NationalWatch

EXCLUSIVE: House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is welcoming the Trump administration’s backup as he continues to probe the alleged “cover-up” of former President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating pardons granted by the Biden White House, specifically whether the ex-president “was competent and whether others were taking advantage of him through use of autopen or other means,” according to Reuters.

“The Trump DOJ is right to open a probe into the potential unauthorized use of autopen at the Biden White House for sweeping pardons and other executive actions,” Comer told Fox News Digital. “Americans demand transparency and accountability about who was calling the shots at the White House.”

The Kentucky Republican launched a House Oversight Committee probe into the prior administration last month, requesting appearances and information from five former senior Biden aides, including his physician Kevin O’Connor.

MCCAUL TOUTS MONEY IN TRUMP TAX BILL TO PAY TEXAS BACK FOR FIGHTING BIDEN BORDER POLICIES

A source familiar with the matter previously told Fox News Digital that lawyers for all five former staffers were in communication with the committee, but Comer signaled that he would not rule out compelling their appearance if those talks fell through.

“The House Oversight Committee is investigating the cover-up of President Biden’s mental decline and will be talking soon with a large group of former administration and campaign officials, under subpoena if necessary. We welcome the DOJ’s additional efforts to ensure accountability,” Comer said.

The DOJ declined to comment when reached by Fox News Digital.

MIKE JOHNSON, DONALD TRUMP GET ‘BIG, ‘BEAUTIFUL’ WIN AS BUDGET PASSES HOUSE

Republicans have unleashed a tidal wave of scrutiny on the previous Democratic White House as new reports – as well as old concerns previously dismissed by mainstream media – surface about Biden’s mental state while in office and what lengths those closest to him took to allegedly hide it from others. 

It was considered all but taboo in Washington’s political circles to discuss Biden’s mental acuity until his disastrous debate against then-candidate Donald Trump in 2024.

Since then, myriad accounts about the former president misremembering longtime allies or losing focus in meetings have flooded the media.

It’s brought new scrutiny on some of the unprecedentedly broad pardons he issued during his waning days in office, including for his son, Hunter Biden, despite previously saying he would not do so.

Biden is also currently dealing with stage 4 prostate cancer, which he announced last month, though he told reporters in recent days he was “optimistic.”

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Like the DOJ, Comer’s probe is focused on Biden’s mental decline and use of autopen for pardons and other executive actions.

“The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is investigating the role of former senior Biden White House officials in possibly usurping authority from former President Joe Biden and the ramifications of a White House staff intent on hiding his rapidly worsening mental and physical faculties,” Comer said in letters to the former Biden officials.

Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee sent a letter Tuesday requesting House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to condemn the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for “forcefully” entering Rep. Jerry Nadler’s congressional office and handcuffing a member of his staff. 

The letter, sent by Nadler and fellow House Judiciary Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., disputes DHS’ claim that agents were doing a “security check” at Nadler’s office. 

“We therefore urge you to bring the Secretary of the DHS, Kristi Noem, before our Committee immediately to answer our questions about her agency’s irresponsible and dangerous actions,” the House Democrats said in the letter.  

Nadler and Raskin said the video released from the incident reveals agents handcuffed a staffer and demanded access to “non-public areas” inside Nadler’s office without “asking about the safety and security of his staff.”

REP. NADLER CONDEMNS TRUMP ADMIN AFTER STAFF MEMBER HANDCUFFED DURING CONGRESSIONAL OFFICE SECURITY SWEEP

“These types of intimidation tactics are completely unwarranted and cannot be tolerated. The decision to enter a congressional office and detain a congressional staff member demonstrates a deeply troubling disregard for proper legal boundaries,” Nadler and Raskin said. 

SCOOP: GOP PLANS INVESTIGATION INTO ICE THREATS AFTER DEMS’ ‘STORMING’ OF FACILITY

The House Democrats are urging Jordan to condemn the incident and requesting DHS Secretary Noem testify before the House Judiciary Committee. 

“We call on you, as Chairman of the House Committee on the Judiciary, to condemn this aggressive affront to the separation of powers and the safety of Members of Congress, our staff, and our constituents,” Nadler and Raskin said. 

DHS previously told Fox News Digital the Federal Protective Service (FPS) officers who entered Nadler’s office were responding to reports that protesters were inside Nadler’s district office in Manhattan. There was a protest outside an immigration courthouse in the same facility as Nadler’s office. 

“Based on earlier incidents in a nearby facility, FPS officers were concerned about the safety of the federal employees in the office and went to the location to ensure the safety and wellbeing of those present,” a Homeland Security spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

“Officers identified themselves and explained their intent to conduct a security check. However, one individual became verbally confrontational and physically blocked access to the office,” the spokesperson added. “The officers then detained the individual in the hallway for the purpose of completing the security check. All were released without further incident.”

The House Democrats refuted the spokesperson’s claim in the letter and criticized the incident as a larger issue within President Donald Trump‘s crackdown on illegal immigration. 

“Sadly, this incident is part of a broader pattern by President Donald J. Trump and DHS of using unlawful, chaotic, and reckless tactics in communities across America, as they threaten and intimidate children, members of the clergy, students, as well as Members of Congress and their staffs,” they said. 

Nadler slammed Trump for “sowing chaos” in a statement released Saturday. 

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“The time is now to halt the use of these illegitimate tactics and to ensure that DHS complies with the law and with the norms of common human decency,” Nadler and Raskin conclude in the letter. 

DHS did not immediately provide a comment. 

Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report. 

FIRST ON FOX: Newly released undercover video shows a university administrator in North Carolina boasting about DEI efforts still taking place at the school despite state and federal efforts to roll back the policies, prompting the school to sever ties with that employee. 

“I mean we probably still do anyway… but you gotta keep it quiet,” UNC Asheville Dean of Students Megan Pugh tells an undercover journalist in a video released by Accuracy In Media and exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital, after being praised for continuing to do “equity work” at the school.

“Keep it on the down low?” the journalist responds, to which Pugh says, “Yeah.”

“But, I love breaking rules,” Pugh then says.

‘BUREAUCRATIC AND WASTEFUL’: DOGE SNIFFS OUT EYE-POPPING SPENDING ON BIDEN DEI EFFORTS IN KEY AGENCY

Pugh’s comments come a year after the University of North Carolina System Board of Governors voted to essentially ban DEI and focus on “institutional neutrality,” Carolina Journal reported.

The Accuracy in Media video captures Pugh saying “M’hm” when asked if “breaking rules” is “why y’all kind of spread it out and stuff?”

“Well, yes, and no,” Pugh clarifies. “Part of it is that, part of it is just because we don’t have a dedicated office for it anymore, it’s easier to maintain.”

Pugh continues, “Until more or less they get mad at us, but they haven’t done it yet.”

When asked if the school was “supportive” of the ways DEI is still being implemented, Pugh says, “M’hm” and answers in the affirmative. 

The undercover investigator asks Pugh about “implicit bias training” and Pugh explains that they haven’t taught that since the “spring” because the school administrators have been specifically opposed to that in a way that “I don’t enjoy.”

RED STATE TREASURER REVEALS WHY STATE FINANCIAL OFFICERS HAVE ‘OBLIGATION’ TO COMBAT ESG, DEI

Despite that, Pugh explains her openness and “intention” to implement that sort of training under a “broader banner.”

“Just maybe being creative,” the undercover investigator says. 

“Yeah, exactly,” Pugh, whose profile on the school website uses the pronouns “she/her,” responds.

In response to a Fox News Digital inquiry about the video, a UNC Asheville spokesperson said the school is “aware of a video in which an employee makes comments implying that the University does not comply with UNC System policies or legal requirements and supports employees disregarding such obligations.”

“These remarks do not represent the practices of UNC Asheville. The University remains firmly committed to upholding all UNC System policies as well as federal and state laws, both in principle and in practice.”

The university added that after a “prompt review of the matter” the “individual is no longer employed by the university.” 

“The University will undertake a comprehensive review to reinforce expectations and ensure all employees are aligned with applicable laws and policies.”

UNIVERSITY DOCTOR RESIGNS AFTER UNEARTHED AUDIO EXPOSES HIM BOASTING ABOUT SKIRTING ANTI-DEI LAWS

GOP Congresswoman Virginia Foxx, who represents North Carolina’s 5th Congressional District, expressed concern about the video in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

“The UNC System has made a good faith effort to get rid of DEI, but obviously the word has not reached the ears of UNC Asheville’s administration,” Foxx said. 

“Dean Pugh is a picture-perfect example of how entrenched this caustic ideology really is within postsecondary education. It’s time to clean house at the university level and cast out personnel who believe they can act with blatant impunity.”

In addition to North Carolina making moves to roll back DEI, which have seemingly been unsuccessful, the Trump administration has made efforts to roll back DEI on the federal level and tell universities that accept federal funding that they must stop promoting the agenda.

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“It’s abundantly clear that the Marxist principles associated with DEI are fully embedded into this university,” Accuracy in Media President Adam Guillette told Fox News Digital. “Removing one employee is merely the first step toward reform.”

“Resolving the institutionalized radicalism at UNC-Asheville will require new leadership at the university level and bold reform from the Board of Governors,” he continued.

Will Hild, executive director of Consumers’ Research, told Fox News Digital earlier this year that companies and organizations are working hard to rebrand DEI policies by giving them new names.

“It is the exact same toxic nonsense under a new wrapper, and they’re just hoping to extend the grift because a lot of these people, I would say most of the people working in DEI, are useless,” Hild said.

Alaska’s congressional delegation praised President Donald Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum for starting the process of rescinding a Biden-era rule that restricted oil and gas exploration in the resource-rich Section 1002 of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

Sen. Dan Sullivan said Burgum announced the move at a town hall in Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow) at the northern tip of the vast state, where local natives applauded because they “understand better than anyone” why responsible oil production is key to their communities’ livelihood.

Sullivan called the Biden-era rule “illegal” and said it turned vast swaths of an area originally intended for domestic energy production into “de facto wilderness.”

“Responsible resource development has transformed the lives of the Iñupiat people, supporting the construction of clinics, gymnasiums, water infrastructure—basic amenities most Americans take for granted,” Sullivan said.

ALASKA SENATOR LITERALLY TEARS UP BIDEN’S ENERGY ORDERS, BOOSTS WH EFFORTS TO LEVERAGE ARCTIC LNG ASIA TRADE

Burgum said his agency determined the 2024 rule exceeded the federal government’s bounds under a 1976 petroleum reserve law and also creates “unnecessary barriers to responsible energy development in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.”

“Congress was clear: the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska was set aside to support America’s energy security through responsible development,” he said, adding the prior rule “prioritized obstruction over production.”

Rep. Nick Begich III called the decision a “major victory” and said that he will work with Trump to ensure responsible resource development.

ALASKA OUTRAGED AT FEDERAL OIL LEASE SALE SETUP AS A ‘FITTING FINALE’ FOR FOSSIL FUEL-AVERSE BIDEN PRESIDENCY

“This is a victory not only for those who support responsible development, but also those who believe in the rule of law,” added Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

“The 2024 management rule clearly violated the law, establishing restrictions and a presumption against development as part of the last administration’s effort to turn the North Slope into one giant tract of federal wilderness,” she continued.

“Repealing the rule will not weaken our world-class environmental standards, but it will enable Alaska to produce more energy as Congress intended. The result will be good jobs for Alaskans, more affordable energy for America, and significant new revenues for government.”

In January, Gov. Mike Dunleavy told Fox News Digital that a final, congressionally-mandated sale of land for development in ANWR was set up to fail – characterizing it as a parting shot by the last administration toward the Last Frontier.

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“These leases should be executed in good faith along the established historical processes. And obviously, the Biden administration in the past four years has just been brutal on Alaska,” he said at the time, envisioning that the Trump administration would do just as Burgum announced this week.

At the time, Murkowski also said that a now-former Interior official “openly admitted” during a working group that the process with which the restrictions were set upon ANWR was done in a way to intentionally circumvent the Congressional Review Act.

That law was what allowed other Senate Republicans to undo several Biden-era EPA actions last month with a simple floor vote.

FIRST ON FOX: A nonpartisan government watchdog filed an ethics complaint against Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser on Tuesday morning. 

The complaint by the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) requests the Board of Ethics and Government Accountability investigate Bowser for allegedly accepting illegal travel and hospitality gifts on high-profile trips to Doha, Qatar, for the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, and trips to Dubai, Las Vegas, Miami and Mar-a-Lago.

“The basic standard for elected officials is honest transparency, which means following all disclosure laws and willingly answering the public’s questions. The mayor’s unwillingness to provide basic information about numerous high-profile trips is unacceptable,” Kendra Arnold, executive director of FACT, shared first with Fox News Digital. 

FACT cited WJLA’s investigation into missing records from Bowser’s prominent trips, in which they discovered Qatar paid Bowser and four staff members $61,930 to fly to the Middle East in 2023.

SCHUMER MOVES TO BLOCK TRUMP DOJ NOMINEES AS HE SEEKS ANSWERS ON QATARI JET TO DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

“It is not simply the Qatar trip, but a troubling pattern from Mar-A-Lago to Doha to Augusta National – the District has no record of who paid for these trips or what public purpose they served, if there was one at all,” Arnold said. “The ethics rules exist to protect against corruption, and when they are ignored, the public’s trust erodes. I urge the Board to investigate and enforce the law without delay.”

SANCTUARY CITY MAYORS TO TESTIFY AT HOUSE OVERSIGHT AFTER AG BONDI CUTS THEM OFF FROM FEDERAL FUNDS

While the Middle East trip should have been disclosed in order to be accepted as a legal donation to the District of Columbia, FACT said in the complaint that there is no record of who paid for the trip. 

“When questioned by the press, initially the mayor’s office said the trip was paid for by the D.C. Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber said that was not true. Then, the mayor’s office said the trip was paid for by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. That was also false,” FACT claimed. 

Then, in February 2025, the mayor’s office requested the trip’s expense breakdown, labeled it an “in-kind donation” and sought a “retroactive donation agreement,” despite the two years that passed, according to FACT.

“Yet, unbelievably, it wasn’t until a reporter’s Freedom of Information Act request in March 2025 that this information was publicly revealed—more specifically that Qatar paid more than $61,930 for the trip the mayor’s office was now attempting to retroactively describe as an ‘in-kind donation.’ As of May 2025, the District still does not have a record of Qatar paying for Bowser’s 2023 trip,” according to the complaint. 

Again, citing WJLA’s investigative reporting, FACT said the District of Columbia has no expense records for several more trips, including to the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, and trips to Las Vegas, Miami and Mar-a-Lago.

FACT accused Bowser of violating a “fundamental ethics principle” that prevents corruption and discourages elected officials from accepting bribes and donations. 

Under Washington, D.C., law, government officials cannot accept certain gifts, including trips, lodging and transportation. The law allows donations to the district itself if the government entity “uses the gift or donation to carry out its authorized functions or duties.” 

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In that case, detailed and accurate records must be available for “audit and public inspection.” Those donations to the district must be “recorded and approved before the donation is used.” 

“Clearly Mayor Bowser’s trip to Qatar qualifies as a gift, and one that elected officials are personally prohibited from accepting. Additionally, this gift would not qualify as a donation made to the District because the donation was not recorded and approved before the donation was used. The District still does not even have a record of it,” FACT concluded in the complaint. 

The office of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis punched back at allegations linking the governor and his wife, Casey DeSantis, to $10 million given to the Hope Florida Foundation after the state settled with a government-sponsored healthcare provider. 

“Governor DeSantis and Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis have been subject to politically motivated lawfare in the state of Florida, and now the same lawfare is being perpetrated against President Trump and his nominees,” Communications Director Bryan Griffin told Fox News Digital. 

“It’s ridiculous and especially shameful coming from Republicans who hate to see others delivering results.”

DESANTIS GOADS CONGRESS TO FOLLOW FL’S DOGE BLUEPRINT AS MUSK’S CUTS STILL WAIT FOR VOTE

Centene, a large medical insurance provider that specializes in government-sponsored programs like Medicaid and Medicare, returned $67 million in a settlement with the state’s Agency for Health Care Administration over claims that Centene was overbilling Medicaid payments. Following the settlement in September 2024, $10 million of the funds were sent to the Hope Florida Foundation.

The $10 million given to the Hope Florida Foundation was then split into two separate $5 million grants to 501(c)(4) organizations. One went to Save Our Society from Drugs and the other to Secure Florida’s Future, Inc. 

Subsequently, $8.5 million of those funds were dispersed to Keep Florida Clean, a political action committee that previously targeted Florida Amendment 3, a constitutional amendment to recreationally legalize marijuana. Casey DeSantis has been outspoken against the legalization of marijuana.

A senior official from DeSantis’s office told Fox News Digital that the Hope Florida Foundation is a separate entity from the Hope Florida initiative that has been spearheaded by Casey DeSantis.

GOP RAILS AGAINST ‘BLATANTLY FALSE’ DEM CLAIMS ABOUT MEDICAID REFORM IN TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’

A senior official from DeSantis’ office also told Fox News Digital that there is no official investigation being conducted by the Leon County State Attorney’s office, despite reports that a record custodian in the state attorney’s office referred to the matter as “an open, ongoing investigation.”

In a May 21 email exchange obtained by Fox News Digital, the New York Times corrected a headline stating that “Casey DeSantis [Is] Under Investigation” after a DeSantis official clarified to the publication that there is no official investigation taking place. 

Florida state Republican Rep. Alex Andrade, chairman of the healthcare appropriations subcommittee, originally unearthed the funds. Andrade told Fox he was unaware if there was an actual ongoing investigation, but added that he had a “long conversation with the [Department of Justice]” about documents and communications related to the movement of funds. He noted he does nOt “see how Casey or [Ron] DeSantis are involved.”

DR. OZ SAYS TAXPAYERS FOOTING $14 BILLION BILL FOR MEDICAID FRAUD WHILE ELIGIBLE PATIENTS STRUGGLE FOR CARE

Andrade went on to explain that he believes DeSantis’s chief of staff at the time was involved in brokering the grants between the Hope Florida Foundation and the two entities which received $5 million each. 

He also slammed the Hope Florida initiative itself, saying “they can’t back up any of the claims about what state employees are doing.” 

“The concept of Hope Florida is telling existing employees to do a better job of helping people,” Andrede added. “That’s it.”

DeSantis previously addressed Andrade’s claims at a May 21 press conference in Westin, Florida. 

DESANTIS EXCORIATES FL HOUSE LEADERSHIP AMID REPUBLICAN CIVIL WAR, ACCUSING THEM OF ‘REVOLT AGAINST’ VOTERS

“You had one state representative with a political agenda, and he has a political agenda to try to smear Hope Florida—to try to smear people associated with the administration,” DeSantis explained. “My wife, who’s done a great job for this state by the way, not just on Hope Florida, saving taxpayers $100 million, getting 30,000 people off means-tested welfare. Show me someone else in this country that has been able to do that?”

The Hope Florida Foundation controversy has shaken up political implications for the upcoming governor’s race. Gov. DeSantis is termed out, but his wife, Casey, is widely rumored to enter the field. 

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Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida is the only GOP candidate declared so far, and he received an endorsement from President Donald Trump shortly after his announcement. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the Leon County State Attorney’s office but did not receive a response in time for publication.

Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News Digital covering breaking news. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is coordinating with his colleagues in the House to push back against Senate Republicans’ efforts to ram President Donald Trump’s wish list of policy desires through the Senate.

In a letter to Senate Democrats on Sunday, Schumer, D-N.Y., laid out a multipronged strategy to inflict as much pain on Republicans as possible in the budget reconciliation process, the legislative strategy the GOP is employing to sidestep negotiating with Democrats to advance the president’s priorities.

SENATE REPUBLICANS EYE CHANGES TO TRUMP’S MEGABILL AFTER HOUSE WIN

While congressional Republicans don’t need Democrats to move the colossal bill to Trump’s desk, Schumer wants to make the process as uncomfortable as possible as Senate Republicans begin a roughly monthlong sprint to put their fingerprints on what Trump deemed a “big, beautiful bill.”

The top Senate Democrat is coordinating with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and the top Democrats on crucial House committees to “share firsthand insight from their process and key Republican fault lines” with their Senate counterparts.

“Based on Senate Republicans’ public comments, it’s clear that if this reckless reconciliation bill passes the Senate it is very likely to contain changes, forcing it to be sent back to the House of Representatives,” Schumer wrote. “That’s why we must be united with our House Democratic colleagues to fight this assault on working families.”

Indeed, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said much of the debate and subsequent tweaks to the bill would focus on finding deeper spending cuts. The House’s offering set a goal of $1.5 trillion in spending cuts over the next decade, but some Senate Republicans want to hit $2 trillion, while a smaller cohort of fiscal hawks want to go even deeper.

DEMS CALL BUDGET BILL ‘BUREAUCRATIC WATER TORTURE’ AS GOP ‘GLAD TO HAVE THE BALL IN OUR COURT’

Thune said that Republicans’ main focus during the next month would be ensuring that Trump’s first-term tax cuts are made permanent with the massive bill and not allowed to expire by the end of the year on the Senate floor, marking the Senate’s return on Monday. 

“We are not going to let that happen, and our biggest focus this month is completing this tax relief legislation with the goal of getting the final bill to the president before the Fourth of July,” he said. “It’s going to be a very busy month, Mr. President.” 

In all, 10 Senate committees will be tasked with sifting through the massive bill’s contents, which include the president’s policy desires on taxes, immigration, energy, defense and the national debt.

FETTERMAN DEFIES ‘PUNITIVE’ PUNISHMENT FOR BREAKING WITH DEMOCRATIC PARTY DURING BIPARTISAN DISCUSSION

Schumer’s edict comes as those committees gear up to make their own revisions to the bill to, in part, fall in line with their own policy and spending desires and to also comply with Senate rules.

He noted that Senate Democrats have been working “overtime” to target a litany of policies in the GOP’s plan that “are in clear violation of the reconciliation rules and, in some cases, an assault on our very democracy.”

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Some Republicans already have issues with certain policies in the bill, like cuts to Medicaid or the plan to move up the timeline to phase out green energy tax credits ushered in by the Biden administration.

Schumer also prodded Democrats to continue aggressively denouncing the bill on the ground in their home states and districts, arguing that “if the American people truly knew how deeply devastating, damaging, and deceitful this Republican plan is, they will reject it.”

“Republicans’ ‘One Ugly Bill’ is a farce; an attack on the values that make America great,” he wrote. “We know the first four months of Donald Trump’s presidency have been catastrophic for the American people. It is our duty to fight for American families, to stop the damage, and make certain Republicans are held accountable.”

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said the debt limit increase included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is still a deal-breaker for him, saying it goes against conservative values, despite discussions with President Donald Trump about his concerns. 

Paul told reporters on Monday that the bill will increase the debt ceiling by $5 trillion, the largest debt increase in the U.S.

“We have never raised the debt ceiling without actually meeting that target,” he said. “So you can say it doesn’t directly add to the debt, but if you increase the ceiling $5 trillion, you’ll meet that. And what it does is it puts it off the back-burner. And then we won’t discuss it for a year or two.”

SEN. RON JOHNSON PROPOSES ‘LINE-BY-LINE’ CUTS TO PASS TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’

“So I think it’s a terrible idea to do this,” he added. 

Paul said he spoke with Trump about his concerns over the legislation during a “lengthy discussion,” but that Trump “did most of the talking.” 

“I’ve told him I can’t support the bill if they’re together,” Paul said. “If they were to separate out and take the, debt ceiling off that I very much could consider the rest of the bill.”

Paul noted that Congress voted to continue spending to avert a government shutdown. 

“During the campaign, Republicans said they were against Bidennomics and Bidenflation and Biden spending. When March, we renewed the Biden’s spending levels,” Paul said. “So the spending levels we live under now are Biden-GOP spending levels. They’ve all come into agreement.”

“But come the end of September, when our fiscal year ends, the deficit is going to be $2.2 trillion. That’s just not conservative,” he added. “They’re borrowing 5 trillion. That means they’re anticipating the following year being over 2 trillion as well. So it’s just not a conservative thing to do.”

SPEAKER JOHNSON CLASHES WITH RAND PAUL OVER ‘WIMPY’ SPENDING CUTS IN TRUMP’S BILL

Over the weekend, Trump warned Paul would be “playing right into the hands of the Democrats” if he votes against the bill.

“If Senator Rand Paul votes against our Great, Big, Beautiful Bill, he is voting for, along with the Radical Left Democrats, a 68% Tax Increase and, perhaps even more importantly, a first time ever default on U.S. Debt,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform. 

“Rand will be playing right into the hands of the Democrats, and the GREAT people of Kentucky will never forgive him! The GROWTH we are experiencing, plus some cost-cutting later on, will solve ALL problems. America will be greater than ever before!” he added. 

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Next week, Senate Republicans will get their turn to go through the bill and are eying changes that could be a hard sell for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

PINE HILL, NEW JERSEY – One week to go until primary day in New Jersey, and Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli was getting a shoutout from the most powerful and influential politician in the GOP.

“I’m asking you to get out and vote for a true champion for the people of your state – Jack Ciattarelli. He’s been a friend of mine, and he’s been a real success story,” President Donald Trump told supporters as he dialed into a tele-rally on the eve of Tuesday’s kickoff of early voting in New Jersey.

Trump’s praise came two weeks after he endorsed Ciattarelli for the Republican nomination in a primary race that turned into a battle for the president’s support.

“It’s a really big deal,” Ciattarelli said in a Monday interview with Fox News Digital after meeting with local GOP politicians and leaders at the Trump National Golf Club-Philadelphia in this South Jersey borough, when asked about the significance of Trump’s endorsement. “The president’s doing very, very well in New Jersey.”

NEW YORK GOV. KATHY HOCHUL FACING DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY CHALLENGE FROM HER OWN LT. GOVERNOR

Ciattarelli, a former state lawmaker, is making his third bid for governor. He ran unsuccessfully for the GOP nomination in 2017. Four years later, in 2021, as the Republican nominee, Ciattarelli overperformed and came close to ousting Democratic incumbent Gov. Phil Murphy, losing by just three points.

In the showdown to succeed Murphy, who is term-limited and prevented from running for re-election, polls suggest that Ciattarelli is the front-runner in a Republican nomination race that includes two other prominent candidates – former businessman and popular conservative talk radio host Bill Spadea and state Sen. Jon Bramnick, a lawyer who served for a decade as state Assembly GOP leader.

NEW JERSEY PRIMARY AN EARLY TEST OF TRUMP’S SECOND ADMINISTRATION

And Ciattarelli and Spadea spent months trading fire over which of them was a bigger Trump supporter.

“It was certainly disappointing,” Spadea said of Trump’s endorsement of Ciattarelli. “I mean, we made no bones about this. We absolutely wanted the President’s endorsement. Unfortunately, the President endorsed a poll and not a plan.”

And in a Fox News Digital interview, Spadea emphasized that “I have been a supporter of President Trump since he came down the escalator,” as he referenced Trump’s announcement in 2015 of his first presidential campaign.

“There is no question that I am the common-sense conservative. I am the actual Republican in this primary,” Spadea claimed.

And Spadea questioned Ciattarelli’s support for Trump, claiming that his rival “has disrespected him for the better part of the last eight years…We thought that that endorsement would have been better served with me.”

Four years ago, after he won the GOP gubernatorial nomination, Ciattarelli, when asked if he was seeking the then-former president’s endorsement, told Fox News Digital “there’s only one endorsement I seek, and that’s the endorsement of the voters of New Jersey. That’s the only one that matters.”

Fast forward to 2025, and Ciattarelli emphasized that “people really appreciate what he [Trump] is doing for New Jerseyans. He’s put a temporary hold on the wind farms off the Jersey Shore. He’s beating up on the New York Democrats over congestion pricing. He supports a quadrupling of the SALT [state and local tax] deduction on our federal tax returns. Those are big deals to New Jersey, and that’s why he’s got so much great support here. And I’m honored to have his endorsement.”

REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS CHAIR, POINTING TO CAMPAIGN BATTLES AHEAD, TOUTS ‘OUR POLICIES ARE BETTER’

While he lost out on Trump’s endorsement, Spadea said there’s been a silver lining.

“Our supporters are galvanized. Matter of fact, the Tuesday and Wednesday after Trump endorsed Jack, we had a surge, our two best days ever in low-dollar fundraising,” Spadea said. “So it actually has had the opposite effect, our low-dollar surge, our volunteer surge, we’re now knocking on more than 3,000 doors a week, and we’re getting an unbelievable response from the grassroots.”

Spadea said that “almost every Trump supporter that we’ve talked to face-to-face on the ground thinks that Donald Trump made a huge mistake” in endorsing Ciattarelli.

And Spadea, who was interviewed in downtown Princeton, New Jersey, added that “Trump supporters believe in common-sense policies, populism, patriotism. It’s not about being told who to vote for.”

Asked why Trump endorsed him rather than Spadea, Ciattarelli said that “the president wants to win. He knows that I provide the best opportunity to win in November.”

“He knows we’re going to raise the necessary money. We’ve raised more money than the other five Republican gubernatorial candidates combined,” added Ciattarelli, a certified public accountant who started a medical publishing company before getting into politics.

The fundraising advantage has allowed Ciattarelli to dominate the ad wars, although Spadea said that “in the last couple of weeks we’ve actually outspent my opponent on the air” and predicted that “we’re going to win.”

And Spadea, pointing to his media career, touted that “I built the largest audience in the state, a third Democrat, a third independent, a third Republican. So my appeal is not just that conservative base in the Republican Party. I’m the only candidate running for the Republican nomination that can pull in Democrats and independents.”

New Jersey has long been a blue-leaning state, but Republicans have had success in gubernatorial elections.

“It’s not a blue state when it comes to Governor races, Republicans have won six of the last 11. That’s better than 50%,” Ciattarelli said.

And Trump, who spends summer weekends at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, held a very large rally last year in Wildwood, N.J. And he improved from a 16-point loss in the state in the 2020 election to a 6-point deficit last November. 

“The president’s doing very, very well in New Jersey. He performed well here last election day,” Ciattarelli said.

And Ciattarelli, looking ahead to the general election campaign, said he’s “really looking forward” to Trump’s “active participation…I think New Jerseyans are anxious to have him on the campaign trail with me and help deliver a win for us in November.”

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New Jersey’s governor’s race will likely grab plenty of national attention as Election Day nears, as it’s one of just two states, along with Virginia, to hold gubernatorial contests in the year after a presidential election. 

Ciattarelli, pointing to his ballot box performance against Murphy four years ago, said that “we were the spark that lit the fuse in ’21 with that very close race. The president before performed well here last November.”

“The country is watching and I think we’re gonna deliver a very loud and clear message that New Jersey’s going Republican this year,” he predicted.

Every politician operates with a certain degree of shamelessness. It’s practically in the job description.

As they try to navigate in howling political winds, they regularly have to justify changing their positions. Maybe the country’s mood has shifted. Maybe it’s a matter of party loyalty. Maybe they’re bowing to pressure from big donors.

And maybe they’re being hypocritical because something they opposed during the Biden administration is now perfectly fine in the Trump administration.

WE ARE STILL NOT GETTING THE ‘STRAIGHT STORY’ ABOUT ALLEGED BIDEN DECLINE: KURTZ

Whatever the circumstances, it’s shameless to offer an explanation that everyone knows is garbage. 

And they have to do it with a straight face. They can’t very well say, Donald Trump is going to make sure I’m primaried if I don’t go along on this one. So they offer the transparently bogus explanation.

That, you could argue, is the nature of politics. You need to have some flexibility, some wiggle room. 

In one of my two interviews with President Trump last year, he tried to explain why he had totally flipped on TikTok. After all, he had spent his first term trying to ban the Chinese-owned company on national security grounds, only to be blocked by the courts. Now, suddenly, he had done a 180 and was trying to save the app, despite a congressional ban.

Trump told me he changed his mind because outlawing TikTok would help Facebook, which he considered a greater threat. 

I didn’t buy it. He had concluded that TikTok was incredibly popular, especially with younger people, and wanted to position himself as its savior. This, of course, was before Mark Zuckerberg began cozying up to Trump, such as by making a million-dollar donation to his inaugural.

Trump may have the biggest shameless gene of them all–and that’s part of why he’s successful. 

TRUMP RATTLED BY ‘NASTY’ ‘TACO’ QUESTION FROM REPORTER

He doesn’t get hung up on what he said the day before or an hour before. He can go from expressing sympathy for Joe Biden’s prostate cancer diagnosis to saying he doesn’t feel sorry for Biden at all. He can go from blaming the Ukraine war impasse on Volodomyr Zelenskyy to finally condemning Vladimir Putin to calling it Biden’s war.

Ross Douthat has a smart take on this in his New York Times column:

“The willingness to swerve and backpedal and contradict himself is a big part of what keeps the president viable, and the promise of chickening out is part of Trump’s implicit pitch to swing voters — reassuring them that anything extreme is also provisional, that he’s always testing limits (on policy, on power) but also generally willing to pull back.”

So MAGA voters trust Trump to go pretty far–but not too far?

That brings them into John Kerry territory: “I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it,” referring to military aid to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Republican ads immediately portrayed the 2004 presidential nominee as a flip-flopper. Kerry later allowed that he had been “inarticulate.” 

It’s useful to think about flipping the script. In the media furor over Trump’s spate of pardons, the president gave one to the leader of a violent Chicago gang, Larry Hoover, a drug dealer who’s been serving six consecutive life sentences for killing a man. 

Largely symbolic? Sure, because Hoover will remain in prison on state charges. Doesn’t matter.

If Biden had done that, conservative voters would have gone haywire. How dare he side with a murderer? Does Biden have no regard for human life? The man who was killed doesn’t get a second chance.

DEMOCRATS ABANDON TRADITION AS 2028 PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS OPENLY DECLARE WHITE HOUSE AMBITIONS

The MAGA-driven story would have been on television every 10 minutes. With Trump, it was a blip, barely a story at all.

Naturally, Biden’s hands aren’t exactly clean on the pardon front. He repeatedly promised not to pardon Hunter, then did exactly that after the election. It was a blatant lie and a big story. 

The other day Trump got angry when a CNBC reporter asked him about his TACO nickname, Trump Always Chickens Out, based on the chatter on Wall Street. He called the question “nasty,” this from the king of bestowing derogatory nicknames (see Joe, Sleepy). 

Poultry metaphor aside, the president does frequently delay draconian tariffs, conduct quick negotiations and declare victory. His supporters like that because the markets usually shoot up, though the turmoil clearly shakes up the global economy.

As Trump bounces back a bit in the polls, says Douthat, “with a different president…you might say that this recovery happened in spite of the White House’s various backtracks and reversals (plus various rebukes from the judiciary). But with Trump it’s more apt to say that it’s happened because of these setbacks and recalibrations. Seeing Trump both check himself and be checked by others is what an important group of voters expect from his presidency. They like that Trump pressures institutions they distrust or dislike, from official Washington to elite universities, but their approval is contingent on a dynamic interaction, where he accepts counterpressure and retreats.” 

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One reason Trump gets away with all this is that the Democrats don’t have a national spokesman. Tim Walz, the VP flop, toying with running for president? People like Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer aren’t breaking through. AOC gets some good jabs in on social media, but she’s not even a member of the leadership. 

You also have to credit Trump’s political skills. He doesn’t have the slightest fear of being shameless.

Puerto Rico’s Supreme Court has reached a decision to allow nonbinary and gender-nonconforming people to update their birth certificates.

The action was brought about by six non-binary individuals born in Puerto Rico who filed a lawsuit claiming that “the Commonwealth’s current Birth Certificate Policy violates the right to equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution, according to the court filing.”

The court’s decision will now allow people who identify as nonbinary or gender-nonconforming to select “X” as their gender marker on birth certificates.

TEXAS LAWMAKERS CONSIDERING BILL TO BAN GENDER CHANGES ON BIRTH CERTIFICATES

In the filing, the court explains that there would be no rational basis to deny the request.

“The current Birth Certificate Policy of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico arbitrarily distinguishes between binary and nonbinary individuals and subjects nonbinary individuals to disfavored treatment, without any justification for doing so. In such cases, it is the duty of the federal courts to intervene, to guarantee the equal protection of all persons under the law,” it states.

Pedro Julio Serrano, president of Puerto Rico’s LGBTQ+ Federation, called Friday’s ruling a historic one that upholds equality, according to the Associated Press.

TRANSGENDER PEOPLE SUE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OVER NEW PASSPORT POLICY ELIMINATING ‘X’ GENDER MARKER

The defendants named in the case opposed the request, arguing that “the government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico has a legitimate interest in maintaining vital records and statistics regarding its citizens.”

The filing argued that this argument ignores the fact that the Commonwealth already permits its citizens to amend information on their birth certificates, including modifying the gender marker.

The legislators have already enacted legislation to ensure that, in the case of modifications, the original, unaltered birth certificates are preserved by the state.

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Puerto Rico joins at least 17 U.S. states that permit their residents to include the nonbinary or gender-neutral sex on their birth certificates.

The Defense Department (DOD) is starting a voluntary program for its civilian employees to go to the southern border to support Department of Homeland Security (DHS) efforts there. 

The agency released a memo Monday authorizing its civilian employees to volunteer to travel and support border operations. 

NOEM MAKES AGGRESSIVE NEW MOVE TO RAMP UP ARRESTS, DEPORTATIONS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

“Protecting our homeland from bad actors and illegal substances has been a focus of the President and of the Secretary of Defense since Day One of this Administration,” said Sean Parnell, chief Pentagon spokesperson. “Whether on the border or in our communities, allowing qualified DoD civilian employees to support DHS will accelerate the progress already made by Service members in achieving our national security goals.”

This voluntary program was at the request of DHS, a U.S. official told Fox News.

NOEM, DHS OUTLINE NEXT STEP TO SPEED UP DEPORTATION PROCESS

It was not clear how many DOD civilian employees are expected to volunteer or what kind of work they will do. Fox News Digital has reached out to the DOD and DHS. 

The memo, authored by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, reads, “Detail assignments may be either reimbursable or non-reimbursable.

US MILITARY STATIONED AT THE BORDER IN NEW MEXICO NATIONAL DEFENSE AREA CAN DETAIN ILLEGAL MIGRANTS

“Non-reimbursable details are authorized where the expected benefit of a detail would be comparable to training or development programs that otherwise would be conducted at a DoD Component’s expense.”

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News of the voluntary program comes as the Trump administration continues to crack down on illegal immigration and target criminal illegal immigrants for deportation. 

Progressive Democrats spoke out against antisemitism following a terrorist attack in Boulder, Colorado, in which an Egyptian national set peaceful protesters on fire at a demonstration to bring Israeli hostages home. 

“I am horrified by last night’s horrific attack in Boulder,” progressive Democrat and potential 2028 presidential candidate,Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said on X. “My heart is with the victims and our Jewish communities across the country. Antisemitism is on the rise here at home, and we have a moral responsibility to confront and stop it everywhere it exists.”

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who was voted off the House Foreign Affairs Committee in 2023 and was hit with a censure resolution in 2024 for alleged antisemitism, condemned the violence on Monday. 

“I’m holding the victims and families in Boulder, Colorado in my heart,” Omar said in a social media post. “Violence against anyone is never acceptable. We must reject hatred and harm in all its forms.”

TRUMP SAYS BOULDER TERROR ATTACK ‘WILL NOT BE TOLERATED,’ DEPORTATIONS MUST CONTINUE

While Omar’s censure resolution never passed, the House did vote to censure fellow “Squad” member Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., in 2023 for alleged anti-Israel comments. 

US POLITICIANS, JEWISH GROUPS CONDEMN ‘HORRIFYING’ BOULDER TERROR ATTACK: ‘VILE, ANTISEMITIC ACT OF TERROR’

“The violent attack in Boulder is horrific. My heart goes out to all of the victims and their families. Violence has no place in our communities,” Tlaib said on X.

Two progressive Democrats, who joined Congress in 2022, also slammed the “antisemitic attack” in social media statements. 

“I am horrified by the antisemitic attack in Boulder, Colorado,” Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, who was elected in 2022, said on social media. “My thoughts are with the victims, their families, and Jewish communities across the country.

“Yesterday’s antisemitic attack against those in Boulder, CO calling for the safe return of hostages is deplorable and heartbreaking,” Rep. Delia C. Ramirez, D-Ill., said on X, condemning both violence against Gaza and violence in our local U.S. communities. 

“Neither bombing in Gaza nor violence perpetrated in our communities will bring us closer to peace. Only by recognizing our interconnected safety and shared humanity can we carve a path forward. As we hold those affected by the attack close, our nation’s leaders must unite to reject all forms of hate and violence that continue to make us all less safe, and to honor the dignity of every human life,” she added. 

Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., the first Gen-Z congressman, admitted he should have supported a resolution in 2023 condemning antisemitism on college campuses. He joined the progressive Democrats on Monday who condemned the attack. 

“I’m horrified to hear about the antisemitic attack in Boulder, just weeks after the shooting of two Israeli embassy officials in DC. My thoughts are with the victims and their families. There is no place for this hatred and violence — and we must keep working to end it. Political and bigoted violence in our country must be denounced swiftly and strongly by all,” he said. 

One of the original “Squad” members who was elected in 2018, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., added on X on Monday afternoon, “The antisemitic attack in Boulder, Colorado is horrifying and unacceptable. Violence against innocent people is never the answer. It will never bring justice for anyone, and we must do everything to root it out. I pray for the victims, their loved ones, and everyone impacted.”

The Massachusetts Democrat also spoke out against President Donald Trump on Monday. 

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“Donald Trump wants to sow fear & chaos in our communities so we feel alone & defeated — but we won’t let him. Tune in as I join immigrant justice advocates, local leaders, & impacted families to tell Trump & ICE: Hands off our immigrant neighbors,” Pressley wrote on X, as she directed her followers to a livestreamed event condemning Trump’s deportation policies.

As of Monday afternoon, “Squad” member, Rep. Summer Lee of Pennsylvania did not condemn the attack on social media. Lee’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

The Washington Post is being mocked online and by the White House for “pathetic” reporting on what the liberal-leaning news outlet calls a “mysterious” decline in fentanyl flowing across the border.

Fentanyl is a dangerous drug that is often trafficked into the United States across the southern and northern borders by cartels and other criminal elements. In 2024, fentanyl was linked to the death of 48,422 persons in the United States, according to the CDC.

During his campaign, President Donald Trump vowed to wage a war against fentanyl traffickers through increased border security and by cracking down on illegal immigration. Since taking office, Trump has deployed U.S. troops to the southern border, targeted cartels and transnational criminal groups as “foreign terrorist organizations” and hit cartel leaders with sanctions.

According to the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), the U.S. law enforcement seizures of fentanyl, which the group explains is a “key indicator of broader total smuggling at and between the southern border’s ports of entry,” have dropped 50% since the November election. CIS states that this significant decline indicates a “greater decline in total fentanyl smuggling.”

BONDI ANNOUNCES ONE OF LARGEST FENTANYL SEIZURES IN US HISTORY

The Washington Post reports on this decline, stating that U.S. seizures at the southern border are down by almost 30 percent compared with the same period in 2024. The outlet, however, states that the drop “represents something of a mystery.”

“After years of confiscating rising amounts of fentanyl, the opioid that has fueled the most lethal drug epidemic in American history, U.S. officials are confronting a new and puzzling reality at the Mexican border. Fentanyl seizures are plummeting,” wrote the Post.

Among the possible reasons listed by the outlet are cartels finding other ways to smuggle the drug into the U.S., cartel internal strife, ingredient shortages and a possible decline in demand.

Though baffled by the reason for the decline, The Washington Post posited that “public health authorities are concerned that the Trump administration’s budget cuts could hurt programs that have promoted overdose antidotes and addiction treatment.”

SOME FENTANYL DEALERS WOULD BE CHARGED WITH FELONY MURDER UNDER NEW BILL

The article was widely mocked by conservatives online.

Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., commented on X, “The Washington Post is reporting a ‘mysterious drop’ in fentanyl seizures at the southern border. Mystery solved! The Trump effect is working.”

Charlie Kirk, a popular conservative influencer, also commented, saying: “Four months into the Trump administration, The Washington Post is marveling at the ‘mysterious’ drop in fentanyl seizures on the Mexican border … Is the Post simply lying, or are their reporters as dumb as the people they’re writing propaganda for?”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

The Department of Homeland Security’s official X account also replied, commenting: “It’s no mystery. On day one, [President] Trump closed our borders to drug traffickers.”

DHS said that “from March 2024 to March 2025 fentanyl traffic at the southern border fell by 54%.”

“The world has heard the message loud and clear,” said DHS. 

WHISTLEBLOWER ACCUSES BIDEN ADMIN OF LEAVING THOUSANDS OF MIGRANT CHILD TRAFFICKING REPORTS UNINVESTIGATED

Several top White House spokespersons also weighed in. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt simply called the Post “pathetic,” and White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said: “They can’t stand that President Trump’s strong border policies have led to a DECREASE in fentanyl coming into the U.S.”

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Abigail Jackson, another White House spokeswoman, told Fox News Digital that “the drop in fentanyl seizures at the border is only a mystery to Washington Post reporters suffering from Trump-Derangement Syndrome.”

“As of March, fentanyl traffic at the Southern Border had fallen by more than half from the same time last year – while Joe Biden’s open border was still terrorizing America,” said Jackson. “Everyone else knows the simple truth: President Trump closed our border to illegal drug traffickers and Americans are safer because of it.”

The Washington Post did not immediately respond to a request by Fox News Digital for comment.

Nearly six months into his second term, President Donald Trump has a new portrait posted to the White House website.

White House officials posted an eight-second video to social media on Monday, showing the new portrait being hung on the wall at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House Campus.

In his previous presidential portrait, which was unveiled just days before taking the oath of office for his second term, Trump could be seen wearing a blue suit coat, white button-up shirt and blue tie.

The president showed no expression in the previous portrait, compared to an official portrait taken of him in 2017, in which he was smiling.

LIZ PEEK: DONALD TRUMP IS OUR PRESIDENT AND DEMOCRATS HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO

In the portrait unveiled on Monday, Trump is wearing a blue suit coat, white button-up shirt and a red tie. In both images, he has an American Flag pinned to his coat.

The president also shows little expression in the new portrait.

White House officials told Fox News Digital the photo was taken by White House photographer Daniel Torok.

TRUMP PORTRAIT HE CLAIMED WAS ‘PURPOSEFULLY DISTORTED’ TO BE TAKEN DOWN FROM COLORADO CAPITOL

As of Monday evening, the photo is hanging in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, and it will eventually start rolling out to other offices and federal buildings.

Trump’s new portrait was unveiled just days after he announced that he was firing Kim Sajet, the director of the National Portrait Gallery, for being a “strong supporter” of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

He announced Sajet’s termination in a post on Truth Social on Friday afternoon.

DONALD TRUMP FIRES NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY DIRECTOR FOR BEING ‘STRONG SUPPORTER’ OF DEI

“Upon the request and recommendation of many people, I am hereby terminating the employment of Kim Sajet as Director of the National Portrait Gallery,” the president wrote. “She is a highly partisan person, and a strong supporter of DEI, which is totally inappropriate for her position. Her replacement will be named shortly. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

A White House official told Fox News Digital that Sajet had donated $3,982 to Democrats, including the presidential campaigns of former President Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton. Sajet also reportedly donated to other Democrats, including former Vice President Kamala Harris.

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The White House also pointed to the gallery’s photo of Trump, which was curated by Sajet. 

The caption of the photo reads, “Impeached twice, on charges of abuse of power and incitement of insurrection after supporters attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, he was acquitted by the Senate in both trials. After losing to Joe Biden in 2020, Trump mounted a historic comeback in the 2024 election. He is the only president aside from Grover Cleveland (1837-1908) to have won a nonconsecutive second term.”

President Donald Trump turned to social media on Monday evening to sell Americans on his vision for the “Big, Beautiful Bill,” calling it an opportunity to turn the U.S. around after what he called “four disastrous years” under former President Joe Biden.

The House passed the spending bill in late May and it is now in the Senate’s hands.

“We will take a massive step to balancing our Budget by enacting the largest mandatory Spending Cut, EVER, and Americans will get to keep more of their money with the largest Tax Cut, EVER, and no longer taxing Tips, Overtime, or Social Security for Seniors — Something 80 Million Voters supported in November,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “It will unleash American Energy by expediting permitting for Energy, and refilling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. It will make American Air Travel GREAT AGAIN by purchasing the final Air Traffic Control System.”

The president said the bill includes the construction of The Gold Dome, which he says will secure American skies from adversaries. The bill will also secure the border by building more of the wall and “supercharging the deportation of millions of Criminal Illegals” that he said Biden allowed into the U.S.

WHITE HOUSE: DEMS HAVE ‘NEVER BEEN MORE RADICAL, OUT OF TOUCH’ AFTER VOTING AGAINST ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’

“It will kick millions of Illegals off Medicaid, and make sure SNAP is focused on Americans ONLY! It will also restore Choice and Affordability for Car purchases by REPEALING Biden’s EV Mandate, and all of the GREEN NEW SCAM Tax Credits and Spending,” Trump wrote. “THE ONE, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL also protects our beautiful children by stopping funding for sick sex changes for minors.”

The Senate returned to Washington on Monday, and in his post, Trump called on his Republican allies in Congress to work quickly to get the bill on his desk before July 4.

In a separate post, Trump addressed what he referred to as false statements about the bill, reiterating that it is the “single biggest Spending Cut in History.”

GOP HOLDOUTS SOUND ALARM ON $36T DEBT CRISIS AS TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ PASSES HOUSE VOTE

He noted that there will not be any cuts to Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid, adding they will be saved from “the incompetence of the Democrats.”

“The Democrats, who have totally lost their confidence and their way, are saying whatever comes to mind — Anything to win!” Trump said. “They suffered the Greatest Humiliation in the History of Politics, and they’re desperate to get back on their game, but they won’t be able to do that because their Policies are so bad, in fact, they would lead to the Destruction of our Country and almost did.

“The only ‘cutting’ we will do is for Waste, Fraud, and Abuse, something that should have been done by the Incompetent, Radical Left Democrats for the last four years, but wasn’t,” he concluded.

HOUSE GOP UNVEILS MEDICAID WORK REQUIREMENTS IN TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’

Senate Republicans will get their turn to parse through the colossal package and are eying changes that could be a hard sell for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who can only afford to lose three votes.

Congressional Republicans are in a dead sprint to get the megabill — filled with Trump’s policy desires on taxes, immigration, energy, defense and the national debt — onto the president’s desk by early July.

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If passed in its current state, the bill is expected to add roughly $3 trillion to the national debt, including interest, according to the Committee for Responsible Federal Budget.

Fox News Digital’s Amy Nelson, Pilar Arias, Brie Stimson and Alex Miller contributed to this report.

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. 

Here’s what’s happening…

Fetterman Rebukes Fellow Dems on Border Security Issue

Both Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman and GOP Sen. Dave McCormick spoke in a bipartisan forum about the importance of border security, with Fetterman going so far as to call out his own party on the issue.

“I’ve kind of, I’ve lost some support in my party. I thought the border was really important, and our party did not handle the border appropriately,” Fetterman told “Fox News Sunday” host Shannon Bream during a FOX Nation presentation of The Senate Project series on Monday. 

“Look at the numbers, 267,000, 300,000 people showing up at our border. And, you know, we can all agree that’s roughly the size of Pittsburgh. Now, that’s unacceptable. And that’s a national security issue. And that’s chaos. So a secure border, being very pro-immigration, that’s who I am as a Democrat.”…READ MORE

White House

YOU’RE FIRED: Trump admin unveils DOGE aligned rule streamlining process to fire federal workers for misconduct

‘REALLY NOT LEAVING’: Will the Trump Cabinet undo Musk’s DOGE legacy now that he’s gone?

Boulder Terrorist Attack

‘SUICIDAL MIGRATION’: Boulder terror attack puts Biden-era immigration policies in the hot seat: ‘Must be fully reversed’

‘I’M VERY ANGRY’: Jewish House lawmaker urges deportation of Boulder terror suspect’s family

‘RAMPANT’: Fetterman, McCormick react to ‘astonishing’ Boulder attack on pro-Israel group

IDEOLOGICAL VIOLENCE: Boulder, Colorado suspected terror attack suspect Soliman faces murder, assault charges, jail records show

‘SUICIDAL MIGRATION’: Boulder terror attack puts Biden-era immigration policies in the hot sea

ANTI-AMERICAN’: Trump says Boulder terror attack ‘will not be tolerated,’ deportations must continue

NONCITIZEN: Alleged Boulder terrorist overstayed visa, granted work permit by Biden administration

TERROR IN BOULDER: Holocaust survivor among victims in Boulder, Colorado suspected terror attack

World Stage

TENSION IN TURKEY: Ukraine, Russia meet for peace talks in Istanbul after explosive weekend

DECEIT REVEALED: Tensions rise as Israel strongly denies firing on Palestinians at Gaza humanitarian site

NATIONALIST COMEBACK: Polish conservative Karol Nawrocki wins presidential election to succeed Duda

‘DEFAMATORY ALLEGATIONS’: China accuses Hegseth of espousing ‘Cold War mentality’ for labeling country as a threat

Capitol Hill

IN HOT WATER: Maxine Waters campaign to pay $68,000 for violating campaign finance laws

‘UNREAL’: Marjorie Taylor Greene slams FDA green lighting of mNEXSPIKE COVID-19 vaccine

Across America 

FIXING THE UNFIXABLE: As Musk exits DOGE, a look back at previous efforts to cut waste, fraud, and abuse — and how they fared

APPEALS DENIED: Supreme Court declines to examine appeals over Maryland, Rhode Island gun control laws

DEI DOLLARS: Hundreds of millions in tax money goes to contracts for DEI groups, watchdog finds

‘UPS THE ANTE’: US government taking ‘dramatically different approach’ using terrorism charges against drug cartels: FBI alum

Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

A report from Axios has indicated that the United States plans to allow Iran to continue limited low-level uranium enrichment on its soil for an unspecified period of time. 

On Saturday, the Trump administration presented its first formal proposal to Tehran in an attempt to sign a nuclear deal with the country, but did not share any details of the proposed deal publicly. “President Trump has made it clear that Iran can never obtain a nuclear bomb,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said over the weekend. “Special Envoy Witkoff has sent a detailed and acceptable proposal to the Iranian regime, and it’s in their best interest to accept it.”

The report, from Axios, cited two sources familiar with the Trump administration’s ongoing negotiations with Iran. The White House did not deny the details of Axios’ reporting when Fox News Digital reached out for confirmation. 

IRAN CONDEMNS AUSTRIA OVER REPORT ON ADVANCED NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM

Instead, a White House official responded with a statement calling the terms of the deal “very tough” and insisted the terms of the deal prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

“President Trump is speaking the cold, hard truth. The terms we gave Iran were very tough and would make it impossible for them to ever obtain a nuclear bomb,” the official said. 

Media reports Monday said that Iranian officials were planning to reject the U.S.’s proposed deal. The new details reported by Axios might serve to assuage some of the Iranians’ concerns, but could also anger some Republicans, as well as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who have all expressed that they only want zero nuclear enrichment as part of the deal – in addition to full dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear program.

WHITE HOUSE URGES IRAN TO ACCEPT NUCLEAR DEAL AS IAEA REPORTS URANIUM ENRICHMENT SPIKE

Axios reported that the details of the proposal described to them indicated that Iran would not be allowed to build any more new enrichment facilities, must “dismantle critical infrastructure for conversion and processing of uranium,” and would be forced to halt any new research and development on nuclear centrifuges. However, according to the details of the proposal reported by Axios, Iran will be allowed to participate in a regional enrichment consortium under certain conditions. 

For example, Iran will only be able to develop domestic enrichment capabilities for civilian purposes only, according to Axios. Meanwhile, after signing the agreement, Iran would be forced to reduce its enrichment concentration to 3% and shut down all underground enrichment facilities for an agreed-upon time period by both parties.

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The new proposal also seeks to develop auditing and oversight mechanisms to ensure Iran follows the rules of the agreement. 

As she runs for re-election in 2026, Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York will now face a primary challenge from her own lieutenant governor.

New York Lt. Gov. Anthonio Delgado on Monday announced his bid to try and oust his boss as the Democrats’ nominee in next year’s election, in a very rare move by a lieutenant governor to primary challenge a sitting incumbent.

“New York, I’m not here to play the game. I’m here to change it. I’m running to be your next Governor,” Delgado said in a social media post.

In an accompanying video, the 48-year-old Delgado took a jab at his boss, saying “what we need right here in New York is bold, decisive, transformational leadership.”

 MORE POLLING PROBLEMS FOR THIS BLUE STATE DEMOCRAT GOVERNOR FACING RE-ELECTION NEXT YEAR

And in an interview with the New York Times, the lieutenant governor said that “people are hurting and New York deserves better leadership.”

Delgado, who is Black, in 2018 became the first person of African-American or Latino descent to be elected to Congress from Upstate New York. 

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Four years later Hochul appointed Delgado to fill the then-vacant lieutenant governor’s office, making him the first Latino to hold statewide office in New York.

But in recent years, their working relationship deteriorated and after months of political friction with Hochul and mulling a bid for governor, Delgado made it official.

Hochul was the state’s lieutenant governor when, in August 2021, she was sworn in as New York’s first female governor, after three-term Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned in disgrace amid multiple scandals.

She defeated then-Rep. Lee Zeldin by just over six points in 2022 to win a full four-year term steering New York. Zeldin’s showing was the best by a Republican gubernatorial nominee in blue-state New York since then-GOP Gov. George Pataki won re-election to a third term in 2002.

In July of last year, Hochul announced her intention to run for re-election in 2026.

While the governor’s approval ratings in a recent Siena College poll were holding slightly in positive territory, the survey indicated a majority of New Yorkers would still prefer someone else to win the 2026 election for governor in the Empire State.

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According to the poll, which was conducted May 12-15, 36% of registered voters in New York state said they would vote to re-elect Hochul to a second four-year term, with a majority (55%) saying they wanted someone else. 

It is a 10-point negative movement for Hochul compared to Siena’s April survey, when 39% of those questioned said they were prepared to vote to re-elect the governor and 48% wanted someone else.

Fifty-one percent of Democrats surveyed in the new poll said at this early point in the 2026 election cycle they are prepared to re-elect Hochul, with 38% of Democrats saying they want “someone else.”

But the poll indicated Hochul holding a wide lead over Delgado and Rep. Richie Torres, who is also mulling a Democratic gubernatorial campaign. Hochul stood at 46% in the poll in the Democratic nomination race, with Delgado at 12% and Torres at 10%.

The Democratic Governors Association (DGA) praised Hochul in a statement following Delgado’s announcement.

“Governor Kathy Hochul is a proven leader with a strong record of delivering for New Yorkers: putting money back in their pockets, protecting reproductive rights, and keeping communities safe. The Governor knows how to take on big fights and win for New York families — and her agenda is overwhelmingly popular with New Yorkers on both sides of the aisle. The Democratic Governors Association is 100 percent behind Governor Hochul as she continues to deliver for New York, take on Donald Trump, and build the operation it will take to beat Republicans up and down the ballot in 2026,” DGA executive director Meghan Meehan-Draper said.

Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi of New York, who unsuccessfully primary challenged Hochul in 2022, took to social media to caution Delgado.

“Antonio, you are a talented guy, with a great future. Based upon my experience this may not be the most well-thought out idea!” Suozzi said.

Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, who is seriously considering a 2026 run for governor, used Monday’s news of Delgado’s primary challenge to reiterate her criticism of Hochul.

“There is a reason I dubbed Kathy Hochul the worst Governor in America. It’s because it’s true,” Stefanik claimed in a statement.

And the six-term congresswoman from Upstate New York, whom the Siena poll indicated was the front-runner in a hypothetical GOP primary, added that Hochul’s “own Lieutenant Governor that she hand picked is now primarying her which shows she has lost support not just from Republicans and Independents, but Democrat New Yorkers as well.”

GOP Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, who is also seriously considering a run for governor, took to social media to also blast Hochul “as the worst Governor in America — failed, feckless, and grossly incompetent.”

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“She must be defeated in 2026 and replaced with a Republican Governor who can restore balance and common sense to Albany,” he argued.

FIRST ON FOX – The Department of Justice demanded California’s public high schools confirm by next week that they do not allow transgender athletes to compete in girls’ sports, escalating a federal inquiry into the state over its compliance with Title IX.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who heads the DOJ Civil Rights Division, said in a letter obtained by Fox News Digital that public school districts must “certify in writing” by June 9 that they will not abide by the the California Interscholastic Federation’s gender identity rules.

“Knowingly depriving female students of athletic opportunities and benefits on the basis of their sex would constitute unconstitutional sex discrimination under the Equal Protection Clause,” Dhillon warned in the letter, obtained by Fox News Digital. 

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The California Interscholastic Federation governs public and private high school sports in the state and has a bylaw that requires its members to recognize gender identity in sports.

All students should be able to participate in school sports “in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on a student’s records,” the bylaw states.

Dhillon, a former California-based conservative attorney, said the certifications she is seeking from the public school districts will “ensure compliance” with Title IX and help them to “avoid legal liability.”

Her demand pits public school districts against the California Interscholastic Federation, the entity that schools are required to comply with to participate in state sports competitions.

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Fox News Digital reached out to the California Interscholastic Federation’s executive director for comment.

Dhillon’s move comes after she and the U.S. attorney for the Central District of California announced last week that they were investigating the California Interscholastic Federation and other public entities over whether the state’s laws conflicted with Trump’s interpretation of Title IX.

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When Trump took office, he ordered federal agencies to enforce Title IX in a manner that excluded gender identity after the Biden administration attempted to reinterpret the statute.

Title IX, passed in 1972, is a landmark civil rights law designed to prevent sex discrimination in schools. Former President Barack Obama made the first, albeit unenforceable, attempt to reinterpret Title IX at the end of his term by directing schools that received federal funds to allow transgender students to use bathrooms and participate in sports that corresponded to their gender identities.

Trump quashed those efforts in his first term and, in coordination with former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, underwent a lengthy process of creating new rules within the Education Department to require schools to adhere to the long-held meaning of Title IX.

Former President Joe Biden made embracing gender identity and re-imagining Title IX a pillar of his presidency by moving to unravel the Trump administration’s new rules. Biden was, however, met with numerous injunctions and never able to get his version of Title IX off the ground.

TRUMP DOJ, EDUCATION DEPT FORM TASK FORCE TO PROTECT FEMALE ATHLETES FROM ‘GENDER IDEOLOGY’ IN SCHOOLS, SPORTS

Now, Trump has aggressively sought to enforce his first term’s rules. He signed a string of executive orders focused on, as one order described it, the “biological reality of sex,” and his agencies have sent demand letters and opened federal inquiries into states that are resistant to the administration’s efforts.

In addition to targeting California, the DOJ sued Maine over Title IX, arguing its state Education Department was out of compliance with federal law, citing a transgender athlete who won a girls’ pole-vaulting competition in February.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) has downplayed the matter, telling local news at one point that there were “like two” transgender athletes in her state.

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), meanwhile, has shown an openness to Trump’s position that transgender athletes competing in girls’ sports is unfair, to the chagrin of some of Newsom’s liberal base.

Newsom also recently said he supported a new pilot initiative by the California Interscholastic Federation to allow any female track and field athlete who would have qualified for an upcoming state championship to compete if they had been displaced by a transgender athlete.