Possible gunfire breaks out at Trump rally in Pennsylvania


Former President Trump was rushed off the stage by the Secret Service at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, after apparent gunshots rang out.

Gunfire appeared to break out shortly after Trump began speaking at the rally at Butler Farm Show grounds on Saturday evening.

TRUMP RETURNS TO PENNSYLVANIA FOR PRE-CONVENTION RALLY IN SWING STATE

Republican presidential candidate former President Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally on Saturday, July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Republican presidential candidate former President Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally on Saturday, July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The former president had just begun to fire up the crowd when as many as five shots were heard, and he went down, surrounded by Secret Service agents.

“And then the worst president in the history of our country took over. And look what happened to our country. Probably 20 million people [came in illegally]. And, you know, that’s a little bit old, that chart… that chart’s a couple of months old. And if you want to really see something that sad, take a look at what happened over…” Trump said before gunfire rang out.

Trump

Republican presidential candidate former President Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally on Saturday, July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

As they led him away, with what appeared to be blood on his head, he raised his arms defiantly.

Trump was heard telling his security team, “let me get my shoes,” as they brought him to his feet and hustled him off-stage. 

Trump

Republican presidential candidate former President Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally on Saturday, July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The frantic scene captured rally-goers racing out after shots rang out.

There is no information on whom the shooter may have been or if any arrests have been made.

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is rushed offstage

Republican presidential candidate former President Trump is rushed offstage during a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

In a statement, the Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said that they have “implemented protective measures.”

“An incident occurred the evening of July 13 at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania,” Guglielmi “The Secret Service has implemented protective measures and the former President is safe. This is now an active Secret Service investigation and further information will be released when available.”

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is rushed offstage during a rally

Republican presidential candidate former President Trump is rushed offstage during a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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In a statement, Trump’s communication director, Steven Cheung, said that the former president “is fine.”

“President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act,” Cheung said. “He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility.”





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Trump returns to Pennsylvania for pre-convention rally in swing state


Former President Trump returned to the swing state of Pennsylvania on Saturday just two days before Republicans gather for the convention and prepare to nominate him for the third consecutive time. 

Trump’s trip and rally to Butler County, in Western Pennsylvania, was set to begin at 5 p.m. at the Butler Farm Show grounds. 

Pennsylvania, with 19 electoral votes, is one of the most vital battleground states that Trump’s campaign has focused on.

The former president held a rally last month at Temple University in Philadelphia.

TRUMP DROPS MAJOR HINT ON HIS RUNNING MATE, AND TIMING OF ANNOUNCEMENT

Trump supporters

Supporters of Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump attend a campaign event in Butler, Pa., on Saturday.  (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Female Trump supporter

Supporters of Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump attend a campaign event in Butler, Pa., on Saturday.  (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Trump has strung out his choice of running mate, leaving speculation soaring about whom the former president will choose.

TRUMP’S ODDS OF WINNING PRESIDENCY SOAR AS BIDEN FACES GROWING SCRUTINY

The most-mentioned possibilities are North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance and Tim Scott of South Carolina.

Vance, in nearby Ohio, will not be in attendance at the rally, Fox News has learned.

Republicans at Trump rally

A man holds a sign as he and others wait for Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump to speak at a campaign event in Butler, Pa.  (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

The Democratic Party has been engulfed in a crisis since President Biden’s dismal debate performance that has sparked calls for him to step aside, leaving Trump mainly out of the spotlight.

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The former president has made just a few public appearances over the course of the last few weeks, while Biden has kicked into high gear to quell fears about his mental acuity.





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Will Trump reveal running mate from convention podium Monday night reality TV style?


MILWAUKEE — Eight years ago, Donald Trump named his running mate three days before the start of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

“I am pleased to announce that I have chosen Governor Mike Pence as my Vice Presidential running mate. News conference tomorrow at 11:00 A.M.” Trump wrote in a tweet July 15, 2016.

Fast-forward eight years, and with just two days to go until the start of the 2024 GOP convention in battleground Wisconsin’s largest city, the once and possibly future president has yet to make any announcement.

THIS POPULAR GOP GOVERNOR SAYS TRUMP WILL DO WELL IN HIS SWING STATE

The Republican National Convention gets underway in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Monday July 15, 2024

The Fiserv Forum, where the Republican National Convention gets underway in Milwaukee Monday, July 15, 2024 (Fox News/Monica Oroz)

With President Biden facing a rising chorus of calls from fellow Democrats to end his re-election campaign amid increasing concerns about his ability to serve another four years in the White House after his damaging debate performance last month, Trump has been in no rush to steal the political spotlight.

But in the past couple of days, the former president has indicated he’d like to unveil his running mate at the convention.

TRUMP HANDICAPS THREE OF HIS TOP RUNNING MATE CONTENDERS 

“I’d love to do it during the convention,” Trump said on Fox News’ “Hannity” at the beginning of the week.

Two days later, he emphasized on “The Brian Kilmeade Show on Fox Radio” that, “You know, in the old days, they did it during the convention, and it kept the convention very exciting, actually. So, we’ll see about that.”

On Thursday, in an appearance on “The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show,” the former president reiterated his desire to announce his running mate during the convention. He likened the unveiling of his pick to his one-time reality TV show on NBC that further vaulted the national identity of the real estate and business mogul. 

“It’s like a highly sophisticated version of ‘The Apprentice’ if you think about it,” Trump said.

TRUMP DROPS MAJOR HINT IN VEEPSTAKES

A Trump campaign official, who asked for anonymity, told Fox News “there is an opportunity to do that.”

“We are prepared when President Trump announces his choice,” the official said.

An announcement at the convention would be a dramatic finale to a process that in recent weeks has increasingly grabbed attention.

But the clock’s ticking for Trump. 

Trump at Virginia rally

Former President Trump, a Republican presidential candidate, speaks during a rally at Greenbrier Farms June 28, 2024, in Chesapeake, Va. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The convention kicks off Monday, and Trump will have to name his running mate before a roll call is held to formally nominate that person. While party officials have yet to reveal when the roll call will be held, it will have to be before Wednesday evening, when the vice presidential nominee will address the delegates from the podium. 

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As for whom Trump will pick, he’s indicated that his short list includes senators J.D. Vance of Ohio and Marco Rubio of Florida and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. The former president has also praised Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina.

Trump told Fox News’ Kilmeade this week, ­­­­­”I think I’m pretty well set in my own mind.”

Top advisers insist Trump’s the only person who knows the identity of the vice presidential nominee.

“For the record, I don’t know who it is!” Trump co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita wrote in a social media post, pointing to the intense speculation about the former president’s running mate.

Trump campaign senior adviser Brian Hughes reiterated to Fox News that “anyone claiming to know who or when President Trump will choose his VP is lying, unless the person is named Donald J. Trump.”

Once the announcement is made, the Trump campaign says it’s ready to quickly print signs, shirts, hats and other merchandise emblazoned with the GOP 2024 ticket, officials confirmed.

“Whenever that decision is made, we are ready to go,” another Trump campaign adviser, who also asked to remain anonymous, told Fox News.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.



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Biden to speak to two House Dem groups while hunkered down in dreary Delaware ahead of high-stakes interviews


President Biden is spending his weekend away from the White House at his Delaware beach house, a well-known retreat for the president, ahead of high-stakes interviews and the Republican Party’s convention next week.

Following a Friday evening campaign event in Michigan, the president’s weekend at Rehoboth Beach has been largely quiet after he acknowledged on Thursday that he needs to “pace” himself yet insisted he should take on a more robust schedule ahead of the 2024 election.

Biden is expected to take part in two conference calls on Saturday with House Democrats – the New Dems Coalition and the Congressional Progressive Caucus – but has no public events on his Saturday Rehoboth schedule. Thirteen Democrats in the New Dems Coalition have called for Biden to step aside in the 2024 race.

It has been reported that the president may also attend a church service during his weekend trip.

BIDEN TELLS MICHIGAN CROWD HE’S ‘NOT GOING ANYWHERE’ AMID CHANTS OF ‘DON’T YOU QUIT’

Joe Biden, Rehoboth Beach vacation home

Sources near the president’s vacation home in Sussex County, Delaware, told Fox News Digital there has been little movement by the Secret Service since the president’s arrival in town Friday evening. (Getty Images/Fox News)

With sporadic rain expected for the remainder of the day in Rehoboth Beach, Biden remained hunkered down amid growing calls from members of his own party to withdraw from the race for the White House.

Sources near the president’s vacation home in Sussex County, Delaware, told Fox News Digital there has been little movement by the Secret Service since the president’s arrival in town Friday evening.

When the president returns to work next week, he will be forced to shift gears for a series of additional high-stakes interviews amid the Republican National Convention, which is taking place in Milwaukee from July 15 to 18.

Biden is slated to take part in a taped, one-on-one interview with “NBC Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt on Monday from Austin, Texas. That interview, which will mark the president’s second cable news appearance since his rocky debate last month, will air in its entirety at 9 p.m. ET the same day.

The president will also take part in two additional interviews next week, according to Dylan Byers, a senior correspondent for Puck News.

Byers reported Thursday that Biden would take part in a Tuesday interview with a “Black national media outlet” during the NAACP Conference, and another on Wednesday with a “Latino national media outlet.”

Those interviews will come as Biden continues his attempt to convince members of his own party, as well as voters from different corners of America who have concerns about his age and mental acuity, that he is up to the task of four more years in the White House.

‘UNDERDOG’ BIDEN STILL HAS TIME TO TURN CAMPAIGN AROUND BEFORE THE ELECTION, DEMOCRAT STRATEGISTS SAY

Rehoboth Beach, Biden

Images from gloomy Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, show road closures amid the president’s weekend visit and a parking lot staged with government vehicles. (Fox News)

A large majority of Americans want Biden to drop out of the race, including a majority of his own supporters, according to a Thursday poll from ABC News and the Washington Post that was released ahead of his press conference.

A full 67% of respondents said Biden should drop out of the race, and 85% say he is too old to serve out a second term. Meanwhile, 60% of respondents also said former President Trump is too old for a second term, up from 44% in the spring of 2023.

Among Democrats and voters who said they lean Democratic, 62% said Biden needs to drop out of the race. Even among self-professed Biden supporters, 54% said he needs to drop out.

However, the poll found that Biden and Trump are virtually tied, despite voters’ lack of confidence in Biden, with 46% saying they would vote for the current president and 47% saying they support Trump.

A total of 18 elected Democrats have called on Biden to step aside in the White House race.

Biden Detroit Rally

President Biden during a campaign event in Detroit, Michigan, on July 12, 2024. (Emily Elconin/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Despite the calls for him to withdraw from the race, Biden told supporters at his Detroit rally on Friday that he is “not going anywhere.”

“You made me the nominee, no one else. Not the press, not the pundits, not the insiders, not donors — you the voters. You decided, no one else, and I’m not going anywhere,” he declared.

Fox News’ Chad Pergram and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.





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Trump and allies thrilled with Biden press conference: ‘Too much gold not to use’


Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and allies see President Biden’s highly anticipated and much-scrutinized news conference as a win-win for the former president.

“It appears Biden did enough to convince his apologists that he should remain on the ballot, but he also reinforced what the American people know. Their lives are being hurt by his weakness and failure on a daily basis,” a Trump campaign official, who asked for anonymity to speak more freely, told Fox News Digital after Thursday night’s press conference.

As the president continues to push back against a rising chorus of calls from within the Democratic Party for him to step aside and end his 2024 re-election campaign following last month’s disastrous debate performance with Trump, the news conference didn’t appear to do any further damage. But it’s also doubtful it will stem the growing movement to urge Biden to drop out of the race.

FIRST ON FOX: TOP PRO-TRUMP SUPER PAC SHOWCASES MASSIVE FUNDRAISING HAUL

President Biden news conference

President Biden at a news conference during the NATO Summit in Washington, D.C., Thursday, July 11, 2024. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Trump’s campaign hopes Biden stays in the race. Trump’s campaign appears to believe he is the weakest candidate for the former president to face. The Trump campaign continues to argue the 81-year-old Biden isn’t physically or mentally up to the task of serving as president.

WATCH: BIDEN’S REACTION TO MIXING UP NAMES 

After Biden mistakenly referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump,” Trump’s social media account quickly shared a clip of the moment, with the former president writing, “Great job, Joe!”

Trump also posted on social media some of the other stumbles and gaffes by the president at the high-stakes news conference.

Donald Trump Jr., who’s a top surrogate for this father, said on his Rumble livestream that Biden did “fine enough to be able to stay in it” but later shared a social media post that blended the faces of Trump and Harris together and said “Vice President Trump.”

Veteran Republican consultant Dave Carney told Fox News the news conference “couldn’t have been better.”

“He didn’t drool, he didn’t fall, he didn’t freeze up,” Carney, who steers a leading pro-Trump super PAC, noted.

SOURCES SAY BIDEN FUNDRAISING TAKES A HIT AMID RISING CALLS FROM DEMOCRATS FOR PRESIDENT TO END 2024 CAMPAIGN

But Carney argued that nothing Biden said at the news conference was “reassuring” to voters or to America’s allies.

He argued that when it comes to Biden’s candidacy, things remain “unsettled,” and for Republicans, “unsettled is good.”

Donald Trump

Former President Trump speaks during a campaign event at Historic Greenbrier Farms in Chesapeake, Va., June 28, 2024. (Parker Michels-Boyce/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Longtime Republican strategist Mike Biundo told Fox News the president “did enough not to get kicked out of the race but not enough to look like a competent candidate.”

“From the Republican and the Trump side, I think it’s a 100% win-win for us,” added Biundo, who served as a top adviser on Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.

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Since the June 27 debate in Atlanta, the Trump campaign and super PACs supporting the former president have refrained from using clips of the president’s stumbles in ads. They’ve mostly laid low and allowed the media spotlight to remain on Biden and the Democratic Party turmoil over his candidacy.

Asked if Trump’s campaign or allied groups should use clips of the gaffes from the news conference in ads, Biundo said, “I’ve always been a big believer when someone’s doing damage to themselves, you allow them to do the damage, and you get out of the way.

“But some of those clips are just too much gold not to use.”

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.



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Conservatives rip RNC for giving ‘SlutWalk’ organizer Amber Rose a speaking slot


Several conservative entities expressed outrage on Friday after news broke that Amber Rose, the model and TV personality and ex-girlfriend of Kanye West, would be speaking at the Republican National Convention (RNC).

Critics called out the GOP for giving such prominence to Rose, a rapper and model who also wrote “How to Be a Bad B—h,” with one critic sharing a video of her discussing Satanism.

“George W. Bush, Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, Liz Cheney, Nikki Haley, and Ron DeSantis weren’t invited to speak at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee next week. But no worries. Rapper and model Amber Rose will give a speech,” read a post on X from the account “Republicans Against Trump.”

“Wait until Trump finds out about this tweet,” they added, citing Rose’s adamant opposition to Trump in 2016.

TRUMP EX MARLA MAPLES RESPONDS TO VEEP TALK: ‘I’M OPEN… TO SERVE’

Kanye West and Amber Rose.

Kanye West and Amber Rose. (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

“Man, f— the fact he’s old, and f— the fact that he was on TV,” Rose wrote at the time, calling the now-GOP nominee a “sexual predator.”

More recently, however, Rose has posted photos to social media of herself in a bikini wearing a “MAGA” hat, endorsed the presumptive GOP nominee in May and shared another photo of herself with the former president and former first lady Melania Trump.

“Is Donald Trump not for women’s rights issues? – He’s trying to Make America Great Again – that’s for women too,” Rose told a TMZ camerawoman.

“I think [getting convicted in New York] helps him more,” she added, citing the “injustice” it represented.

“We just did our research and we’re not brainwashed anymore by the left,” Rose added.

The Lincoln Project, a consortium of anti-Trump activists on the right, also lamented the move, saying, “This is what the Republican Party has become.”

Conservative “Blaze” host Steve Deace commented, “If this is winning the culture war it’s for a culture I want no part of.”

TRUMP SON-IN-LAW MICHAEL BOULOS MEETS WITH DOZENS OF ARAB-AMERICAN LEADERS IN EFFORT TO CURRY FAVOR

Donald Trump and Amber Rose split

Former President Trump and Amber Rose. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images | Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

Fox News Digital also reached out to evangelical leader Ralph Reed and the Faith & Freedom Coalition for comment.

A representative for the Family Research Center, a pro-life, pro-family group on the right, also did not respond by press time.

Longtime conservative columnist Jonah Goldberg, who has criticized Trump in the past, wrote simply, “Res ipsa loquitur.”

The phrase comes from Latin, roughly describing something that “speaks for itself.”

Podcaster Dr. Taylor Marshall criticized the contrast between Rose speaking this year and previous Trump-nominating conventions where Sister Deirdre Byrne, a pro-life nun, as well as pro-life activist Abby Johnson were given speaking slots.

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Donald Trump interview

Former President Trump speaks at the Republican National Convention headquarters in Washington, D.C., on June 13. (Fox News)

“Now they will platform Amber Rose who is the founder of “The Slut Walk” and vocally pro-abortion and pro-LGBT. This is a hard left turn into degeneracy,” Marshall said.

However, at least one conservative activist welcomed Rose’s speaking slot.

Xaviaer DuRousseau, who has appeared on “The Ingraham Angle” in the past as a young conservative voice, said he cannot wait to hear Rose “speak truth at the RNC.”

“Amber Rose is one of many Black Americans who finally woke up from the Left’s lies after doing her own research about President Trump,” he said, calling her addition to the guest list proof the convention will be a “historic event.”

Clips of Rose’s past controversial comments began making the rounds online after the news broke, with X user Peter Henlein sharing the following clip of a past interview with the Philadelphia native.

“I’m not a Satanist… Satanists are just atheists as well, but they’re just more political. OK. They, they have, like — it’s actually a very rational, logical religion. They help a lot of people, a lot of women to get abortions in Southern states that, you know, where they’re illegal,” she said in the clip.

The Republican National Committee did not respond to a request for comment at press time.



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Biden rejects calls to resign at Detroit rally amid cheers of ‘Don’t you quit’


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President Biden left no ambiguity about his intentions to stay in the 2024 election during a Michigan rally on Friday.

Speaking in Detroit to a crowd that Democrats say passed 2,000 attendees, Biden characterized himself as a people’s champion under siege by elitist powers in Washington, D.C.

“I’m the nominee of this party, because 14 million Democrats like you voted for me in the primaries,” Biden told the crowd. 

‘UNDERDOG’ BIDEN STILL HAS TIME TO TURN CAMPAIGN AROUND BEFORE THE ELECTION, DEMOCRAT STRATEGISTS SAY

Biden Detroit Rally

Biden speaks to the crowd during a campaign event in Detroit, Michigan. The president left no ambiguity on whether he intended to continue his 2024 re-election campaign. (Emily Elconin/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

He continued, “You made me the nominee, no one else. Not the press, not the pundits, not the insiders, not donors — you the voters. You decided, no one else, and I’m not going anywhere.”

The Detroit crowd offered multiple coordinated cheers in support of Biden, including “Don’t you quit” and “We’ve got your back.”

Biden faces increased calls to step down as the Democratic nominee following his performance at the first presidential debate, however, strategists with knowledge of presidential campaigns say irreversible damage has not been done to his re-election efforts.

“You’ve probably noticed a lot of speculation lately. What’s Joe Biden going to do? Is he going to stay in the race? Is he going to drop out?” Biden shouted during the rally. “Here’s my answer — I am running, and we’re going to win.”

DEMOCRATIC OFFICIALS ADMIT HAVING BIDEN CONCERNS AT JUNETEEENTH CONCERT: ‘HE SEEMED ALTERED’

Biden Detroit Rally

Supporters attend the campaign rally held by Biden at Renaissance High School in Detroit, Michigan. (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Democrats are nervous as the calendar marches towards August, when the national convention will be held to confirm the party’s nominee.

Biden has stated on several occasions that he will not be stepping down as the nominee, but he continues to face pressure from members within his own party to consider dropping out of the 2024 race.

“The president has been clear — he’s the elected nominee, and he is not budging from that position unless god himself intervenes,” Democrat strategist Mark Penn told Fox News Digital when asked about the state of Biden’s campaign.

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Biden Detroit Rally

Biden has defied a chorus of Democratic lawmakers and media pundits that have called for his resignation from the 2024 presidential race. Whether the president decides to step down becomes increasingly relevant as the Democratic National Convention draws nearer in August. (Emily Elconin/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“Right now, Donald Trump is clearly leading, but it’s nowhere near double digits, so the race remains within the ability of a few percent of switching voters to change the outcome and, as events like the debate show, there’s plenty of game-changing possibilities.”

Reports have also surfaced that former President Barack Obama has been working “behind the scenes” to force Biden out of the race. Multiple media outlets reported Thursday morning on Obama’s alleged efforts, including Politico, which stated that the former president had been given a “heads-up” by Clooney about his guest essay.

A source close to Obama declined to comment on the reports but pointed Fox News Digital to the former president’s statements in support of Biden, both at the Los Angeles fundraiser that became the subject of Clooney’s op-ed and following the debate.

Fox News Digital’s Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.



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The 2024 Republican National Convention: What to know


The 2024 Republican National Convention starts its celebratory programming Monday as Republicans officially nominate President Trump for the third time and will spend four nights in Milwaukee, Wisconsin rallying support ahead of November’s election.

Where the action will take place

The main action for the quadrennial event will be held from July 15-18 at the Fiserv Forum, an arena that is the home of the Milwaukee Bucks professional basketball team. More than 50,000 people, including hundreds of journalists from around the world, are expected to attend.

There will be the usual convention tasks throughout the four days. Delegates, almost 2,400 of them, must approve a platform and formally designate the presidential ticket: Trump and his yet-to-be-named running mate. They’ll hear from both national candidates and a slew of others rallying support for Trump and taking aim at Democrats.

SOFTENED ABORTION LANGUAGE IN TRUMP-APPROVED GOP PLATFORM IRKS SOME SOCIAL CONSERVATIVES

An exterior view of the Fiserv Forum, where the Republican National Convention gets underway in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Monday July 15, 2024

An exterior view of the Fiserv Forum, where the Republican National Convention gets underway in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Monday July 15, 2024

Who are the speakers?

The RNC has not yet released the full detailed schedule for the event, but several speakers have already been announced including Donald Trump Jr. who reportedly will occupy the speaking slot directly in front of his father.

Also speaking at the convention, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, former First Lady Melania Trump, Teamsters President Sean O’Brien, UFC President Dana White, model Amber Rose, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, and Indiana Congressman Jim Banks.

There will also be several everyday Americans impacted by President Biden’s disastrous economic and border policies, in addition to skyrocketing crime, slated to speak. 

Michael Morin, the brother of Rachel Morin, the Maryland mother of 5 who was brutally murdered by an illegal immigrant, will be speaking. Fraternity brothers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who went viral for saving the American flag at an anti-Israel protest are also expected to speak, among others.

Trump is expected to accept the nomination with a speech on July 18, the final night of the convention, and his vice presidential pick is expected to be announced by July 15. Trump’s VP will then address the convention on July 17.

HALEY URGES HER CONVENTION DELEGATES TO SUPPORT TRUMP: ‘REPUBLICAN UNITY’

Donald Trump arrives to Trump Tower after being found guilty

Donald Trump arrives to Trump Tower, Thursday, May 30, 2024 after being found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. (Felipe Ramales for Fox News Digital)

How to watch

Fox News Media will present special live coverage of the 2024 Republican National Convention beginning Sunday, July 14th through Thursday, July 18th.

“Originating from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the network’s convention coverage will be available across all of FOX News Media’s platforms, including FOX News Channel (FNC), FOX Business Network (FBN), FOX News Audio, FOX News Digital and FOX Nation,” a press release said.

What are the themes?

“Make America Wealthy Again” is the theme for Monday’s program, which will focus on how “President Trump’s America First economic policies slashed cumbersome regulations, cut tax rates, and reworked trade deals to create a fairer playing field for American industry and workers.”

Tuesday’s theme will be “Make America Safe Once Again” where the focus will be on skyrocketing crime in many cities causing them to become what the campaign calls “hollowed out, dystopian nightmares thanks to Joe Biden and Democrats’ woke soft-on-crime and open border policies.

“Make America Strong Once Again” will highlight Trump’s foreign policy accomplishments and agenda as the theme for Wednesday.

On Thursday, the final day, the theme will be, “Make America Great Once Again.”

“President Donald J. Trump will usher in a new golden age for America. At home and abroad, America’s standing will be restored,” the campaign says.

“American families will once again experience prosperity, safety, and strength. Our decaying and decrepit cities and communities will experience a resurgence. Americans will once again have reason to harbor hope and optimism for the future of our country. President Trump will Make America Great Once Again!”

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Donald Trump wearing a red make america great again hat

Presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump at rally (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

What’s happening with the party platform?

The Republican Party’s platform, a formal statement of policy positions, was approved by its platform committee and released on Monday. It is expected to be approved on the first day of the national convention next week.

The 16-page platform embraces Trump’s position that the issue of abortion is to be determined by individual U.S. states. It makes no mention of a federal ban or protecting a fetus as a person under the U.S. Constitution – tenets that have been included in past platforms and were demanded by a cadre of influential evangelicals.

The platform, which is not binding, also pledges that Trump and Republicans will build a missile defense shield over the United States, carry out “the largest deportation in American history” of people in the country illegally, make permanent Trump’s signature tax cuts and pass “large tax cuts for workers.” It says they will demolish foreign drug cartels, protect Medicare and Social Security benefits, and support public funds being used for private school tuition.

Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report



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Mexican man charged with killing two children in Wisconsin is in US illegally


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A Mexican man accused of stabbing three people, including two children who died of their injuries, is in the U.S. illegally, federal authorities confirmed to Fox News Digital on Friday.

Victor Manuel Gomez-Acosta, a Mexican illegal immigrant, was charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide, attempted first-degree homicide and operating under the influence after being arrested in Abbotsford, Wisconsin.

The Colby-Abbotsford Police Department said that two children were found dead at the scene with stab wounds, while an adult woman was also stabbed but was given medical care. Gomez-Acosta was found inside the residence and was apprehended. He was later transported to a medical center after police found self-inflicted stab wounds.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECTED IN MARYLAND MOM RACHEL MORIN’S MURDER FACES MAXIMUM PENALTY IF CONVICTED

Victor Manuel Gomez-Acosta

This image shows Victor Manuel Gomez-Acosta, charged with homicide.

According to WQOW, the victims are Gomez-Acosta’s wife and daughters. The outlet, citing the criminal complaint, reported that the children were found in one of their bedrooms. One had been stabbed 16 times and the other 20 times. His wife was reportedly stabbed approximately 17 times, with one of the wounds cutting her vocal cords.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed to Fox News Digital that Gomez-Acosta is in the country illegally and that it has placed a detainer on him following his arrest on July 9. A detainer is a request that, once released from custody, he be transferred to ICE for deportation.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTED IN BROAD DAYLIGHT RAPE OF 13-YEAR-OLD IN NEW YORK PARK

Migrant Crossings At Southern Border Increase Ahead Of Title 42 Expiration

The U.S. has been facing a massive border crisis since 2021. It has become a top political issue ahead of the November election. (John Moore/Getty Images)

Gomez-Acosta entered the U.S. legally in Sept. 2016, via the port of entry in Laredo, Texas. However, according to the agency, he failed to depart at the time specified as part of his entry conditions.

The arrest comes days before the Republican National Convention, which is being held in Milwaukee. Illegal immigration and border security are expected to be top issues for speakers and delegates, and both have been shown to be top priorities for voters ahead of the November election.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

Republicans have blamed the Biden administration for fueling the ongoing border crisis, which has set record numbers over the past three years. They blame policies including the narrowing of ICE enforcement and the rolling back of Trump-era policies like wall construction and the Remain-in-Mexico policy.

“Time and time again, we have seen the tragic consequences of Joe Biden’s border crisis; yet, the president refuses to reverse course,” Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., told Fox News Digital. “No town is immune, even our towns up north in Wisconsin are feeling the horrific impact.”

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The Biden administration has said it is dealing with a hemisphere-wide crisis which needs funding and reforms from Congress to fix what it says is a “broken” immigration system. It has pointed to efforts it has made in lieu of that action, including a recent executive order which has limited entries and seen a short-term reduction of 40%. It has also said that a majority of all southern encounters during the past three fiscal years have resulted in a removal, return or expulsion.



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Melania Trump expected to appear at Republican National Convention


Former first lady Melania Trump is expected to appear at the Republican National Convention next week in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, according to a report.

Two individuals familiar with the situation told the Associated Press that the former first lady will attend the convention, where her husband, former President Donald Trump, is set to be nominated.

The convention, which is set to run from July 15 through 18, would be one of Melania Trump’s first appearances in months in support of her husband’s presidential campaign.

AMBER ROSE CONFIRMS PRO-TRUMP SPEECH AT RNC IN MILWAUKEE NEXT WEEK

Melania Trump

Melania Trump is seen leaving Trump Tower in New York City. The former first lady is expected to speak at the Republican National Convention next week. (MEGA/GC Images)

Melania Trump has kept a low profile in the years since she lived in the White House, reportedly focusing most on raising teenage son Barron.

She has briefly popped up on major occasions to appear with Donald Trump, such as his Super Tuesday victory party and his 78th birthday party in June.

Donald Trump has described her as a “private” person who does not enjoy being in the spotlight but endures the pressure for his sake.

FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP, MELANIA AT BARRON’S GRADUATION IN FLORIDA DURING BREAK IN NEW YORK CRIMINAL TRIAL

Melania Trump Donald Trump

Republican presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump, arrives at the home of billionaire investor John Paulson, with former first lady Melania Trump in Palm Beach, Florida.  (Alon Skuy/Getty Images)

“You know, a lot of first ladies would go out — they want to be everywhere. They get angry at their husband, because he’s not introducing them,” Trump said at a Fox News townhall in February. “If I didn’t introduce Melania, she’d be very happy about it. She’s just a different kind of a person.”

He has praised the attention she pays to Barron, as well her personal charitable endeavors.

“Her life revolves around that boy. It’s so important to her,” Trump said at the townhall. “At the same time, it also revolves around our country and the success of our country. She’s raised a lot of money for charity. She’s a private person.”

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Former President Donald Trump on stage

Trump arrives for his campaign rally at the Trump National Doral Golf Club in Doral, Florida.  (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Another member of the Trump clan — Lara Trump — currently serves as the Republican National Committee co-chair.

Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Ivanka Trump and others are also expected to be in attendance.



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Top Dem plots tying SCOTUS funding to ‘enforceable’ ethics code amid Thomas, Alito controversies


A top Senate appropriator is considering fencing off operational funding for the Supreme Court in the fiscal year 2025 spending bill and forcing the court to enforce an ethics code in order to access it following controversies over Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito’s wives’ political behavior and gifts the justices have been given by wealthy friends. 

In the next appropriations measure to fund the “general government,” which includes the Supreme Court, the appropriations subcommittee chairman is “definitely” looking into reviving a proposal this year to compel the court to implement an enforceable code of ethics.

The Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government Chairman Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., told Fox News Digital on Thursday about a proposal he advanced last year “to fence [off] some of the Supreme Court funding,” except for money for protection. 

TESTER DENIES TIGHT RACE, SAYS INTERNAL POLLING HAS HIM BEATING SHEEHY: ’KICKING HIS A–’

Chris Van Hollen, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., left, is considering tying operational funding for the Supreme Court to its enforcement of an ethics code.  (Getty Images)

His idea at the time was to fence off some of the court’s operational funding “until the Supreme Court implemented an enforceable code of ethics similar to that that applies to lower courts,” he said.

Now, as the Supreme Court and Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito have come under renewed scrutiny for alleged unethical conduct, Van Hollen is “looking at doing that again.”

Renewed calls from Democrats for an ethics code to be enforced for justices of the Supreme Court stacked up last year following a report that detailed Thomas’ friendship with billionaire real estate tycoon Harlan Crow and some of the lavish gifts he’d received from him. 

BIDEN DRAGS DOWN MICHIGAN SENATE RACE AS COOK POLITICAL REPORT DECLARES ‘TOSS UP’

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas

A report last year detailed Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ friendship with billionaire real estate tycoon Harlan Crow and some of the lavish gifts he’d received from him. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

The effort gained steam again this summer after reports earlier in the year about an upside-down American flag and an “Appeal to Heaven” flag that were flown at Alito’s homes. Some claimed the upside-down American flag was a sign of support for those who rioted at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. However, Alito said the flag was flown by his wife in a dispute with a neighbor. 

Several Senate Democrats called on both Alito and Thomas to recuse themselves from cases having to do with the 2020 election, suggesting they cannot be impartial in the matter. In particular, the justices were asked to recuse from the matter of former President Trump’s immunity, which was ruled on earlier this month. 

Neither Thomas nor Alito recused themselves from the case. In a 6-3 decision, the high court determined Trump has substantial immunity from prosecution as it relates to official acts that are committed while in office. The immunity does not extend to unofficial acts.

BLUMENTHAL SAYS SOME CONCERNS ‘DEEPENED’ AFTER MEETING WITH BIDEN CAMP ADVISERS

Alito and his wife at Billy Graham funeral

An upside-down American flag was displayed outside Justice Samuel Alito’s home on Jan. 17, 2021, days after former President Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. Alito said the flag was flown by his wife in a dispute with a neighbor. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., was one of the more vocal Democrats calling for their recusal. He told Fox News Digital earlier this summer that he heard “some discussion” about including the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act in the annual appropriations bill. 

I think we should use every tool available to compel the Supreme Court to adopt a truly enforceable code of ethics,” he said at the time.  

The bill has yet to be brought to the Senate floor for a vote, despite Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., having the ability to do so. Schumer’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment last month about whether he would take up the bill and if there was enough Democratic support to warrant doing so. 

DEM SENATOR HELPS BLOCK BIDEN JUDICIAL NOMINEE AMID CONTROVERSY OVER TRANSGENDER INMATE

Justice Alito, Sen .Sheldon Whitehouse split

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., right, revived an ethics concern he had with Justice Alito last year amid the ongoing backlash to flags flown at the justice’s homes. (Getty Images)

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., has led his colleagues on the bill and advocated for its passage once again in the wake of the Alito controversy. The senator recently told Fox News Digital that he had spoken to Schumer about bringing the bill to the floor for a vote, but that it was dependent on scheduling. 

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According to Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., who has joined calls to pass the legislation, his “preference” is not the route of appropriations. 

The senator said he’d rather “we have a straight-up discussion about Supreme Court ethics.”

“Everybody should want a court that has credibility and respect for Republicans and Democrats, because all of us have to abide by the decisions they make,” he explained last month. “So, I’d rather have a straight, standalone approach.”





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Popular governor of swing state says post-Biden-Trump debate ‘it’s a coin toss’


EXCLUSIVE – NEWFIELDS, N.H. – Gov. Chris Sununu for a couple of years has been one of former President Trump’s most vocal GOP critics.

But New Hampshire’s popular Republican governor says that his state “is very much in play for the former president,” who next week officially becomes the GOP’s 2024 presidential nominee.

It’s been nearly a quarter-century since a Republican carried swing state New Hampshire in a presidential election. You have to go back to then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush in 2000. 

But in the wake of two recent polls that indicated a margin-of-error race in New Hampshire and following President Biden’s extremely rough debate performance two weeks ago, Republicans are increasingly hopeful they can bring an end to the losing streak.

LEADING NON-PARTISAN POLITICAL HANDICAPPER SHIFTS A HANDFUL OF STATES IN PRESIDENTIAL RACE

NH may be in play for Trump

Former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event in Laconia, New Hampshire, on Monday, Jan. 22, 2024, on the eve of the state’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary.  (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

“It’s going to be a coin toss. It’s really at the end of the day going to be a 50-50 state,” Sununu said in a national exclusive interview with Fox News Digital in his hometown in New Hampshire’s Seacoast region.

Sununu predicted that Trump “is going to do very, very well in a swing state like New Hampshire.”

WHAT SWING STATE VOTERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BIDEN’S EXTREMELY ROUGH DEBATE PERFORMANCE

The governor, pointing to a rising chorus of calls by elected Democrats for Biden to end his presidential re-election campaign amid deep concerns over his physical and cognitive ability to steer the country for another four years, argued that “there’s going to be a voter turnout problem on the Democrat side.”

He said that also working against the Democrats in New Hampshire are “the pains of inflation,” which he said “are very, very, real for average families out there. They need to see a change.”

Joe Biden, Donald Trump

President Biden and former President Trump face off in a debate in Atlanta, Georgia on June 27, 2024. (Getty Images)

Sununu is far from the only Republican in New Hampshire who’s optimistic.

“I firmly believe that New Hampshire is very much in play,” Steve Stepanek, the senior Trump adviser in the state, told Fox News days after the debate.

Democrats obviously disagree.

Former longtime Democratic state party chair and former Democratic National Committee member Kathy Sullivan spotlighted that “New Hampshire is not Trump-friendly territory” and that “there’s nothing changing the dynamic now in terms of Biden versus Trump in New Hampshire.” 

BIDEN TELLS CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS THAT CALLING FOR HIM TO DROP OUT ‘ONLY HELPS TRUMP AND HURTS US’

Democrats also currently hold a very large organizational advantage over the GOP when it comes to ground-game operations in New Hampshire.

The Biden re-election team and the state Democratic coordinated campaign have 14 field offices across New Hampshire, with boots on the ground since January. Meanwhile, the Trump team and the GOP currently have one field office in addition to the campaign’s state headquarters.

“New Hampshire Democrats will continue to use our robust, grassroots campaign infrastructure to reach Granite Staters in every corner of New Hampshire to ensure we come together and re-elect President Biden and Vice President Harris in November — the stakes could not be higher,” longtime state Democratic Party chair Ray Buckley emphasized in a statement.

Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire says his state is in play in the presidential election

Republican Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire is interviewed by Fox News Digital, on July 11, 2024, in Newfields, N.H.  (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Sununu won’t be heading to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for next week’s Republican National Convention.

“I’ve got a job to do here,” he emphasized. 

But the governor, who in recent years has been a frequent guest on the national broadcast and cable news networks, said he would “doing a lot of media” remotely.

The big announcement coming out of the convention will be Trump’s naming of a running mate.

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“I don’t think it will make a huge difference in terms of whether Trump will be successful in terms of the campaign, but it will surely make a difference in terms of the former president’s ability to be productive once he gets back into office,” Sununu said. 

Sununu made a pitch for Trump to name a governor, noting that “obviously I’m pretty biased in that direction that you need a CEO, a partner, a manager that can help take care of a lot of the other things that the president – being a 24-7 type job – may not be able to handle.”

Doug Burgum is on Donald Trump's running mate short list, sources tell Fox News

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum speaks at a news conference with fellow Republican governors, at an oil refinery in Chalmette, Louisiana on June 3, 2024. New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu is seen standing to the right behind Burgum. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Asked about North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who is considered to be on the short list for running mate, the governor had plenty of praise.

Sununu, who joined Burgum on the campaign trail in New Hampshire last year as Burgum unsuccessfully ran for the White House, said “Doug Burgum is incredible. He’s a great friend. He was a great governor. He’d be a great asset towards the Trump administration.”

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.



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‘Underdog’ Biden still has time to turn campaign around before the election, Democrat strategists say


President Joe Biden still has time to turn his campaign around and evade being replaced as the nominee despite a damaging two weeks that followed the first presidential debate, Democrat strategists tell Fox News Digital.

Biden faces increased calls to step down as the Democratic nominee following his performance at the first presidential debate, however strategists with knowledge of presidential campaigns say irreversible damage has not been done to his re-election efforts.

“The president has been clear — he’s the elected nominee, and he is not budging from that position unless god himself intervenes,” Democrat strategist Mark Penn told Fox News Digital when asked about the state of Biden’s campaign.

“Right now, Donald Trump is clearly leading, but it’s nowhere near double digits, so the race remains within the ability of a few percent of switching voters to change the outcome and, as events like the debate show, there’s plenty of game-changing possibilities.”

CRITICS AGREE BIDEN PRESS CONFERENCE IS ‘WORST POSSIBLE OUTCOME’ FOR DEMS: ‘HE’S NOT GOING ANYWHERE’

MADISON, WISCONSIN - JULY 05: President Joe Biden speaks to supporters during a campaign rally at Sherman Middle School on July 05, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin.

MADISON, WISCONSIN – JULY 05: President Joe Biden speaks to supporters during a campaign rally at Sherman Middle School on July 05, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Scott Olson)

Penn added that “net-net Biden is now the underdog, but this race is far from over.”

Jessica Tarlov, Fox News Contributor and Democrat political strategist, also said that Biden has more than enough time to turn his campaign around before November.

DEMOCRATIC OFFICIALS ADMIT HAVING BIDEN CONCERNS AT JUNETEEENTH CONCERT: ‘HE SEEMED ALTERED’

“Is there enough time? Of course. Four months is a lifetime in politics. The election is about Trump. Those that will support him and those that won’t. I’m not saying Biden has ground to make up, but Trump remains hugely unpopular and polarizing through all of the president’s troubles,” Tarlov said. 

kamala harris nevada

Vice President Kamala Harris has been considered the top replacement for Biden should he step down as the Democratic nominee. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service)

Tarlov noted that Democrats will need to come together in order to secure a win in November.

“Whatever happens, Democrats have to come together against the common cause of defeating Trump,” she told Fox Digital. “And if they do, can 100% win.”

Another Democratic strategist said comebacks happen frequently in politics, and Biden’s is no exception.

“Politics is replete with comebacks, but they all had to run to do Witt. There’s a long list of comebacks, and if anyone can, it’s President Biden,” strategist Ted Trimpa told Fox. 

President Biden news conference

US President Joe Biden at a news conference during the NATO Summit in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, July 11, 2024. President Joe Biden and NATO’s 31 other leaders had hoped their summit would celebrate fresh unity against Russia’s Vladimir Putin, send a warning to China and prove the alliance is as strong as ever in its 75th year, but the three days of pageantry will be overshadowed by domestic turmoil across the alliance. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg)

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Biden has stated on several occasions that he will not be stepping down as the nominee, but continues to face pressure from members within his own party to consider dropping out of the 2024 race.



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Jill Biden’s ex-press secretary rips White House narrative after Biden’s NATO presser: ‘Alternate universe’


First lady Jill Biden’s former press secretary blasted the White House communications team’s narrative on Thursday, saying they live in an “alternate universe” after a senior official praised President Biden’s performance at a NATO press conference.

“There are two different versions of reality in my party right now,” Michael LaRosa, who served as first lady Jill Biden’s press secretary, wrote on X on Thursday night in response to a post from Republican communicator Sarah Matthews criticizing the White House’s senior deputy press secretary, Andrew Bates.

“The below is an alternate universe that MOST of us Dems are NOT actually living in. Being coherent in his FIRST ‘big boy press conference’ of 2024 is not exactly the bar most of us are looking for…. but clearly it’s the bar for Biden set by his own staff … and that is pretty ‘f—ing’ terrifying.”

Matthews had criticized Bates for a post on X he made following President Biden’s highly anticipated NATO press conference on Thursday night where the senior staffer said, “To answer the question on everyone’s minds: No, Joe Biden does not have a doctorate in foreign affairs. He’s just that f—ing good.”

BIDEN SAYS ‘ANYWAY’ AT LEAST 9 TIMES WHILE TRAILING OFF IN PRESS CONFERENCE

Bates LaRosa

Former Jill Biden press secretary Michael Larosa, left, said White House senior deputy press secretary Andrew Bates’ “whole purpose is to drink the kool-aid surrounding the boss,” referring to President Biden. (Getty Images)

“1) Literally no one is asking that question right now,” Matthews wrote on X. “2) It’s beneath the office to say “f—ing” from your official White House account. Do better.”

“Everyone evaluated POTUS’s performance based on how they wanted to feel or how they already felt about the situation,” LaRosa told Fox News Digital. 

TOP DEMOCRAT ON HOUSE INTEL COMMITTEE CALLS ON BIDEN TO SUSPEND CAMPAIGN AFTER NATO PRESS CONFERENCE

Biden press conference

President Biden speaks at a news conference during the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“Andrew’s exuberance, which is what Sarah was responding to, is an example of the division within the Democratic Party right now, unfortunately. But that’s Andrew’s job — and he’s very good at it. His whole purpose is to drink the kool-aid surrounding the boss and make sure everyone else is gulping down too. If I were Biden or any other lawmaker or candidate, there’s no one I’d rather have watching my back than Andrew Bates.” 

 “But for those of us in the party and outside the White House now, it’s our responsibility to decipher the rhetoric from the reality. The reality is, and I said this to Jesse Watters before the debate, that no one has ever questioned or doubted Joe Biden’s command of complex and nuanced domestic or foreign policy,” Larosa continued. “He can run circles around the media, his opponents, or members of Congress on substance or his record. That’s not what the noise or conversation is about. The bar the President hasn’t been able to clear and the reason why Democrats in Congress are anxious is because they feel he hasn’t met or cleared the bar for matters of presentation, agility, and sharpness.”

LaRosa said he fears “that sometimes people around him unintentionally lower the bar for the President.”

“He’s a former Chair of Senate Foreign relations, a former Vice President, and current President who has met with leaders all over the globe,” LaRosa said. “He’s been negotiating with the Russians since he was in his mid-thirties. We’re not giving him enough credit when we create standards that are frankly beneath him. It’s a distraction from the reality of the challenge in front of us, as Democrats, and in moments of political crisis, there need to be folks on the outside who can put the kool-aid aside for a bit and drink some water.” 

The X post from Bates also sparked strong criticism from conservatives on social media.

“Dude he confused Harris and Trump right after he mixed up Zelensky and Putin,” Abigail Jackson, communications director for Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., posted on X, referencing a Biden gaffe shortly before the press conference.

“Literally no one is asking that question right now,” conservative communicator Steve Guest posted on X.

“The question on my mind is what’s wrong with these people,” journalist Josh Barro posted on X.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.

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President Joe Biden

President Biden walks on the South Lawn to board Marine One before departing the White House  in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 8, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Biden, who is facing increased calls from elected officials within his own party to drop out of the race due to concerns about his age, was widely criticized by Republicans over his NATO press conference performance. However, longtime GOP strategist Mike Biundo, a former Trump adviser, told Fox News Digital that he believed “it’s a 100% win-win” for Republicans and the Trump campaign.

“It appears Biden did enough to convince his apologists that he should remain on the ballot, but he also reinforced what the American people know. Their lives are being hurt by his weakness and failure on a daily basis,” a Trump campaign official, who asked for anonymity to speak more freely, told Fox News Digital after Thursday night’s press conference.

Several Democrats and progressives defended Biden’s performance along with Bates.

“Tonight Joe Biden offered a lengthy, detailed dive on the major national security issues he’s juggling combined with a comfortable but forceful defense of his view of where this race stands,” Kate Bedingfield, a former communications director for Biden, posted on X. “50 minutes of Qs. He needed to show up big tonight and he did.”

“This is a very strong performance,” Joel Rubin, a former State Department official during the Obama administration, posted on X. “Quite frankly. ⁦@POTUS⁩ is putting on a master class in how foreign policy and domestic policy intersect, explaining how crucial American global leadership is to our people here at home. Well done, Mr. President.”

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.



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Biden delegates reveal convention plans amid push to replace president on ticket


FIRST ON FOX: President Biden continues to have support from Democratic delegates, despite a growing number of elected Democrats calling on him to step aside ahead of the 2024 election amid concern over his age and mental acuity.

Two weeks after the president’s disastrous debate against former President Donald Trump, as well as his Thursday press conference at NATO, Fox News Digital spoke to a handful of Democratic delegates who remain largely supportive of Biden and intend to cast their votes in support of him at the party’s convention next month.

Some delegates also dismissed talk of Vice President Kamala Harris as a replacement in the upcoming election, insisting that she and the president are an unbreakable team.

“I think he did an awesome job last night. I really do,” said Joanne Chesley, a pledged Biden delegate from North Carolina. “His clarity and his spontaneity … just well-informed responses. I was super impressed.”

IS IT TOO LATE FOR DNC DELEGATES TO ABANDON BIDEN? A LOOK AT THE DEMOCRATS’ NOMINATION PROCESS

President Biden during a news conference during the NATO Summit in Washington, D.C., on July 11, 2024.

President Biden during a news conference during the NATO Summit in Washington, D.C., on July 11, 2024. (Chris Kleponis/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

On a larger scale, Chesley said the situation surrounding Biden and the ongoing questions of whether he is fit to serve has had her feeling “concerned” and “emotional.”

“This thing has had me really, really, concerned and emotional, actually, over the whole time that it’s been going on,” she said.It’s a bit of a somersault and I think a lot of us have been there. I think that’s the beauty of being in this country and being a Democrat, where we encourage people to think and rethink and share perspectives and ask questions and get mad at each other and do just like families and organizations until you get to something that is the workable solution.”

Pointing to his “track record,” Chesley, who will support Biden at the Democratic National Convention in August and previously said she wished that Biden had realized that his age was going to be a potential issue in this election much earlier, said she “always come[s] back to my senses.”

“I have gone from that kind of feeling, wishing that he had, you know, made that decision to say ‘no’ [to] we’ve got a person who really, really cares about this country,” she said. “Despite those occasional flirtations with him stepping aside, I, like I said, come back to looking at what’s best for our country right now. We’re in a very difficult time in our history.”

As for talk about Harris replacing Biden as the party’s nominee, Chesley said she believes “they are a team.”

“I mean, we are all-in with the president until he indicates, or if he indicates, that he makes a different decision.”

— Samantha Hope Herring, Democratic delegate from Florida

“We get the best of both of them,” she said. “We get that warm, fuzzy grandpa who tells the stories over and over about his dad, and we get this brilliant person who has served as attorney general for the largest state in this country, who’s done four years in the Senate and four years’ experience in the White House. We want vibrancy and younger, so we get that in our vice president.”

Maribel Balbin, a pledged Biden delegate from Miami, Florida, said she understands “the concern that has been expressed” and insisted that it’s “nothing new.”

“Normally he makes mistakes about people and places, just the same as we have seen the former president do in his rallies,” she said. “On a personal level, I am not concerned, and I have not changed my views of the president or what the president stands for.”

The upcoming election, Balbin said, is “a binary choice, and it’s certainly between democracy or dictatorship.”

“As someone that grew up in a dictatorship, I am certainly not willing to support something that looks to me like the place that I left,” she said.So as a woman, as a Hispanic, and now a Democrat, a former Republican, I support the Democratic Party. I understand that the choice for this election is up to the president. If the president decides that he is not the candidate, that he steps out, then we will support that position. Until that happens. I am a pledged delegate to Joe Biden.”

BIDEN PRESSING ON WITH ‘FULL BORE’ SCHEDULE, DESPITE ADMISSION HE NEEDS TO SLOW ‘PACE’

left: President Joe Biden; right: DNC 2024

A total of 1,976 delegates are needed to clinch the Democratic nomination for president. Biden has won roughly 3,900 this year. Those delegates have “pledged” to support his candidacy, according to DNC rules. (Getty Images)

Echoing Balbin, Karl Gentles, a pledged Biden delegate from Arizona, said his “position hasn’t changed” about Biden and that it would be a “disaster” for Democrats to replace him at this point.

“I believe that you’ve got a candidate that’s been fully vetted,” he said. “He’s brought you all this way, three and a half years of significant success in the administration. I think it would be, in all honesty, disastrous to change out your candidate in this late date.”

Gentles said he supportsthe Biden-Harris ticket,” insisting that talk of a Biden replacement and the “hypothetical game” isn’t doing Democrats any good.

“It’s my opinion that, you know, Democrats should really focus on how they’re going to win in these next four months [instead of] trying to figure out multiple scenarios. The scenario that I believe is the best for the Democrats is the Biden-Harris ticket.”

Like many of her other fellow delegates, Samantha Hope Herring, a pledged Biden delegate and elected member of the DNC from Florida, said she is “Ridin’ with Biden.”

“I mean, we are all-in with the president until he indicates, or if he indicates, that he makes a different decision,” Herring said. “I have to be honest, I think a lot of us have always known that when you have anybody over the age of 50, I mean, you’ve got have a good backup plan for whatever you’re doing. That’s a fair statement on both sides of the aisle.”

“What I saw was a President with deep knowledge of foreign policy and affairs.”

— Irene Bonham, Democratic delegate from Colorado, referring to Biden’s NATO press conference

“One of the great things about having somebody with wisdom and having experience, especially if they’re an older candidate, is having somebody who’s prepared in the event and ready to walk on the job [on] day one. So we definitely have that,” she added.

Herring, who insisted there’s currently a strong “voice of support for President Biden,” said Harris would be a “natural” fit should Biden not be able to fulfill his duties as president in office.

Like Chesley, Herring said she believes that many Democrats see Biden and Harris “as a team.”

“We really feel strongly about the record that they’ve got and stand on that together,” she said.

5 TAKEAWAYS FROM BIDEN’S COMEBACK PRESS CONFERENCE

President Biden with large Biden/Harris sign behind him

President Biden reacts as supporters greet him at his debate watch party at Hyatt Regency Atlanta on June 27, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Derek White/Getty Images for DNC)

Another Democratic delegate from Colorado, Irene Bonham, said she is “still listening” and is “interested in what [Biden] would be able to do to help change the narrative in terms of the concerns around his ability.”

“I think Biden is a good president,” she said. “My concerns are really more around whether or not he is up to the task as a candidate. I think that’s a fair question and one that, you know, morally, as Democrats, we have to be asking right now.”

Bonham said she believes that Biden’s press conference last night “was a good step forward.”

“What I saw was a president with deep knowledge of foreign policy and affairs. When I contrast that with Trump – a convicted felon who seems to have an affection for autocrats – the choice is pretty clear,” she said.

Asked prior to the press conference whether she would be open to supporting another candidate, Bonham said “there are definitely names that have been put forward out into the media that I would be interested in learning more about.”

“I think that we also have to remember that it’s not just the Biden ticket, it is the Biden-Harris ticket. And so, should Biden step aside, my assumption would be that Kamala Harris would have a stake in this race,” she added.

Biden has stated several times since his damaging debate performance last month that he will not drop out of the race. But matters would be less complicated for Democrats if the president willfully chose to step aside before the party’s convention in Chicago from August 19 through 22.

Democrats will officially choose their nominee at the convention, though they reportedly plan to nominate Biden and Harris ahead of the convention next month.

At the convention, a candidate must win support from the majority of the party’s nearly 4,000 delegates, the party officials who formally select the nominee. Delegates are distributed to candidates based on the results of primary elections in each state.

Joe Biden, Kamala Harris arms raised on Truman Balcony

As for talk about Vice President Kamala Harris (right) replacing President Biden as the party’s nominee, several Democratic delegates who spoke to Fox News Digital considered them to be a “team.” (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

For the Democratic Party, there are “pledged” and “unpledged” delegates. Pledged delegates have to vote for whichever candidate in their party wins the primary or caucus in their respective state, while unpledged delegates may choose to vote for any candidate. In the Democratic Party, unpledged delegates are known as “superdelegates,” current elected officials and party leaders who can support any candidate.

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A total of 1,976 delegates are needed to clinch the Democratic nomination for president. Biden has won roughly 3,900 this year. Those delegates have “pledged” to support Biden’s candidacy, according to DNC rules.

Although Biden has not indicated that he plans to withdraw from the race, if he were to do so, his delegates would no longer be pledged to him. His withdrawal would lead to an open convention, resulting in Democrats being able to make suggestions for potential nominees and cast votes until one candidate receives a majority of delegate votes.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.





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Fox News Politics: Payday! | Fox News


Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. 

What’s happening…

-Jen Psaki rips White House strategy on Biden’s health

-Pelosi reportedly working to undermine Biden 

-Biden manager tries to rally staffers after a ‘bad f—–g’ week

Huge War Chest

Make America Great Again Inc., a top super PAC supporting former President Trump’s 2024 White House campaign, says it raked in $104 million during the April-June second quarter of 2024 fundraising.

And in figures shared first with Fox News on Friday, MAGA Inc. highlighted that it has nearly $114 million cash-on-hand in its coffers.

The announcement from MAGA Inc. comes a week and a half after Trump’s campaign showcased that it and the Republican National Committee hauled in a staggering $331 million in the past three months, topping the massive $264 million raked in by President Biden’s re-election campaign and the Democratic National Committee during the second quarter.

Trump’s haul was fueled in part by a fundraising surge following the former president’s history-making guilty verdicts this spring in his criminal trial…Read more

Former President Donald Trump arrives at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Georgia

Former President Donald Trump arrives at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Georgia on Wednesday, April 10, 2024. Trump is visiting the state to host a campaign fundraising event. (Robin Rayne for Fox News Digital)

White House

‘NOT GOING WELL’: Jen Psaki says White House strategy on Biden health concerns is failing …Read more

‘ALTERNATE UNIVERSE’: Ex-White House official rips Biden team’s communications strategy after NATO press conference …Read more

‘ONE AND THE SAME’: Biden, Harris defy critics by launching full offensive aimed at tying Trump to Project 2025 …Read more

Capitol Hill

THE DEBATED PRESIDENT: Biden ally in Congress says replacing president must be ‘on the table’ …Read more

‘NAMELESS, FACELESS BUREAUCRATS’: GOP senators plan major crackdown on ‘nameless, faceless bureaucrats’ after blockbuster Supreme Court ruling …Read more

DEMS IN CRISIS: Pelosi works to undermine Biden behind the scenes: report …Read more

MENTALLY FIT?: Rep. Clyburn defends Biden as ‘one of the best minds’ he’s worked with …Read more

‘STAY OUT OF IT’: Giddy House Republicans spend week lying low as Dems implode over Biden …Read more

Pelosi, Biden and Clyburn

Pelosi, Biden and Clyburn (Getty Images)

Tales from the Campaign Trail

‘RUN IT LIVE’: CNN’s Smerconish slams local radio station for editing Biden gaffes from interview …Read more

‘NO DOUBT ABOUT IT’: Biden campaign manager tries to rally staffers after ‘bad f—ing weeks’ …Read more

BIDEN SURROUNDED?: David Axelrod says Biden needs ‘royal flush’ to win the campaign against Trump: ‘What are the odds?’ …Read more

‘FACING BAD OPTIONS’: Ashley Judd joins other liberal celebrities in calling for Biden to withdraw …Read more

‘RIDIN’ WITH BIDEN’: Biden delegates reveal convention plans amid push to replace president on ticket …Read more

‘KICKING HIS A–‘: Tester denies tight race, says internal polling has him beating Republican Sheehy …Read more

CASH DASH: Exclusive: Leading pro-Trump super PAC hauls in over $100 million past three months …Read more

Across America

‘SLIPS OF THE TONGUE’: Euro leaders downplay Orban’s visit to Trump as they defend Biden …Read more

LET LOOSE: Zelenskyy says Ukraine can’t win war unless US lifts limits on striking military targets in Russia …Read more

CEASEFIRE: Border fire between Israel, Hezbollah continues as delegates prepare to mediate ceasefire with Hamas …Read more

Subscribe now to get Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.



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Dem, GOP insiders both see major opportunity after Biden’s first solo presser in months


Democrats and the GOP had wildly different perspectives on President Joe Biden’s highly anticipated NATO Summit news conference, with Republicans dubbing the event another campaign win in Trump’s back pocket and Democrats having mixed reactions.

Even so, there was a tone shift among some Democrats who thought Biden’s performance was “strong.” One Democratic activist went so far as to say he believes there are “people who owe President Biden an apology” after the president’s press conference. The comments come after Democrat lawmakers and pundits alike have either called on Biden to drop out of the race or expressed concerns about his aging.

Meanwhile, a Trump campaign official told Fox News Digital after Thursday night’s press conference, “It appears Biden did enough to convince his apologists that he should remain on the ballot, but he also reinforced what the American people know.” 

SOURCES SAY BIDEN FUNDRAISING TAKES A HIT AMID RISING CALLS FROM DEMOCRATS FOR PRESIDENT TO END 2024 CAMPAIGN

Joe Biden speaking, with big screen image of him off in background

U.S. President Joe Biden pauses while speaking during a NATO 75th anniversary celebratory event at the Andrew Mellon Auditorium on July 9, 2024, in Washington, D.C.  (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“Their lives are being hurt by his weakness and failure on a daily basis,” the source said.

Donald Trump Jr., who is a top surrogate for this father, said on his Rumble livestream that Biden did “fine enough to be able to stay in it” but later shared a social media post that blended the faces of Trump and Harris together and said “Vice President Trump.”

Veteran Republican consultant Dave Carney told Fox News the news conference “couldn’t have been better” for Biden.

Biden started out earlier in the day stumbling when he introduced Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “President Putin” at the NATO summit in Washington, D.C. He immediately caught his gaffe and corrected himself. However, later during the evening press conference, he also referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump” and did not correct himself.

During and after the press conference, Biden’s immediate team and many of his allies were quick to tout the event as an overwhelming success. A source familiar with the workings of the Biden campaign also said that Biden had exceeded expectations with a thorough discussion of foreign policy.

FLASHBACK: THE LAST TIME BIDEN HAD A SOLO ‘BIG BOY PRESS CONFERENCE’ WAS EIGHT MONTHS AGO

Biden/Trump photo split

President Biden and former President Trump. ( Win McNamee/Getty Images/Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

The source added, however, that the press conference alone won’t ultimately convince voters but that continued campaigning and travel by Biden should.

Some Democrats claimed that the president’s answers regarding foreign policy issues showed him to have expertise in international affairs.

“To answer the question on everyone’s minds: No, Joe Biden does not have a doctorate in foreign affairs. He’s just that f—ing good,” White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates wrote in a post to X.

Joel Rubin, a former State Department official during the Obama administration, considered Biden’s performance to be “very strong.”

TRUMP, GOP TAKE AIM AT KAMALA HARRIS AS HER POPULARITY RISES: ‘BIDEN’S ENABLER IN CHIEF’

Biden at lectern at NATO press conference

President Joe Biden at a news conference during the NATO Summit in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, July 11, 2024. President Joe Biden and NATO’s 31 other leaders had hoped their summit would celebrate fresh unity against Russia’s Vladimir Putin, send a warning to China and prove that the alliance is as strong as ever in its 75th year, but the three days of pageantry will be overshadowed by domestic turmoil across the alliance.  (Photographer: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“This is a very strong performance. Quite frankly. ⁦@POTUS⁩ is putting on a master class in how foreign policy and domestic policy intersect, explaining how crucial American global leadership is to our people here at home. Well done, Mr. President,” Rubin wrote in a post on X.

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Democrats remain largely divided on whether Biden should suspend his re-election campaign and allow another candidate to go head-to-head with Trump in November. On Friday, Fox News confirmed that another House Democrat, California Rep. Mike Levin, has joined the chorus of lawmakers calling on Biden to step aside.

At least 10 House Democrats and one in the Senate have publicly called on Biden to end his re-election bid, and a growing number of both House and Senate Democrats have publicly and privately warned that the president will lose to Trump in November.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Fox News Digital’s Timothy H.J. Nerozzi and Paul Steisenhauer contributed to this report.



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Susan Collins to write in Nikki Haley for president, bucking Trump


Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, reiterated to reporters that she still supports former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley for president despite Haley no longer being in the race for the Republican nomination. 

The Maine Republican will write in Haley’s name on her ballot in November rather than former President Trump or President Biden, according to local CBS reporter Dan Lampariello. 

Collins’ office confirmed to Fox News Digital her plan to vote for Haley. 

TESTER DENIES TIGHT RACE, SAYS INTERNAL POLLING HAS HIM BEATING SHEEHY: ’KICKING HIS A–’

Nikki Haley, Susan Collins, Donald Trump

Susan Collins, center, said she still plans to vote for Nikki Haley in November over Trump.  (Getty Images)

A spokesperson for the Maine senator noted she has previously said she’d be supporting Haley and not Trump. 

BIDEN DRAGS DOWN MICHIGAN SENATE RACE AS COOK POLITICAL REPORT DECLARES ‘TOSS UP’

“I will not be voting for either candidate. I am going to write in Nikki Haley’s name,” Collins said, according to another local outlet. 

The Republican senator previously endorsed Haley late in the Republican primary, calling the candidate “extremely well-qualified.”

Haley South Carolina speech

Nikki Haley, former governor of South Carolina and a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, during an election night watch party in Charleston, S.C., Feb. 24, 2024. (Christian Monterrosa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“She has the energy, intellect and temperament that we need to lead our country in these very tumultuous times,” Collins said of Haley. 

However, Haley exited the primary race soon after the endorsement. 

The former South Carolina governor’s departure from the race didn’t change Collins’ position though. 

“I cannot support former President Trump. I voted to convict him on the second impeachment charges, so I don’t think it should come as a surprise that I cannot support him,” she said in March, weeks after Haley had already suspended her campaign. 

DEM SENATOR HELPS BLOCK BIDEN JUDICIAL NOMINEE AMID CONTROVERSY OVER TRANSGENDER INMATE

Donald Trump arrives to Trump Tower after being found guilty

Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower May 30, 2024, after being found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. (Felipe Ramales for Fox News Digital)

As Collins pointed out in the spring, she was one of seven Republican senators in 2021 who voted to convict Trump for allegedly inciting insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, when some of his supporters rioted at the U.S. Capitol. 

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And while Trump has become the clear Republican nominee and is slated as of now to take on Biden in November, it’s apparent Collins’ mind has not changed on the situation. 

Trump’s campaign did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital. 

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.





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Lawmakers warn EPA its ‘Clean Power Plan 2.0’ could have ‘catastrophic’ effect on electric grid


FIRST ON FOX: Twenty-six House lawmakers penned a letter to Environmental Protection Agency chief Michael Regan warning him and the agency against implementing their “Clean Power Plan 2.0.”

Rep. Lloyd Smucker, R-Pa., led the letter to the administrator, predicting rules outlined in the plan will endanger electrical grid reliability for 65 million Americans from New Jersey to North Carolina.

Smucker, whose Lancaster district is home to hydroelectric stations on the Susquehanna River, said new EPA rules target coal and gas plants and requested Regan provide evidence the restrictions won’t endanger the electric grid.

The rules set limits on carbon output and differ from an Obama-era rule that instead relied on state-based targets, according to Politico. All coal plants in the U.S. are subject to the regulation, and any plants still around by 2040 would have to curb emissions nearly 90% or enable carbon-capture technology, according to the analysis.

BIDEN ADMIN REBUFFS LAWMAKERS, HOMEBUILDERS’ CLAIMS NEW ENERGY STANDARDS HURT HOMEBUILDING, COSTS

lloyd smucker

Rep. Lloyd Smucker (Office of Rep. Lloyd Smucker )

The letter said most of the affected area falls under the PJM, which coordinates the grid among many Atlantic coast states via 88,000 miles of transmission lines.

The lawmakers cited increases in electricity usage due to artificial intelligence, electric vehicles and manufacturing projects, predicting the growth demand for power will soon double.

“The forced closure of existing electric generation, coupled with a rushed transition to renewable energy sources without having the solutions in place to guarantee a reliable stream of uninterrupted power onto a grid already suffering from an interconnection backlog, will lead to both the rationing of electric power and an increase in electric costs for consumers,” the lawmakers warned.

STATE DEM LEADERS RALLY BEHIND BIDEN AFTER DEBATE

“We strongly urge you to reconsider these rules given their catastrophic impact on the PJM Interconnection service area.”

One Democratic lawmaker also criticized the new EPA plans in prior comments.

Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., suggested EPA regulators’ goal is to “stop the use of fossil fuels to produce reliable energy in the U.S. by forcing the premature closure of coal plants and blocking new natural gas plants.”

Manchin’s fellow Mountaineer, Rep. Alex X. Mooney, R-W.Va., signed Smucker’s letter Thursday and attributed the new rules to the president’s “dangerous agenda.”

A group of powerlines during sunset

Electricity pylons at sunset  (iStock)

“The liberal extremist Biden administration has made it their mission to put hardworking West Virginia coal miners out of work, which will result in higher energy prices and grid unreliability,” Mooney said Friday.

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., also joined Smucker’s demand for answers, saying the EPA is implementing a radical list of costly regulations, citing the fact that more than two-thirds of the nation’s electricity is a derivative of coal.

Comer said the rules put the U.S. at risk of rolling blackouts and instability at a time when people are already facing elevated energy costs.

“I am proud to join my colleagues in demanding answers from EPA Administrator Michael Regan to ensure Kentuckians and Americans across the country have access to reliable and affordable energy,” said Comer, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee.

The letter calls for Regan to respond by August whether the White House or EPA consulted with PJM, energy groups or other grid operators before enacting the plan.

Among the list of demands, the signatories asked the agency to note whether it also sought other stakeholder feedback from agricultural, manufacturing or technology interests that rely on a safe and substantive electric grid.

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Emissions spew from a large stack at the coal fired Brandon Shores Power Plant, on March 9, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. Last year the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), announced that it would repeal President Obama's policy on curbing greenhouse gas emissions from coal fired power plants. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Emissions spew from a large stack at the coal-fired Brandon Shores Power Plant March 9, 2018, in Baltimore.  (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

They also asked whether the Biden administration thought rule changes that push the U.S. away from reliable coal and gas might affect its plans for “national electrification of the transportation and home heating sectors.”

In exclusive comments later Friday, Smucker elaborated on the purpose of his letter, remarking “energy security is national security.”

“We know that the Biden administration’s plan has already been criticized by PJM, who clearly said that ‘demand cannot be met simply through renewables.’ Yet, the administration is moving ahead with these overreaching regulations,” he said.

Reached for comment, a spokeswoman for PJM provided Fox News Digital with a previous press release that commented on the importance of EPA rulemaking taking into account reliability needs of relevant electric grids.

The EPA acknowledged but ultimately did not respond to a request for comment by press time.



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Lawmakers rip Army brass over training slides suggesting pro-life groups could be tied to terrorism


EXCLUSIVE: More than two dozen members of the House Armed Services Committee demanded answers from the U.S. Army after it acknowledged the veracity of slides in a domestic counterterrorism training module that referenced pro-life groups.

Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., chairman of the Subcommittee on Military Personnel, led the letter to Army Secretary Christine Wormuth expressing outrage and calling for a more thorough explanation for the use of the teaching tools at Fort Liberty, formerly Fort Bragg, in North Carolina.

The letter said the slides indicated members of pro-life organizations could be threats to the safety of military installations and that regalia of such groups, like a pro-life license plate, could potentially indicate terrorism.

“This is truly shocking for an organization that insists on treating everyone with ‘dignity and respect’,” Banks wrote of the slide deck, which was used as part of a larger training for military police tasked with manning base access points.

LAWMAKERS DEMAND ANSWERS OVER SCANT PROGRESS ADDRESSING SQUALID BARRACKS CONDITIONS

army navy game

The Army Black Knights’ endzone logo prior to the 122nd game between the Army Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen Dec. 11, 2021, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.   (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Banks told Fox News Digital Friday the slides date back to the summer of 2023, suggesting they’re not a case of sudden mistaken entry.

“For over a year, someone at Fort Liberty has been teaching our troops that pro-life Americans are terrorists, and the Biden Pentagon didn’t stop it until House Republicans and the public raised the alarm,” Banks said.

“I’m an Afghanistan war veteran, and it sickens me to see far-left radicals poisoning our military with this extremist hate. We must get woke activists out of our Armed Forces so that we have a military that’s focused on countering foreign terrorists overseas and not on targeting conservative Americans.”

When reached by Fox on Friday afternoon, a public affairs officer at the Fayetteville, N.C., garrison said the person using the slides is “no longer employed.”

The situation was subject to a formal commander’s inquiry, he said, adding the slides were “not vetted by the proper authorities.”

“The slides do not reflect the views of the 18th Airborne Corps, Fort Liberty, the U.S. Army or Department of Defense,” the officer added.

In their letter, the lawmakers said the slide usage “confirmed our fears” about a recent protest and extremism-related directive from Army brass.

CHINESE MILITARY AI IN FOCUS AS LAWMAKER SOUNDS ALARM OVER THREAT FROM RIFLE-WIELDING ROBOT DOGS

The Pro-Life Flag

The Pro-Life Flag, which was designed to be a unifying symbol for those who oppose abortion.  (The Pro-Life Flag Project)

“That is, the Army is utilizing an overly broad policy to police the speech of conservative servicemembers, quiet dissent, and require servicemembers who believe in conservative ideals to hide their identities for fear of retaliation from their commands,” the letter states.

“But because the Army has yet to provide the training materials to Congress in contravention of their obligation, we can only assume that the training interpreted the Army’s definition of extremist activities to include pro-life organizations as ‘advocating or engaging in unlawful force or violence to achieve goals that are political, religious, or discriminatory or ideological in nature.'”

The letter went on to claim the use of such slides belies past testimony from defense officials that all viewpoints, including those on the political right, are welcome in the military.

Banks and the signatories demanded Wormuth’s branch immediately issue corrections to service members who received the slide-deck briefing.

In light of the response by Fort Liberty that the vetting process was conducted incorrectly, Banks’ letter asked Wormuth to explain what the proper procedures actually are.

The lawmakers also asked whether the Army believes pro-life activism or “abortion-related counseling” is considered terrorist activity.

“It is crucial that our military maintains political neutrality and respect for diverse viewpoints within the bounds of the law,” they wrote.

Also on Friday, an official from National Right to Life, which is mentioned on one of the slides, said in a statement that only under the current federal leadership could law-abiding activism be considered terrorism.

“One must wonder how a license plate that raises funds for pregnancy resource centers could be construed as a symbol of terrorism,” President Carol Tobias said.

“When in doubt, blame an underling,” a blog post on National Right to Life’s site said after U.S. military officials acknowledged the slides’ veracity and said they were incorrectly added to the program.

After the garrison previously acknowledged the authenticity of the slide decks, Banks said that even if the module wasn’t approved, it still exposed the Pentagon for creating a “politicized environment where far-left whack jobs feel they can get away with teaching our troops that conservative Americans are their adversary.”

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Fort Liberty

Fort Liberty, formerly Fort Bragg (Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)

In June, the U.S. Army revised some of its policies, with Wormuth announcing that “active participation in extremist activities can be prohibited even in some circumstances in which such activities would be constitutionally protected in a civilian setting.”

Service members are now prohibited from liking, sharing or engaging with content supporting extremism, according to the American Legion.

Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., signed the letter with representatives Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla.; Clay Higgins, R-La.; Rob Wittman, R-Va.; Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.; Cory Mills, R-Fla.; and Richard Hudson, R-N.C. among others.

Hudson represents the base.



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