NationalWatch

BANGOR, Maine – Maine Democrats on Saturday quickly coronated Troy Jackson as their party’s Senate nominee — following this month’s spectacular implosion of ex-candidate Graham Platner — in the high-stakes Senate showdown with longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

Jackson, a former state Senate president, was elected in a landslide at the Maine Democratic Party’s nominating convention in Bangor. He was on a glide path to the nomination after winning the vast majority of the voting delegates chosen last weekend by Democrats in the northern New England state’s 16 counties.

Jackson’s top rivals in the race to replace Platner backed him after dropping out of the race the past few days, leaving only one long-shot candidate for delegates to also consider at the convention. He defeated Saundra Pelletier, a pharmaceutical company CEO, by a 566-5 margin in Saturday’s vote.

The Senate race in Maine, where Collins is the only GOP incumbent running for re-election in a state President Donald Trump lost in the 2024 election, is one of roughly a dozen midterm showdowns across the country that will determine if Republicans hold onto their slim majority or if the Democrats win back control of the chamber.

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“Are you ready to defeat Susan Collins? Well, then let’s unite this party. Let’s build the largest working class movement Maine has ever seen. And let’s win this fight,” Jackson, a fifth-generation logger from the remote northern tip of Maine and a one-time conservative Republican who became a Democrat over two decades ago, said in convention speech just ahead of the delegate vote.

While Jackson quickly raised over $1 million for his burgeoning Senate campaign and coalesced party support, there are some potential warning signs.

Following reports this past week digging into Jackson’s alleged temper and workplace conduct, reported claims of mortgage improprieties as well as other potential liabilities including his past strict anti-abortion stance, there are concerns by some in the party that following the Platner implosion, Democrats have landed another unvetted nominee.

“This is a bit of a rocket vetting process,” a Democratic strategist who works on Senate races, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, told Fox News Digital. “Maine Democrats have seemingly made their choice and they’re just going to have to ride with it.”

A veteran Democratic consultant who also asked for anonymity said that “it’s very clear that Democrats should not be looking to Maine to flip the Senate.”

“The good news is that we have upset opportunities in places like Texas, Iowa, and Alaska,” added the consultant, who works with centrist Democratic Senate candidates.

Platner, a military combat veteran and oyster farmer who was backed by progressive champion and Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont soon after he launched his bid last August, saw his campaign quickly catch fire. Two-term Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who was heavily recruited by longtime Democratic Senate leader Sen. Chuck Schumer to run for the Senate, suspended her campaign this spring after trailing Platner in fundraising and in the polls.

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But even as Platner steamrolled the Democratic establishment and crushed the competition last month in Maine’s primary to capture the nomination, he had already been forced on defense in the wake of a slew of scandals.

Platner dropped out earlier this month, amid calls from top Democrats in Maine and across the country to immediately exit the race following an explosive report containing an allegation of rape from a woman he previously dated. Platner denied the report but stepped aside.

Jackson, who unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, campaigned alongside Platner during the primary. And he quickly made the case that he was the best equipped candidate to grab the mantle of the progressive and populist movement that had backed Platner.

Similar to Platner, Jackson is running on a platform aimed at working-class voters. He backs raising taxes on billionaires, the universal healthcare system known as “Medicare-for-all,” abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and he opposes military aid to Israel at a time that Democrats are increasingly divided on support for America’s longtime Middle East ally.

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Jackson, who also had Sanders’ support as he ran for governor, is currently backed in his Senate campaign by Our Revolution, the group born in 2016 out of Sanders’ first presidential campaign.

Rep. Ro Khanna of California, a leading progressive in the House and a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender, was a top Platner backer. Khanna quickly moved his support to Jackson in this month’s sprint to succeed Platner.

And Jackson enjoys strong support from labor unions in Maine. The labor backing, along with support from Platner’s former allies, helped Jackson capture the overwhelming majority of county-selected delegates last weekend.

The 500 delegates chosen last weekend, along with 101 selected by the state party, voted in Saturday’s convention.

Republicans argued ahead of the convention that Democrats stacked the deck to back Jackson as Platner’s replacement.

“Maine voters have been shut out by the Democrat establishment with a rigged nominating process to crown Platner 2.0 without a single vote being cast,” Republican National Committee spokesperson Kristen Cianci charged in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Collins, as she runs for a sixth six-year term in the Senate, is facing a rough political climate for Republicans, amid GOP President Donald Trump’s underwater approval ratings, persistent inflation and what polls indicate is an unpopular war with Iran.

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The senator, known as a moderate Republican who at times has voted against Trump, last month received bipartisan praise after reaching a milestone by casting her 10,000th consecutive Senate vote.

But Democrats are taking aim at Collins over her comments that she didn’t regret her 2018 vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, despite his crucial vote four years later to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion ruling.

And following the fatal shooting in Maine earlier this month involving federal immigration agents, Democrats heavily criticized the Senate Appropriations Committee chair for her support for ICE funding.

But Collins has a history of defeating the Democrats’ efforts to oust her from the Senate.

Six years ago, she trailed Democratic challenger Sara Gideon, the then-Maine House speaker, but the senator ended up winning re-election by nearly 9 points .

The Senate showdown in Maine is expected to be competitive, combustible, and expensive, with outside groups on both sides spending big bucks to run ads.

The first Fox News Power Rankings of the 2026 midterms, which gauge the competitiveness of elections using data, reporting and analysis, were released this week. And they rank the showdown in Maine as a toss-up.

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Meanwhile, a Pine Tree Poll conducted in recent days by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center indicated Jackson with a slight three-point edge over Collins, right at the edge of the margin of error, among likely general election voters in Maine.

A top conservative leader in the House GOP is arguing that supporters of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) are pushing Democrats further left than even they are letting on.

House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., told Fox News Digital he’s still hopeful that Republicans have a chance of retaining their razor-thin majority in the lower chamber of Congress because Democrats’ left flank will make American voters nervous come November.

“The Democrat party is now being infiltrated with truly communist elements. I think Americans are going to realize that the Democrats are truly the crazy party now, and the country can’t tolerate that,” Harris said. “So I think that improves our chances in November.”

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Republicans are facing an uphill battle to retain control of the House of Representatives as the midterm elections creep closer. House lawmakers raced out of Washington on Thursday back to their home districts, where they will spend the next five weeks making the case to their constituents as to why the GOP should keep control for the latter half of President Donald Trump’s final term.

One line that is already popping up frequently on the campaign trail references the recent slate of victories for DSA-backed candidates in Democratic primaries across the country.

In New York City, for example, two House candidates backed by Democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani defeated incumbent progressive lawmakers and will likely sail to victory in the November general election. 

A third open House race saw a Mamdani-backed candidate defeat an establishment-backed Democrat

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“I think Mr. Mamdani in New York says exactly where the party is. He wants government-run everything. That’s called communism. That’s way beyond socialism. That’s communism,” Harris said.

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When you want to control – for instance, you want have the grocery stores run by the government – that’s the way it is in Russia. That’s is the way is in China. That’s it the way in communist-controlled countries. And anybody who’s interested in that, ought to look back at history and see how that works out.”

Harris himself is in a safe red seat after Maryland Democrats thwarted an effort by their own party to redraw congressional lines there ahead of November.

Democratic Hawaii Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke was indicted by a grand jury on charges of criminal conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery and falsifying candidate committee reports stemming from a bribe she allegedly took as a state lawmaker in 2022.

The indictment alleges that local businessman and lobbyist Tobi Solidum offered Luke a $35,000 bribe connected to a COVID-19 testing contract a company he recommended had with the state.

Solidum was also indicted as part of the state attorney general’s probe, along with former state representative Ryan Yamane, Hawaii’s Transportation Department official Ford Fuchigami, and Leo Asunción, a former official for Hawaii’s public utilities commission.

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All five defendants were swept up as part of state Attorney General Anne Lopez’s January investigation, which was an offshoot of a federal bribery probe.

Solidum represented the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii, which had contracts with the state to provide COVID-19 testing sites.

In January 2022, with his client’s contracts set to expire soon, Solidum met with Luke at a steakhouse and allegedly gave her two $5,000 checks made out to her campaign committee Friends of Sylvia Luke, according to prosecutors.

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“By next week, we’ll have 35, so it will be halfway to our 70,” Solidum allegedly told Luke, promising to give her $70,000, according to the indictment.

“Oh wow,” Luke allegedly replied, adding, “That’s terrific,” according to the documents.

Luke admitted to accepting the two $5,000 checks, but denied taking more than that and also denied any money influencing her lawmaking.

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“I never granted special favors to a contributor,” she said in a social media post, adding that she “prized integrity and honesty above all throughout her career.”

The indictment also argues that Solidum appeared to be attempting to leverage Luke’s upcoming run for lieutenant governor. Speaking about Luke to another state representative, Solidum said, “All I gotta do is give her more money now,” the indictment alleges.

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Hawaii Gov. Josh Green called for Luke to resign hours after the indictment.

“The lieutenant governor needs to consider formally resigning to address this matter and so that the state of Hawaiʻi can move forward,” Green told local outlet Maui Now on Friday.

Fox News Digital contacted the governor’s and lieutenant governor’s offices for further comment.

Rep. Mike Carey, R-Ohio, grilled Smithsonian leadership at a hearing on Wednesday on why the National Museum of American History (NMAH) had dropped mention of “American history” from its mission statement in

“You explained that the museum removed the phrase ‘American history’ from the mission statement in order to help people ‘to get out of the America-first mentality,’ Carey said, posing his question to Anthea Hartig, NMAH administrator.

“What did you mean by America-first?” he asked.

Carey’s line of questioning, made during a Committee on House Administration hearing on Wednesday, comes as Republicans in Congress have made preserving America’s heritage a proxy for larger struggles over national identity and cultural values.

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Progressive thinkers, such as Hartig, have argued that keeping the darker parts of American history in view should inform an understanding of the country’s past — and help set its policy direction in the present.

In response, many Republican lawmakers have voiced deep unrest over efforts to characterize the U.S. as marked by oppression or slavery — such as the New York Times’ 1619 Project. Many conservatives have argued that the American ideals, laid out in documents like the Declaration of Independence, transcend even the country’s most blatant failures to live up to those aspirations; that they are anything but definitive of the American experience.

The conversation has also taken on a new focus in President Donald Trump’s second term as the administration has pulled out all the stops in celebrating the country’s 250th anniversary.

With calls to “Make America great again” and put “America first,” the administration released a report called “Saving America’s Story.”

That report highlighted the American History Museum’s decision to change its mission statement and called out Hartig specifically.

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“That shift from history to activism is clearly documented in this report. Anthea Hartig, NMAH’s director since 2019, has explicitly stated that she sees history as a ‘prime tool of social justice’ and one of her roles as connecting ‘research and scholarship to activism and advocacy,’” the report stated.

The report also details how Hartig had explained the change to NMAH’s mission statement in a 2024 presentation to a group of undergraduate and graduate history students.

“It’s hard to get out of the ‘America First’ mentality …It’s just that, and why we changed our mission when I first came,” Hartig said. “I think it’s a big challenge, especially going into 2026, which will be the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the 25th year since 9/11, the fifth year since January 6th.”

Speaking before the committee on Wednesday, Hartig defended her view, claiming that she had not tried to make history a matter of activism through her leadership at NMAH.

“The museum does not take sides in America’s political debates. We preserve and document the evidence of American life in all its breadth, so that the public can encounter the past and draw their own conclusions,” she stated.

“When historians talk about reframing a traditional narrative, we do not mean erasing it. We mean adding the evidence, voices and objects that earlier tellings left out, so that more Americans can see themselves in the national story. Examining the harder chapters of our history is not the same as hostility toward America.”

But Carey, alongside other Republicans, appeared unconvinced.

“‘The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.’” Carey cautioned, quoting George Orwell’s cautionary book on authoritarianism, 1984.

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“Let me get back to my original question — why do you think that ‘American history’ should be erased from the American History museum?” Carey added.

Hartig, pressed for time, did not give a response.

President Donald Trump attended the annual White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) Dinner Friday night for the first time in either of his two presidential terms.

The event was rescheduled from its original April 25 date after a crazed gunman allegedly tried to assassinate the 47th president, bull rushing security with several weapons and firing a shot before he was taken into custody.

Here are five top highlights from the dinner:

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1. Journalists, Trump share heartfelt moments

Trump and the press typically find themselves at odds, and while Friday night had its share of uncomfortable moments, both sides were able to find some common ground — especially after sharing a scary moment at the originally scheduled dinner in April.

Before presenting one of the many awards of the night, ABC’s Jon Karl thanked the president for his attendance.

“Mr. President, I want to say it matters that you came here tonight,” said Karl. “For more than 100 years, presidents have chosen to sit in a room of reporters who asked tough and often uncomfortable questions, and who report without fear or favor. It’s important. Thank you for being here.”

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WHCA outgoing President and the dinner’s emcee Weijia Jiang also had kind words for the president, just before she introduced him to speak and after discussing the importance of the First Amendment.

“President Trump, I’ve covered you for a long time, and so have many reporters in this room. When we ask questions, you push back, you give us answers and we push back,” she said. “You have always been a deal guy. Well, that’s the deal. And the First Amendment is a done deal. And that’s what we toast tonight. The freedoms that brought us back together even after they were threatened.” 

“So let’s raise a glass to what makes ours a beautiful country.”

Later in the night, Trump concluded his speech with a warm message for the press delivered in his own style.

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“I just want to say, this room — I have tremendous respect for the people in this room,” Trump said. 

“Sometimes I don’t feel you treat me fair, maybe you do, I don’t know,” he continued. “I don’t feel that. But sometimes you treat me fairly, and I have a lot of respect for your profession. It’s amazing. And I just want to thank you for having me, and it’s been fun.”

2. Trump razzes the press and members of his cabinet

Trump made a series of jokes throughout his speech, some targeting the press, and others targeting people he appointed to positions of power.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was on the receiving end of a quip from the 47th president after Trump told attendees he hoped they enjoyed their beef tenderloin dinner.

“I want you all to know that Bobby Kennedy, who’s right here, personally ran over the cow with his car,” he jabbed. “And he cut it up and he brought it here for you to eat tonight.”

Kennedy is well known for his eccentric history with animals, including once saying he captured a raccoon and cut its genitals off, viral videos of him catching dangerous snakes and once using a chainsaw to remove the head of a dead whale that washed up on Cape Cod.

“Bobby also suggested an appetizer featuring his favorite cut of male raccoon roadkill. But we drew the line at that,” the president went on. “We said, ‘No, we’re not doing that.'”

Kennedy is also known for pushing a more red-meat centric diet and has embraced the push for restaurants to use beef tallow to fry their food instead of seed oils. 

Trump also joked about the shooting at the first WHCA dinner earlier this year, which pro-MAGA rapper Nikki Minaj attended.

“But after hearing the gunshots, many people yelled, ‘get down, get down!’ Which caused Nicki Minaj to start twerking, do you believe? Get down! She’s the only one that really understood what that meant,” Trump joked, earning laughter from the tough crowd.

Throughout his speech, he repeatedly used one of his famous phrases — referring to the press as “fake news,” but took some direct shots at certain outlets and figures.

He unexpectedly flipped the script in a misdirection from what seemed like an update on the Iran war.

“A once feared and powerful regime that relentlessly attacked America has finally been toppled,” he said. “Their former leaders have been removed and they’re now being run by a gay dictator facing internal divisions. But I, for one, wish Bari Weiss all the best at CBS News.”

Trump’s nemesis, Kaitlan Collins of CNN, was also on the receiving end of a brutal blow.

“I thought Kaitlan Collins had really made it big with a major new sponsorship, but then I informed her that it wasn’t her on the Bud Light can, it was Dylan Mulvaney,” he said, referencing the beer brand’s failed marketing campaign featuring a transgender influencer.

3. Unsuspecting Todd Blanche yanked into mentalist Oz Pearlman’s routine

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who is currently in the confirmation process to take on the job full-time, became part of mentalist Oz Pearlman’s routine to close out the night.

In a convoluted bit, Oz asked Blanche to make up an amount of money he had in his wallet. Blanche said $130, but Oz guessed the correct amount — $85. Then, Oz asked a man sitting next to Blanche to choose a single bill from Blanche’s wallet, and then had Blanche sign it. Blanche signed it, and was instructed to sit on it.

For the remainder of the act, Oz asked members of the crowd to stand — including Fox News’ Kevin Corke — and dream up a person dead or alive who they wished they could interview. He guessed several of interview subjects’ names correctly, and even enlisted the help of a member of the crowd, who also made correct guesses.

After that, he enlisted audience members, once of which was former National Security Administrator and current U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Watlz, to chose important dates and random numbers. When multiplied, those numbers equaled 53,670,682. 

Oz then turned back to Blanche and asked him to stand up and look at the serial number of the bill he was sitting on. Audience members were stunned to find out it was No. 53670682.

4. Trump reveals how he communicates with the press

Trump explained that he was tired of asking his communications team, Karoline Leavitt and Steven Cheung, if he had received any calls from the press. So instead he started to give journalists his direct line, which has turned out to be a disaster.

“That was the stupidest thing I ever did,” the president said. “I’m getting a call every 3.7 minutes.”

“Every once in a while, it’ll be one of the people in this room that I like and I’ll pick it up,” he said, referencing taking phone calls from Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich and joking that she only wants to discuss “horrible” subjects.

But he said that other callers are from outlets that he has never heard of or are just starting out. 

“You know, I pick up every once in a while, ‘hello, I’m from Reno, Nevada. We’re a startup paper. We’re calling us the Reno Express,'” Trump continued. “I’ll say, ‘Do you believe it, I’m the president of the United States.'”

“‘Mr. President, could I have your views on Iran?’ And I just hang up,” Trump continued. “No, I get the craziest calls. I mean, some of them. My wife said, I can’t believe you do this. This is a hell of a way to live.”

5. Trump announces he WILL attend the 2027 WHCA Dinner, unless…

Trump had never attended the WHCA Dinner in either of his two presidencies, a total of five years, breaking with long-held tradition for a night of comradery with the press and government officials. His attendance Friday night was a major storyline — especially after the event in April was foiled by a lone gunman.

The president laid his plans for next year towards the conclusion of his hour-and-four-minute remarks.

“It’s an honor to do it,” Trump said of his attendance. “I’ve been to it numerous times, but as president, I haven’t been here, and I’m glad.”

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Trump expects to attend again in 2027, but joked that his decision could depend on how the press behaves.

“They said, ‘Would you do it next year?’ I said, ‘I will be back next year,'” Trump said. “Now if you get really, really nasty, maybe not. I don’t know. But we’re going to be back next year.”

Trump attended the WHCA Dinner in 2011 and 2015, when he was a successful businessman, real estate tycoon and reality television personality. 

Former NFL placekicker Jay Feely is the latest professional athlete poised to transition to a congressional career, where leadership, performing under pressure and handling public scrutiny are essential in both arenas.

Fox News Digital reached out to Feely, who spent time with the New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals before becoming an “NFL on CBS” commentator, for his take on why professional sports prepared him for public life as he seeks the seat of retiring Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz.

“Especially as a kicker — to be a successful kicker in the NFL, you have to be able to handle pressure, and you have be able handle failure. And I think those two attributes are very tangible attributes that will help you as you try to navigate the political field and try to be effective,” Feely said Friday in an interview with Fox News Digital.

He said the NFL also exposed him to teammates from different backgrounds and viewpoints, helping prepare him to represent a diverse constituency.

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“[T]he greatest advantage of being an NFL player was to be in those locker rooms where racial walls were broken down and conversations happened and you got to know people which otherwise you might not ever get to know.”

He recalled rooming with LeVar Arrington and Brandon Short while with the Giants in East Rutherford, sharing stories about their different life experiences and personal views as they played chess and other games.

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“Your job is to represent everybody and i think those experiences certainly are an asset,” Feely said.

He also mentioned a trip to the infamously unfriendly confines of Lincoln Financial Field to play the Philadelphia Eagles right after the “worst game of [his] career” against the Seahawks.

The prior night he had been “spoofed” on “Saturday Night Live,” and while preparing for what was a game-winning kick after an apparent icing timeout, Philadelphia played a montage of his Seattle misses on the Jumbotron to mock him.

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“They tried to deter me, but I made the kick and my career goes on for another nine years – you learn a lot through those processes,” Feely said.

Feely added that he got to know another athlete-turned-public official through their time with the NFL Players Association (NFLPA).

“There’s so many different correlations with the people in sports, and a lot of the best people I know that I met in sports have thought about getting into politics,” he said, reflecting on his time working with HUD Secretary Scott Turner, a former Washington Redskin.

He said he also hopes to see other athletes regardless of viewpoint who have acted on issues close to them, like former New Orleans Saints Drew Brees and Benjamin Watson.

Feely will face former state Rep. Amish Shah, D-Phoenix, who also worked for about two years as the New York Jets’ team doctor.

Just over two decades ago, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner was on the NFL gridiron, playing cornerback for the Washington Redskins and then-San Diego Chargers.

The skills and lessons learned on the field helped Turner grow into his new role at HUD, which was also preceded by a stint in the Texas House of Representatives.

“The Lord used football to change the course of my life, and through the game,” Turner told Fox News Digital.

“He taught me lessons that continue to guide me every day in public service: discipline, teamwork, perseverance, humility, and working toward a mission bigger than yourself.”

“Those values inform how I served in the Texas state legislature and how I lead HUD today. My experience on football teams shaped how I lead, how I serve, and the example I hope to set for the next generation.”

Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kan., had a successful mixed martial arts career before shifting from dodging fists to political blows on Capitol Hill.

Davids, who tried out for “The Ultimate Fighter,” compiled a 5-1 amateur record before a brief professional MMA career in 2013, when she went 1-1.

“Turns out getting punched in the face is pretty good preparation for Congress,” Davids told Fox News Digital on Friday.

She first left the octagon to support Native American communities, focusing on community development and expanding economic opportunities for Native people.

Davids later won her 2018 congressional bid in an upset against Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-Kan., in the largely red state.

“But really, fighting professionally taught me that you don’t solve every challenge by throwing punches. You have to stay disciplined, work hard, respect your opponent, and keep moving forward — and that’s how I approach this job, too,” she told Fox News Digital.

Former Auburn Tigers Coach Tommy Tuberville transitioned to the U.S. Senate in 2021 after compiling a slew of outstanding stats as a head coach.

The Republican — now running for governor of Alabama — declined comment for this story but spoke in 2020 about the parallels between success in athletics and government.

Asked about his then-11-month campaign against incumbent Democrat Sen. Doug Jones, Tuberville told the Alabama Daily News he had to approach it at “full speed” just like a football coach.

“We put together a good, good team. And a lot of people told me when I first got started they said, coach, this is just like being a head coach. You’re only as good as the team around you,” he said.

One of the most recognizable Republican figures of the last century was former HUD Secretary and former Congressman Jack Kemp.

Kemp’s political peak came in 1996 when he was the vice presidential running mate of Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., against President Bill Clinton.

Prior to that, Kemp led the same agency Turner did under the first Bush administration, and previously represented western New York in Congress for almost 20 years.

Kemp’s first public role, however, was as a journeyman NFL quarterback in the 1950s and 1960s. He played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Los Angeles Chargers and Buffalo Bills, among others, and also spent time in the Canadian Football League with the Calgary Stampeders.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell — whose father Charles Goodell represented Kemp’s area as a Republican in Congress in the 1960s — was quoted as calling Kemp an “extraordinary American leader who became a trusted colleague and exceptional friend to countless NFL owners, team personnel and commissioners after his MVP playing career with the Buffalo Bills.”

Kemp, who died in 2009, said that professional football gave him a “good perspective” for politics.

“When I entered the political arena, I had already been booed, cheered, cut, sold, traded, and hung in effigy,” he said, according to the Bills.

The only active member of Congress with an NFL history is Rep. Burgess Owens, a retiring Republican from Utah.

Owens, a former New York Jets safety, has alluded to his NFL career at times, largely focusing on criticizing the politicization of sports.

He previously told Fox Business during a time when players were kneeling for the national anthem that he would be boycotting games until Goodell was fired.

“I’m done,” he told host David Asman in 2020. “It’s time for these young men who make millions of dollars to say thank you [and respect the country].”

Owens did not respond to a request for comment.

Former longtime Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Jon Runyan Sr. also parlayed his playing career into one on Capitol Hill.

The Republican represented part of South Jersey for two terms in a district now represented by Rep. Herb Conaway, D-N.J., that covers part of the Pine Barrens and Philadelphia suburbs.

Runyan is now a vice president of policy and rules with the NFL and his son Jon Jr. is a guard with the Giants. He did not respond to a request for comment.

Another NFC East player who went on to serve in Congress was former Rep. Heath Shuler, D-N.C.

Shuler, who played quarterback for the franchise now known as the Washington Commanders, parlayed his playing career into a congressional career in 2006 before being succeeded by Republican Mark Meadows, a later close ally of President Donald Trump.

Colin Allred, a former Tennessee Titan, also moved on to Congress, where he served until 2025.

This cycle, he unsuccessfully challenged state Rep. James Talarico and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, for Sen. John Cornyn’s seat.

Cornyn lost his primary earlier this year to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton who now faces Talarico.

There have been several other top-name lawmakers who themselves were former professional athletes.

Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, an Indiana Republican who chose not to seek re-election in 2022 over political fallout from voting to impeach Trump, was a former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver.

Former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Steve Largent — an NFL Hall of Famer — went on to represent Oklahoma in Congress.

Former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jim Bunning went on to have a lengthy political career.

He was elected to the Kentucky State Senate in 1979, Congress in 1986 and later the U.S. Senate in 1999.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., now holds his seat.

New York Knicks star Bill Bradley, whose number 24 has been retired in MSG, went on to serve New Jersey in the U.S. Senate as a Democrat in the 1980s and 90s.

He also mounted an unsuccessful presidential primary bid against former Sen. Al Gore, D-Tenn.

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Ex-Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Tom Osborne – who briefly played for the Redskins – also served his college’s home state in Congress in the early 2000s.

Former Rep. Adam Wyant, R-Pa., had a 10-year career in the early days of professional football. He played for the Greensburg Athletic Association in the 1890s.

Laverne Dilweg, an early Green Bay Packer, also represented Wisconsin in Congress as a Democrat in the 1920s and 30s.

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Former Arizona Democratic Congressman Mo Udall — whose family is considered political royalty throughout much of the Mountain West — spent three decades in Congress after a brief stint with the Denver Nuggets.

Olympic gold medal-winning decathlete Bob Mathias returned to the United States after the Helsinki Games and represented California as a Republican for about a decade beginning in 1967.

BANGOR, Maine – The sprint to replace ex-candidate Graham Platner will come to an end on Saturday as Maine Democrats are expected to quickly elevate Troy Jackson as their party’s nominee in the high-stakes Senate showdown with longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

Jackson, a former state Senate president, is on a glide path to replace Platner at the Maine Democratic Party nominating convention in Bangor, after winning the vast majority of the voting delegates chosen last weekend by Democrats in the northern New England state’s 16 counties. And Jackson’s top rivals in the race to replace Platner backed him after dropping out of the race the past few days, leaving only one long-shot candidate for delegates to also consider at the convention.

The Senate race in Maine, where Collins is the only GOP incumbent running for re-election in a state President Donald Trump lost in the 2024 election, is one of roughly a dozen midterm showdowns across the country that will determine if Republicans hold onto their slim majority or if the Democrats win back control of the chamber.

“Let’s get to work to defeat Susan Collins and create the Maine that working people deserve,” Jackson, a fifth-generation logger from the remote northern tip of Maine and a one-time conservative Republican who became a Democrat over two decades ago, said in a social media post ahead of the convention.

WHO’S UP AND WHO’S DOWN: CHECK OUT THE FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS ON THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS

While Jackson quickly raised over $1 million for his burgeoning Senate campaign and coalesced party support, there are some potential warning signs.

Following reports this past week digging into Jackson’s alleged temper and workplace conduct, reported claims of mortgage improprieties as well as other potential liabilities including his past strict anti-abortion stance, there are concerns by some in the party that following the Platner implosion, Democrats have landed another unvetted nominee.

“This is a bit of a rocket vetting process,” a Democratic strategist who works on Senate races, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, told Fox News Digital. “Maine Democrats have seemingly made their choice and they’re just going to have to ride with it.”

A veteran Democratic consultant who also asked for anonymity said that “it’s very clear that Democrats should not be looking to Maine to flip the Senate”

“The good news is that we have upset opportunities in places like Texas, Iowa, and Alaska,” added the consultant, who works with centrist Democratic Senate candidates.

Platner, a military combat veteran and oyster farmer who was backed progressive champion and Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont soon after he launched his bid last August, saw his campaign quickly catch fire. Two-term Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who was heavily recruited by longtime Democratic Senate leader Sen. Chuck Schumer to run for the Senate, suspended her campaign this spring after trailing Platner in fundraising and in the polls.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TROY JACKSON, WHO’S ABOUT TO REPLACE GRAHAM PLATNER AS THE DEMOCRATS’ SENATE NOMINEE

But even as Platner steamrolled the Democratic establishment and crushed the competition last month in Maine’s primary to capture the nomination, he had already been forced on defense in the wake of a slew of scandals.

Platner dropped out earlier this month, amid calls from top Democrats in Maine and across the country to immediately exit the race following an explosive report containing an allegation of rape from a woman he previously dated. Platner denied the report but stepped aside.

Jackson, who unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, campaigned alongside Platner during the primary. And he quickly made the case that he was the best equipped candidate to grab the mantle of the progressive and populist movement that had backed Platner.

Similar to Platner, Jackson is running on a platform aimed at working-class voters. He backs raising taxes on billionaires, the universal healthcare system known as “Medicare-for-all,” abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and he opposes military aid to Israel at a time that Democrats are increasingly divided on support for America’s longtime Middle East ally.

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Jackson, who also had Sanders’ support as he ran governor, is currently backed in his Senate campaign by Our Revolution, the group born in 2016 out of Sanders’ first presidential campaign.

Rep. Ro Khanna of California, a leading progressive in the House and a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender, was a top Platner backer. Khanna quickly moved his support to Jackson in this month’s sprint to succeed Platner.

And Jackson enjoys strong support from labor unions in Maine. The labor backing, along with support from Platner’s former allies, helped Jackson capture the overwhelming majority of county-selected delegates last weekend.

The 500 delegates chosen last weekend, along with 101 selected by the state party, will vote for the nominee at the convention. While the delegates on Jackson’s slate are not required to support him at the convention, he is considered all but certain to secure the nomination.

Republicans are arguing that Democrats stacked the deck to back Jackson as Platner’s replacement.

“Maine voters have been shut out by the Democrat establishment with a rigged nominating process to crown Platner 2.0 without a single vote being cast,” Republican National Committee spokesperson Kristen Cianci charged in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Collins, as she runs for a sixth six-year term in the Senate, is facing a rough political climate for Republicans, amid GOP President Donald Trump’s underwater approval ratings, persistent inflation and what polls indicate is an unpopular war with Iran.

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The senator, known as a moderate Republican who at times has voted against Trump, last month received bipartisan praise after reaching a milestone by casting her 10,000th consecutive Senate vote.

But Democrats are taking aim at Collins over her comments that she didn’t regret her 2018 vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, despite his crucial vote four years later to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion ruling.

And following the fatal shooting in Maine earlier this month involving federal immigration agents, Democrats heavily criticized the Senate Appropriations Committee chair for her support for ICE funding.

But Collins has a history of defeating the Democrats’ efforts to oust her from the Senate.

Six years ago, she trailed Democratic challenger Sara Gideon, the then-Maine House speaker, but the senator ended up winning re-election by nearly 9 points.

The Senate showdown in Maine is expected to be competitive, combustible, and expensive, with outside groups on both sides spending big bucks to run ads.

The first Fox News Power Rankings of the 2026 midterms, which gauge the competitiveness of elections using data, reporting and analysis, were released this week. And they rank the showdown in Maine as a toss-up.

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Meanwhile, a Pine Tree Poll conducted in recent days by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center indicated Jackson with a slight three-point edge over Collins, right at the edge of the margin of error, among likely general election voters in Maine.

Democratic lawmakers told Fox News Digital they agree New Jersey’s voter registration error demands accountability but say it doesn’t justify claims of widespread election fraud.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill on Tuesday said a “serious software error” led to the mistaken registration of roughly 6,600 noncitizens through the state’s Motor Vehicle System, while the company that provides the identity-related security services denied any wrongdoing.

“In New Jersey, we absolutely need to have accountability for what happened,” Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., said.

“It was just horrible. There was a big problem with that computer problem that they had. We need to try to address that going forward.”

NEW JERSEY REMOVES 6,600 PEOPLE FROM VOTER ROLLS WHO WERE ELIGIBLE TO CAST A BALLOT FOR 2024 ELECTION

Kim said states should be given the tools to keep voter rolls accurate instead of relying on the Department of Homeland Security’s findings after the agency found roughly 250,000 potential noncitizens who may be registered to vote across New Jersey, California, Nevada and Pennsylvania during a preliminary review.

“The main thing is making sure states have what they need,” Kim added. “I don’t trust the idea that we’re just going to mesh it with some DHS database. That’s where a lot of the problems come in, but we should all be making sure we’re looking out for election integrity.”

Sherrill said she immediately ordered an investigation after the error was discovered and that the state’s Division of Elections is removing ineligible voters from the rolls. She said fewer than 400 of those improperly registered cast ballots.

Kim said improving election technology and maintaining paper trails need to be a priority.

GOP ERUPTS OVER 6,600 NONCITIZEN VOTERS FOUND IN BLUE STATE AS SCANDAL DEEPENS: ‘WORSE THAN ANYONE EXPECTED’

“I’ve been pushing on that. Why don’t we get behind that?” he said.

Pointing to state and county officials, Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said they must ensure “only those who are eligible to vote, vote.”

The comments also come after House Democrats largely opposed a legislative package combining a congressional stock trading ban with federal voter ID measures, as New Jersey’s voter registration error reignites debate.

When asked whether the country needs a nationwide proof-of-citizenship requirement for voting, Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., said President Donald Trump’s claims of widespread election fraud are “a figment of his imagination.”

“There’s no evidence for it, and I’m not going to validate his false narratives,” he said.

Despite acknowledging those involved should be “held accountable,” Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., said noncitizen voting “remains extremely rare.”

“I have always said that people should have to prove that they are who they say they are before they vote, and we have systems in place to ensure that happens, which is why noncitizen voting remains extremely rare,” he said.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said the error was “not acceptable” and pointed to Virginia’s voter ID requirements and election audits, saying they have never uncovered a noncitizen voting problem.

“We do have an ID requirement in Virginia,” he said. “We also have audits of elections, and we’ve never found there to be a noncitizen voting problem.”

Praising Sherrill for coming forward in a “transparent manner,” Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., said election software should be continuously reviewed.

CALIFORNIA ACCUSED OF BLOCKING FEDERAL VOTER ROLL AUDIT AS DOJ ESCALATES PROBE OF ELECTION FRAUD CLAIMS

“We need to constantly be looking at election software and making sure,” she said.

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Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., said he supports a “simple” voter ID law but opposed the House GOP bill because he said it went beyond a basic ID requirement.

“If they put up a simple voter ID bill for an up-or-down vote without any of the other bulls— in it, I would vote for it,” he said. “I think a lot of people on both sides would, too. But they keep adding other stuff, like gutting mail ballots, and that was the problem with yesterday’s bill.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that President Donald Trump will deliver an “entertaining” speech Friday night at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner after gunfire abruptly ended the original event in April.

“The President’s speech will be a combination of unifying yet vicious, and serious yet hilarious, all at the same time, if you can imagine that,” Leavitt said on Friday about the president’s upcoming address at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, D.C.

“One thing I can assure you, it will be entertaining,” she added.

The annual dinner has historically been held at the Washington Hilton. Chaos, however, broke out at this year’s banquet when an armed suspect, Cole Allen, stormed the event in what authorities say was an attempt to assassinate the president.

TRUMP HEADS BACK TO CORRESPODENTS’ DINNER MONTHS AFTER GUNFIRE FORCED EVACUATION

The incident prompted Secret Service agents to rush the president and first lady from the room as guests scrambled for cover, abruptly ending the dinner.

While first lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will not be in attendance Friday due to prior commitments, many Cabinet officials will be present.

WHITE HOUSE REVEALS WHO’S JOINING TRUMP AT CORRESPONDENTS’ DINNER – AND WHO CAN’T ATTEND

FBI Director Kash Patel, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick are among those attending.

“In a sign of Strength and Fortitude, it was just announced that The White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which violently ended rather abruptly on April 25th, will be rescheduled to July 24th. This announcement is a very good thing in that we cannot allow Lunatics to change our way of life, or even its scheduling,” Trump had written on Truth Social in June.

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“I don’t know whether or not I will give the same rather nasty statements, at least as it concerns certain people, but we will soon find out,” Trump added.

Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich contributed to this report.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Washington, D.C., next week to meet with President Donald Trump and attend the memorial service of late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., his office announced Friday.

The office said Netanyahu will leave Israel on Monday and meet Trump the following day. Graham’s communications director said last week that the late senator’s “life and legacy” will be celebrated on Tuesday, July 28, in Washington, D.C., and on Wednesday, July 29, in Columbia and Pickens County, South Carolina.

Netanyahu, in a post on X paying tribute to Graham, described him as a “dear friend.”

“In our recent meeting, I said, ‘Lindsey is a great friend of Israel and a cherished friend of mine. We have no better friend than Lindsey.’ Lindsey understood that the security of Israel and America are inseparable,” Netanyahu said. “He devoted his life to defending America, strengthening our alliance and standing up for the free world.”

‘AMERICA AND THE WORLD HAVE LOST A DETERMINED LEADER’: TRIBUTES POUR IN AFTER SEN LINDSEY GRAHAM’S DEATH

“Israel has lost one of its greatest friends. America has lost a great patriot. I have lost a beloved friend,” Netanyahu added.

The U.S. and Israel jointly launched Operation Epic Fury and Operation Roaring Lion against Iran on Feb. 28.

ISRAEL’S NEW EXHIBIT EXPOSES YEARS OF HAMAS TERRORIST PLANNING BEFORE OCT 7 MASSACRE

Over the last 13 days, U.S. Central Command has carried out repeated airstrikes against Iranian military targets , while the Israel Defense Forces said they have been pushing back against provocations from Hezbollah, an Iran-backed terrorist group based in Lebanon.

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

Fox News’ Yonat Friling contributed to this report.

South Carolina is on course to remain the lead-off primary in the Democratic Party’s 2028 presidential nominating calendar, after landing a key party committee’s recommendation.

The Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) powerful Rules and Bylaws panel, meeting in the nation’s capital on Friday, picked South Carolina over Nevada to hold the party’s first presidential nominating contest in 2028, a move that will likely maintain a key role in the primary calendar for Black voters, who are a crucial part of the Democrats’ base.

The vote comes after intense lobbying by both states, as well as by New Hampshire, and Iowa over the past year to hold the much-coveted lead-off Democratic primary in the race for the White House. And the battle between South Carolina and Nevada was seen as a struggle between rewarding Black voters, who have long been loyal Democratic voters, and outreach to Latino voters, with whom President Donald Trump and Republicans made major gains in the 2024 election, handing Democrats major setbacks.

The panel also voted to allow Nevada, New Hampshire, Michigan, Virginia, and New Mexico to hold primaries in the early voting window, before the rest of the states hold nominating contests starting ahead of Super Tuesday.

WHO’S UP AND WHO’S DOWN: CHECK OUT THE FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS ON THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS

According to the panel, South Carolina would hold its primary on Jan. 22, 2028, with Nevada going second on Feb. 1, 2028, followed by New Hampshire on Feb. 8, 2028. New Mexico would hold the fourth contest, on Feb. 15, 2028, followed by Michigan on Feb. 22, 2028, and Virginia on Feb. 29, 2028.

The Rules and Bylaws Committee’s proposals on the calendar will face a final vote by the DNC’s entire membership when the party holds its summer meeting next month in Austin, Texas.

Minyon Moore, the panel’s co-chair, said that South Carolina “will emerge as the first contest.”

South Carolina supporters pointed to the recent Supreme Court ruling that weakened the Voting Rights Act, and the ongoing redistricting battles, and argued that the party needs to reaffirm its commitment to Black voters when their electoral strength has been diminished.

Nevada allies, meanwhile, pointed to the western battleground state’s diverse electorate of Latino, Black, Asian American and Pacific Islanders, and its working class population as the ideal state for Democratic White House hopefuls to make their case.

New Hampshire held the lead-off presidential primary for both Democrats and Republicans for a century, and while the GOP adhered to tradition in the last race for the White House, the DNC upended its calendar, placing South Carolina ahead of the Granite State. The move was seen as an unwanted distraction for Democrats during the 2024 primaries.

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National Democrats for years had knocked both Iowa — whose caucuses for 50 years led off the party’s nominating calendar until 2024 — and New Hampshire as unrepresentative of the party as a whole because the states have largely white populations with few major urban areas. Nevada and South Carolina, which are much more diverse than either Iowa or New Hampshire, were added near the top of the Democratic calendar two decades ago to increase the diversity of the early states’ electorate

.New Hampshire Democrats have long pushed back, saying the state’s rich tradition of grassroots, retail politics, its well-informed electorate, its high percentage of voter participation and its longtime status as a key general election swing state make it the perfect locale to hold the first-in-the-nation primary.

After the DNC removed New Hampshire from the top of its 2024 calendar, putting the state second along with Nevada, the Granite State still moved to the head of the line. Adhering to a half-century-old law that mandates the Granite State to hold the first presidential primary a week ahead of any similar contest, New Hampshire Secretary of State Dave Scanlan scheduled the Democratic and GOP presidential primary contests for Jan. 23, 2024.

The Democratic contest, which was held before South Carolina and Nevada, ended up being an unsanctioned election, with the DNC banning the state’s delegates from attending that summer’s nominating convention. The DNC later made peace with New Hampshire and reinstated their convention delegates.

But this time around, the party is proposing much more lethal sanctions against states that go rogue, as well as tough penalties on candidates who campaign in those states, in hopes of preventing unsanctioned contests.

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“Because of this calendar, our candidates will be tested,” said DNC Chair Ken Martin. “Because of this process, millions more Americans will be heard. Because of this committee, our party is and will be stronger. And because of the work that all of us have done together, our eventual nominee will enter the general election, prepared to unite our coalition to compete in every part of the country and to win back the White House.”

But longtime New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley, in a statement after the vote on the calendar, argued, “Today’s vote shows that many party insiders have learned nothing from 2024. New Hampshire has a proven track record of testing our candidates with a rigorous, fair, and efficient process, yet those qualities did not prevail. This committee’s vote does not change the realities governing New Hampshire’s primary, which are beyond the control of both this committee and our state party.”

DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB

Nevada Democratic Party Chair Daniele Monroe-Moreno emphasized in a statement, “As an early state and the first true test of a candidate’s ability to win in a general election, we will play a critical role in the nomination process.”

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The National Republican Senatorial Committee took aim at the DNC.

“Instead of asking themselves why voters are rejecting their socialist agenda, Democrats are denying reality and reshuffling their voting calendar,” NRSC National Press Secretary Bernadette Breslin argued in a statement to Fox News Digital.

While Democrats have argued over their 2028 calendar, the rival Republican National Committee announced earlier this year that their nominating schedule, with Iowa and New Hampshire as the lead-off contests, would be unchanged.

Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs’ reelection campaign spent nearly three times what it raised in the second quarter of 2026, burning through more than $7.4 million in three months as a prominent GOP activist in Arizona accused the battleground incumbent of “spending like a drunken sailor” to prop up a struggling campaign.

Campaign finance records reviewed by Fox News Digital show Hobbs’ campaign began the Federal Election Commission’s (FEC) Q2 filing period with roughly $7.18 million cash on hand, raised about $2.64 million, spent more than $7.44 million and ended the quarter with about $2.38 million in the bank. The filing shows much of the spending went toward communications, TV, advertising and outside campaign firms, giving Republicans a fresh line of attack as Hobbs seeks reelection in one of the nation’s most closely watched battleground gubernatorial races.

“She’s spending like a drunken sailor. And drunken sailors typically don’t spend smart,” Turning Point USA chief operating officer, former Maricopa County GOP chair and 7th generation Arizonan Tyler Bowyer told Fox News Digital. “When you’re spending that much money on consultants and TV and paid messaging, that tells me there isn’t a lot of organic energy behind the campaign.”

TOP DEMOCRAT GOVERNORS ARE HOPING TO RIDE THEIR RECORDS TO THE WHITE HOUSE. CAN THEY?

Bowyer said the filing reflects a broader challenge for Democrats in Arizona, and nationally, saying Hobbs’ campaign spending more than it raised is “a huge problem” for an incumbent Democrat in a battleground state.

Among those problems, Bowyer argued, is a spending strategy focused heavily on paid media and consultants rather than grassroots energy. He pointed to what he described as “a whole lot” of spending on consultants, TV and paid messaging, noting, “these are not real grassrootsy types of moves,” and arguing that campaigns with less organic support often struggle down the stretch.

Hobbs, who narrowly won the governor’s office in 2022 against then-Republican challenger Kari Lake, is seeking reelection in a state expected to be one of the most closely watched political battlegrounds of the 2026 cycle. 

She won her uncontested primary Tuesday and will advance to the general election to take on Trump-backed Republican nominee Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., who beat out several opponents to win his Tuesday primary. Biggs’ campaign also seized on Hobbs’ spending earlier this month, accusing the incumbent governor of “lighting” $7.4 million “on fire” and highlighting what it described as a 281% Q2 burn rate.

TRUMP FLEXES GOP MUSCLE IN ARIZONA PRIMARIES AS DEMS DODGE FAR-LEFT UPSET

“While Andy Biggs’ campaign is floundering and stuck defending his decision to side with a pedophile cult over protecting women and children, we’re proud of the strong support we’ve received from grassroots donors in all 15 Arizona counties,” Hobbs campaign manager, Nicole DeMont, told Fox News Digital in response to the criticism about the governor’s spending numbers.

The “pedophile cult” reference appeared to point to a recent Hobbs campaign digital ad that accused Biggs of “protecting predators,” citing his opposition to a bill addressing Arizona’s rape-kit backlog and his vote against releasing the Epstein files.

“We’re going to continue using those resources to reach Arizonans across the state in both English and Spanish through face-to-face conversations, community organizing, and on their TVs, local radio stations, and digital platforms.”

But, aside from whether Hobbs is earning grassroots support, Bowyer also cast Hobbs’ burn rate as part of a broader problem for the Democratic Party, arguing that the party is spending aggressively to keep pace with Republicans heading into the midterms even though Democrats are the party out of power in Washington and would typically expect the president’s party to face tougher headwinds.

He added that Hobbs’ cash position matters beyond her own campaign because Arizona does not have a Senate race this cycle to help drive Democratic fundraising and turnout infrastructure.

“If the governor doesn’t have money, then a lot of candidates down ballot won’t have a ton of money,” he said, arguing Democrats often rely on federal races as a “crutch” to support campaigns lower on the ticket.

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Meanwhile, Bowyer said the race should also matter to conservatives outside Arizona because the state is expected to remain central to the 2028 presidential map. He argued that Republicans need to invest now in battleground states like Arizona to build the organization, funding and “boots on the ground” needed for the next White House race.

“Right now, we’re in the battle of our lives for what 2030 and beyond will look like,” Bowyer said. “People are totally underestimating what this country will look like if the Democrats win the presidency in 2028 and hijack the census process and redistricting.”

“We may look back at 2026 and realize that was the pivot point where we saved America ahead of 2028, or we lost America for good.” 

President Donald Trump struck a more conciliatory tone Friday at the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner, scrapping the combative speech he had prepared before an assassination attempt upended the annual event in April. The rewrite emphasized unity and gratitude, though the president still couldn’t resist slipping in a few familiar jabs at the press while insisting: “The show must go on.”

Trump returned to the stage just months after gunfire abruptly ended the organization’s annual banquet. An armed suspect, Cole Allen, stormed the event in what authorities say was an attempt to assassinate the president.

“The speech that I had ready just a short while. Oh, that was going to be a doozy. I was so psyched. I was going to rip people. And I don’t know, just something changed it — really for the better. But I just wouldn’t want to do that,” Trump said to a room full of journalists and government officials.

“But we’ll do a little ripping, if you don’t mind. But it is true. I said, how do we handle this is going to be a different kind of evening. And it is. And in many ways it’s a more beautiful evening, actually,” he added.

TRUMP HEADS BACK TO CORRESPONDENTS’ DINNER MONTHS AFTER GUNFIRE FORCED EVACUATION

Trump teed up his typical walk-out song — Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.” — and quickly jumped into joking about seeking a third term before striking a more serious chord as he thanked the Secret Service for its work, not only during the attack at the original Correspondents’ Dinner, but for protecting him every day.

He delivered a speech that went longer than expected, talking for an hour and four minutes.

“Just like my presidency, the second time is always better. It’s always better, and the third time will be better yet. I’m only kidding,” Trump said to some chuckles throughout the room. 

The president said he could not deliver the same speech he had planned for the first dinner, “ripping” the press, but said “it was for the better” that he changed his remarks for the second time around.

COLE ALLEN INDICTED BY GRAND JURY ON FOUR CHARGES RELATED TO ALLEGED TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

He made various jokes aimed at not just Democrats but his own cabinet members.

“I hope that everyone finally got to enjoy their entire very delicious beef tenderloins, very special beef. And I want you all to know that Bobby Kennedy, who’s right here personally, ran over the cow and his car,” said Trump.

TRUMP HEADS BACK TO CORRESPONDENTS’ DINNER MONTHS AFTER GUNFIRE FORCED EVACUATION

He took aim at California Governor Gavin Newsom, former vice president Kamala Harris, possible 2028 presidential candidate Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker among other Democratic lawmakers and candidates.

” You can’t have somebody like a J.B. Pritzker who I understand is not president, sadly. But, you know, some people say never used a fat word. And I know I would never call anybody fat,” said Trump.

“I have my own problems, you know, it’s not like I’m perfect, sir. In the back. Don’t call him a fat pig, okay? That’s. I’m sticking up for him. Don’t call him you. You can’t do that, sir. You can’t call J.B. Pritzker a fat pig,” said Trump.

Trump mocked Chuck Schumer’s criticism of Israel and his increasingly vocal positions on the Israel-Hamas war.

“I’m going to send him a beautiful Palestinian outfit tomorrow so he can greet Bibi Netanyahu when he comes to town next week,” joked Trump.

He used the moment to call for term limits, saying, “all joking aside, I do think we need term limits in Congress.”

“The other day, a senator I knew got a text… ‘When you get home, I want to have you immediately come up the stairs and make love to me.’ And he said, ‘I can’t do both,” joked Trump, saying that he can’t both walk upstairs and have sex—he only has enough energy for one of those activities.

The WHCA honored U.S. Secret Service Officer Victor Gonzales during Friday’s dinner in recognition of his actions in helping stop Allen from entering the ballroom.

The computer scientist from Torrance, California, traveled from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. by Amtrak after purchasing a one-way ticket. Court filings say he sent a manifesto to family and friends shortly before the attack, describing political motivations and apologizing for his actions.

Allen has pleaded not guilty to charges including attempting to assassinate the president, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, transporting a firearm across state lines and assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon.

“The attempted mass murder at the Washington Hilton, that’s what it could have been, was an assault on our democracy itself,” Trump said in his speech, which spanned from jabs at Democrats, the press and some jokes at the expense of his own Cabinet.

PHOTO OF TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT SUSPECT COLE ALLEN IN HOTEL ROOM RELEASED AS DOJ SEEKS TO KEEP HIM JAILED

“One officer placed himself directly in harm’s way and engaged the armed suspect, even after gunfire struck his protective vest. He stayed in the fight and the attacker was stopped,” said Weijia Jiang, former WHCA president presenting the award to Gonzales.

“I know many of us have wondered. What if he hadn’t acted in that exact way? What if he had waited a few more seconds? His courage that night reflects the core values of Secret Service duty, justice, courage, honesty and loyalty, and as a commitment to safeguarding his country and community,” said Jiang.

During the speech, Trump highlighted his White House Ballroom following heat for the $200 million project, pointing to the lawsuits.

FIRST ON FOX: WHITE HOUSE REVEALS WHO’S JOINING TRUMP AT CORRESPONDENTS’ DINNER — AND WHO CAN’T ATTEND

“In light of what we went through, I think, people understand it. It’s going to be amazing, a phenomenal one of the biggest drone ports anywhere in the world,” Trump said, referencing gunfire at the first WHCA Dinner.

Trump said that he “predicts” the WHCA would use the space for future dinners.

He also vowed to attemd next year’s WHCA dinner.

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“They said, ‘Would you do it next year?’ I said, ‘I will be back next year,'” Trump said. “Now, if you get really, really nasty, maybe not. I don’t know. But we’re going to be back next year.”

In his closing remarks, Trump said he has a “scoop” for the press announcing he is running for the fourth time.

He put on a red “TRUMP 2028” hat.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday endorsed Rep. Haley Stevens ahead of the state’s U.S. Senate Democratic primary.

Stevens, a more centrist candidate, and progressive Dr. Abdul El-Sayed are considered the front-runners in the race as early voting starts on Saturday.

Whitmer’s endorsement could give Stevens a boost in a state where the governor twice won by considerable margins.

DEMOCRATS’ CIVIL WAR HEADS TO MICHIGAN WHERE PROGRESSIVES FACE BIGGEST TEST YET IN HIGH-STAKES SENATE SHOWDOWN

The governor also beat El-Sayed in the Democratic primary for governor in 2018.

Whitmer told supporters at a Teamsters hall in Detroit on Friday that Stevens has “what it takes to win” while appearing with her and South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn.

“Michiganders need a fighter in Washington and there are few leaders with more fight in ’em than Haley Stevens,” Whitmer said at the event.

SWING-STATE POLL SPELLS TROUBLE FOR FAR LEFT AS SCHUMER-BACKED CANDIDATE DOMINATES WITH CRITICAL VOTING BLOCS

Stevens, who flipped a Republican House seat in 2018, is also backed by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, a two-term Democrat who is retiring from the seat.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt, and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are backing El-Sayed.

“The corporate establishment has closed ranks and made their pick – now, Michigan voters will get to make theirs,” Roxie Richner, a spokesperson for El-Sayed, told the Associated Press.

JEWISH MICHIGAN DEMOCRATS ADMIT THEY WILL VOTE REPUBLICAN IF ABDUL EL-SAYED BECOMES NOMINEE

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Michigan’s Democratic primary is on Aug. 4 and the winner will face Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers in November.

Democrats want to flip the U.S. Senate from narrow Republican control and must hold Michigan to do so.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump on Friday ordered his administration to install signs outside the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History directing visitors to what the White House describes as “accurate” information about the nation’s past.

The executive order instructs the National Park Service, which maintains the sidewalks outside the museum, to place signs informing visitors about a White House report released July 4 that criticized the Smithsonian’s portrayal of American history. Trump also directed the creation of a temporary exhibit intended to correct what his administration considers inaccurate historical information.

TRUMP WHITE HOUSE CALLS OUT SMITHSONIAN FOR PUSHING ‘ONE-SIDED, DIVISIVE POLITICAL NARRATIVES’

The move follows a report from Trump’s Domestic Policy Council that accused the Smithsonian and the National Museum of American History of failing to present history “in a way that is inspiring, unifying, and worthy of our great republic.”

Because the Smithsonian operates independently of the executive branch, Trump cannot directly remove museum leadership or unilaterally change exhibits. Instead, the order targets federal property outside the museum that falls under National Park Service jurisdiction.

National Museum of American History Director Anthea M. Hartig defended the museum during congressional testimony this week.

“As we continue to fact check the report, we unwaveringly attest that it does not fairly or accurately characterize the full body of work at the museum,” Hartig told lawmakers. “There is always room for improvement. But I also know the beauty and the inspiration and the expertise that lies in our collections, our exhibits, and our programming.”

MED SCHOOL DEANS COME UP EMPTY IN TENSE HEARING WHEN ASKED POINT BLANK IF MEN CAN HAVE BABIES: ‘RIDICULOUS’

Friday’s order builds on Trump’s broader effort to reshape the Smithsonian’s exhibits.

In March, Trump signed an executive order directing the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents to eliminate what the administration described as “improper, divisive or anti-American ideology” from the institution’s museums.

The White House later criticized the National Museum of American History’s “Entertainment Nation” exhibit, arguing displays about American pop culture framed the nation’s history through an ideological lens rather than celebrating its achievements. White House official Lindsey Halligan previously told Fox News Digital that “American taxpayers should not be funding institutions that undermine our country or promote one-sided, divisive political narratives.”

OBAMA JUDGE RULES ON EFFORT TO BLOCK AMERICA 250 EVENTS AT WH AND LINCOLN MEMORIAL

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At the time, the Smithsonian said it was conducting a review of museum content and remained committed to “continuous and rigorous scholarship and research and unbiased presentation of facts and history.”

The Smithsonian is overseen by a Board of Regents that includes Vice President JD Vance, Chief Justice John Roberts, members of Congress and citizen regents. The institution receives roughly two-thirds of its approximately $1 billion annual budget through federal appropriations.

Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump said Friday that Saudi Arabia will have to join the Abraham Accords before the United States moves forward with a civilian nuclear agreement, saying the requirement had always been understood during negotiations.

Asked why he appeared to add a new condition after Energy Secretary Chris Wright announced progress on a Saudi nuclear deal, Trump rejected the suggestion that anyone had gotten ahead of him.

“No, nobody got out ahead. I mean, I just say that in order to do it, they have to be a member of the Abraham Accords, which have been very successful. But it’s time now that they do it,” Trump said.

TRUMP CALLS ON ARAB NATIONS TO SIGN ABRAHAM ACCORDS

Later, when asked whether he had authorized Wright to sign the agreement, Trump maintained the condition was never in doubt.

“Well. We didn’t talk about it, but it was always understood. And Chris knew and Saudi Arabia knew that if they joined the Abraham Accords, the deal is not, I’m not going to do the deal,” Trump said.

When a reporter followed up by asking why Wright signed the agreement if that condition remained, Trump said any deal would still have to clear Congress and would not move forward unless Saudi Arabia joined the Abraham Accords.

TRUMP’S IRAN DEAL SPARKS GOP DEMANDS FOR VOTE AS CONGRESS REMAINS IN THE DARK

“Because they understood that, subject to Congress and everything else, in order for that deal to go through, they had to sign into the Abraham Accords,” Trump said. “We think the Abraham Accords bring peace in the Middle East.”

Trump argued the regional security landscape had shifted after Iran‘s military capabilities were significantly weakened.

“There’s no longer an Iran factor. There’s no longer Iran to worry about because they’ve been reduced in terms of their capability and power by many fold,” Trump said.

TRUMP SAYS IRAN’S MISSILES ‘AREN’T THE PROBLEM’ AFTER WHITE HOUSE MADE THEM CENTRAL TO WAR RATIONALE

Trump also emphasized that any agreement with Saudi Arabia would be limited to civilian nuclear energy.

“They’ll join and they’ll do their civil. It’s really, it’s civil nuclear. But that’s what it is. No enrichment. It’s civil nuclear,” Trump said.

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The remarks came during an Oval Office event celebrating what the administration described as a milestone for advanced nuclear energy after four privately funded reactor companies met Trump’s goal of bringing new reactor designs online by the Fourth of July. During the event, Trump hailed what he called a “historic milestone for civilian nuclear energy” and a “renaissance of nuclear power in America.”

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for additional comment.

FIRST ON FOX: A former NFL player from Kenya with a criminal record has been removed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Chicago, ICE exclusively told Fox News Digital.

Daniel Ogama Adongo, 37, was a linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts until 2015 and has been arrested multiple times over the last decade, including a conviction for criminal mischief with damage in 2020.

He was sentenced to a year in jail.

DHS BLASTS MINNESOTA BOARD FOR UNANIMOUSLY PARDONING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CONVICTED OF 3 ASSAULTS

ICE said Adongo overstayed his visa in 2016 and under the Laken Riley act, signed by President Donald Trump last year, those in the country illegally are required to be detained without bond if convicted of certain crimes.

His other arrests include felony intimidation, battery and disorderly conduct, according to officials.

In March, Adongo was ordered to be removed by a Department of Justice immigration judge; the order was carried out on June 20.

EXCLUSIVE: DHS SEEKS CUSTODY OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED WITH MURDER AFTER TRUMP DEPORTATION, BIDEN RELEASE

“This dangerous individual was clearly a threat to the community, which is now safer since he’s been removed,” ICE Chicago Assistant Field Office Director Douglas Thompson said in a statement. “Those who violate immigration law are held equally accountable, including former professional athletes.”

Adongo came to the U.S. after he was recruited as a rugby player and played two seasons with the Colts from 2013 until 2015.

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“Since Day One, DHS law enforcement has been delivering on President Trump’s promise to the American people to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens including murderers, rapists, child sex abusers, gang members, and terrorists,” ICE said.

TOM HOMAN WARNS ICE SURGE COMING TO NEW YORK CITY AS MAMDANI BOASTS ABOUT SANCTUARY STATUS

It added, “Nearly 70% of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S. More than 3 million illegal aliens are out of the country and counting. Our message is clear: If you come to our country illegally, we will find you, we will arrest you, and we will deport you.”

Adongo could not immediately be reached by Fox News Digital for comment.

Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., choked up on the Senate floor as he pointed to a bracelet honoring a fallen friend he said was “cut in half” by an Iranian bomb, turning a Democratic-led push to rein in President Donald Trump’s war powers into an emotional warning about the cost of failing to confront Tehran.

The Montana Republican and combat veteran delivered the fiery remarks in opposition to an Iran War Powers Resolution that would have forced the removal of U.S. forces from hostilities against Iran unless Congress explicitly authorized the mission. The Senate rejected an effort to advance the measure Thursday in a 47-49 vote, but not before Sheehy accused critics of ignoring decades of Iranian-backed attacks on Americans.

“We didn’t start this war, we did not. But, we will finish it,” Sheehy said from the Senate floor. “And forever wars are not popular with anybody these days. Both sides of [the aisle] love to attack our forever wars. And I can promise you, being someone overseas wearing the uniform, when you’re fighting for your country, you don’t care what party’s in office.”

REPUBLICANS FALL IN LINE WITH TRUMP ON IRAN WAR DESPITE RISING COSTS AND US DEATH TOLL

Sheehy argued Democrats were right to call the conflict a “war of choice,” but said the choice was made by Iran’s regime decades ago — not by Trump.

“This is a war of choice. The Democrats are correct,” Sheehy said. “It’s a war of choice that was begun by a radical, lunatic band of terrorists that took over a beautiful nation 47 years ago.”

The former Navy SEAL then ticked through decades of attacks he tied to Iran and its proxies, invoking the 1983 Marine barracks bombing, the USS Cole, the Achille Lauro and terrorist groups including Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.

TRUMP THREATENS ‘MAJOR MILITARY PUNISHMENT’ FOR IRAN OVER FUTURE HOUTHI ATTACKS

“This regime that we are fighting does not care about our partisan politics,” Sheehy said. “They don’t care who you voted for, who you pray to, or where you live. They want to kill all of us. And they don’t just say it, they actually do it. And they’ve been doing it for 47 years.”

Sheehy also invoked William Buckley, whom he described as “an American military officer” who was abducted and tortured in the 1980s.

“William Buckley was abducted in 1985,” Sheehy said. “He was skinned alive on camera by the Iranians.”

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The senator concluded by describing Iran’s ongoing retaliatory attacks as “the flailing’s of a nation in collapse” not strength, citing what he called “an occasional missile strike” on commercial boats and U.S. military members in the Middle East. Meanwhile he encouraged his congressional colleagues to “think about the people who are deployed right now standing on that wall with a loaded weapon who volunteered to defend our country and our way of life” in what Sheehy described as a “just war.”

“Last time I checked, we wiped these bastards out … because they deserve it,” Sheehy said. “We did not start a war with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), they started it with us 47 years ago and their attacks have gone unanswered for half a century. It is time to fix this problem and make sure another generation of Americans does not have to fight this murderous, savage adversary.”

The Trump administration is hammering a federal judge for temporarily blocking its effort to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for South Sudan despite a recent Supreme Court decision that significantly narrowed lower courts’ authority to intervene.

U.S. District Judge Patti Saris on Thursday granted an administrative stay in African Communities Together v. Mullin , preserving TPS protections for South Sudanese nationals while she considers whether plaintiffs may amend their lawsuit and seek renewed relief on constitutional grounds.

The order temporarily freezes the administration’s Nov. 6, 2025, decision ending South Sudan’s TPS designation, keeping it “null, void, and of no legal effect” until jurisdiction returns to the 1st Circuit. Saris stressed that the order is a procedural measure to preserve the status quo while the court considers the plaintiffs’ latest filings and is not a ruling on the merits.

“Another rogue district judge just postponed the termination of TPS for South Sudan,” DHS general counsel James Percival wrote on X, slamming the decision. “This is open defiance of the Supreme Court, plain and simple!”

SUPREME COURT WEIGHS TRUMP EFFORT TO TERMINATE TEMPORARY PROTECTIONS FOR HAITIAN, SYRIAN MIGRANTS

Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at Advancing American Freedom, echoed that criticism, arguing Saris lacked authority to issue any relief after the Supreme Court’s recent TPS ruling.

“She has no right to ‘maintain the status quo,'” von Spakovsky told Fox News Digital. “No jurisdiction means no jurisdiction and under the applicable law, the only proper course of judicial action is to dismiss the lawsuits, explaining that based on the law and the Supreme Court’s decision, she has no jurisdiction to entertain any claims in her courtroom.”

He said the Supreme Court’s June decision in Mullin v. Doe reaffirmed that federal law largely bars courts from reviewing or blocking the government’s decisions to end Temporary Protected Status.

Although Mullin involved TPS terminations for Syrian and Haitian nationals, von Spakovsky said the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the TPS statute applies equally to South Sudan.

SUPREME COURT’S LATEST IMMIGRATION RULING WILL CAUSE AMERICANS TO ‘DIE AND SUFFER’ ATTORNEY WARNS

“These decisions on Sudanese nationals need to be overturned by the Supreme Court in emergency appeals and the judges need to be disciplined for their misconduct in refusing to follow the Supreme Court decision and the federal law that bans them from questioning decisions made by the executive branch on TPS status,” he said.

The criticism stems from the Supreme Court’s June 25 decision in Mullin v. Doe, in which a 6-3 majority held that the TPS statute bars courts from reviewing Administrative Procedure Act (APA) challenges to decisions designating or terminating Temporary Protected Status.

The ruling allowed constitutional Equal Protection claims to continue but blocked the APA claims that Saris had relied on in February to delay South Sudan’s TPS termination.

“The Supreme Court ruled that district courts lack jurisdiction to review terminations of temporary protected status. I’m confused why some district courts have not yet removed any remaining road blocks,” Eric Wessan, Iowa’s solicitor general, told Fox News Digital.

Following the Supreme Court’s decision, the Justice Department asked the 1st Circuit to reverse Saris’ February ruling. The plaintiffs did not oppose the request, instead asking the appeals court to return the case to the district court so they could amend their complaint and pursue only the constitutional claims the Supreme Court left intact. They then asked Saris to temporarily preserve South Sudan’s TPS protections while those claims moved forward, a request she granted Thursday.

BLUE STATE LEADERS ERUPT AFTER SUPREME COURT’S DECISION ENDING TPS PROTECTIONS FOR HAITIANS, SYRIANS

The lawsuit was filed in December 2025 by African Communities Together and four South Sudanese immigrants protected by TPS. They allege the Department of Homeland Security unlawfully ended South Sudan’s TPS designation without following required procedures and that the decision was motivated by unconstitutional discrimination.

Before the Supreme Court weighed in, Saris repeatedly ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. She first temporarily blocked the TPS termination in December 2025 before issuing a broader postponement in February, finding the plaintiffs were likely to succeed because DHS allegedly failed to follow required procedures, had already decided to end the designation, and offered what the court described as pretextual reasons for doing so.

The Trump administration appealed to the 1st Circuit in March, but Saris declined to stay her own order while the appeal proceeded. The case was later paused pending the Supreme Court’s resolution of related TPS disputes involving Haiti and Syria.

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Saris, who was nominated to the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts by President Bill Clinton in 1993, has presided over a number of high-profile immigration disputes involving both the Trump and Biden administrations.

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The temporary order keeps South Sudan’s TPS protections in place for now, but the 1st Circuit and potentially the Supreme Court could soon weigh in on whether the district court has the power to do so after the justices’ recent TPS decision.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and to plaintiffs African Communities Together for comment.

Senate Republicans want to rein in President Donald Trump’s income explosion since returning to the White House, but Democrats aren’t sold on how they’re going to do it.

The Senate is on the cusp of moving landmark cryptocurrency legislation known as the Clarity Act that, if passed, proponents say would finally fold the novel currency into the nation’s web of financial regulations.

Tucked away in the over 600-page package are a slate of ethics provisions that target Trump, the vice president and their spouses. The White House signed off on the provisions, and the architects of the bill say that the restrictions reach beyond just Trump and target lawmakers, too.

GOP RIFT GROWS AS THUNE HITS BRAKES ON TRUMP’S ELECTION BILL TO AVERT SHUTDOWN

But for now, it’s not enough for Senate Democrats.

“Someone can call it an ethics provision,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said. “But if it doesn’t stop the president from profiting off of crypto, and using it as a way to take bribes right out in public. Then it’s not really any expedition.

The list of guardrails included preventing federal officials from creating their own digital currency for profit, promoting or endorsing crypto, creating a divestiture or blind trust requirement one year after enactment, allowing officials to own crypto and a disclosure of crypto sales.

Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., who has led the effort on the Clarity Act, told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo that the idea isn’t to “plan legislation around one person who holds one office for the next two years, but rather, over time, that will serve the House, the Senate, the judiciary, and the executive branch in a fair way.”

HOUSE GOP VOTES TO PUNT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN BATTLE TO AFTER NOVEMBER MIDTERMS

“The struggle is, of course, a lot of Democrats are absolutely focused on one person, and that’s President Trump,” Lummis said. “So since President Trump actually agreed that he would have the choice to either put his assets in a blind trust, or divest of his participation in digital assets and companies that derive revenue from digital assets, somehow, that’s not enough.”

There are other gripes with the package, but the ethics provisions are proving a sharp red line. That’s because Trump’s income between 2024 and 2025 erupted by about 250% — from just over $620 million to about $2.2 billion.

And much of that increase is attributed to his various holdings and ventures in crypto, which are run by his sons, Don Jr. and Eric, according to the president’s financial disclosure forms reviewed by Fox News Digital.

Trump’s income shot up by $1.4 billion during his first year in office thanks to earnings from the $TRUMP memecoin, World Liberty Financial token sales and Stablecoin Holdco, among others.

Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, who alongside Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., worked with the White House to draft the ethics provisions, said that the “behavior” that was being targeted was issuance, promotion, and sponsorship of crypto.

“Again, a very different standard than Nancy Pelosi was held to,” Moreno said.

REPUBLICAN SAYS TRUMP’S TOP ELECTION PRIORITY ‘DEAD’ IN SENATE AS GOP FRACTURES AHEAD OF MIDTERMS

When asked about Democrats already raising issues with the provisions, Moreno told Fox News Digital, “They’re always obsessed with putting things into the base bill, just offer an amendment.”

“That’s the way this place was built, you know, let’s put the base bill out there,” he said. “The ethics piece is this much of the bill — Tiny bit — just offer an amendment.”

Democrats have noted that the ethics provisions don’t specifically target his sons, meaning that the Trump family crypto empire, which has heavily benefited from his name and time in office, would be left largely unchecked.

They also put sole enforcement power into the hands of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, a close ally of Trump’s, and are set to sunset on Jan. 20, 2029, when Trump will have left office.

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., told Fox News Digital that he still has “a lot of ethics concerns, and there’s still work to do.”

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“This is the partisan draft. It’s very obviously not going anywhere,” Booker said. “If there’s only one pathway to do this it’s doing (it in) a bipartisan manner. There are enough of us on both sides of the aisle that we should be able to land this. It’s good faith negotiations.”

The objections to the bill, for now, appear to be slowing its roll through the Senate as the upper chamber sprints to a monthlong break in August, and deals with a shrinking window of opportunity to finish legislation before the year is out.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., had hoped to get the Clarity Act on the floor next week, but acknowledged that might not be possible.

“I don’t think we’ll be able to get it done, but I would like to at least get Clarity started,” he said.