment, but also a political loser – even in deep blue areas.

California’s Proposition 36, which sought to restore tough penalties for drugs and theft, easily passed with 70.4% of voters. Every single county in the state voted in favor of Prop 36.

The defeats come after retail chains and mom-and-pop shops have been hit hard by theft, smash-and-grab robberies and organized retail crime gangs, while cities like San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles have been ravaged by rises in property crime and retail theft.

LOS ANGELES DA GEORGE GASCON DEFENDS RECORD ON CRIME: ‘I KNOW HOW TO KEEP COMMUNITIES SAFE’

Kennedy says the voter backlash against soft-on-crime policies was especially acute in the battleground states.

In Georgia, District Attorney of Athens-Clarke and Oconee Counties, Deborah Gonzalez, was tossed out by 20%. She represented the same county where nursing student Laken Riley was allegedly killed by an illegal migrant, who had been arrested and then released before the brutal crime. 

Gonzalez ran 16% behind Harris, who carried those counties 56.5% to Trump’s 43.5%.

In Georgia, District Attorney of Athens-Clarke and Oconee Counties, Deborah Gonzalez, was tossed out by 20%. She represented the same county where nursing student Laken Riley was allegedly killed by an illegal migrant, who had been arrested and then released before the brutal crime.  (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Meanwhile, traditional prosecutors in Arizona’s Maricopa County and Michigan’s Macomb County overperformed Trump’s margin of victory and beat back Soros-backed challengers, according to Kennedy. 

“In the most significant district attorney races, traditionally minded prosecutors got a larger share of the votes than either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris because one out of eight Harris voters backed the tough on crime candidate. It turns out public safety isn’t a partisan issue, it’s a common sense one.”

However, there were wins for Soros-linked candidates, with Savannah’s progressive prosecutor Shalena Cook Jones holding on to her seat by 7%.

In Florida, Soros-backed Monique Worrell reclaimed her position as the Orange-Osceola state attorney, beating out Andrew Bain by just over 5%. She was ousted last year by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for “dereliction of duty” on crime.

District Attorney Pamela Price was recalled in Alameda County, home to Oakland and Berkeley. (Lea Suzuki/The San Francisco Chronicle)

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However, another DeSantis foe, Andrew Warren, lost to Republican Suzy Lopez in Hillsborough County. DeSantis suspended Warren in August 2022 for refusing to enforce the state’s abortion ban.

Kennedy says that out of the roughly 75 Soros-linked prosecutors nationwide his organization has since identified in 2022, over 30 have left office, and 20 have been replaced by traditional district attorneys. 

Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller, Jamie Joseph, Louis Casiano and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report

Republican senators will select a new Senate GOP leader next week, and Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., has endorsed Sen. John Cornyn, R-Tx., for the role.

GOP senators will vote via secret ballot on Wednesday, Nov. 13. 

“I’m backing John Cornyn for majority leader,” Hawley said in a statement. “In the last two years, nobody has done more to win back the majority than he has. He tirelessly raised millions of dollars for competitive Senate races, including mine. 

CORNYN TOUTS LIFETIME FUNDRAISING PROWESS FOR GOP IN FINAL CASE TO SUCCEED MCCONNELL

“I’m backing John Cornyn for majority leader,” Hawley said in a statement. “In the last two years, nobody has done more to win back the majority than he has. He tirelessly raised millions of dollars for competitive Senate races, including mine.” (Left: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images; Right: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“He has a heart for people: He has voiced his support for the RECA compromise that would fairly compensate hundreds of thousands of Americans poisoned by their government, including so many in Missouri,” Hawley continued.  

“And I know he will work closely and effectively with President Trump to deliver on the promise of our new majority. I’m delighted to give him my support,” he concluded.

In addition to Cornyn, Republican Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and John Thune of South Dakota are both vying for the Senate GOP leader position.

RICK SCOTT SEES RED WAVE AS ‘BEST CASE SCENARIO’ FOR SENATE LEADER BID AS HE LOBBIES TRUMP FOR SUPPORT

Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, speaks with Senator John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, right, during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on July 20, 2022.  (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Thune is currently the Senate Republican Whip, a role which Cornyn previously held. Scott has previously served as National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) chair.

Republicans won the Senate majority in the 2024 election.

Earlier this year, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. who has helmed the Senate GOP since 2007, announced that his current term as Senate Republican leader would be his last.

TOP REPUBLICAN PRIVATELY BACKING THUNE TO SUCCEED MCCONNELL IN GOP LEADER RACE

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Scott, during an appearance on Fox Business’ “Kudlow,” said he hopes President-elect Donald Trump will support him for the role. 

Thune said during an appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that he would prefer for Trump to “stay out” of the leadership race.

Fox News Digital’s Julia Johnson contributed to this report.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul says she called President-elect Trump on Thursday to “reaffirm” the pair can work together in areas like infrastructure where the state relies on federal funding.

The call came a day after Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James held a combative press conference where James vowed to “fight back once again” against a Trump administration and defend the rights of New Yorkers and the rule of law.

“It was a very cordial call, and listen, I said I’ll work with anybody,” Hochul said, at a post-election political event in Puerto Rico Friday, per Politico. She said it was an appropriate courtesy to congratulate the winner of an election.

“I basically just reaffirmed there are areas we can work together, like infrastructure, where we rely on federal money, and he seems to share my priorities.”

TRUMP HATING NY ATTORNEY GENERAL LETITIA JAMES VOWS WAR WITH PRESIDENT-ELECT IN DIVISIVE NEWS CONFERENCE

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul says she called President-elect Trump on Thursday to “reaffirm” the pair can work together in areas such as infrastructure, where the state relies on federal funding. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images, left,  Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images, right. )

New York relies on federal funding via the CHIPS and Science Act for its semiconductor plant near Syracuse, the future of which was thrown into doubt after Speaker Mike Johnson said Republicans would likely repeal the law, although he later walked back the comment. The Micron semiconductor plant could bring 50,000 jobs to Central New York, per Politico.

The state also plans to extend the Second Avenue Subway in Manhattan and Hochul says she underlined the importance of federal funding for the MTA and upgrading Penn Station, the busiest transit hub in the country that has become a haven for the city’s homeless population. Hochul previously called it a “hell hole.”

The plan to expand Penn Station would involve demolishing city blocks and could cost nearly $17 billion, according to the New York Post. The plan would run in tandem with the completion of the $16 billion Gateway Project involving the construction of a new tunnel linking New York and New Jersey and refurbishing existing century-old Penn tracks that were badly damaged by Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

“I want Penn Station to be something that we’re all proud of. I said it can be beautiful. And he agreed,” she said of Trump.

FORMER AIDE TO NEW YORK GOV HOCHUL, WHO IS ACCUSED OF BEING CHINESE SPY, WENT ON A TOUR OF THE WHITE HOUSE

Letitia James and Kathy Hochul pose after the rally at 1199 SEIU (Service Employees International Union) Headquarters. The pair held a press conference Wednesday following Trump’s win. (Photo by Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Federal funding for the MTA could hinge on support for Trump, while Hochul has floated implementing congestion pricing to help boost MTA coffers by $1 billion, but Trump previously vowed to terminate congestion pricing. 

The controversial proposal was shelved by Hochul over the summer weeks before it was expected to be implemented. The plan would impose $15 tolls on vehicles entering Lower Manhattan. The MTA received more than $15 billion in COVID-19 funding.

At Trump’s Bronx rally in May, the president-elect vowed to “save” his home city and “turn it around very, very quickly.”

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A person rides an escalator under the Empire State Building at the new entrance to Penn Station and the Moynihan Train Hall on Jan. 29, 2021 in New York City.  (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

But Hochul also said she would be “unrelenting in protecting the rights of New Yorkers.”

On Wednesday, following Trump’s election win, Hochul and James vowed to protect New Yorkers against attacks on abortion, civil rights, immigration, gun control and LGBTQ rights. 

Prior to the election, Hochul said that if New Yorkers voted for Trump and the GOP, “you’re anti-woman, you’re anti-abortion, and basically you’re anti-American because you have just trashed American values and what our country is all about.”

Fox News’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report.