NationalWatch

WASHINGTON D.C. – Pro-life voters are not overjoyed with former President Trump’s comments on abortion late last year, but some still plan to vote for him if he wins the Republican nomination.

At the 2024 March for Life rally in Washington, D.C., Fox News Digital spoke with voters who were torn over his recent comments.

Trump was vocally pro-life throughout his presidency, but he drew backlash after telling MSNBC in September that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ six-week ban on abortion was “a terrible thing and a terrible mistake.”

“I mean, ‘DeSanctus’ [DeSantis] is willing to sign a five-week and six-week ban,” the former president told the outlet. “I think what he did is a terrible thing and a terrible mistake.”

“I would sit down with both sides, and I’d negotiate something, and we’ll end up with peace on that issue for the first time in 52 years,” Trump added.

YOUTH VOTE ON ABORTION COULD SURPRISE BOTH SIDES

One voter at the March for Life told Fox News Digital that there should be no “compromise” when it comes to abortion.

“While Trump was an amazing president for the pro-life movement. We have seen, unfortunately, that he seems to want to compromise on the abortion issue, and we think that it is never okay to compromise on killing innocent children,” a young voter told Fox News Digital. “And that’s what abortion is. And so if I could talk to President Trump right now, I’d maybe ask him what he’s thinking.”

PRO-LIFE LEADER ANTICIPATES MAJOR VICTORIES DESPITE RECENT BALLOT INITIATIVES EXPANDING ABORTION ACCESS

Another individual said that Trump’s comments on his opponent’s six-week ban were “very heartbreaking” and will “probably affect how I vote.”

“It definitely makes me wonder what his actual opinions on abortion are, versus like if he’s just saying these for votes,” one voter told Fox.

While some pro-lifers are concerned over the comments, other rally-goers believe Trump is pro-life, and they will continue to support his third bid for the presidency.

“Overall, with other policies and things, I think I would still vote for Trump,” one woman told Fox.

Another individual suggested that while some candidates may support earlier bans on abortion, six weeks might be difficult for a candidate to push on the national stage.

“I think Trump is pro-life. I think we’ll stick with his vote,” another pro-Trump voter told Fox. “But politically speaking, you know, six weeks is a hard push. You know, my ultimate goal is [a] total ban on abortion. That’s what I would like. But politically speaking, you got to take one step at a time. And I think it’s where Trump is coming from.”

One individual said that his actions on abortion while president speak louder than his recent comments.

“It’s really the actions that matter most. And we can see from Trump’s presidency that his actions were pro-life, like, he got Amy Coney Barrett into the Supreme Court. And I think his actions speak louder than his words.”

PRO-LIFE DEMONSTRATORS BRAVE DC SNOW FOR 2024 MARCH FOR LIFE

The Trump campaign touted the former president’s pro-life record — particularly appointing Supreme Court justices who ultimately overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, returning abortion restrictions to states —  in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“President Trump’s unmatched pro-life record speaks for itself,” said Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung. 

“He appointed strong Constitutionalist federal judges and Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, which others have tried to do for over 50 years. He ended taxpayer-funded abortions, reinstated the Mexico City Policy that protects life abroad, and took many other actions to defend the unborn,” Cheung said.

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Cheung noted that pro-life advocacy group Susan B. Anthony List called Trump “the most consequential in American history for the pro-life cause.

“Throughout these unprecedented successes, President Trump has always advised fellow Republicans that they must learn to talk about this critical issue the right way and remind voters that it is Democrats who are the extreme ones on abortion, not Republicans, despite the left’s attempt to paint it that way,” Cheung added. 

“Joe Biden and virtually every Democrat in Congress is on the record supporting on-demand abortion up until the moment of birth, and after birth, as well as using American tax dollars to fund the killing of the most vulnerable. That’s why millions of pro-life Americans will vote to send President Trump back to the White House,” he said.

Georgia special prosecutor Nathan Wade, the alleged paramour of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, bought plane tickets in her name, according to a court filing.

Attorneys for Wade’s estranged wife, Joycelyn Wade, filed court documents on Friday that included 2022 bank statements showing purchases of flights to Miami and San Francisco. 

The statements, which were obtained by Fox News, show that Wade bought round-trip tickets for himself and Willis to Miami in October 2022, which also included a third ticket for someone named Clara Bowman on the same day from Houston to Miami. Another round-trip ticket to San Francisco for Wade and Willis was purchased in April 2023, documents show.

Joycelyn Wade’s attorneys, who seek to have Willis deposed for her divorce from Nathan Wade, argued that there “appears to be no reasonable explanation for their travels apart from a romantic relationship.” 

FULTON COUNTY DA FANI WILLIS ATTEMPTS TO QUASH SUBPOENA RELATED TO ALLEGED MISCONDUCT

Willis is caught in a political firestorm over allegations that she engaged in an improper relationship with Nathan Wade, whom she hired to lead the prosecution of former President Donald Trump and 18 others for their alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia.

Willis has been subpoenaed to give a pretrial deposition in the divorce case on January 23, but in a Thursday court filing, she argued that the subpoena should be quashed. Her attorney, Cinque Axam, has argued that Joycelyn Wade has “conspired with interested parties in the criminal Election Interference Case to use the civil discovery process to annoy, embarrass, and oppress District Attorney Willis.”

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Axam accused Joycelyn Wade of “obstructing and interfering” with the district attorney’s ongoing case against Trump.

In their response on Friday, Wade’s attorneys denied that she is using the deposition to “harass” Willis, but “rather to seek pertinent information from her husband’s paramour regarding her relationship with Plaintiff and the extension to the Plaintiff’s financial involvement in the same.”

GEORGIA TRUMP PROSECUTOR FANI WILLIS FACES HEARING ON ALLEGED MISCONDUCT

While the bank records show that Nathan Wade purchased plane tickets for himself and Willis, they do not provide direct evidence of an affair — although Willis has not directly denied a romantic relationship.

The affair allegations surfaced last week when Trump codefendant Michael Roman’s lawyer accused Willis and Nathan Wade of engaging in an improper relationship and mishandling public money in a separate court filing. Roman’s lawyer, Ashleigh Merchant, did not provide evidence of the alleged relationship between Willis and Wade but pointed to proof in Wade’s divorce case.

Merchant alleges that Willis’ purported relationship with Wade created a conflict of interest and that she benefited financially from the relationship in the form of lavish vacations the two took using funds his law firm had received for working on the case.

County records show that Wade has been paid nearly $654,000 in legal fees since January 2022, an amount authorized by the district attorney, or Willis in this case.

GEORGIA DA FANI WILLIS CLAIMS ‘IMPROPER’ RELATIONSHIP ACCUSATIONS ARE BASED ON RACE

Wade’s bank statements show more purchases, including two $1,387 and $1,284 payments for a Royal Caribbean cruise, which were made on the same day, October 4, 2022, that Wade bought the airline ticket to Miami in Willis’ name. Other expenses between October 2022 and May 2023 were for Atlanta tour operator Vacation Express, the Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort and the Norwegian Cruise Line, and for the DoubleTree by Hilton Napa Valley – American Canyon. 

Joycelyn Wade claimed that the bank statements show that “Ms. Willis was an intended travel partner for at least some of these trips as indicated by flights he purchased for her to accompany him.” 

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“It is regrettable that Ms. Willis has filed such an inflammatory Motion, which has left Defendant with no other choice than to respond forcefully and with supporting evidence in a case that is very personal in nature,” the filing states.

Fani Willis and Nathan Wade did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 

Fox News’ Samantha Daigle; Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom, Brian Flood and Brandon Gillespie; and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

With three days to go until New Hampshire’s Republican presidential primary, a new poll indicates former President Trump remains the commanding frontrunner, with former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley behind by double-digits, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis a distant third.

Trump, who is running a third straight time for the White House, grabs 53% support among those likely to vote in Tuesday’s New Hampshire GOP presidential primary, according to a daily tracking poll released Saturday morning by Suffolk University, the Boston Globe and NBC10 in Boston.

HALEY TURNS UP THE HEAT ON TRUMP AS SHE TRIES TO CLOSE THE GAP IN THE NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY

The former president’s support edged up one point from Friday’s tracking poll.

Haley, who served as ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration, stands at 36%, with her support edging up a point from Friday’s survey.

DeSantis, once the clear runner-up to Trump in most polling, pulled in 7% support, up one point over the past 24 hours.

The poll was conducted Thursday and Friday evenings, entirely after Trump scored a massive victory in Monday night’s Iowa caucuses, the first contest on the GOP presidential nominating calendar.

TRUMP SAYS NIKKI HALEY ‘HAS NO CHANCE’ AHEAD OF NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY: ‘MAGA IS NOT GOING TO BE WITH HER’

A poll from Saint Anselm College that was also conducted after the Iowa caucuses also indicates Trump with a lead in the mid-teens over Haley and DeSantis in single digits in New Hampshire.

Meanwhile, a new survey released Friday from Marist College indicates Haley performing better against President Biden than either Trump or DeSantis in hypothetical general election matchups in November in New Hampshire, which is a key battleground state.

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The survey indicates Haley edging Biden by three points, while the president tops Trump by seven points and DeSantis by nine points. Haley repeatedly emphasized on the campaign trail that she would perform better against Biden in the general election than Trump would fare against the president.

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

The Secretary of State in Maine is appealing to the state’s top court in her case aiming to keep former President Donald Trump off the ballot.

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows announced Friday an appeal to the state’s Supreme Judicial Court, asking for a ruling on her previous decision to remove Trump from the ballot.

“Like many Americans, I welcome a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court in the Colorado case that provides guidance as to the important Fourteenth Amendment questions in this case,” Bellows said.

MAINE SUPERIOR COURT ISSUES A STAY ON STATE’S DECISION TO BAR TRUMP FROM PRIMARY BALLOT

Trump appealed Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows’ ruling earlier this month, but the court on Wednesday said it will not consider the matter until the high court issues its own decision in a related case out of Colorado, saying it would be “imprudent” for the court to rule on it before then. 

But Bellows is asking Maine’s top court to preemptively rule on the legality of disqualifying the former president beforehand.

“In the interim, Maine law provides the opportunity to seek review from the Maine Supreme Judicial Court – which I requested today. I know both the constitutional and state authority questions are of grave concern to many,” Bellows said of her continued efforts.

MAINE RESIDENTS ‘OVERWHELMED’ AT PROSPECT OF BECOMING A ‘TRANSGENDER SAFE HAVEN,’ STATE LAWMAKER SAYS

She added, “This appeal ensures that Maine’s highest court has the opportunity to weigh in now, before ballots are counted, promoting trust in our free, safe and secure elections.”

In December, the Colorado Supreme Court disqualified Trump from appearing on the state’s ballots in 2024.

The disqualification, which was made under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, is related to the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

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“We do not reach these conclusions lightly,” the court’s majority wrote. “We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.”

Following Colorado’s decision, more than a dozen states have challenged Trump’s eligibility to appear on election ballots for the primary or general elections.

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman and Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley is not concerned with earning former rival Chris Christie’s approval.

Asked in an interview this week whether she was hoping for Christie’s endorsement, Haley gave a simple answer — “No.”

“I don’t need it,” she told NewsNation, dismissing her one-time opponent’s relevance in a rapidly shrinking race.

HALEY DIDN’T ASK CHRISTIE FOR HIS ENDORSEMENT IN 2024 RACE BUT SPOKE WITH HIM AFTER HOT MIC DISS

Haley, who finished behind former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the Iowa caucuses, is seeking to grow her share of the GOP voter base as the once broad field of candidates finds itself narrowing to three.

Christie, who was making his second bid for the White House, dropped out of the race at a town hall event in Windham, New Hampshire, saying “It’s clear to me tonight that there isn’t a path for me to win the nomination.”

Christie previously faced calls from fellow Republicans and from some voters to end his bid to give Haley a boost as she aims to close the gap with Trump.

TRUMP SAYS NIKKI HALEY ‘HAS NO CHANCE’ AHEAD OF NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY: ‘MAGA IS NOT GOING TO BE WITH HER’

Ahead of his announcement on Wednesday, Christie was heard on a microphone, apparently without knowing it, saying that Haley was “going to get smoked” by Trump, who is the commanding front-runner for the nomination.

“She’s not up for this,” he added.  Christie also took two digs at Haley during his speech.

After Christie suspended his campaign, Haley wrote on social media that “Chris Christie has been a friend for many years. I commend him on a hard-fought campaign. Voters have a clear choice in this election: the chaos and drama of the past or a new generation of conservative leadership. I will fight to earn every vote, so together we can build a strong and proud America.”

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Haley — in a Fox News interview last week in Des Moines, Iowa — said that when she wished him well after his campaign suspension, she wasn’t aware of his derogatory comments about her that were caught in a viral hot mic moment.

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

Former President Donald Trump has most likely ruled out presidential primary rival Nikki Haley as a vice-president.

Trump made the comments about Haley — who he appointed as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations during his term in the Oval Office — at a Friday rally in Concord, New Hampshire.

“She is OK, but she is not presidential timber. And when I say that, that probably means she is not going to be chosen as the vice president,” Trump said.

NIKKI HALEY SAYS SHE DOESN’T WANT CHRISTIE’S ENDORSEMENT, DOESN’T THINK SHE NEEDS IT

Trump said he did not have faith in the former U.N. ambassador’s ability to handle tough negotiations with leaders of rival countries.

“I know her very well. She’s not tough enough. She’s not smart enough. And she wasn’t respected enough. She cannot do this job,” he continued. “She’s not going to be able to deal with President Xi. She’s not going to be able to deal with Putin.”

Trump remained cryptic with his remarks, saying immediately after the “presidential timber” comment that such a public statement meant he wouldn’t be able to walk back the evaluation of her character.

DESANTIS PUSHES BACK ON MEDIA NARRATIVE HE’S ‘SKIPPING’ NEW HAMPSHIRE AFTER CAMPAIGNING IN SOUTH CAROLINA

“When you say certain things, it sort of takes them out of play, right?” the former president taunted. “I can’t say, ‘She’s not of the timber to be the vice president’ and then say, ‘Ladies and gentleman, I’m proud to announce that I’ve picked.'”

Haley made a parallel promise on the same day while stopping at a diner in Amherst ahead of the state primary. 

“I don’t want to be anybody’s vice president. That is off the table,” Haley said. “I have always said that. That is a game they play that I’m not going to play. I don’t want to be vice president.”

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Haley, down by double digits to Trump in the latest surveys four days ahead of the New Hampshire primary, is taking every chance she has to blast the GOP front-runner.

“You look at Iowa. I mean President Trump won a state of three million people with 56,000 votes. We had a very low turnout in Iowa. We’re going to have a really good turnout in New Hampshire,” Haley told reporters at her first retail stop Friday morning as she pilloried Trump’s landslide victory in Monday’s Iowa caucuses.

During a campaign event in Rochester, Haley criticized Trump for his past support for increasing the federal gas tax and raising the retirement age and accused him of lying about her record.

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

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., announced this week he plans to hold a vote on Jan. 31 to subpoena the CEOs of two big Pharma companies for a hearing on drug pricing in front of the Health, Education Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee after they refused to testify last year.

The subpoenas for Johnson & Johnson CEO Joaquin Duato and Merck CEO Robert Davis would have them testify about why their costs for medicine are “substantially higher” compared to other countries, the announcement said. 

But some executives see the pending subpoenas as a form of retaliation for a court battle over Medicare price negotiations.

“It is absolutely unacceptable that the CEOs of Johnson & Johnson and Merck have refused an invitation by a majority of members on the HELP Committee to appear before Congress about the outrageously high price of prescription drugs,” Sanders said. “These CEOs may make tens of millions of dollars in compensation. The pharmaceutical companies they run may make billions in profits.”

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS ADMITS IT’S ‘VERY HARD’ FOR AMERICANS TO BE EXCITED WHEN PRESSED ON BIDEN ISRAEL STANCE

In November, Sanders requested Duato and Davis for testimonies on drug pricing, but they insisted that a “senior pharmaceutical executive best positioned to address and provide Johnson & Johnson’s position regarding the issues” should instead appear, according to a letter Johnson & Johnson attorney Brian D. Smith sent to Sanders this week in response to the subpoena announcement. 

“Johnson & Johnson offered to make available for the hearing the senior pharmaceutical executive best positioned to address and provide Johnson & Johnson’s position regarding the issues posed in your invitation letter,” Smith wrote. “Throughout these discussions, Johnson & Johnson has also made clear its concerns with the direction the Committee is taking with the hearing, including the reasons that the company’s chief executive is not the appropriate witness for this hearing. We appreciate the opportunity to reiterate the concerns that we have previously conveyed to your staff over the past three months, and we urge you to consider permitting the Committee to hear from the appropriate executive for these topics.”

BERNIE SANDERS TO FORCE SENATE VOTE ON RESOLUTION THAT COULD FREEZE AID TO ISRAEL

The two Pharma companies, alongside others, are currently suing to freeze Medicare drug price negotiation under Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. Merck Executive Vice President Jennifer Zachary also sent a letter to Sanders this week suggesting the request to have the CEOs testify in front of the Senate panel is a form of “retaliation” for the ongoing lawsuit.

 “We appreciate that many Committee members have expressed their disagreement with our lawsuit, and we respect their good-faith views. That said, your public criticisms of the Companies for challenging the IRA and comments regarding hearing witnesses indicate that the invitations to testify have been extended as retaliation for the Companies’ exercise of their constitutional right to seek relief in court,” Zachary wrote. 

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Joe Grogan, who served as a domestic policy advisor to former President Trump, told Fox News Digital in an interview that “CEOs are not the subject matter experts in the company who can explain all the different aspects of the pharmaceutical supply chain” and negotiations with other governments.

“To put a fine point on it, it’s completely un-American,” Grogan said. “I mean, these companies have every right to avail themselves of the courts, they have every right to sue and to be for him to target these three companies is not a coincidence.”

Several Democrat lawmakers have expressed unease with President Biden’s campaign and its operations as he faces sagging poll numbers and low popularity.

It’s a viewpoint that aligns with other left-leaning individuals who have previously sounded the alarm, including a former aide to first lady Jill Biden. Still, Biden’s re-election vehicle appears to have not made any significant changes despite the public outcry.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is one such politician who worries about how Biden has approached the election. The Vermont independent, who caucuses with Democrats, said Biden needs to change course and believes the Israel-Hamas war has hurt the president’s standing among younger voters.

“There is no question, it is very hard for young people, I think for most Americans, to be excited about what is going on right now,” Sanders previously told CNN. “President [Biden] has got to change course.”

BIDEN’S TOP OUTSIDE GROUP HAULS IN OVER $200M TO AID UPHILL RE-ELECTION FIGHT

Other Democrats in Congress’ lower chamber, such as former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland, have also signaled apprehension over the campaign’s direction.

“We all have concerns. We want to make sure it’s a victorious campaign,” Hoyer recently said, according to Roll Call. 

“I think Joe Biden has had as successful an administration as any president, perhaps since Franklin Roosevelt,” he said. “And our job is to make sure the American people know how it affected them and their families so positively.”

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said he’s “not real comfortable” with where the campaign is and feels the team needs more diversity. 

“Well, I think those of us who helped Joe Biden get elected president are not real comfortable at this point with what we’re seeing,” Thompson recently said. “It just appears that the people who were engaged in helping craft the message and direction of the 2020 campaign are not actively involved in this campaign.”

“Now, that doesn’t mean — it’s not too late to broaden the participation.” he continued. “But I think part of that discomfort is, in order to win, you have to have your best team effort. That team effort includes who he has, but he also needs men and women of color in the room, Latino, Asian. I think it’s that the tent is too small right now.”

BIDEN HAS BEEN SECRETLY MEETING WITH DONORS TO EASE CONCERNS, INCLUDING HIS AGE AND ENERGY: REPORT

Like Hoyer, Thompson praised Biden’s accomplishments, but said the campaign has failed to articulate them to the American people. 

“The Biden administration has a rich portfolio that they’ve accomplished,” Thompson said to the same publication. “I think there’s some continued concern about how that portfolio is being delivered, and who’s delivering it. And so I think it’s just a matter of, you know, getting some more people under the tent. And, so, how can we do this better?”

The lawmaker’s concerns follow others who have exited the Biden orbit and can seemingly speak more freely. 

Michael LaRosa, a former top aide and spokesperson for first lady Jill Biden, has criticized Biden’s team for the president’s crumbling poll numbers and cautioned he needs a shakeup with his aides around him.

FORMER JILL BIDEN SPOX EXPLODES AT BIDEN’S TEAM AMID CRUMBLING POLL NUMBERS: ‘THIS IS INEXCUSABLE’

“New CNN Poll: Trump has higher favorables+Biden has higher unfavorable,” LaRosa wrote on social media in November. “This is inexcusable for man universally known for his character+intregity. It’s a result of failing to respond to smears, lies, conspiracies, and disinfo for months allowing a void of info to be filled.”

“Shameful that POTUS’s team has allowed this narrative to congeal over the past two years,” LaRosa continued. “The only people who can help change the people around [President Biden] is [Jill Biden]. It’s up to her. These are the same people who got him 4th in Iowa, 5th in [New Hampshire], and a distant 2nd to a socialist in [Nevada].”

Democratic strategists David Axelrod and James Carville have also expressed concerns about Biden’s re-election chances. 

“Listen, I understand [Biden] was irritated because I raised concerns that many, many Democrats had. And again, you know, my feeling is either get out or get going. But the status quo, the way they were approaching the campaign, this sort of ‘What, me, worry?’ attitude about the campaign was not going to get him to where he needs to go,” Axelrod said late last year.

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Carville also sounded the alarm late last year, telling a CNN audience that Biden’s poll numbers were “troubling” and a clear expression of voter apprehension. 

“Well, I guess, to say the least, the polls were not great,” Carville said. “And it tells us that voters are expressing some apprehension here. It’s pretty clear. There’s not much else you can say when you look at them.”

“You can’t look at this and not say that you’re concerned,” he continued. “For me to come on television and say I don’t find this alarming or troubling at all, it’d be stupid of me.”

Biden faces an uphill battle in the 2024 elections. Several polls have shown him underwater, and his popularity remains low.

Biden’s campaign did not respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment. 

Fox News’ Jeffrey Clark and Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.

CONCORD, N.H. – Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina – minutes after endorsing Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination – telling Fox News it’s time for the GOP to rally around the former president.

“It’s time for us to unite our party so that we make sure that the only target we’re talking about is firing Joe Biden,” Scott emphasized after formally backing the former president at a Trump campaign rally in New Hampshire’s state capital city.

“The best way for us to get rid of Joe Biden as our president is to unite our party now behind Donald Trump,” Scott added.

Scott, who ended his own White House bid in November, became the third former Republican presidential candidate in the past week to endorse Trump. 

TIM SCOTT ENDORSES DONALD TRUMP FOUR DAYS BEFORE THE NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum teamed up with Trump at a rally in Indianola, Iowa last weekend as he backed Trump. And multi-millionaire biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy endorsed Trump on Monday night, as he suspended his own campaign following a dismal finish in Iowa’s caucuses. Ramaswamy joined Trump at a rally in Atkinson, New Hamphire the next evening.

RON DESANTIS ARGUES TIM SCOTT ENDORSEMENT OF DONALD TRUMP IS ‘A BLOW’ TO NIKKI HALEY 

And it’s not just former Republican presidential nomination rivals.

Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, becomes the 26th GOP lawmaker in the upper chamber to back Trump. Nearly 120 House Republicans are also supporting Trump, as are 10 governors.

Trump, the commanding front-runner for the nomination as he makes his third straight White House run, is leagues ahead of his two remaining GOP 2024 rivals – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N.ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley – when it comes to endorsements.

“It’s weird to see such an outsider having everyone in D.C. behind him, and unifying the party at such an early stage,” veteran Republican strategist Matthew Bartlett told Fox News.

HALEY TURNS UP THE HEAT ON TRUMP AS SHE TRIES TO CLOSE THE GAP WITH THE GOP FRONT-RUNNER

Pointing to Tuesday’s New Hampshire GOP presidential primary, where surveys suggest Trump holds a double-digit lead over Haley with DeSantis a distant third in single digits, Bartlett said “we’ll see what happens on Tuesday, but right now this looks like a general election campaign.”

A year ago, at the dawn of 2023, the former president was the only declared candidate in the race for the Republican nomination.

However, he was far from a sure thing. 

DeSantis, fresh off an overwhelming gubernatorial re-election less than two months earlier, was neck and neck with Trump in some of the early 2024 polls. 

The former president was still facing plenty of criticism by fellow Republicans for contributing to the GOP’s lackluster performance in the 2022 midterms.

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Additionally, Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign launch at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, a couple of weeks after the midterms was panned by many pundits.

But Trump’s four indictments last year, including charges he tried to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss, have only boosted his support among Republican presidential primary voters.

On Monday, Trump squashed the competition in the Iowa caucuses, the first contest on the GOP nominating calendar.

While Haley and DeSantis remain in the fight for the Republican nomination, Matt Mowers told Fox News “a lot of folks are starting to look past the primary.”

But Mowers, a veteran of the Trump State Department who later won the 2020 Reublican nomination in New Hampshire’s first congressional district, highlighted that “New Hampshire has a tendency to surprise at times too, so we’ll see how it all shakes out.”

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

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo filed a suit against New York Attorney General Letitia James on Thursday for documents related to her 2021 investigation into alleged sexual harassment that led to his resignation. 

Cuomo claims he needs the around 180 documents to defend himself in two sexual harassment lawsuits, and says the public has a right to know James’ “full basis in making the significant and impactful decisions in issuing the consequential Report and causing the resignation of their democratically elected governor,” the lawsuit obtained by Fox News Digital said. 

Cuomo resigned as governor in August 2021, after the investigation’s findings were released. The investigation began after multiple women came forward to say they had been harassed by the governor. The report found he had harassed at least 11 women. 

The 165-page report found Cuomo’s alleged behavior violated state and federal law, as well as his own policies between 2013 and 2020. Nine of the accusers were past or present state employees, and investigators interviewed 179 people and reviewed more than 74,000 pages of documents.

BILL MAHER CONFRONTS CUOMO ON NURSING HOME SCANDAL, EX-NY GOV CALLS QUESTIONS ‘MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACKING’

“What these witnesses — and many others — described is not just old-fashioned, affectionate behavior, it was sexual harassment,” the report said.

Cuomo denies all the allegations and described James’ report as “materially inaccurate, incomplete, biased, flawed and misleading” in the lawsuit. 

It added, “Governor Cuomo vehemently denies having sexually harassed anyone, and the witness statements relating to the allegations in both actions are critical to his defense.” 

FORMER NY GOVERNOR RE-EMERGES AS CRITIC ON DEMS’ FAR-LEFT POLICIES, FUELING COMEBACK SPECULATION

When he resigned, Cuomo said he was “deeply” sorry for any behavior deemed inappropriate during his time in office, but denied the sexual harassment allegations contained James’ investigation.

Cuomo admitted to making jokes and giving people hugs and kisses, “women and men.”

“I have slipped and called people ‘honey, ’sweetheart’ and ‘darling.’ I mean it to be endearing but women found it dated and offensive,” he continued. “I take full responsibility for my actions. I have been too familiar with people. My sense of humor can be insensitive and off-putting.”

“In my mind, I’ve never crossed the line with anyone, but I didn’t realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn,” he added. “There are generational and cultural shifts that I just didn’t fully appreciate. And I should have, no excuses.”

Criminal investigations into Cuomo’s behavior ended in no criminal charges because prosecutors said while they found the accusers credible, there was insufficient evidence. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to James’ office for comment.

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Rich Azzopardi, a Cuomo spokesman, said Friday that James has “done everything she can to hide” the documents from New Yorkers, according to the New York Daily News, adding that it’s “sad that the courts are needed to step in and order the state’s top lawyer to stop violating the law.”

Fox News’ Michael Ruiz and Jessica Chasmar contributed to this report. 

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott has endorsed Nikki Haley ahead of New Hampshire’s GOP primary next week.

Scott, a critic of former President Donald Trump, referred to the former leader in a statement released by his campaign on Friday. 

“America has a decision to make, and our friends and neighbors in New Hampshire have an opportunity to showcase their deep-rooted independent streak. After years of controversy, violent rhetoric and growing polarization, the very last thing we need is four more years of Donald Trump,” he said. 

RON DESANTIS ARGUES TIM SCOTT’S ENDORSEMENT OF DONALD TRUMP ‘IS A BLOW’ TO NIKKI HALEY

“Our future is in jeopardy, and Americans deserve candidates with character and integrity, who respect the rule of law, the rights of all people, and the Constitution,” Scott, a Republican, added. “In my view, the Republican Primary is now a two-person race. Governor Haley is our only chance to ensure America has the choice it deserves in November.” 

Scott has been at odds with Trump for some time. In 2020, he acknowledged crossing party lines and voted for President Biden. 

“Whether you’re a Republican or independent, I encourage you to vote for Governor Haley in the Republican Primary. It is my sincere hope that the good people of New Hampshire will send a clear message. This is not the time for Republicans or independents to sit it out. It’s time to move our country forward,” Scott said. 

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New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu has also thrown his support to Haley as well. 

Haley came in third last week in the Iowa caucuses, being edged out by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who came in second, and Trump, who won by a significant margin.

• Seven Republicans hoping to face off against Democratic Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen for her seat this November sounded off on party frontrunner Sam Brown, who skipped the debate.
• Among the candidates who attended were former Secretary of State candidate Jim Marchant and former Ambassador to Iceland Jeff Gunter.
• Brown first ran for Nevada’s other Senate seat, held by Democrat Catherine Cortez-Masto, in 2022. He lost his party’s nomination to former state Attorney General Adam Laxalt.

Seven Republicans vying for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination in Nevada circled the familiar talking points of GOP politics at a debate on Thursday, while also taking shots at the front-runner, who made an apparently strategic decision not to attend.

The debate in a Reno casino ballroom focused on increased border security, anti-abortion stances and cutting government spending and size, but candidates spent much of their time criticizing retired Army Capt. Sam Brown, whose backing in Washington, D.C., and formidable 2022 campaign have made him a fundraising juggernaut above the crowded primary field.

Nearly every candidate called out Brown for his absence and described him as an establishment candidate not willing to face voters, a combative signal by a group of lesser-known Republicans attempting to gain ground in an otherwise cordial debate.

WAR VETERAN SETS MAJOR FUNDRAISING RECORD IN BID TO FLIP CRUCIAL SENATE SEAT FROM DEMOCRATS

“Don’t vote for Sam Brown. Look at one of these candidates up here,” said Bill Conrad, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and former deputy mayor of Modesto, California, who co-founded Redmove, the conservative group hosting the debate.

Brown’s campaign said the decision to skip the debate reflected his comfortable lead in resources and grassroots support. The non-engagement strategy has been employed by other campaign front-runners, most notably by former President Donald Trump.

“The numbers say it all: Sam Brown is the only candidate in this race with the resources, support and grassroots energy to take on Jacky Rosen,” Brown’s campaign said in a statement. “Nevada Republicans are uniting behind Donald Trump and Sam Brown because they are the only conservative champions who can defeat Biden and Rosen in November.”

Former U.S. Ambassador to Iceland Jeff Gunter also was not on stage after backing out last month, due to him speaking at another Republican event, according to a campaign spokesperson.

“I will debate Scam Brown at any time,” Gunter said in the statement, employing a nickname he often uses to disparage Brown.

The other candidates on stage included Jim Marchant, a former candidate for Nevada secretary of state and outspoken election denier; Tony Grady, an Air Force veteran and former candidate for lieutenant governor; Stephanie Phillips, a real estate broker; and Ronda Kennedy, an attorney.

Former President Donald Trump has skipped all Republican primary debates in the current presidential campaign, electing to hold rallies or appear on rival television networks in a strategy that has deprived the events of viewership and media attention while he remains the dominant front-runner. The last GOP primary debate between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley drew fewer than 2.6 million viewers.

Brown, a Purple Heart recipient, was a heavily recruited candidate for Republicans in Washington looking to avoid a repeat of their lackluster showing in the 2022 midterm elections, when flawed GOP candidates helped Democrats win battleground races and hold the Senate majority.

Two years ago, Brown was a longshot Senate candidate who criticized Republican front-runner Adam Laxalt for agreeing only to a pre-recorded debate instead of a live, prime-time broadcast.

“He must feel safe at 8 a.m., on a Monday morning, in a closed studio, where working-class Nevadans can’t challenge him,” Brown said of the former Nevada Attorney General, who enjoyed the backing of the Republican Party’s most influential figures, from former President Donald Trump to then-Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell.

Laxalt won that primary handily but lost narrowly in the general election to incumbent Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto.

This cycle, Brown often has brushed past questions about his primary opponents to focus attacks on incumbent Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen. He said the crowded field was a product of Rosen’s leadership, not his.

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But on Thursday, Rosen was seldom mentioned as Brown weathered attacks from his opponents.

“I hope you remember the one that’s not here,” Kennedy said.

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis views a new endorsement for former President Donald Trump as a “major blow” to another Republican presidential nomination rival – Nikki Haley.

And DeSantis, in an interview with Fox News at Saint Anselm College on the outskirts of New Hampshire’s largest city, said he would return to the Granite State ahead of Tuesday’s presidential primary after a weekend campaign swing in South Carolina.

DeSantis was interviewed a couple of hours after Fox News confirmed that Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina would endorse Trump at a campaign rally Friday night in Concord, New Hampshire.

“I actually thought Scott had already endorsed him,” DeSantis said. “I do think that that is a blow to Nikki Haley.”

TIM SCOTT BACKING DONALD TRUMP IN 2024 GOP PRESIDENTIAL RACE

Both the former president, who’s the commanding front-runner in the GOP nomination race, and Haley – the former South Carolina governor who later served as U.N. ambassador in the Trump administration – called Scott in recent days as they both tried to secure Scott’s endorsement.

Scott’s backing of Trump, whom the senator rarely criticized on the campaign trail during his White House run, is the latest major endorsement for the former president in the state that holds the first southern primary in the GOP nomination race.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and Sen. Lindsey Graham have long supported Trump. 

HALEY TURNS UP THE HEAT ON TRUMP AS SHE TRIES TO CLOSE THE GAP WITH THE GOP FRONT-RUNNER

The state’s Feb. 24 Republican presidential primary is the next major contest in the Republican schedule following the New Hampshire primary. The contest is winner-take-all, which means the victor in the Palmetto State will capture all 50 Republican delegates at stake.

Trump scored a massive victory in Monday night’s low turnout Iowa caucuses, with DeSantis edging out Haley for a distant second place. But the polls in New Hampshire indicate Trump hovering around 50% support, double digits ahead of Haley, with DeSantis a very distant third in the single digits.

WITH PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION HEADED TOWARDS LIKELY BIDEN-TRUMP REMATCH, NO LABELS PREPARES FOR POTENTIAL THIRD-PARTY TICKET

Haley has called DeSantis “invisible” in New Hampshire as she frames the primary battle as a two-candidate race between herself and Trump.

DeSantis on Friday argued that “the whole Haley thing, I think, is falling apart now.”

He emphasized that in New Hampshire, Haley has spent an inordinate amount of money. And he argued that her efforts in the Granite State, where moderates and independent voters play an influential role in the state’s storied primary, were over the top.

“I was talking to someone that said they got in one day seven Nikki Haley mailers. It’s like, well, wait a minute. Like the first six aren’t going to get you to vote for that magic seven all of a sudden. So some of this is just overkill, he said. 

The Florida governor campaigns Saturday and Sunday in South Carolina, and there’s speculation he wouldn’t return to New Hampshire ahead of Tuesday’s primary.

But DeSantis told Fox News “I think our plan is to come fly back Sunday night here from South Carolina.”

“But look, South Carolina’s important,” he added. “This is Nikki Haley’s home state. She obviously can’t beat Donald Trump there.”

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DeSantis dismissed the notion that he was looking for an exit ramp from the 2024 campaign to potentially run again in four years.

“2028. That’s so far away. I mean, in political time,” he said. “I’m focused on 2024. I mean, we we’ve got to get our act together as a party. And I think the Iowa results really should have, should be alarm bells for the party because the turnout was so anemic.”

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

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

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

What’s Happening? 

– Thousands gather in the snow in DC for the March for Life

– STATE OF THE RACE: Trump lands new endorsement, and the latest polls for NH

– Trump’s Georgia prosecutor attempts to quash subpoena on alleged misconduct surrounding reported affair

S.C. senator gives his former governor the cold shoulder

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina is not backing former S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley in the 2024 GOP primary.

Scott will endorse Trump on Friday at an event in New Hampshire starting at 6 p.m. ET, ahead of the state’s first-in-the-nation primary next Tuesday.

Both Trump, who’s the commanding front-runner in the GOP nomination race, and Haley called the senator in recent days as they both tried to secure Scott’s endorsement, sources told Fox News Digital.

Haley and Scott share a long political history. They both served together in the state legislature and in 2012, then-Gov. Haley appointed then-Rep. Scott to the Senate to fill a vacancy.

White House

‘HELPING A FRIEND’: Hunter Biden’s lawyer hits back at James Comer over million-dollar loans …Read more

‘WORST FEARS’: Biden admin failing to track Chinese ownership of US farmland: govt watchdog …Read more

‘THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS’: Hawley slams scheme allowing migrants to board planes …Read more

Capitol Hill

‘SECURITY THREAT’: Republicans demand more info from FBI, DHS over TikTok investigations …Read more

SAY ‘NO’: Trump, conservative senators urge lawmakers to vote against border deal that falls short …Read more

DEMANDING ANSWERS: Senate Republican wants explanation from Treasury on push for banks to ‘surveil’ customer transactions in 2021 …Read more

HOUSE OF CHAOS: GOP rebels plot revenge after House passes bipartisan spending deal …Read more

REBELLION: Ex-Nancy Mace staffers working with former top aide to unseat her, sources say …Read more

‘PERSONAL RACISM’: Barbara Lee alleges racist White man tried to stop her from entering Capitol …Read more

‘LUDICROUS’: Freedom Caucus revolts in South Carolina over claims GOP plans to ‘muzzle’ legislative powers, boost Dems …Read more

Tales from the Trail

DARK MONEY MACHINE: Biden’s top outside group raises eye-popping cash to boost tough re-election fight …Read more

HEATING UP: Haley turns up heat on Trump 4 days before NH primary …Read more

RULE OF LAW: Wyoming election chief mounts full-court press against ‘radical left’s’ push to remove Trump from ballot …Read more

‘SHE’S NOT COMING’: ‘The View’ taunts Nikki Haley to appear on show, but one host says she’d chicken out …Read more

COWABUNGA: RFK goes surfing in Hawaii for his birthday with this legend …Read more

UNITY TICKET? No Labels prepares for potential 3rd-party ticket as Biden-Trump rematch seems likely …Read more

Across America

PRO-LIFE GENERATION: Youth vote on abortion could surprise both sides …Read more

MARCH FOR LIFE: Today, we march with every woman, for every child …Read more

ELDERLY VOTING (MACHINES): New Hampshire’s aging voting scanners raise concerns as primaries approach …Read more

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

Republican South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace’s former chief of staff is being propped up by her own ex-staffers as he mulls a primary challenge against her, two sources told Fox News Digital.

Dan Hanlon joined Mace’s office in 2021 after serving in the Trump administration’s Office of Management and Budget. He departed last month under reportedly contentious circumstances.

A source familiar with his plans told Fox News Digital that Hanlon was being approached about a possible run for Mace’s seat, and two sources said that multiple former staffers were informally aiding Hanlon in some capacity.

The source said at least one is a former communications director for Mace who is now helping Hanlon and said “there are many” ex-staffers of hers in his position.

JOHNSON CAUGHT BETWEEN WARRING HOUSE GOP FACTIONS: ‘DRIFTING TOWARD MOB RULE’

“I along with several other former staff are backing Hanlon in some sort of way,” the second source said. 

“Dan is receiving great feedback because for years he did the actual job of serving the constituents of South Carolina in Congress while Nancy Mace was busy going on TV and getting her net worth up millions,” the first source familiar with Hanlon’s plans said. “Both the donor class and grassroots voters are tired of Mace privately bashing Trump and publicly bashing real conservatives as a–holes.”

Hanlon’s potential primary challenge was first reported in Politico earlier this week. 

Fox News Digital on Thursday asked Mace about those reports on Capitol Hill. She said, “I believe we put a statement out. He’s going to have to move to the district if he has to run.”

CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS STRIKE DEAL TO PUNT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN DEADLINES

When reached for comment, Doug Stafford, a spokesman for Mace’s re-election campaign, told Fox News Digital, “This can’t be true. Mace couldn’t get this lucky? Well, would he move there, ’cause he sure as s— doesn’t live there now!”

The source familiar with Hanlon’s plans responded to her accusation about his living outside the district: “Dan owns a home in the district. Rep. Mace had her ex-fiancé buy her one.”

HOUSE VOTES TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN AFTER SPEAKER JOHNSON BUCKS GOP REBELS

Mace’s former staffers coalescing around her former top aide comes after several reports of a toxic workplace culture in her office. She has seen a slew of staff departures in recent months in addition to Hanlon’s.

Mace was accused of making lewd comments in the office by three sources who spoke anonymously with the Daily Mail in December. 

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A Daily Beast report in November claimed Mace had a “handbook” for staffers that allegedly said, among other things, that her office must send out at least one press release per day and put her on TV at least nine times per week.

Mace told Fox News Digital during a Nov. 3 interview that she had not read the report, and shrugged off its accusations.

Former President Donald Trump said that Republicans should say “No” to a border security deal that does not include “everything needed” to stop the flow of illegal migrants at the southern border. 

“I do not think we should do a Border Deal, at all, unless we get EVERYTHING needed to shut down the INVASION of Millions & Millions of people, many from parts unknown, into our once great, but soon to be great again, Country!” Trump wrote Thursday on Truth Social.

Congressional leaders are hoping to reach a bipartisan deal that would be attached to the national security supplemental package and unlock billions in funding for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. 

Both Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters this week that a national security funding deal could come up for a vote as soon as next week.

HOUSE, SENATE GOP LEADERS URGE SCOTUS TO HALT ‘DANGEROUS PRECEDENT,’ DEFEND TRUMP’S BALLOT ACCESS

However, even though it will likely garner the 60 votes needed to pass in the upper chamber, it will be dead on arrival in the GOP-controlled House if it does not include Trump-era immigration penalties as outlined in H.R. 2 — the House’s border security bill passed last year. McConnell has indicated that the priority is not just the border, but the other national security issues outlined in the package.

“The rest of the bill is important,” McConnell said this week. “We’re getting shot at. The Houthis are shooting at our ships, at commercial ships. We’ve got a war in Israel, a war in Ukraine. I’m sure the Chinese were unhappy with the outcome of the presidential election in Taiwan a few days ago.”

He added, “I think it’s time to go ahead with the supplemental, and I’m anticipating it will be before us next week.”

Schumer and McConnell both agree that aid to Ukraine and border security should not be separated. The U.S. has already sent an estimated $100 billion to assist Ukraine in its defense against Russia, and the Biden administration has exhausted the amount of funds that can be sent to the Eastern European nation without needing Congress’s approval in a final $200 million package last month. 

There is likely to be a showdown between a small group of GOP senators who oppose more aid to Ukraine.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., a staunch critic of more aid to Ukraine, said this week the U.S.’s security “is threatened right now on our border” and that leaders would “much rather spend money on Ukraine’s border than our own. I say again, it is exactly backwards — it’s insane.”

But the frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination has been in House Speaker Mike Johnson’s ear, too. Johnson said on Fox this week that he “frequently” chats with Trump about the crisis at the southern border, and that he’s “not wrong” for telling lawmakers to reject a deal that falls short.

14 HOUSE DEMOCRATS JOIN REPUBLICANS TO REBUKE BIDEN OVER BORDER CRISIS

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“President Trump is not wrong,” Johnson told Fox News host Laura Ingraham this week. “He and I have been talking about this pretty frequently. I talked to him the night before last about the same subject.” 

Meanwhile, some conservatives in the upper chamber remain skeptical about the so-called border deal that still has not made it to paper.

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said in a post on X, “It’s unfair to put pressure” on Johnson, “or anyone else — to support a ‘deal’ that doesn’t yet exist, the details of which remain cloaked in secrecy.” 

But Lee agreed with Trump and said, “But from what little we do know, no Republican should support it. This is nuts.”

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., shared a similar sentiment in an interview with Fox News Digital. He said that Biden doesn’t need “all these policy changes,” since the border “was secure under Trump.” It’s a matter of enforcement, he argued. 

“The border was secure under Trump — he didn’t need a policy change. I haven’t seen the text of the bill, but there are some things that might be nice to have, but it’s not going to secure the border this year,” Scott said. 

The package will need around 10 Republican votes to pass in the Senate. 

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina is endorsing former President Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican nomination race, Fox News confirmed on Friday.

Scott, who in November ended his own run for the White House, will formally announce his support for Trump when he appears alongside the former president at a rally Friday evening in Concord, New Hampshire, sources with knowledge of the matter told Fox News.

Both Trump, who’s the commanding front-runner in the GOP nomination race, and former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley called the senator in recent days as they both tried to secure Scott’s endorsement, sources confirm.

While Scott’s presidential campaign failed to ignite, he remains very popular with Republican primary voters and his endorsement has been heavily coveted by the remaining GOP candidates.

HALEY TURNS UP THE HEAT ON TRUMP AS SHE TRIES TO CLOSE THE GAP WITH THE GOP FRONT-RUNNER

As Scott ended his presidential bid, he made clear that he had no immediate plans to support another candidate. But sources in his political orbit told Fox News at the time that the senator remained open to backing a candidate.

Scott’s backing of Trump, whom the senator rarely criticized on the campaign trail during his White House run, is the latest major endorsement for the former president in the state that holds the first southern primary in the GOP nomination race.

Gov. Henry McMaster and Sen. Lindsey Graham have long supported Trump. 

WITH PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION HEADED TOWARDS LIKELY BIDEN-TRUMP REMATCH, NO LABELS PREPARES FOR POTENTIAL THIRD-PARTY TICKET

The state’s Feb. 24 Republican presidential primary is the next major contest in the Republican schedule following Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary. The contest is winner-take-all, which means the victor in the Palmetto State will capture all 50 Republican delegates at stake.

Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, launched his presidential campaign in May at an event in North Charleston, South Carolina.

Standing just a few miles from where he grew up, he highlighted that “we live in the land where it is possible for a kid raised in poverty by a single mother in a small apartment to one day serve in the People’s House and maybe even the White House.”

The senator told Fox News at the time he was “stunned at the hunger for something positive as long as its anchored in conservatism. As long as you have a backbone.”

But his positive and uplifting message failed to resonate in a combative GOP presidential nomination race dominated by Trump, who often spotlights his grievances during his third consecutive run for the White House.

HALEY ARGUES DESANTIS IS ‘INVISIBLE’ 

By late autumn, Scott was struggling to qualify for the debates and his poll numbers were stuck in the single digits.

On Nov. 12, Scott announced he was ending his White House bid during an appearance on Fox News’ “Sunday Night in America” with Trey Gowdy. 

“I think the voters, who are the most remarkable people on the planet, have been really clear that they’re telling me, ‘Not now, Tim,’” Scott said.

Haley and Scott share a long political history. They both served together in the state legislature and in 2012, then-Gov. Haley appointed then-Rep. Scott to the Senate to fill a vacancy.

Fox News’ Jessica Loker contributed to this report

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

Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis is hitting back at allegations that she has engaged in an improper relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, accusing his estranged wife of “interfering” with her prosecution of former President Trump.  

Willis has been subpoenaed to give a pretrial deposition in the divorce case of Nathan Wade and Joycelyn Wade on January 23rd, but in a Thursday court filing, the she argued the subpoena should be quashed. 

A portion of the filing reads: “Defendant Joycelyn Wade has conspired with interested parties in the criminal Election Interference Case to use the civil discovery process to annoy, embarrass, and oppress District Attorney Willis.”

Willis’ attorney, Cinque Axam, wrote that the attempt to question Willis is “obstructing and interfering” with the ongoing criminal case against Trump. 

GEORGIA TRUMP PROSECUTOR FANI WILLIS FACES HEARING ON ALLEGED MISCONDUCT

Andrea Hastings, a lawyer for Joycelyn Wade, told the Associated Press they want to help her “resolve her divorce fairly and privately” and that any response to Willis’ motion will come in a filing with the court.

Trump codefendant Michael Roman’s lawyer accused Willis and Wade of engaging in an improper relationship and mishandling public money in a court filing last week. Roman’s lawyer, Ashleigh Merchant, did not provide evidence of the alleged relationship between Willis and Wade but pointed to proof in Wade’s divorce case.

Merchant alleges that Willis’ purported relationship with Wade created a conflict of interest and that she benefited financially from the relationship in the form of lavish vacations the two took using funds his law firm received for working the case.

County records show that Wade has been paid nearly $654,000 in legal fees since January 2022, an amount authorized by the district attorney, or Willis in this case.

GEORGIA DA FANI WILLIS CLAIMS ‘IMPROPER’ RELATIONSHIP ACCUSATIONS ARE BASED ON RACE

Willis has neither confirmed nor denied that she was romantically involved with Wade. 

In her first comments on the matter earlier this week, Willis suggested that she and Wade are being scrutinized because they are Black. 

“They only attacked one,” Willis said at the Big Bethel AME Church in Atlanta on Sunday. “First thing they say, ‘Oh, she’s gonna play the race card now.’ But no God, isn’t it them that’s playing the race card when they only question one?”

In the motion filed Thursday, Willis’ attorney argued that Nathan and Joycelyn Wade have been separated for more than two years and are going through “an uncontested no-fault divorce,” with an “absence of any relevant basis” to question Willis.

GEORGIA DA FANI WILLIS SHOULD RESIGN FROM TRUMP CASE OVER ‘IMPROPER’ RELATIONSHIP ACCUSATION: EX-U.S. ATTORNEY

Merchant has cited “sources close to both the special prosecutor and the district attorney,” but so far offered no other proof of the alleged relationship.

“I would have never filed something like this if I didn’t have multiple sources to corroborate,” Merchant told WSB-TV in an interview last week, defending the motion she filed on behalf of Roman. 

In statements to the Associated Press, Merchant questioned why Willis insists that answering the subpoena in the divorce case would harm her reputation.

“Ms. Willis alleges that her deposition is being sought in an attempt to harass and damage her professional reputation. Why would her truthful testimony risk damaging her reputation?” Merchant asked. 

TOP TRUMP PROSECUTOR, GEORGIA DA ALLEGED TO BE IN ‘IMPROPER’ ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP: COURT FILING

She accused Willis of trying “to create a conspiracy where none exists,” noting that she filed her motion on the deadline for pretrial motions in the election case.

“We believe her filing in Cobb County is just another attempt to avoid having to directly answer the important questions Mr. Roman has raised,” Merchant wrote.

Willis is scheduled to appear for a February 15 hearing on Merchant’s motion. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ordered prosecutors to file a response by February 2.

Trump, Roman and 17 others were indicted by a Fulton County grand jury in August. They are accused of engaging in a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia. Four of those indicted have admitted guilt in plea deals with prosecutors. Trump, Roman and the others have pleaded not guilty.

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Trump has called for the case against him to be dropped outright over the allegations.

“You had a very big event yesterday, as you saw, in Georgia, where the district attorney is totally compromised. The case has to be dropped,” Trump told reporters last week. “They went after 18 or 20 people. . . . She was out of her mind. Now it turns out that case is totally compromised.”

“It’s illegal. What she did is illegal. So we’ll let the state handle that, but what a sad situation it is,” he added.

Fox News’ Samantha Daigle, Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom, Brian Flood and Brandon Gillespie and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

EXCLUSIVE: The top Republican on the Senate Banking Committee is demanding answers from the Treasury Department and its financial crimes enforcement division after revelations the agencies urged private financial institutions to “surveil” private transactions using “politically charged search terms” to flag customer profiles to federal law enforcement.

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., penned a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and FinCEN Director Andrea Gacki on Friday after Fox News Digital exclusively reported that the agency suggested in January 2021 that banks use specific search terms to query transactions, including “MAGA,” “Trump,” “Biden,” and more, along with merchant codes from specific sporting goods stores.

‘ALARMING’ SURVEILLANCE: FEDS ASKED BANKS TO SEARCH PRIVATE TRANSACTIONS FOR TERMS LIKE ‘MAGA,’ ‘TRUMP’

“I write regarding recent reporting that the U.S. Treasury Department (Treasury) through its Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) urged private financial institutions to surveil customers’ transaction-level data using politically charged search terms, in order to flag certain customer profiles on behalf of Federal law enforcement,” Scott wrote in the letter, obtained by Fox News Digital. “These allegations, if true, represent a flagrant violation of Americans’ privacy and the improper targeting of U.S. citizens for exercising their constitutional rights without due process.”

Scott pointed to the Fox News Digital report, which revealed that FinCEN provided materials to financial institutions instructing them to search and filter Americans’ financial data using key words and search terms, as well as merchant category codes to aid law enforcement in identifying persons of interest ahead of the January 20, 2021 inauguration — weeks after the Jan. 6, 2021 capitol riot.

The terms and codes were discovered as part of a House Judiciary Committee and Subcommittee on Weaponization of the Federal Government investigation. The committees obtained documents indicating that MCC codes were used to to query transactions like: “3484: Small Arms,” “5091: Sporting and Recreational Goods and Supplies,” and the keywords “Cabela’s,” “Dick’s Sporting Goods” and “Bass Pro Shops,” among others.

The House Judiciary Committee also obtained documents revealing that FinCEN warned financial institutions that an “extremism indicator” could be “the purchase of books (including religious texts),” like the Bible, and subscriptions to certain media “containing extremist views.”

“These allegations are particularly concerning given past efforts to weaponize the financial system and payment activity against politically disfavored, lawful activity,” Scott wrote. “Under the Obama administration’s ‘Operation Choke Point’ initiative, the Department of Justice (DOJ) coordinated with federal financial regulators to intimidate financial institutions into denying services to legitimate businesses that the administration was ideologically opposed to, including gun retailers.”

Scott said that “the weaponization and misuse of MCC codes is not a new issue either,” saying members of Congress have recently raised concerns about the potential to “surveil the free exercise of lawful activity using an MCC code—the same concern is at issue here.” 

“Federal government efforts to target individuals and entities based on their political views is a blatant and egregious violation of our Constitution,” Scott wrote. “Additionally, reported actions like these disrupt confidence in federal law enforcement and raise significant questions regarding the independence of federal financial regulators.”

Scott is demanding that the Treasury Department and FinCEN turn over information on the “role, if any,” FinCEN played in “soliciting financial data from private companies” to help law enforcement to identify targets after Jan. 6.

FEDS SUGGESTED BANKS SEARCH TRANSACTIONS FOR TERMS LIKE ‘BIDEN,’ ‘ANTIFA’ AND MORE AFTER JAN 6: SOURCES

Scott is also asking if anyone from any other executive branch agency — like the Justice Department or FBI — ever directed, requested, or encouraged FinCEN to engage in those alleged activities.

Scott also is asking for answers on what the basis was for FinCEN to conclude that the purchasing or possessing of religious texts “may be indicative of extremism,” and who at FinCEN decided to warn banks of that possibility.

Scott has also requested a list of the financial institutions that FinCEN met with when suggesting the search of transactions of customers who shopped at Bass Pro Shops, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Cabela’s, and a list of all agencies in the government involved in the decision to search and filter those transactions.

Scott has asked the Treasury Department to turn over that information by Feb 2.

Meanwhile, sources familiar told Fox News Digital on Thursday that the search terms, like “MAGA” and “Trump,” were generated by a bank and used to help them identify suspicious transactions when reviewing customer transactional information. It is unclear which bank generated the search terms. 

The sources said FinCEN then shared those terms with other banks to help those financial institutions to comply with their own suspicious activity reports.

But beyond the terms identified by the House Judiciary Committee, the unnamed bank generated other terms, which FinCEN shared with other banks, the sources told Fox News Digital. 

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The source said the additional search terms included: “White Power,” “Camp Auschwitz,” “Antifa,” “Proud B,” “Storm, the,” “Capitol,” “Groyper Army,” “Threepers,” “boogaloo,” “civil war,” “last sons,” “kill,” “shoot,” “gun,” “death,” “murder,” “Biden,” “Kamala,” “Pelosi,” “Schumer” and “Pence.”

The sources said the distribution of the search terms, including “MAGA” and “Trump,” began in the final weeks of the Trump administration after Jan. 6, 2021.

Meanwhile, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who made the initial discovery, is requesting the former FinCEN official and an FBI official appear before his committee and the Weaponization Subcommittee for transcribed interviews to aid in the panels’ oversight investigation. 

NEWFIELDS, N.H. – Nikki Haley, down by double digits to former President Trump in the latest surveys four days ahead of the New Hampshire GOP primary, is taking every chance she has to blast the GOP front-runner.

“You look at Iowa. I mean President Trump won a state of three million people with 56,000 votes. We had a very low turnout in Iowa. We’re going to have a really good turnout in New Hampshire,” Haley told reporters at her first retail stop Friday morning as she pilloried Trump’s landslide victory in Monday’s Iowa caucuses.

A day earlier at a stop in Hollis, New Hampshire, the former South Carolina governor, who served as U.N. ambassador in the Trump administration, blasted the former president for GOP losses at the ballot box in recent election cycles.

“The reality is, who lost the House for us? Who lost the Senate? Who lost the White House?” Haley emphasized as she held a rare question and answer session with reporters on Thursday. “Donald Trump, Donald Trump, Donald Trump.”

HALEY ARGUES DESANTIS IS ‘INVISIBLE’ – STRESSES ‘IT’S TRUMP WE’RE GOING AFTER’

Trump called Haley a “disaster” at a rally in Atkinson, New Hampshire, on Tuesday night. 

The next night, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Trump claimed that Haley will “never secure the border” and that she “wants to gut Medicare and Social Security.”

Firing back during a campaign event in Rochester, New Hampshire, Haley criticized Trump for his past support for increasing the federal gas tax and raising the retirement age and accused him of lying about her own record.

DESANTIS CAMPAIGNS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, BUT MOST OF HIS STAFF DECAMPS IN SOUTH CAROLINA

“He honestly thinks if he says something, it just becomes true,” she told the crowd.

She told Fox News that Trump “knows we’re a threat” and is “throwing temper tantrums.”

Additionally, Haley’s campaign posted a video stocked with past clips of Trump praising her.

SFA Fund Inc., a super PAC aligned with Haley, is also targeting Trump with TV ads and mobile billboards, charging Trump as a liar and spotlighting the “chaos and drama” surrounding him. 

According to the media tracking firm AdImpact, the super PAC has shelled out over $6 million to run commercials in New Hampshire since the beginning of the year, making it the biggest spender in the state.

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Haley is also getting a big assist in taking on Trump from her top surrogate and adviser in the state, Republican Gov. Chris Sununu.

Sununu, who endorsed Haley last month and who has joined her at each stop on the campaign trail, has long been a vocal GOP critic of the former president. 

Haley’s also blasting Trump on her social media page on X.

After Trump falsely claimed this week that Democrats could vote on Tuesday in the New Hampshire Republican primary, she fired back.

“Another reason we need to move on from Trump: too many lies. Democrats can’t vote in the NH primary. They haven’t been able to change their registration for months,” Haley posted.

Haley has repeatedly argued all week that it is a two-person race in New Hampshire, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at a distant third in the single digits in public opinion surveys.

However, the big question is whether Haley’s increased attacks on Trump, and her hustling on the campaign trail, can help her close the gap with the former president.

The latest Suffolk University tracking poll of likely Republican primary voters in New Hampshire, which was released early Friday morning, indicated Haley down by 17 points to the former president.

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