NationalWatch

Washington state Republican Chair Jim Walsh has called having voters write their party affiliation on the outside of their mail-in ballot a “questionable design decision” as some Washingtonians have raised concerns. 

Walsh told Fox News Digital on Friday the requirement to declare one’s party is “codified in law” and is only for the primary, not the general election. 

“The design where the attestation, the declaration is on the outer part of the envelope, that is not state law, that is a guideline, an administrative decision made by the Washington Secretary of State in conjunction with local county level election officials,” he said. 

Walsh added, “That is not statutory, that’s just a questionable design decision by the Secretary of State working in conjunction with the local county elections people.” 

RNC FILES AN ELECTION INTEGRITY LAWSUIT IN MISSISSIPPI CHALLENGING BALLOT COUNTING DEADLINES

Walsh said state Republicans have been trying since 2016 to change the law requiring voters to declare their party “so that people can choose to be unaffiliated,” but have been blocked by the Democrat-led legislature.

One X user snapped a photo of their ballot envelope, showing where voters must declare themselves as Democrats or Republicans, writing on Thursday, “New Washington State envelopes for mail-in ballots. NEVER had to disclose my party declaration on the OUTSIDE of my ballot before. Don’t feel really good about this.” 

Cartoonist Scott Adams reposted it, writing, “How can this be real?” and X owner Elon Musk responded, “What!?”

VIRGINIA DROPS LAST REMAINING CHARGE AGAINST DC-AREA ELECTIONS OFFICIAL

Another voter wrote, “QUESTION- Why am I REQUIRED to list party affiliation on the outside of the envelope to VOTE?”

A third X user posted a picture of their envelope, writing, “Washington State Presidential Primary Ballot … you have to declare on the outside of the envelope?!? Also no option for independents! This is how ballots get tossed before they can even be counted!”

“We’re not keen on the law, but we understand it is the law and that we do need to comply both with state law and with some national and with some national party rules,” Walsh told Fox News Digital of the requirement to declare a party. 

He said the “spirit of the law” is to keep voters from people from “gaming the system, being part of one party and trying to vote in the other party’s primary” but he felt there could be genuine security concerns with the declaration being on the outside of the ballot. 

He told Seattle-area radio host Jason Rantz this week that he suggests voters take their ballot to a ballot box rather than mailing it in. 

“Deliver it to a ballot box. Or give it to a trusted person to deliver,” he said.

But Rantz noted in an opinion piece, that “Fraud at the primary stage doesn’t make a whole lot of sense this election cycle. Donald Trump will be the nominee and it’s unlikely any other candidate would come close enough for stealth fraud to take place. And while fraud (and mistakes) obviously occur, there’s been no recent evidence of widespread fraud that would be enough to change national elections. But voters rightly remember the scandal around the recount between then-gubernatorial candidates Dino Rossi (R) and Christine Gregoire (D).”

The Washington Secretary of State’s Office has included examples of protests voters wrote on their ballots in 2016 — in showing voters the correct way to mark their ballot — that included statements such as, “Actually I’m an Independent but if it makes you happy,” “Don’t tell me what I need to be … the voters are furious” and “I feel like I am being forced to choose a party and that’s not fair.” 

The voter’s party declaration choice is removed after 60 days, according to the secretary of state’s office, noting on its website, for the “Presidential Primary only, the major political parties require voters to mark and sign the party declaration. If you choose to participate, your choice of party will not affect how you may vote in future elections. You must mark and sign the political party declaration (box) on your envelope for your vote to count.” 

The office has not clarified why the declaration is on the outside of the ballot. Fox News Digital has reached out to the secretary of state’s office. 

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Fox News Digital has also reached out to the Washington Democratic Party for comment. 

Washington’s presidential primary is on March 12. 

Nikki Haley asserted two days ahead of the South Carolina Republican primary that former President Trump “will not win the general election.” 

“What I’m trying to tell all Republicans and anybody – Independents as well – anybody that’s voting in those primaries is if you want a change in the country, which I think the entire country wants a change, is we won’t get a change if we don’t win an election,” the former South Carolina governor told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Thursday. 

She proclaimed, “Donald Trump will not win the general election. You can have him win any primary you want, he will not win a general election. We will have a female President of the United States: It will either be me or it will be Kamala Harris. But if Donald Trump is the nominee, you can mark my words, he will not win a general election.”

Some general election polls have shown Haley could fare better against President Biden than Trump, but the former president has a decisive lead heading into the Palmetto State’s Saturday primary. 

HALEY VOWS TO STAY IN RACE, ‘TAKE THE BRUISES’ AHEAD OF SOUTH CAROLINA PRIMARY AGAINST TRUMP

Haley further warned, “Don’t complain about what happens in a general election if you don’t vote that in this primary.”

“We can do better,” she added, noting that Trump and Biden are the “two most disliked politicians in America.” 

She added that a majority of Americans have said they feel both men are “too old” to hold the office again. 

“We need someone who can work eight years straight of hard work, day and night, fully disciplined with no drama, no vendettas, just results or the American people,” she said. 

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Haley has already lost the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary to Trump, but has said she has no plans to get out of the race. 

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

A key group of Hispanic House Democrats is complaining about being left in the dark over reports that President Biden is looking at taking executive action to crack down on the border crisis.

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), led by Rep. Nanette Barragán, D-Calif., released a statement Thursday evening saying it was “unbelievable” that Biden would consider acting unilaterally to limit the number of asylum-seekers trying to cross the border.

“We understand how frustrating it is that Republicans in Congress continue to block any funding requested by President Biden to address the Southern Border. But it is unbelievable to hear that the White House would consider Executive Actions to prevent or restrict migrants from seeking asylum,” Barragán said.

She compared it to “the same methods as former President Trump.”

7.2M ENTERED THE US UNDER BIDEN ADMIN, AN AMOUNT GREATER THAN POPULATION OF 36 STATES

“CHC opposes unilateral attempts by the White House to change our asylum system and put human lives at risk,” her statement continued.

Barragán said CHC “has not been briefed or consulted on any executive actions being considered by the Administration.”

It is not the first time Biden has angered CHC members by effectively sidelining them in congressional border negotiations. 

BIDEN ADMIN WEIGHS EXECUTIVE ACTION ON BORDER CRISIS, DRAWING FIRE FROM LEFT AND RIGHT 

When bipartisan Senate negotiators were working with the White House on a now-defunct border security and supplemental aid package, progressive members of CHC criticized the measures that were being leaked while also demanding meetings to discuss the talks.

“Our votes matter. And so sometimes that means withholding votes,” Barragán said at a press conference earlier this month. “It is completely unacceptable that the Hispanic Caucus would not be at the table on the issue that we lead on, which is immigration.”

CHC Whip Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, bashed the deal for not including anything for Dreamers, young adults who were brought into the U.S. illegally when they were young and face deportation despite many not having been to their country of origin since fleeing.

CHINESE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION ON PACE TO BREAK RECORDS AT US SOUTHERN BORDER

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“The level of anxiety and uncertainty is at a peak right now, particularly when we saw that the Senate bill did not include Dreamers. And of course, for many of us, that’s a nonstarter,” Garcia said.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest statement.

Nathan Wade appears to have made far more visits to the neighborhood of Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis than previously admitted in court. 

A Friday filing from the attorney of former President Trump claims to show at least 35 visits by Wade to the Hapeville neighborhood before he was hired.

Wade testified last week that he did not visit Willis’ condo more than 10 times before being hired in November 2021. Willis and Wade maintain that their relationship began in early 2022.

JUDGE IN TRUMP GEORGIA CASE IN ‘UNENVIABLE POSITION’ AS FINAL ARGUMENTS LOOM

Willis hired Wade in 2021 to help prosecute her sweeping racketeering case against Trump. Trump co-defendant Michael Roman alleged in court filings last month that Willis should be disqualified from the case, claiming she financially benefited from hiring Wade because of their personal relationship.

The date when the two lawyers’ relationship began is key to the ongoing dispute brought by Trump’s attorneys, who argue that their romantic fling compromised the integrity of the case.

The defense is trying to prove the existence and extent of any financial benefit to Willis from Wade from their relationship, which is the crux of their argument that Willis should be disqualified. 

5 EXPLOSIVE MOMENTS FROM FANI WILLIS’ HEATED TESTIMONY IN TRUMP FULTON COUNTY CASE: ‘IF THIS HAPPENS AGAIN…’

Cellphone data also seems to show that Wade twice traveled to Willis’ apartment late at night without leaving until the next morning. 

Wade and Willis have both testified that they did not sleep together at the Hapeville condo.

“We are required to respond to the filing via the court, and we are preparing a response now,” a spokesperson for Willis said of the Friday filing, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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The Friday affidavit asserts that cellphone data shows Willis and Wade sharing more than 2,000 phone calls and just under 12,000 text messages in the first 11 months of 2021.

Judge Scott McAfee will now need to decide whether to admit the Friday affidavit and the cellphone data it contains into evidence. 

Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.

President Biden faces Jimmy Carter-like approval ratings as he barrels towards the end of his first term and Election Day in November.

Biden’s job approval rating stands at 38%, just one point above his all-time low and far below the 50% rating typical of presidents who are re-elected, according to a new Gallup survey. 

“Biden’s overall job rating has slipped to 38%, and his ratings on immigration, the Israel-Hamas situation, foreign affairs and the economy are even lower,” said Megan Brenan, a research consultant at Gallup. 

“He has lost some ground among his party in recent months on immigration and the situations in the Middle East and Ukraine, though his overall rating hasn’t dropped among Democrats.” 

BIDEN FACING ABYSMAL APPROVAL RATING ON IMMIGRATION AS AMERICANS REACT TO SPIRALING BORDER CRISIS

Biden’s numbers are reminiscent of modern one-term presidents, including Carter, who averaged a record-low 37.4% after his third year in office. Former President Donald Trump, whom Biden defeated in 2020, left office in January 2021 with a personal all-time low 34% approval rating. 

A clear majority of Americans, 59%, disapprove of how Biden has performed in office, according to the poll. 

The president has negative numbers on major issues facing the U.S., but his worst issue by far is immigration. Only 28% of survey respondents approve of how the president has handled the border, while a walloping 67% disapprove.

Americans have also soured on the president’s handling of foreign affairs, with 62% disapproval of his leadership amid the Israel-Hamas war; 53% disapproving of Biden’s record on Ukraine; and 62% disapproving of his handling of foreign affairs in general.

BIDEN’S RELIANCE ON NOTECARDS TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AT FUNDRAISERS WORRIES SOME DONORS: REPORT

“Biden’s approval rating has not risen above 44% since August 2021, and his 39.8% average rating for his third year in office was the second worst among post-World War II presidents elected to their first term,” Brenan observed.

If there is a silver lining for the president, it’s that Americans are slightly more upbeat about his handling of the economy. Low unemployment, stabilizing inflation and record-high stock market numbers have contributed to a four-point increase in his approval ratings on the economy to 36%, up from 32% in the last Gallup survey. 

That incremental increase was buoyed by independents, who moved six points in Biden’s direction to 30% approval on the economy. 

WHITE HOUSE REPORTERS FEEL HEAT FROM ADMINISTRATION OVER COVERAGE OF BIDEN, TRUMP: ‘NAGGING AND COMPLAINING’

The survey results show Biden has some work to do to recapture support from Democrats on immigration and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While about three-quarters of Democrats approve of his handling of the economy, only 55% approve of Biden’s job on immigration, and 51% rate him positively on situations in the Middle East.

Overall, Biden’s approval rating among Democrats stands at 82%, but is still lower than the near-unanimous approval Gallup recorded during his first 11 months in office, Brenan said. 

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Republicans unsurprisingly rate Biden poorly, giving him just 3% approval on immigration and 4% on the economy. 

Independents give Biden a 32% approval rating, which is largely unchanged from previous Gallup surveys.

The Gallup survey was conducted by telephone interviews from Feb. 1-20, with a random sample of 1,016 American adults living in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. 

A Manhattan jury in the civil corruption case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James against the National Rifle Association (NRA) and its former CEO found the organization liable for financial mismanagement.

The jury determined that Wayne LaPierre’s violations of his duties cost the NRA $5,400,000, but he had already paid roughly $1 million back to the organization.

LaPierre was ordered to repay the group $4,351,231.

The New York jury said that the NRA’s CEO for three decades misspent millions of dollars of the group’s money on luxury personal purchases.

The decision came at the end of five days of deliberations. 

NEW YORK AG OFFICE, EX-NRA OFFICIAL REACH SETTLEMENT DAYS BEFORE TRIAL AGAINST GUN ADVOCACY GROUP’S LEADERSHIP

James brought forth the lawsuit in 2020, and named the NRA, LaPierre, former CFO Wilson “Woody” Philips and general counsel John Frazer as defendants. The attorney general’s office argued the executives used millions in company funds on luxury personal purchases and trips, including hundreds of thousands of dollars on LaPierre’s trips to the Bahamas, according to the AG’s office. 

The NRA, however, has long said the case was politically motivated by an attorney general who campaigned for the office by vowing to investigate and take on the group. James was elected to office in November 2018 and publicly slammed the NRA in the lead-up to her becoming New York’s chief law officer. While on the campaign trail, James called the group “an organ of deadly propaganda” and vowed to investigate whether the NRA could keep its charity status.

NEW YORK AG CASE AGAINST NRA LEADER FACES TRIAL AFTER COURT AGAIN REJECTS GUN GROUP’S CLAIM OF POLITICAL PROBE

“The NRA is an organ of deadly propaganda masquerading as a charity for public good,” James wrote in a campaign press release back in July 2018. “Its agenda is set by gun-makers who think arming teachers is a better idea than making it harder for kids to get military grade guns.”

Weeks before her election, she described the NRA as “a terrorist organization” in comments to Ebony magazine, and “a criminal enterprise” in remarks to local New York media.

In August 2020, she filed a dissolution lawsuit aiming to break up the NRA over alleged corruption. A New York Supreme Court justice ultimately blocked James’ effort to dissolve the organization in a 2022 decision, saying the suit did not meet the requirements of ordering a “corporate death penalty” on the group. The judge did allow the suit against the NRA’s top officials to proceed. James accused officials at the NRA of “years of illegal self-dealing” that provided a “lavish lifestyle.”

WAYNE LAPIERRE ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION AS NRA CHIEF

At the trial, which began last month, LaPierre and the three other defendants were accused by Assistant Attorney General Monica Connell of getting caught “with their hands in the cookie jar” and argued the four were trying to deflect and downplay the use of the funds. 

“They’re going to try to get you to think about anything except what happened to those cookies,” she said. “They’re going to blame anyone else but themselves.”

State attorneys argued during the trial that LaPierre spent roughly $11 million of NRA funds on private flights and about $500,000 on a handful of trips to the Bahamas, as well as “appearing to dole out lucrative no-show contracts to former employees in order to buy their silence and continued loyalty.”

NEW YORK AG CASE AGAINST NRA LEADER FACES TRIAL AFTER COURT AGAIN REJECTS GUN GROUP’S CLAIM OF POLITICAL PROBE

LaPierre, who stepped down as NRA CEO and executive vice president last month after serving since 1991, said earlier in the trial he had made governance changes within the organization since 2021 and had paid about $300,000 back to the group. LaPierre’s attorney argued during the trial that the former NRA chief’s use of private flights was necessary for safety reasons, due to his prominent national stature amid the acrimonious gun debate. 

“This is a story made up by a person with an agenda that wanted him off the field,” LaPierre’s attorney Kent Correll said Thursday in closing arguments. 

“If this case was so important, why wouldn’t she be here?” he added, referring to James’ absence from the courtroom Thursday. 

JUDGE ORDERS NEW YORK TO DOLE OUT NEARLY HALF A MILLION IN LEGAL FEES TO NRA AFTER SUPREME COURT VICTORY

The NRA’s legal team argued during the trial that the organization worked to address any potential corruption when such issues were first raised by internal complaints. 

“When the fraud was discovered, it dug in. It turned over the rocks it was told not to overturn,” attorney Sarah Rogers said. “The NRA left no stone unturned.”

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“If this was a case about corruption,”she added, “it wasn’t by the NRA.”

Former President Trump broke his silence on a controversial Alabama Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos created during fertility treatments can be considered children under state law.

“Under my leadership, the Republican Party will always support the creation of strong, thriving, healthy American families,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Friday. “We want to make it easier for mothers and fathers to have babies, not harder! That includes supporting the availability of fertility treatments like IVF in every State in America.”

“Like the OVERWHELMING MAJORITY of Americans, including the VAST MAJORITY of Republicans, Conservatives, Christians, and Pro-Life Americans, I strongly support the availability of IVF for couples who are trying to have a precious baby,” Trump continued. “Today, I am calling on the Alabama Legislature to act quickly to find an immediate solution to preserve the availability of IVF in Alabama. The Republican Party should always be on the side of the Miracle of Life – and the side of Mothers, Fathers, and their Beautiful Babies. IVF is an important part of that, and our Great Republican Party will always be with you, in your quest, for the ULTIMATE JOY IN LIFE!”

Justices, citing anti-abortion language in the Alabama Constitution, ruled last week that an 1872 state law allowing parents to sue over the death of a minor child “applies to all unborn children, regardless of their location.”

AUBURN’S BRUCE PEARL SUPPORTS IVF TREATMENTS AFTER ALABAMA SUPREME COURT RULING: ‘THIS MAKES NO SENSE’

“Unborn children are ‘children’ under the Act, without exception based on developmental stage, physical location, or any other ancillary characteristics,” Justice Jay Mitchell wrote in the majority ruling.

The decision was in response to two wrongful death cases brought by three couples whose frozen embryos had been destroyed in an accident at an Alabama fertility clinic. 

The Supreme Court decision led to a halt in IVF services at some locations and caused a firestorm between pro-life groups and abortion advocates. 

UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM PAUSES IN VITRO FERTILIZATION FOLLOWING STATE SUPREME COURT EMBRYO RULING

Pro-life advocacy group Live Action reacted to the decision in a statement.

“Each person, from the tiniest embryo to an elder nearing the end of his life, has incalculable value that deserves and is guaranteed legal protection,” Lila Rose, president and founder of Live Action, said in the statement.

President Biden issued a statement that called the Alabama decision a “direct result of the overturning of Roe v. Wade.” And Vice President Kamala Harris, in the middle of her “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms” tour, accused Republicans of hypocrisy.

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“On the one hand, the proponents are saying that an individual doesn’t have a right to end an unwanted pregnancy and, on the other hand, the individual does not have the right to start a family,” she told an audience in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Fox News Digital’s Melissa Rudy and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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

What’s Happening? 

– Trump pushes for dismissal of classified docs case

– Biden allegedly considered taking board seat on CCP linked company

– Schumer goes to Ukraine amid funding battle

A very special prosecutor indeed

Nathan Wade appears to have made far more visits to the neighborhood of Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis than previously admitted in court. 

A Friday filing from the attorney of former President Trump claims to show at least 35 visits by Wade to Willis’ neighborhood before he was hired as a key special prosecutor on the Trump case.

Wade testified last week that he did not visit Willis’ condo more than 10 times before being hired in November 2021. Willis and Wade maintain that their relationship began in early 2022. But his phone appeared to be near Willis’ address at late hours on some nights before he was hired, according to cell phone data.

White House

FROM BEHIND BARS: Joe Biden allegedly considered joining board of CCP-linked company, witness testifies from prison …Read more

‘STAGED Q&A SESSIONS’: Biden’s reliance on notecards to answer questions at fundraisers worries some donors …Read more

FEEBLE FAILURE: Biden admits ‘broken’ immigration system in meeting with governors as migrants mass-released in California …Read more

RELIEF AT THE PUMP: Biden admin scraps eco friendly fuel rules as gas prices remain high …Read more

‘PLAYBOOK OF CRUELTY’: Democrats go after Biden for considering asylum restrictions amidst the border crisis …Read more

‘ASSAULT ON DEMOCRACY’: Biden brags Supreme Court ‘didn’t stop’ him from canceling student loans …Read more

MEAN JOE: Biden’s GOP-Strom Thurmond comparisons anger conservative social media users …Read more

Capitol Hill

SCHUMER PLEDGES SUPPORT: Schumer visits Ukraine, says he will ‘make clear’ to House Speaker Johnson ‘what is at stake’ …Read more

LOSING FAITH: Republicans losing faith in Johnson to score conservative wins in government shutdown fight …Read more

OFF TO JAIL: House investigators heading to prison to interview ex-Hunter Biden biz associate amid impeachment inquiry …Read more

Tales from the Campaign Trail

GIRL POWER: Haley says US will have ‘female president’ — either herself or Kamala Harris …Read more

‘IT’S CRAZY’: Trump says it’s ‘crazy’ how Christians, people of faith can vote for Democrats …Read more

‘PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY’: Trump’s lawyers push for dismissal of classified documents case …Read more

ON DECK: Kristi Noem offers 5 requirements to serve as Trump’s VP …Read more

Across America

GOOGLE BIAS: Google executive’s posts about ‘White privilege,’ ‘systemic racism’ resurface after team’s botched AI launch …Read more

WOKE LESSONS: New York school gives children ‘Black Lives Matter’ coloring book that promotes trans affirmation …Read more

BAD OPTICS?: Migrants mass-released in San Diego as Newsom heads to White House …Read more

‘FRENEMIES’: Calif judge torches Biden admin for ‘colluding’ with left-wing immigration group on asylum rule …Read more

CRACKING DOWN: Florida legislature passes bill to ban left lane driving …Read more

‘CAN’T BELIEVE IT’: San Francisco hardware store requires customers to shop with an employee escort to stop ‘rampant shoplifting’ …Read more

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

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

Former President Donald Trump said Thursday during a speech in Tennessee that it is “crazy” how Christians or individuals who consider themselves to be religious could vote for a Democrat.

“How any Christian can vote for a Democrat, Christian or person of faith, how you can vote for a Democrat is crazy. It’s crazy,” Trump told attendees at the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) International Christian Media Convention in Nashville.

Trump’s comment to the crowd came shortly after he claimed President Biden, his likely challenger in the November presidential election, is an “incompetent president who doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing” and “will not lead us to the promise land.”

During his speech, Trump lamented the indictments that had been waged against him in recent history and vowed to defend Christians from attacks by those on the “radical left” who are “coming after” those who are religious.

CHRISTIAN PRAYER APP HALLOW REACHES THOUSANDS OF PRISONERS VIA NEW PARTNERSHIP: ‘NEED TO HEAR GOD’S WORD’

“The chains are already tightening around all of us if you think about it. Ultimately, the radical left is coming after all of us, because they know that our allegiance is not to them.” Trump said. “Our allegiance is to our country and our allegiance is to our creator. They don’t want to hear that.”

Trump also said he believes that those who have targeted religion in recent years aim “to tear down crosses where they can, and cover them up with social justice flags.”

“But no one will be touching the cross of Christ under the Trump administration, I swear to you,” he said.

Trump also told those in attendance that he believes the “greatest threat” to Americans is “from within.”

“It’s the people from within our country that are more dangerous than the people outside,” he said. “We can handle China, we can handle Russia, we can handle all of them if you’ve got a smart leader, but the inside people are very dangerous, they’re very sick people in my opinion.”

OPINION: THE BIDEN DOJ CONTINUES ITS WAR ON CHRISTIAN AMERICANS

Trump’s comments reflect his embrace of Christian nationalism, a belief that is powerful among conservative evangelicals who say the founders of the U.S. intended the country to be a Christian nation. Some adherents believe the U.S. Constitution was inspired by God and that the federal government should declare the U.S. a Christian nation, advocate Christian values or stop enforcing the separation of church and state.

Trump is favored in a Republican primary where the once crowded field has dwindled to just him and his former ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley. Sponsors at the Christian media gathering distributed free red and white baseball caps emblazoned with the phrase “Make America Pray Again,” shedding light on an exceedingly friendly space for the former president.

Trump brought the crowd to its feet repeatedly and frequently championed his record on abortion, including appointing three Supreme Court justices who helped overturn the Roe v. Wade decision.

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Some religious leaders were initially hesitant to get behind Trump when he first ran for president in 2016, but now many of them are among his mostly solidly loyal “Make America Great Again” base.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Some Republicans joined Democrats in expressing alarm over a ruling this week by the Alabama Supreme Court that jeopardized future access to in vitro fertilization, giving allies of President Joe Biden new fuel for their efforts to center abortion access in the presidential election.

“We’ve got to talk about making sure we don’t take away women’s rights to IVF, women who are childbearing age and want to give birth to children,” said GOP Rep. Nancy Mace, who was campaigning this week for former President Donald Trump in South Carolina. She added, “I’ll be working very hard to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Democrats and left-leaning interest groups have banked on abortion rights as a major motivator for voters in the upcoming presidential election and fight for control of Congress. They believe abortion can be a winning issue as the debate widens to include increasing concerns over miscarriage care, access to medication, access to emergency care and now IVF treatments.

ALABAMA PROVIDERS SUSPEND IVF TREATMENTS AFTER STATE COURT’S RULING AS FERTILITY EXPERTS WEIGH IN

The GOP has struggled to talk about the issue while abortion-rights advocates have won races even in conservative-leaning states. Reproductive rights groups on Thursday compared the Alabama ruling to the impact of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade and nullified a federally guaranteed right to abortion.

“This has hit a nerve in a way I haven’t seen since Dobbs,” said Mini Timmaraju, head of the abortion rights group Reproductive Freedom for All. “And it’s because folks didn’t believe this could happen but it’s happening.”

Biden issued a statement Thursday that called the Alabama decision a “direct result of the overturning of Roe v. Wade.” And Vice President Kamala Harris, in the middle of her “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms” tour, accused Republicans of hypocrisy.

“On the one hand, the proponents are saying that an individual doesn’t have a right to end an unwanted pregnancy and, on the other hand, the individual does not have the right to start a family,” she told an audience in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The all-Republican Alabama Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that frozen embryos created through IVF are considered children under state law, potentially exposing families and clinics to criminal charges or punitive damages. In response, the state’s largest hospital and at least two other providers paused IVF treatments as they scrambled to assess the ruling’s impact.

Trump did not speak publicly about the ruling and his campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The dominant front-runner in the Republican primary, Trump has for months resisted calls from anti-abortion advocates to support a national ban because he says it would be unpopular with the general public. The Biden campaign and abortion rights advocates last week seized on a news report that Trump had privately suggested support for a 16-week ban.

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Trump’s last major primary challenger, sided with the Alabama Supreme Court in a Wednesday interview with NBC News, saying “Embryos, to me, are babies.” A day later, she told CNN she did not want to shut down IVF treatments and that “Alabama needs to go back and look at the law.”

“One, you want to make sure that embryos are protected and respected in the way that they’re supposed to be,” Haley said. “Two, you want to make sure that parents have the rights to make those decisions with their doctor as they go through in what they’re going to do.”

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, a Republican, called the ruling “scary” while speaking at the POLITICO Governors Summit on Thursday. Alabama state Sen. Tim Melson, also a Republican, said he intends to file legislation to protect IVF services in the state.

But other Republicans backed the Alabama court ruling and suggested they would encourage women not to use IVF.

Catalina Stubbe, the national director of Moms for Liberty, a nonprofit that advocates for parental rights in education and has targeted discussions of race and LGBTQ identity in schools, said she empathized with women who want to be biological mothers through in vitro fertilization but felt they should adopt instead.

“There are many other options that moms can definitely take in consideration instead of IVF,” said Stubbe, who emphasized she was describing her position and not her group’s. “This is sad to create a life just to end up like an experiment for a laboratory.”

IVF is a common process by which people attempt to become pregnant, especially for couples having trouble conceiving, LGBTQ couples and people trying to prevent passing on terminal genetic illnesses or high risks of cancer. It is responsible for about 84,000 babies a year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Legislation and court rulings defining life as beginning at fertilization or that give embryos legal rights may limit parts of the IVF process, including the removal of embryos that fail to implant in the uterus or the disposal of unused embryos.

Fertility doctors have been raising alarm bells over the risks of losing IVF access since Roe v. Wade was overturned as many patients frantically moved frozen embryos to states with more permissive abortion laws — a process that comes with increased cost, complexity and risk of damage to embryos.

Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, who has conceived two daughters through IVF, urged Congress to pass a bill introduced last month aiming to protect IVF access.

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee encouraged Alabamans to vote for Democratic candidate Marilyn Lands in a special election next month for a state legislative seat.

“This could be a determining factor in who is elected president and could have a big impact in who serves in Congress,” said Kathleen Sebelius, a Democratic former Kansas governor and secretary of U.S. Health and Human Services.

At the annual Conservative Political Action Conference meeting on Thursday, Lala Mooney of Charles Town, West Virginia, said she “absolutely” agrees with the Alabama ruling.

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“Embryos are a potential child,” said Mooney, whose son is Republican U.S. Rep. Alex Mooney. “And the moment they’re fertilized, I think they become human beings.”

But Pat Parsley, a 76-year-old from Georgetown, South Carolina, who was waiting to hear from Haley at a campaign event Thursday afternoon, said she wants the former South Carolina governor to win the nomination but condemned the Alabama ruling.

“I think that is really scary. It’s scary for women. It’s scary for families,” said Parsley, who also said she believes abortion should be up to women. “I’m glad I’m not a young woman right now. I hate to say that. I mean, what young women are facing: We’ve gone backwards.”

When the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are considered children under state law, its chief justice had a higher authority in mind.

By citing verses from the Bible and Christian theologians in his concurring opinion, Chief Justice Tom Parker alarmed advocates for church-state separation, while delighting religious conservatives who oppose abortion.

Human life, Parker wrote, “cannot be wrongfully destroyed without incurring the wrath of a holy God, who views the destruction of His image as an affront to Himself.”

ALABAMA PROVIDERS SUSPEND IVF TREATMENTS AFTER STATE COURT’S RULING AS FERTILITY EXPERTS WEIGH IN

The Alabama court’s ruling last week stemmed from wrongful death lawsuits brought by couples whose frozen embryos were accidentally destroyed.

The most immediate impact of the ruling was to leave in vitro fertilization clinics in Alabama potentially vulnerable to more lawsuits and reluctant to administer treatment. But not far behind were mounting worries about Parker’s explicit references to Christian theology.

While Parker’s concurring opinion does not carry the force of precedent, advocates for church-state separation fear he could inspire judges in other states to push the envelope.

“Now we’re in a place where government officials feel emboldened to say the quiet part out loud, and directly challenge the separation of church and state, a foundational part of our democracy,” said Rachel Laser, CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

She said Parker’s opinion was just the latest example – and a brazen one at that – of government officials advocating for Christian nationalism, a movement that seeks to privilege Christianity and fuse Christian and American identity.

Other instances she cited include Missouri lawmakers citing Catholic and biblical teachings for restricting abortion and U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson saying the notion of church-state separation in the U.S. was a “misnomer.”

Parker argued in his opinion that the court was merely enforcing the Alabama state constitution, which was amended in 2018 to recognize “the sanctity of unborn life.” That principle has “deep roots that reach back to the creation of man ‘in the image of God,’” Parker said, quoting the Book of Genesis.

Parker sprinkled his opinion with a litany of religious sources, from classic Christian theologians like St. Thomas Aquinas and John Calvin, to a modern conservative Christian manifesto, the Manhattan Declaration, that opposes “anti-life” measures.

He also quoted a Bible verse that is legendary within the anti-abortion movement, in which God told the prophet Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.”

THE ROOTS OF A RULING

The Alabama court’s ruling that frozen embryos are children is an extension of the ideology that undergirds the anti-abortion movement, said Mary Ziegler, a historian of the abortion debate and a law professor at the University of California, Davis.

And it points to the influence of the conservative Christian legal movement, she said. Namely, its position “that the U.S. has an intrinsically Christian Constitution” — a notion that Ziegler and many historians reject.

“The point, I think, for the movement was never just getting rid of Roe,” Ziegler said. “It was always to achieve fetal personhood,” the idea that human rights are conferred at conception.

The Alabama ruling could influence decisions in other state courts and legislatures, particularly in the 11 states that already have fetal personhood language in their laws, Ziegler said. But because it’s about the interpretation of a state law, she said the case is unlikely to make its way to the Supreme Court.

‘VICTORY FOR LIFE’

Some anti-abortion activists rejoiced at the ruling.

It’s “a tremendous victory for life,” said the powerful Christian legal firm Alliance Defending Freedom. “A beautiful defense of life,” said Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council.

The Liberty Counsel filed a notice with the Florida Supreme Court, saying the Alabama decision — including Parker’s concurrence — should be factored into a pending decision about a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would protect abortion rights.

“Unborn life must be protected at every stage,” Mat Staver, Liberty Counsel’s chairman, said in a statement.

Still, Christian perspectives on IVF are mixed, and in some cases, undecided.

While the Catholic Church condemns such reproductive technology as immoral, many Protestant churches and denominations do not have a firm stance against the practice.

Kellyanne Conway, the political consultant who worked for former President Donald Trump, lobbied GOP lawmakers in December to advocate for contraception and fertility treatments. She cited her firm’s finding that even anti-abortion evangelicals overwhelmingly support access to IVF.

JUSTICE PARKER’S MISSION

Parker is no stranger to church-state debates.

He served as former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore’s spokesperson during fights over a Ten Commandments monument Moore erected inside the building housing the Supreme Court.

Parker is a member of Frazer Church, a Montgomery megachurch that until 2022 was part of the United Methodist Church. The congregation, which left amid a UMC schism over the denomination not upholding its LGBTQ clergy and marriage bans, is now part of the Free Methodist Church, a more conservative denomination.

Neither United Methodists nor Free Methodists specifically condemn IVF in their church doctrines. The Free Methodist Book of Discipline emphasizes the value of human life at all stages. It notes that reproductive technologies raise many “ethical, medical, legal and theological questions even as they offer hope.”

Parker was the founding executive director of what is now called the Alabama Policy Institute, which is associated with the evangelical ministry Focus on the Family. On its website, Focus on the Family recommends that married couples not freeze or discard embryos created during IVF.

Fertility experts say IVF without the option of frozen embryos would likely increase the costs of fertility treatments and reduce the chances for patients trying to have a baby.

A SETBACK FOR THE SECULAR STATE?

Because religious groups have different opinions about when life begins, “it’s quite problematic to see a judge essentially embedding a Christian view into state law,” said Greer Donley, an associate professor of law at the University of Pittsburgh who specializes in bioethics and health.

She said that other judges might increasingly apply religious thinking to their decisions.

“It’s particularly notable that (Parker) is not trying to hide that, but even if judges were careful in their language, the result is essentially the same,” Donley said.

Laser, of Americans United, said that even the Alabama court’s majority decision — which does not explicitly reference religion — is problematic; it states that all participants in the case “agree that an unborn child is a genetically unique human being whose life begins at fertilization and ends at death.”

“That is not taking into account everyone this policy is going to be imposed upon, including religious minorities, the nonreligious, Christians who have a different belief system,” Laser said. “It undermines true religious freedom.”

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley says that there is going to be a female president soon — either herself or Vice President Kamala Harris.

Haley made the remarks during a Thursday interview on CNN with anchor Jake Tapper.

“Donald Trump will not win the general election,” Haley told Tapper. “You can have him win any primary you want, he will not win a general election.”

HALEY ON WHETHER TRUMP WILL CLINCH REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION NEXT MONTH: ‘LET’S SEE IF IT HAPPENS’

“We will have a female President of the United States, it will either be me or it will be [Vice President Kamala] Harris.”

Haley’s comments seem to indicate she believes President Biden will either not stand for re-election or will not be able to complete his term, turning the Oval Office over to Harris.

Haley, who is trailing Trump significantly in her home state of South Carolina, has not yet won a Republican primary. 

TRUMP CAMPAIGN PREDICTS ‘A**-KICKING’ FOR HALEY IN HER HOME STATE, BUT SHE SAYS ‘I REFUSE TO QUIT’

Regardless, the former U.N. ambassador asserts that she is the only viable candidate in the general election.

“If Donald Trump is the nominee, you can mark my words, he will not win a general election,” Haley said in the interview.

Haley has repeatedly pledged to stay in the Republican presidential nomination race at least through March 5, when 15 states hold contests on Super Tuesday.

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She faces an extremely steep uphill climb to win the nomination against the former president, who remains the commanding frontrunner in the GOP race as he bids a third straight time for the White House.

“We are focused on every state before us. Now it’s South Carolina on Saturday. Then it will be Michigan, then it will be Super Tuesday states, and we’ll take it from there,” Haley told Fox News Digital interview on Wednesday.

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

Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and four of his Democrat colleagues arrived in Ukraine Friday morning to meet the country’s military leaders and President Volodomyr Zelenskyy, assuring U.S. support as billions of federal aid dollars remain in limbo.

Schumer’s visit to Ukraine — the country that will mark two years since Russia’s invasion on Saturday — comes amid mounting pressure on House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to pass the Senate’s $95 billion foreign aid package that would deliver $60 billion in military assistance to help the Eastern European nation defeat Russian forces. 

“When we return from Ukraine: We will make clear to Speaker Johnson—and others in Congress who are obstructing military & economic support—exactly what is at stake here in Ukraine, for the rest of Europe, for the free world Congress must pass the Senate’s national security bill,” Schumer said in a statement.

ZELENSKYY APPEALS TO TRUMP, CONGRESS TO SEE ‘TRAGEDY’ OF RUSSIA INVASION IN EXCLUSIVE BRET BAIER INTERVIEW

Schumer said the trip has four objectives: to demonstrate unwavering support for the Ukrainian people, reaffirm America’s commitment to NATO and European allies, to gain a comprehensive understanding of Ukraine’s armament needs and the potential consequences of failing to meet them, and lastly “we believe we are at an inflection point in history and we must make it clear to our friends and allies around the globe that the US does not back away from our responsibilities and allies.”

The four senators joining Schumer in Lviv are all Democrats: Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Senate Armed Services Chairman Jack Reed of Rhode Island; Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, chairwoman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, and Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

In 2022, Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., led a delegation of Republicans to the Eastern European nation. 

ZELENSKYY TO FACE ‘RECKONING’ WHEN WAR WITH RUSSIA ENDS, EXPERT SAYS

Republicans remain split on additional aid to Ukraine, and the package faces an uphill battle in the GOP-led House when they return from recess, as lawmakers are already paving the way for a backup plan. Zelenskyy has been urging the U.S. to continue its financial support to the war-torn nation for months. 

Last week, the House unveiled a 30-page alternative proposal as Republican lawmakers shot down any chance of the Senate’s $95 billion aid package making it to the floor. Johnson and other Republicans have insisted that the southern border should be secured before approving additional Ukraine aid.

Both Democrats and many Republicans still argue that it is in the best interest for the U.S. to help Kyiv remain independent of Russian President Vladimir Putin and that helping defeat the authoritarian leader is critical to avoiding a wider, more intense conflict.

TRUMP SAID HE COULD END UKRAINE WAR NEARLY A YEAR AGO BUT STILL HASN’T LAID OUT SPECIFICS

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However, Republicans who have been critical of Ukraine argue the military funds lack proper oversight. Lawmakers point to a January Department of Defense (DOD) report, one of the most recent in a series of government watchdog publications highlighting deficiencies in overseeing U.S. aid to Ukraine, that outlines the inadequacies of both the Biden administration and the Ukrainian armed forces in effectively monitoring U.S.-supplied weapons. 

The report from the inspector general specifically delves into enhanced end-use monitoring (EEUM), a classification reserved for weapons that “incorporate sensitive technology,” are “particularly susceptible to diversion or misuse,” or could have “serious consequences” if diverted or misused.

According to the report, a substantial 59%, or $1.005 billion out of the total $1.699 billion value of EEUM-designated weapons sent to Ukraine, were classified as “delinquent.” This means that they were not monitored in accordance with DOD standards.

Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

A judge on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, in an extraordinary dissent to a motion related to the Biden administration’s rule limiting asylum, scorched the administration for what he called “collusion” with an immigration activist group to put the rule on ice.

The case involves the Biden administration’s “Circumvention of Lawful Pathways” rule, which the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced last year as Title 42 ended. The rule limits asylum claims, barring those who have crossed illegally and failed to claim asylum in a country through which they have already traveled. 

The administration said it was a key part of its efforts to control the crisis at the border, but it was soon blocked by a lawsuit by a liberal activist group. The administration then appealed that decision. However, both sides filed an appeal to put it into abeyance pending discussions of a settlement. 

7.2M ENTERED THE US UNDER BIDEN ADMIN, AN AMOUNT GREATER THAN POPULATION OF 36 STATES

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal panel agreed, but Judge Lawrence VanDyke, a former President Trump appointee, dissented from the decision and tore into the administration’s decision to seek a settlement.

“For months, the rule was so important that ‘any interruption’ in its implementation, even for a short period of time, would incapacitate the executive’s border response. This panel made decisions based on those representations. Now, the government implies the rule isn’t so important after all. Indeed, the government is now ‘engaged in discussions’ that could result in the rule going away. What?”

He said that the move from the Biden administration makes no sense as a legal move and suspects that politics are at play.

“At the very least it looks like the administration and its frenemies on the other side of this case are colluding to avoid playing their politically fraught game during an election year,” he said.

He said that the administration looks like it is “snatching defeat from the jaws of victory — purposely avoiding an ultimate win that would eventually come later this year, whether from this court or from the Supreme Court.”

He also said that the government had given no indication of when the settlement abeyance would end, guessing that sometime after November might eventually be the plan.

He also suggested that the government may be trying to avoid an immigration loss in the courts amid ongoing concerns across the country about the border crisis.

“Placing these proceedings in abeyance avoids the possibility of a loss before the Ninth Circuit that could potentially exacerbate the issues at the border in the months leading up to the election — a loss made even more damaging given that it would be meted out by a panel comprised primarily of Democratic appointees, no less,” he said. 

BIDEN ADMIN WEIGHS EXECUTIVE ACTION ON BORDER CRISIS, DRAWING FIRE FROM LEFT AND RIGHT 

“The CNN headline practically writes itself: ‘Biden Immigration Enforcement Policy Struck Down by Two Clinton Appointees,’” he quipped.

He also floated the idea that the administration “may be seeking to create policy that resonates with its base while blaming the practical results of that policy on the courts.”

“Up until now, we have been repeatedly assured that the rule is critical to the security of the border. But now, astoundingly, the government seeks to abandon its defense of the rule — or at least put that defense on ice until a more politically convenient time,” he said. “Whatever the parties’ real motivations are for seeking to stay this case, they haven’t provided us with a legally sufficient basis for their sudden change of course.”

The criticisms by Judge VanDyke could resurface in the coming weeks. The Biden administration is believed to be considering additional executive action, including an aggressive use of section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act to stop illegal immigrants coming across the border.

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However, former President Trump attempted to use such a measure in 2018 and was blocked by the courts, a fate that could befall President Biden if he attempts a similar move in 2024. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to DHS, the Justice Department and East Bay, the immigration group, for comment.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem thinks she knows what former President Donald Trump requires in a running mate.

During an interview with Fox News host Lawrence Jones, Noem offered her perspective on the accomplishments, qualifications, and attitudes a vice president for Trump would need to bring to the office.

“I’m all-in to do what I can to help the team. He needs somebody that actually is not part of the swamp, I think. He needs a business owner,” Noem said. “He needs somebody who’s been a commander-in-chief, somebody who makes decisions when things get tough.” 

TRUMP REVEALS VP  SHORTLIST INCLUDES DESANTIS, SCOTT, RAMASWAMY, NOEM, DONALDS, GABBARD

She added, “Those are his qualifications, and he needs to know he can have somebody around him that trusts him and he trusts and will fight.”

Noem was among at least half a dozen contenders — including three former rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination — revealed to be on Trump’s shortlist for a running mate during a special episode of Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle.”

“He’s got a lot of jobs to do when you’re President of the United States. He needs to have people on his team that fight for him every single day,” Noem told Jones.

KRISTI NOEM SHARES VISION FOR AMERICA IN NEW BOOK AMID SPECULATION ABOUT RUNNING AS TRUMP’S VP

“So, when he picks whoever it is a vice president, I’ll support whoever he picks, and I’m going to make sure that I’m someone who still continues to defend and fight for his policies,” the governor said.

During the interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Trump was asked about half a dozen potential running mate choices: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, a Democrat turned independent.

“Are they all on your shortlist?” host Laura Ingraham asked the former president.

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“They are,” Trump answered. “Honestly, all of those people are good. They’re all good, they’re all solid.”

Trump has a history of making comments off the cuff, and many in the political world claim some of the individuals listed are a stretch as viable options for vice president.

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

Lawyers for Donald Trump have filed multiple motions seeking a Florida judge to toss out the case against the former president charging him with illegally retaining classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, citing “presidential immunity” and the “unlawful” appointment of special counsel Jack Smith. 

Attorneys Christopher Kise and Todd Blanche wrote that the charges “turn on his alleged decision to designate records as personal under the Presidential Records Act (PRA) and to cause the records to be moved from the White House to Mar-a-Lago.”  

Since Trump made this decision while he was still in office, they wrote, it “was an official act, and as such is subject to presidential immunity.” 

Trump faces dozens of felony counts in federal court in Florida accusing him of illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach and obstructing government efforts to retrieve them. The trial is currently set to begin on May 20. 

TRUMP DEMANDS JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ‘IMMEDIATELY’ DROP CHARGES AGAINST HIM IN CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS CASE AFTER BIDEN DECISION 

Trump’s lawyers also argued that Attorney General Merrick Garland’s appointment of special counsel Jack Smith to investigate the former president was “unlawful” and grounds for dismissal of the documents case, according to The Associated Press. 

In a June 2023 indictment charging Trump, prosecutors allege investigators discovered boxes of sensitive documents stored in spaces in Mar-a-Lago including a bathroom and shower, Trump’s bedroom and a storage room. 

Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges. 

TRUMP SAID HE COULD END UKRAINE WAR NEARLY A YEAR AGO BUT STILL HASN’T LAID OUT SPECIFICS 

Trump told Fox News Digital earlier this month that “deranged” Special Counsel Smith needs to “immediately” drop all charges against him in the case following the decision not to bring charges against President Biden for his retention of sensitive national security documents. 

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“They should immediately drop the case against me,” Trump said at the time. “I am covered by the Presidential Records Act — he wasn’t. He had many, many times more documents — totally unguarded. Mine were always surrounded by Secret Service and in locked rooms.”  

Fox News’ Brooke Singman and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Former President Trump said nearly a year ago while on the campaign trail he would settle the ongoing war in Ukraine in a matter of 24 hours, but he has not yet detailed a plan to do so. 

“If I’m president, I will have that war settled in one day, 24 hours,” Trump said in May on CNN. 

Trump has doubled down on the comment since, including in July to Fox News. Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump campaign repeatedly this week for comment and details on what such a plan would look like but did not receive a response. 

In July, Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo pressed Trump for details on how he would end the war in 24 hours if re-elected. The president said he would lean on his personal relationships with both Zelenskyy and Putin but did not divulge specifics beyond speaking with the two leaders. 

TRUMP ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR: I WOULD GET A SETTLEMENT WITHIN 24 HOURS

“I know Zelenskyy very well, and I know Putin very well, even better. And I had a good relationship, very good with both of them. I would tell Zelenskyy, ‘No more. You got to make a deal.’ I would tell Putin, ‘If you don’t make a deal, we’re going to give him a lot. We’re going to [give Ukraine] more than they ever got if we have to.’ I will have the deal done in one day. One day,” Trump responded.

Questions about the former president’s plans on foreign policy have mounted in recent weeks as Trump dominates recent GOP primaries and caucuses. An opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal Wednesday argued, “Trump Owes Americans Some Answers on Foreign Policy.”

“For starters, what did Mr. Trump mean when he said he could end the war between Russia and Ukraine in 24 hours? Does he in fact mean Mr. Putin should be allowed to annex eastern Ukraine? Would he withdraw the U.S. from the roughly 50-nation Ukraine Defense Contact Group?” WSJ columnist Daniel Henninger wrote in the piece. 

ZELENSKYY APPEALS TO TRUMP, CONGRESS TO SEE ‘TRAGEDY’ OF RUSSIA INVASION IN EXCLUSIVE BRET BAIER INTERVIEW

Zelenskyy was asked about Trump’s comments in an exclusive interview with FOX News chief political anchor and executive editor of “Special Report” Bret Baier on Thursday. 

“He can’t solve this problem, this tragedy with me,” Zelenskyy said. He offered to host the former President on the frontlines where he “will explain everything, and he will explain what his thoughts, maybe he has some ideas. I don’t know.” 

When asked if the former president could end the war in Ukraine in a matter of 24 hours or timely fashion if re-elected, Heather Nauert, a former State Department spokesperson in the Trump administration, pointed to Trump’s influence on the world stage.

“President Trump wields great influence,” Nauert said. “He could tell Putin to pound sand and immediately withdraw his forces. This would send a direct message to all of our adversaries — including Russia, China and North Korea. As someone who respects America’s territorial integrity, President Trump should understand Ukraine’s desire and need to protect its own borders.”

Nauert argued there are a handful of options that would help end the war in Ukraine, including leveling greater sanctions on Russia and providing “Ukraine with weapons and training that it has been asking for,” as opposed to President Biden’s “piecemeal approach” that she said has “provided equipment too little, too late, and innocent people are dying as a result.”

ZELENSKYY TURNS TO EUROPE FOR AID AS TRUMP BASHES US FUNDING PACKAGE 

“It’s in the interest of our national security to help Ukraine stop Putin from seizing their country and spreading war throughout Europe. America and its allies can use economic, military and financial tools to rein in Russia,” Nauert said. “Russia is trying to destroy Ukraine’s military, its will and its economy. Russia will not stop at Ukraine’s borders.

The former State Department spokesperson singled out leveraging energy as a top option, arguing American energy independence could “wean Europe” off its oil dependence on Russia. 

“If America becomes energy independent once again, we could help provide our European allies with reliable American oil and gas. Russia, historically, has used energy as a weapon of war throughout Europe by turning off the spigot when they want to cause pain. By supplying our allies and friends with American energy, including liquefied natural gas (LNG), we could help wean Europe from Russia. Additional interventions (including increasing nuclear energy) would also help,” she said. 

Fox News Digital also spoke to another former Trump administration official who, when asked if Trump solving the Ukraine war in 24 hours is realistic, said “anything’s possible” and also pointed to energy as a potential top tool to end the war. 

TRUMP TAKES FAMILIAR DIG AT JUSTICE SYSTEM AFTER BIDEN DOCUMENTS REPORT: ‘SICK’

“President Trump, with his history in deal-making, we’d envision a situation where he would be able to convene some discussion or negotiation in which he would have leverage over both parties,” the former Trump administration official told Fox News Digital on background. 

“There could be much greater economic leverage against the Russians if you had a president who wasn’t committed to keeping Russian energy on the market because they feared price spikes here at home, and we’re not willing to do what would be necessary to replace that product with American products,” the former official said. 

To leverage energy over Russia, the U.S. would need to work in conjunction with European nations that were confident the U.S. could meet their energy needs. A conservative president who is not tethered to liberal climate policies at home opens the door to that option, the former Trump official said. 

FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS DIVIDED OVER WHAT US SHOULD DO IN FOREIGN CONFLICTS

Peter Doran, an adjunct senior fellow for nonpartisan think tank the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, argued in comments to Fox Digital that there is a “major gap between” the Biden administration’s rhetoric on Russia and its actual policies, which has ultimately led to Russia’s economy growing despite claims of “severe sanctions” put in place by the 46th president. 

“Right now, there is a major gap between the Biden administration’s rhetoric on sanctions — what it’s saying it is doing to Russia and what its actual policies are. Russia’s economy grew by 2.2% last year, and it’s expected to grow by 2.6% this year under the quote, unquote swift and severe sanctions of the Biden administration,” he said. “The reason is because we’re allowing the Russians to sell too much oil and make too much money to fund their war.

“The best option for Trump would be to use the Iran sanctions model, apply it to Russia and deny Russia the money it needs to sustain this war. And that’s ultimately how the war could end.” 

ZELENSKYY EXTENDS TRUMP AN OFFER TO VISIT UKRAINE’S FRONT LINES: ‘IF MR. TRUMP WILL COME I AM READY’

The former president did speak with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham this week and doubled down on previous comments that the war in Ukraine “would have never happened” if he were in the White House. But he did not detail how he would go about ending the war if re-elected. He did focus on how European nations need to “pay up,” arguing the U.S. has spent $150 billion more to bolster Ukraine than what has been offered by Europe. 

“We’ve got to get them to pay up because there’s a $150 billion difference. I feel very bad. Remember this: You’re really up against a war machine in Russia,” he told Ingraham. ” Russia, what’d they do? They defeated Hitler. They defeated Napoleon. They’re a war machine.” 

The Biden administration and Congress have directed at least $75 billion to Ukraine, and another $60 billion package is working its way through Congress. 

TRUMP, GOP SKEPTICS OF UKRAINE AID BALK AT POTENTIAL MCCONNELL-SCHUMER BORDER DEAL

The war in Ukraine will have raged for two years by Saturday, and a recent Fox News survey found voters are largely divided on the nation’s role in the war. Thirty-one percent of registered voters believe the U.S. should be doing more to help in the war with Russia and 30% say the U.S. should be doing less. Thirty-five percent believe the current level of support is adequate, according to the Fox poll published in December. 

Doran argued that foreign policy issues typically take a backseat for voters during elections but noted the 2024 election is unique with the world “in a state of dangerous chaos.”

TRUMP DESCRIBES HOW HE COULD SOLVE RUSSIA-UKRAINE CONFLICT IN 24 HOURS  

“As with all elections, it’s the domestic economy and domestic politics which get voters out into the polls. Foreign policy is always in the back of their mind, not in the front. What’s unique about this election cycle is that the world is in a state of dangerous chaos, and voters remember that it was not like this when Trump was in office. And that’s going to be a powerful motivator in Trump’s favor in 2024,” he said. 

Earlier this month, Zelenskyy re-upped his invitation to Trump to visit Ukraine after previously inviting him in November, when he noted Trump’s comment that he could end the war “in 24 hours.” 

“Former President Trump said that about 24 hours, that he can manage it and finish the war,” Zelenskyy said during an interview last year. “For me, what can I say? So he’s very welcome as well.”

Trump has so far not taken Zelenskyy up on the offers. 

Nauert added that before Americans head to the polls later this year, candidates should release “their strategy for addressing the interconnected threats posed by Russia, China, Iran and North Korea.”

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“The entire world will be watching the outcome of our presidential election. When America is in chaos, adversaries take advantage of the vacuum, and that’s never good for America’s national security,” she said. 

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Lara Trump is working double-time cementing her front-runner status to be the next co-chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC), including laying out her priorities to turbocharge the organization struggling to keep up with its Democrat counterpart’s massive fundraising numbers.

Trump described those priorities during a campaign stop in North Charleston, South Carolina on Wednesday while firing up voters for her father-in-law — former President Donald Trump — ahead of Saturday’s Republican primary election.

“We have to legally ballot harvest everywhere we possibly can,” she told the riled up crowd of roughly 150 supporters gathered in the Trump campaign headquarters, stressing the need to follow the law, unlike Democrats, who she accused of trying to steal elections through various means.

LARA TRUMP UNLEASHES ON NIKKI HALEY AMID RNC FEUD, REFUSAL TO DROP OUT OF GOP PRIMARY RACE

Trump added that in addition to ballot harvesting, “on day one” as RNC co-chair she would launch initiatives to register more Republican voters, as well as recruit and train poll watchers to help crack down on any potential illegal activity.

“I’m here to do whatever I can to make sure we get this country back on track,” she said.

In an interview with Fox News Digital ahead of her speech, Trump also addressed the fundraising challenges facing the RNC as it began the election year dwarfed by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) — combined with the rest of President Biden’s joint fundraising entities — in terms of cash-on-hand.

BIDEN CAMPAIGN TROLLS TRUMP’S ‘WEAKEST OPERATION IN RECENT HISTORY’ AMID LAGGING CAMPAIGN CASH

“That’s exactly why we have no time to waste. I was honored by the endorsement of my father-in-law for co-chair of the RNC. They do still have to vote, ultimately. We’ll see what happens with that. But I think that is goal number one on day number one is we need to start fundraising on the Republican side of the aisle because the Democrats have a war chest,” she said. 

“We all know that Joe Biden, despite him being a horrific candidate and having just really awful polling that you see right now across the board for him, he does have a lot behind him,” she added. “He’s got a lot of money behind him. He’s got the mainstream media behind him. He’s got the Democrat political machine behind him. And so we have a lot of ground to cover between now and November 5th.”

Trump repeated an argument she made last week that “every single penny” the RNC receives should go toward ensuring former President Trump is elected in November, as well as expanding the Republican majority in the House of Representatives and flipping the Senate from Democrat control.

WATCH: TRUMP CONDEMNS ALEXEI NAVALNY’S DEATH AS ‘HORRIBLE THING’ AFTER FACING SHARP BACKLASH FROM HALEY

She also addressed the controversy surrounding conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who founded Turning Point USA, a non-profit that advocates conservative policies on college campuses, and reporting that he played a part in current RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel’s plan to step down from the role she’s held for over seven years.

A NBC report published over the weekend detailed Kirk’s role in McDaniel’s pending ouster, as well as the criticism he’s received from Republicans since concerning past controversial comments on his podcast, as well as for steering money away from the RNC.

However, none of that deterred Trump from praising Kirk, who she hopes will play a larger role in Republican politics in the future.

“I think he’s actually been amazing in the way that he’s engaged young voters. We need to be doing that as a party,” she said. “The reality is the Democrats really have a leg up on us. They have Hollywood. They have the music industry. They have all the social media out there possible in their field and in their corner. And it is a struggle for us to engage with a younger audience.” 

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“I think something that Charlie Kirk has been masterful at doing is just that — reaching out to the youth of this country, reaching out to kids on college campuses. I think he already has played a huge role in the future of this party, and I hope he plays a role from now until we get back on top and we win the White House and there and beyond,” she added.

No date has been set for when McDaniel will step down from her role as chairwoman, but RNC committee members are reportedly expected to elect her successor early next month.

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

Donald Trump continues to dominate in the Republican primary.

The former president notched support from an average of 75% of national GOP voters in polls released by NBC News, CNN and Quinnipiac University over the last four weeks.

His opponent, Nikki Haley, received support from an average of 20% of Republican voters in the same polls.

Still, this race isn’t over until a candidate wins 1,215 or more delegates.

Haley reminded voters this week that she is “not going anywhere,” pledging to stay in until at least Super Tuesday. It could be longer.

The former South Carolina governor faces an extremely steep climb to make this race competitive. She would need a much-stronger-than-expected showing in her home state this weekend and then use the momentum to win several more states between now and late March.

That’s because late March is likely the earliest time when Trump could clinch the majority of delegates and, therefore, become the presumptive nominee.

The state of play

Trump currently has 63 delegates, Haley has 17.

That’s after the former president’s wins in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and the Virgin Islands – the four primaries or caucuses that have taken place so far.

While Haley has not won a contest, the former governor put up a fight in New Hampshire and won nearly as many delegates in Iowa.

Both those states allocate delegates proportionally, meaning that the number of delegates a candidate receives aligns with their relative vote share.

HOW PRESIDENTIAL BATTLEGROUND STATES HAVE CHANGED OVER THE YEARS

The road to Super Tuesday

There are several contests before Super Tuesday with a total of 185 delegates on the line:

• South Carolina, Feb. 24: There are 50 delegates at stake this Saturday night. The statewide winner will take all of the 29 at-large delegates available. The winner in each congressional district receives another three delegates per district won (up to 21 delegates). Haley has campaigned heavily in her home state, making this the next major contest to watch. Special coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET on Fox News Channel.
• Michigan, Feb. 27 and March 2: 16 delegates are on the line in Michigan’s primary, part one of a two-part nominating contest there. They will be awarded to the candidates proportionally (if they get 12.5%+ of the vote). On March 2, another 39 delegates will be awarded at district conventions.
• Idaho, March 2: 32 delegates are at stake, and the candidate with a majority of the statewide vote will take all of them.
• Missouri, March 2: Missouri is holding precinct caucuses on March 2, but delegates won’t be awarded until later in the process.
• D.C., March 1-3: There are 19 delegates on the line in the nation’s capital; the candidate who wins the majority will take them all.
• North Dakota, March 4: The day before Super Tuesday, 29 more delegates will be awarded. If a candidate gets 60% of the vote, they win all of those delegates; otherwise, delegates will be awarded proportionally to candidates with at least 20% of the vote.

Super Tuesday

Super Tuesday gets its name from the large number of states – and, therefore, the large number of delegates – on offer in one night. The total is 874.

TRUMP CAMPAIGN PREDICTS ‘A**-KICKING’ FOR HALEY IN HER HOME STATE, BUT SHE SAYS ‘I REFUSE TO QUIT’

Here are those states and a summary of the key rules (in many cases, this is not an exhaustive list of all the rules for each state). The total possible delegates for each category of delegates are listed in brackets.

• Alabama: 50 delegates. Statewide (29): majority-take-all, otherwise proportional for candidates with 20%+ of the vote. Congressional districts (21): majority-take-all or winner-take-most.
• Alaska: 29 delegates, proportional (13%+).
• American Samoa: 9 delegates nominated by a delegate resolution.
• Arkansas: 40 delegates. Statewide (28): majority-take-most or proportional (15%+). Congressional districts (12): majority-take-all or winner-take-most.
• California: 169 delegates, majority-take-all or proportional.
• Colorado: 37 delegates, proportional (20%+).
• Maine: 20 delegates, majority-take-all or proportional (20%+).
• Massachusetts: 40 delegates, majority-take-all or proportional.
• Minnesota: 39 delegates. Statewide (15): 80%-take-all or proportional (20%+). Congressional districts (24): proportional (20%+). A candidate who receives 80%+ statewide wins all congressional district delegates as well.
• North Carolina: 74 delegates. Statewide (32): proportional (20%+). Congressional districts (42): ⅔-take-all or winner-take-most.
• Oklahoma: 43 delegates. Statewide (28): majority-take-all or proportional (15%+). Congressional districts (15): majority-take-all or proportional (15%+).
• Tennessee: 58 delegates. Statewide (31): ⅔-take-all or proportional (20%+). Congressional districts (27): ⅔-take-all or winner-take-most.
• Texas: 161 delegates. Statewide (48): proportional (20%+). Congressional districts (114): majority-take-all or proportional (20%+).
• Utah: 40 delegates. Majority-take-all or proportional (15%+).
• Vermont: 17 delegates. Majority-take-all or proportional (20%+).
• Virginia: 48 delegates. Statewide (12): majority-take-all or proportional (15%+). Congressional districts (33): majority-take-all or proportional (15%+).

Most of the Super Tuesday states have majority-take-all rules. In a race with two major candidates left, this means the candidate who wins is very likely to take all of those delegates.

If Trump won every single delegate on offer between today and Super Tuesday, which is highly unlikely if Haley remains in the race, he would take a total of 1,122 delegates. That is still about a hundred delegates short of the 1,215 needed to win.

Later in March

There are two more “mini Super Tuesday” events as March rolls on, along with other contests. In summary:

• Wyoming, ending March 10: 12 delegates through county conventions.

Then it’s on to Super Tuesday II on March 12 with 161 delegates total:

• Georgia: 59 delegates. Statewide (17): proportional (20%+). Congressional districts (42): majority-take-all or winner-take-most.
• Hawaii: 19 delegates. Statewide (13): proportional. Congressional districts (6): proportional.
• Mississippi: 40 delegates. Statewide (28): majority-take-all or proportional (20%). Congressional districts (12): winner-take-most. A candidate who receives a majority statewide wins all congressional district delegates as well.
• Washington: 43 delegates. Statewide (13): majority-take-all or proportional (20%+). Congressional districts (30): majority-take-all or proportional (20%+).

These states have a mix of delegate rules that make it difficult for one candidate in a competitive race to win them all. 

FACING LONG ODDS AGAINST TRUMP, HALEY REMAINS DEFIANT

If Trump were to sweep the March 12 contests, he would become the presumptive nominee with a total of 1,295 delegates by the end of March 12.

March 12 is the earliest possible date of a Trump victory

A win on March 12 is very unlikely, though, given that Haley has made investments in several upcoming states.

It’s more likely to take until at least March 19, when several more states with large delegate hauls have their primaries.

The total number of delegates awarded ticks up again starting March 15:

• Northern Marianas, March 15: 9 delegates, winner-take-all.
• Guam, March 16: 9 unbound delegates (so we’ll exclude these for now).

Then comes Super Tuesday III, on March 19, with 350 total delegates in one night:

• Arizona: 43 delegates, winner-take-all.
• Florida: 125 delegates, winner-take-all.
• Illinois: 64 delegates. Statewide (13): winner-take-all. Congressional districts (51): delegate election.
• Kansas: 39 delegates, winner-take-all.
• Ohio: 79 delegates, winner-take-all.

If Trump remains the leader of this race, then it is possible that he could win all 350 delegates on this night. That would hypothetically give him as many as 1,654 delegates by this point of the race.

March 19 is a possible Trump victory date

There is only one more contest in late March:

• Louisiana, March 23: 47 delegates, winner-take-all.

If Haley is much more competitive by this point in the race, then Trump would have to wait until at least April 2 to reach 1,215 delegates.

WHO’S ON TRUMP’S RUNNING MATE SHORT LIST

And of course, in that scenario, Haley would have amassed a significant number of delegates of her own, making it possible for her to become the presumptive nominee late in the primary season.

If the race continues into April, it will become competitive

There are still many delegates on the table in April. In summary:

• April 2: Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. 195 delegates total.
• April 6: Missouri (district conventions). 40 delegates.
• Ending April 20: Wyoming (state convention). 17 delegates.
• April 21: Puerto Rico. 23 delegates.
• April 23: Pennsylvania. 67 delegates, but only 16 are bound delegates.

These are all possible dates for Trump or Haley to prevail. The remaining states are split between May and June:

• May 4: Missouri (state convention). 11 bound delegates, 3 unbound delegates.
• May 7: Indiana. 58 delegates.
• May 14: Maryland, Nebraska, and West Virginia. 105 delegates.
• May 21: Kentucky and Oregon. 77 delegates.
• June 4: Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota. 63 bound delegates, 31 unbound delegates.

No matter what, we will have a presumptive winner before June 5.

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is scorching President Biden for considering executive action to address the migrant crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The outspoken lawmaker compared Biden to former President Trump, whose stricter immigration policies were universally panned by progressives. 

“Doing Trump impressions isn’t how we beat Trump,” she wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Seeking asylum is a legal right of all people. In the face of authoritarian threat, we should not buckle on our principles – we should commit to them.

“The mere suggestion is outrageous and the President should refuse to sign it.”

7.2M ILLEGALS ENTERED THE US UNDER BIDEN ADMIN, AN AMOUNT GREATER THAN POPULATION OF 36 STATES

GOP SENATORS RALLY AGAINST BIPARTISAN BORDER DEAL, CITING BIDEN’S POWER TO SUSPEND ‘EMERGENCY’ BILL

A White House spokesperson did not directly address Ocasio-Cortez’s comments when asked by Fox News Digital. Instead, the spokesperson reiterated calls for House Republicans to act on the Senate’s bipartisan border security and foreign aid bill, which did not even pass the Senate after a flood of GOP opposition.

“The administration spent months negotiating in good faith to deliver the toughest and fairest bipartisan border security bill in decades because we need Congress to make significant policy reforms and to provide additional funding to secure our border and fix our broken immigration system,” the spokesperson said. 

“Congressional Republicans chose to put partisan politics ahead of our national security, rejected what border agents have said they need, and then gave themselves a two-week vacation. No executive action, no matter how aggressive, can deliver the significant policy reforms and additional resources Congress can provide and that Republicans rejected.”

‘SHAMEFUL’: AOC BLASTS BIDEN ADMIN FOR BLOCKING UN GAZA CEASE-FIRE RESOLUTION 

Democrats have demonstrated they are increasingly annoyed at Biden’s new willingness to crack down and take the pressure off the nation’s overwhelmed asylum system. 

When Biden said he would close the border earlier this month if Congress granted him the ability through legislation, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Nanette Barragán, D-Calif., said she was “disappointed” in the president, adding, “Efforts to shut down the border do not work. It did not work under Trump with the use of Title 42, and it will not fix the problem now.”

An administration official told Fox News Digital on Thursday that no final decision has been made regarding what, and if, executive action could be taken. The official added Biden is exploring multiple policy options.

It comes after Fox News was told Wednesday evening that Biden is considering executive action to restrict the ability of migrants who cross the U.S. border illegally to claim asylum.

The president’s critics on the right have long accused him of making the crisis worse by rolling back Trump administration policies like “Remain In Mexico.”

But the border is rapidly emerging as a top issue for 2024 voters. 

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U.S. Rep.-elect Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., won a recent special election in New York’s 3rd Congressional District, handing Democrats a critical victory after running on a pledge to take on the border crisis.

A recent Fox News poll found nearly eight in 10 voters think the border is a significant issue, while 34% said it was an emergency and 45% said it was a major problem.

Fox News’ Edward Lawrence contributed to this report.