NationalWatch

Senate Republicans are planning to take another crack at the budget reconciliation process after narrowly passing President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” earlier this month.

The $3.3 trillion legislative behemoth, which permanently extended many of the provisions of the president’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and included reforms and work requirements for Medicaid and food assistance programs, and billions in spending for defense and border security, only passed the Senate with the aid of Vice President JD Vance.

Now, lawmakers are eying another shot at the grueling process.

‘GUT CHECK TIME’: DISSENT AMONG SENATE GOP RANKS THREATENS TO REDUCE TRUMP’S SPENDING CUT DEMAND

Sen. Ron Johnson, one of the key holdouts that eventually backed the bill, said he gained a fair amount of confidence from the White House, Trump and Senate GOP leadership that Republicans would “have a second bite of the apple.”

“I think I pretty well have a commitment,” the Wisconsin Republican said. “They’re going to do that, and we’re going to set a process, line by line, program by program.”

“Another reason why I definitely had to vote ‘yes’ is I would have just dealt myself out of being involved in that process, and I want to be highly involved in that for the next process,” he continued.

And Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., another fiscal hawk that was wary of supporting the bill but ultimately voted for it, told Fox News Digital, “I think we still have to definitely do one more this year, so we’ll see if that’s what happens.”

Johnson speculated that lawmakers could tackle the process, which allows Republicans to skirt the 60-vote filibuster threshold in the Senate but must comply with stringent Senate rules, in the upcoming fiscal year, which begins in October.  

‘BAIT AND SWITCH’: SCHUMER WARNS OF BITTER FUNDING FIGHT OVER GOP CUTS PLAN

The senator has an ally in House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who shortly after the “big, beautiful bill” passed out of the House and onto Trump’s desk said, “We’re going to do this again.”  

“We’re gonna have a second reconciliation package in the fall and a third in the spring of next year,” Johnson said on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle.”

Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., another fiscal hawk who criticized the Senate’s changes to the initial reconciliation bill but voted for it in the end, said another reconciliation bill was “absolutely” feasible.

He’s gunning for more spending cuts and more ends to “government giveaways,” but noted the looming 2026 election season put them on a short timeline, however.

“[Trump will] have a better chance now, because you don’t have to deal with the filibuster, where you can get 50% plus one. If there’s ever a chance to do it, we need to do it now, because the midterms are coming up in the middle of next year. So really we need to push for the next eight months,” Norman said.

Initially, Senate Republicans had pushed for a two-bill track, something that the speaker said would not be feasible in the House because of the varying factions, and red lines, throughout the conference.

But now Senate leadership may be more cautious given the series of hurdles facing the upper chamber in the coming months, including advancing a $9.4 billion clawback package this week which is already facing headwinds among pockets of Senate Republicans.  

TAX CUTS, WORK REQUIREMENTS AND ASYLUM FEES: HERE’S WHAT’S INSIDE THE SENATE’S VERSION OF TRUMP’S BILL

A senior GOP aide told Fox News Digital that Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., was open to another reconciliation package, but “is heavily focused on selling the last bill and highlighting all it does.”

“At this point it’s premature to even think of what could be in a second one,” the aide said.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., told Fox News Digital that “we want to do one more reconciliation package,” and echoed the speaker’s sentiment that more could be done.

First, however, lawmakers have to get through the looming government funding fight with Senate Democrats.

Currently, Senate spending panels are going through mark-ups on the dozen funding bills needed to keep the government’s lights on, but Mullin, who chairs the Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee, believed that another government funding extension was on the horizon.

“It looks like we’re screaming straight toward a [continuing resolution], and we have to have, we’re going to have to figure out how to avoid a Schumer shutdown, because they’re not going to be helpful in passing it,” he said.

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Getting every Senate Republican, or even a majority, to go forward with reconciliation once more may be a challenge.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, was the key vote that advanced the Senate’s first crack at reconciliation back to the House, after hours of floor negotiations and rewritten provisions that would give a boost to Alaska were added to the package.

But she seemed disinterested in taking another crack at the intensive process.

“No, no,” Murkowski told Fox News Digital. “I want to legislate.” 

Democratic lawmakers are lining up with new vigor to demand the release of all files on Jeffrey Epstein as the topic continues to fracture the right.

Some prominent figures within the GOP’s rightmost flank are up in arms after a leaked Department of Justice (DOJ) memo reportedly showed there was little more to Epstein’s case than already known.

Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas, announced he would be filing a resolution on Monday to demand the Trump administration release all files related to the late pedophile’s case.

“Either [President Donald Trump] and his acolytes fueled the rumors of the significance of these Epstein files to help his campaign, or something is there!” Veasey wrote on X. “Put up or Shut up!”

COMER DISMISSES BIDEN DOCTOR’S BID FOR PAUSE IN COVER-UP PROBE: ‘THROWING OUT EVERY EXCUSE’

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., similarly posted on Saturday, “Why are the Epstein files still hidden? Who are the rich & powerful being protected? On Tuesday, I’m introducing an amendment to force a vote demanding the FULL Epstein files be released to the public. The Speaker must call a vote & put every Congress member on record.”

Meanwhile, progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., caused a firestorm of controversy online when she referenced past allegations of sexual assault against the president, all of which Trump previously denied.

“Wow who would have thought that electing a rapist would have complicated the release of the Epstein Files?” she wrote.

Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., who is running for re-election in a swing state that voted for Trump in 2024, took a similar swing during a recent campaign stop.

“He promised to release the Epstein files. Did anyone really think the sexual predator president who used to party with Jeffrey Epstein was going to release the Epstein files?” Ossoff said. 

A civil war has broken out within the GOP over the Trump administration’s handling of Epstein’s case, with figures like Steve Bannon and Laura Loomer accusing Attorney General Pam Bondi of mishandling something that’s long been seen as a priority for Trump’s base.

Others, however, like attorney Mike Davis and even Trump himself, are defending the attorney general and calling for an end to the Republican infighting.

“If predators or victims won’t talk, then what? The Trump Justice Department has to deal with evidence that exists. Not evidence they wish they had. Nor conspiracy theories. Do you think Pam, Kash, and Bongino are covering for… Bill Clinton?” Davis wrote on X.

Trump released a statement on Truth Social over the weekend, “LET PAM BONDI DO HER JOB – SHE’S GREAT! The 2020 Election was Rigged and Stolen, and they tried to do the same thing in 2024 – That’s what she is looking into as AG, and much more.”

And Democrats appear to have seized on the public back-and-forth as a political cudgel.

Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., shared a heated exchange with the White House on X over the weekend over an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid on what authorities say was a marijuana farm – but Gomez contended the migrants there were picking strawberries.

“If you’re now concerned about child exploitation, release the Epstein Files. Your base wants to know,” Gomez replied at one point.

‘GONE TOO FAR’: GOP LAWMAKERS RALLY AROUND TRUMP AFTER MUSK RAISES EPSTEIN ALLEGATIONS

It was reported Friday that Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino was considering resigning amid the fallout.

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Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, however, have signaled they are confident in their work and will remain in place.

“The conspiracy theories just aren’t true, never have been. It’s an honor to serve the President of the United States [Donald Trump] – and I’ll continue to do so for as long as he calls on me,” Patel wrote on X.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on Democrats’ efforts.

FIRST ON FOX: House Homeland Security Committee Chair Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., on Monday endorsed Matt Van Epps to replace him in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

Van Epps is a decorated Army veteran and the former commissioner of Tennessee’s Department of General Services (DGS). He launched his campaign to represent Tennessee’s 7th congressional district just two days after Green announced his retirement to pursue a career in the private sector. 

“Matt Van Epps has my complete and total endorsement,” Green shared in a statement with Fox News Digital. Green revealed that he served in the same Army special operations unit as Van Epps, which he described as “a brotherhood that cannot be replicated anywhere else.” 

CONGRESSMAN’S LAST DAY IN OFFICE REVEALED AFTER VOTE ON TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’

“The momentum behind Matt’s campaign is undeniable. Matt is a true warrior who has fought for our country abroad and is ready to fight for our values here at home,” Green said. 

MARK GREEN ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT FROM CONGRESS BEFORE END OF TERM

In a statement shared first with Fox News Digital, Van Epps said he is “deeply honored” to receive Green’s endorsement and “ready to put the people of the 7th District first.”

“Congressman Green has left some very large shoes to fill, but I’m ready to step in and continue his work on behalf of Tennesseans,” Van Epps said. 

Van Epps graduated from West Point in 2005. He served nine combat tours as an Apache pilot for the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade and as a Chinook pilot for the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as the Night Stalkers. 

He was appointed DGS commissioner in 2024 and has worked for several Tennessee state agencies, including the Department of Veteran Services and the Department of Transportation. 

Green announced his retirement from Congress last month, notifying House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., that he would resign as soon as the House voted on Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” which Republicans managed to pass by their self-imposed July 4 deadline. 

Green has served Tennessee’s 7th congressional district since 2019. His last day in Congress will be July 20, Fox News was first to report. 

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With his announcement, several Republican candidates have announced their own congressional campaigns, including Montgomery County Commissioner Jason Knight, U.S. Army veteran Jonathan Thorp, Mason Foley of Main Street Health, and state Reps. Jay Reedy, Lee Reeves and Jody Barrett. 

State Reps. Aftyn Behn and Bo Mitchell have announced their campaigns for the Democratic nomination, according to reporting by Tennessee Lookout. 

President Donald Trump said the United States will be sending Patriot missiles to Ukraine while describing Russian President Vladimir Putin as a leader who “talks nice, and then he bombs everybody in the evening.” 

Trump made the remarks as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is planning to meet with the president during a visit to Washington, D.C. Monday and Tuesday. Last week, Trump revealed a new NATO deal that would allow U.S. arms to flow to Ukraine through allied nations. 

“I’m going to have a meeting with the Secretary General coming in tomorrow. But we basically are going to send them various pieces of very sophisticated military. And they are going to pay us 100 percent for them. And that’s the way we want it,” Trump told reporters on Sunday. 

“I haven’t agreed on the number yet, but they’re going to have some. Because they do need protection. But the European Union is paying for it. We’re not paying anything for it. But we will send it, and it’ll be good news for us, we will send them Patriots, which they desperately need,” Trump added in reference to Ukraine. 

SENATE MOVES TO REIN IN TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S FLUCTUATING UKRAINE POLICY 

“Because Putin had really surprised a lot of people. He talks nice, and then he bombs everybody in the evening. It’s a little bit of a problem there, I don’t like it,” Trump also said. 

Trump said last Thursday that under the new NATO deal, “what we’re doing is the weapons that are going out are going to NATO, and then NATO is going to be giving those weapons [to Ukraine], and NATO is paying for those weapons.” 

US WILL ‘HAVE TO’ SEND WEAPONS TO UKRAINE, TRUMP SAYS DAYS AFTER PENTAGON PAUSE 

The developments came after the Pentagon previously froze some shipments of critical weapons to Ukraine, including Patriot missile interceptors and 155 mm artillery shells.  

The halt was driven by Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby after a review of U.S. munitions stockpiles that showed dangerously low reserves, Politico first reported in early July. 

Then the Pentagon reversed course about a week later. 

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“At President Trump’s direction, the Department of Defense is sending additional defensive weapons to Ukraine to ensure the Ukrainians can defend themselves while we work to secure a lasting peace and ensure the killing stops,” Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said. “Our framework for POTUS to evaluate military shipments across the globe remains in effect and is integral to our America First defense priorities.” 

Fox News’ Caitlin McFall, Jasmine Baehr and Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report. 

In his 26th week back in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump is expected to make a “major announcement” related to Russia, hold a meeting with the NATO chief, and join a summit in Pennsylvania as America’s race to lead the world on artificial intelligence continues. 

July 13 marks the one-year anniversary of the first assassination attempt on Trump during the 2024 presidential cycle. Trump spent the anniversary at his home in Bedminster, N.J., before traveling with first lady Melania Trump to the FIFA Club World Cup final on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in the Garden State. 

Trump returned to the White House on Sunday evening and is expected to have another whirlwind workweek. 

TRUMP REVEALS NATO SALE TO BOOST ARMS TO UKRAINE AS PUTIN LAUNCHES OVERNIGHT MATERNITY HOSPITAL STRIKE

MEETING WITH NATO CHIEF

Trump will meet with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte this week following the U.S. president saying last week that the U.S. is selling weapons to its NATO allies for them to be passed along to Ukraine as it continues battling Russia. 

The NATO chief will be in Washington, D.C., on Monday and Tuesday, and will meet with Trump, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to The Associated Press. Additional details on the meetings, however, have not yet been publicly released. 

Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday that Ukraine can expect to see an influx of weapons. Russia first invaded Ukraine in February of 2022. 

RUSSIA GIVES RUBIO A ‘NEW AND DIFFERENT APPROACH’ AS TRUMP PUSHES FOR PEACE WITH UKRAINE

“In the coming days, you’ll see weapons flowing at a record level to help Ukraine defend themselves,” Graham said on CBS’ “Face the Nation. 

“One of the biggest miscalculations Putin has made is to play Trump. And you just watch, in the coming days and weeks, there’s going to be a massive effort to get Putin to the table.”

Trump and Rutte most recently met in the Netherlands in June for a summit, where the NATO chief showed the makings of a blossoming friendship with Trump, including referring to Trump as “daddy” for his handling of the Middle East. 

‘MAJOR’ RUSSIA ANNOUNCEMENT 

Trump teased last week that he would make a “major statement” on Russia in the coming days as the NATO meetings prepare to kick off this week. 

“I’m disappointed in Russia, but we’ll see what happens over the next couple of weeks,” Trump told NBC last week. 

“I think I’ll have a major statement to make on Russia on Monday,” he added, without elaborating. 

RUSSIA SANCTIONS BILL GAINS STEAM AS WHITE HOUSE APPEARS TO CHANGE TONE ON PUTIN

Graham said in his interview on “Face the Nation” on Sunday that “a turning point regarding [the Russian] invasion of Ukraine is coming,” as Congress works to impose new economic sanctions on Russia to help end the war. 

“For months, President Trump has tried to entice [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to the peace table. He’s put tariffs against countries that allow fentanyl to come in our country, other bad behavior — he’s left the door open regarding Russia. That door is about to close,” Graham said on Sunday. 

TRUMP HEADS TO ENERGY AND AI SUMMIT

Trump will head to Pittsburgh on Tuesday for Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Dave McCormick’s inaugural Energy and Innovation Summit hosted at Carnegie Mellon University. 

TRUMP TO MEET WITH ENERGY AND TECH TITANS IN PENNSYLVANIA AMID AI DOMINANCE PUSH

The event is slated to focus on the U.S. power grid, America bid to win the AI race against China, as well as promoting the Keystone State as an ideal resource to help power the country’s future with AI and energy. 

“The United States needs to win the artificial intelligence fight. We have to stop China, and we have to win this war for dominance in AI. And the way you win the war for dominance in AI is to win the war for energy dominance. That’s why our focus is on producing more here in the United States,” said Mike Sommers, CEO and president of the American Petroleum Institute who will attend the summit, told FOX Business of the event. 

“Over the course of the last few years, energy demand has only gone up by about 2.5% a year. In the next seven years, we expect that energy demand is going to go up by 25%. The question that policymakers have to answer is: ‘Where is that energy going to come from?’ We think it should come from the United States,” Sommers added. 

The event is expected to attract protesters, with Carnegie Mellon’s president calling on the school community to continue its history of “constructively engaging” with presidencies across the “political spectrum.”

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“We have a history of constructively engaging with the federal government and administrations across the political spectrum. We view these opportunities as consequential to elevating and advancing both Carnegie Mellon’s mission and impact, and we bring to those moments the full measure of our expertise, our values and our voice in service to the nation,” school president Farnam Jahanian said in a letter previewing the event on Sunday. 

Fox News Digital’s Amanda Macias contributed to this report. 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Vice President JD Vance traded barbs this weekend over the Trump administration’s mass deportation policies after the vice president’s vacation to Disneyland in the Golden State.

Vance was spending time at the California amusement park with his wife Usha and their two children before Newsom, a Democrat, posted on social media that some migrant families cannot spend the same quality time together because of the administration’s efforts to detain and remove migrants in the U.S.

“Hope you enjoy your family time, @JDVance. The families you’re tearing apart certainly won’t,” Newsom wrote on X.

UNION SAYS FARM WORKER DIED AFTER ICE RAID THAT UNCOVERED UNDERAGE LABORERS

The vice president responded by thanking Newsom for the well-wishes without addressing the governor’s comment about families being separated.

“Had a great time, thanks,” Vance wrote back.

Demonstrators gathered in Anaheim to protest Vance and the administration’s immigration agenda.

Vance’s visit came shortly after ICE raids on two farms in California, during which federal agents detained a few hundred suspected illegal immigrants, sparking protests against the immigration enforcement operation. One person was killed in the raids and others were critically injured.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Rodney Scott said 10 illegal migrant minors – including eight unaccompanied – were discovered at a farm in Camarillo and that it was under investigation for child labor violations.

IMMIGRATION OPERATION AT CALIFORNIA CANNABIS FARMS LEADS TO CLASH BETWEEN FEDERAL AGENTS AND PROTESTERS

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The operation at the farms came after weeks of anti-ICE protests in Southern California over raids targeting migrant workers at local businesses. In response to those protests that began last month, the administration deployed National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles, despite opposition from Newsom.

President Donald Trump on Sunday reflected on the one-year anniversary of the assassination attempt against him, saying he believes God alone saved him that day to “restore our beloved Republic to greatness and to rescue our Nation from those who seek its ruin.”

Then-candidate Trump survived an assassination attempt during a campaign rally on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump suffered an injury to his ear after a bullet grazed him, while one person was killed and a pair of others were wounded.

A Secret Service sniper fatally shot the gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who had climbed to the top of a nearby building.

“One year ago today, at 6:11 pm—eight minutes after taking the stage on the grounds of Butler Farms to address thousands of Americans gathered at a campaign rally—rifle fire broke out, and an assassin’s bullet came within a quarter inch of ending my life and silencing our movement to restore American greatness,” Trump said in a statement on Sunday.

BUTLER ONE YEAR LATER: REVISITING THE HISTORIC ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT AGAINST DONALD TRUMP

“Yet, by the hand of providence and the grace of Almighty God, my life was spared,” he continued. “As we commemorate one year since the harrowing events of July 13, 2024, we reaffirm that the American spirit has and will always triumph over forces of evil and destruction.”

The president commended those who rushed to help the victims at the rally, including first responders and ordinary rally attendees who, he said, “left as heroes.”

“Those who carry scars from that July evening defended our Republic during one of our nation’s darkest hours—running to the injured amid chaos and uncertainty to provide comfort and lifesaving care,” Trump said.

He added that doctors and first responders rushed to help the wounded, while rallygoers guided their fellow citizens to safety and “patriots raised their fists in the air in an outpouring of support and national pride.”

“These men and women arrived at the rally grounds as ordinary Americans, but left as heroes,” Trump said.  “They represent the very best of our nation, and we are forever indebted for their kindness and compassion.”

TRUMP REVEALS CRUCIAL, SPLIT-SECOND MOMENT THAT SAVED HIS LIFE DURING BUTLER ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

Trump also highlighted the name of Corey Comperatore, the rally attendee who was killed protecting his family during the event.

“The world will never forget the tragic loss of Corey Comperatore, a firefighter, veteran, and devoted husband and father,” Trump said. “When gunfire erupted, Corey did not hesitate to protect his wife and two daughters. He died a hero, and we are eternally grateful for his inspiring love, valor, and faithfulness.”

The shooting in Butler raised questions about how the suspect was able to climb onto a nearby building and fire eight shots at Trump, leading to scrutiny of the Secret Service and the resignation of its director in the aftermath of the incident.

Questions were further raised about the agency after another incident in September in which a gunman camped in the shrubbery outside one of Trump’s golf courses before being shot at by a Secret Service agent.

Under new leadership appointed by Trump, the agency has been working to address the failures that were highlighted last year, beginning with the Butler shooting. But questions about the security lapses still remain, and the motive of the gunman remains unclear.

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“It remains my firm conviction that God alone saved me that day for a righteous purpose: to restore our beloved Republic to greatness and to rescue our Nation from those who seek its ruin,” Trump said in his statement. “One year after the attempt on my life in Butler, our country is in the midst of a new Golden Age. History will remember the would-be assassin for his cowardice and failure, but the magnificent legacy of the heroes of July 13, 2024, will forever be etched upon the heart of our nation.”

Trump also said Sunday while speaking to reporters that he does not like to think much about the Butler assassination attempt.

“I don’t like to think about it much,” Trump said. “I have a job to do, so I don’t like to think about it much. It’s a little bit of a dangerous profession being president, but I really don’t like to think about it. Better off not thinking about it.”

Former President Joe Biden defended his use of an autopen during a recent interview, shedding light on his administration’s rationale for the controversial use of the technology.

The interview with the New York Times was centered around his use of an autopen during the last pardons that he made during the end of his administration.

In his final weeks in office, Biden granted clemency and pardoned more than 1,500 individuals, in what the White House described at the time as the largest single-day act of clemency by a U.S. president.

Speaking to the Times on Thursday, Biden said that he “made every decision” on his own.

HERE ARE BIDEN’S MOST CONTROVERSIAL PARDONS, WITH MOST SIGNED USING AUTOPEN

“We’re talking about [granting clemency to] a whole lot of people,” the Democrat said.

However, the Times reported that Biden “did not individually approve each name for the categorical pardons that applied to large numbers of people,” according to the former president and his aides.

“Rather, after extensive discussion of different possible criteria, [Biden] signed off on the standards he wanted to be used to determine which convicts would qualify for a reduction in sentence,” the Times’s report read.

Instead of repeatedly asking the president to resign updated versions of official documents, his staff used an autopen to put Biden’s signature on the final version.

Biden’s comments came as Republicans attacked him for his autopen use on a massive number of official documents.

In June, President Donald Trump sent a memo to the Department of Justice directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate the autopen use, and to determine whether it was related to a decline in Biden’s mental state.

BIDEN ONLY HAND-SIGNED ONE PARDON DURING FINAL SPREE, AND IT WAS HIS MOST CONTROVERSIAL ONE

“In recent months, it has become increasingly apparent that former President Biden’s aides abused the power of Presidential signatures through the use of an autopen to conceal Biden’s cognitive decline and assert Article II authority,” Trump wrote. 

“This conspiracy marks one of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history. The American public was purposefully shielded from discovering who wielded the executive power, all while Biden’s signature was deployed across thousands of documents to effect radical policy shifts.”

Also in June, Trump told reporters that he thought it was “inappropriate” to use an autopen at all, though past presidents have used them.

“Usually, when they put documents in front of you, they’re important,” Trump said. “Even if you’re signing ambassadorships or – and I consider that important, I think it’s inappropriate.”

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“You have somebody that’s devoting four years of their life or more to being an ambassador. I think you really deserve that person deserves to get a real signature… not an autopen signature.” 

Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.

New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is being accused of defaming President Donald Trump by calling him a “rapist” on social media amid controversy over the Department of Justice’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.

The far-left Democrat, who has traded barbs with Trump repeatedly across both of their political careers, weighed in on the current controversy surrounding disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was found dead in his New York City jail cell in 2019 after facing federal charges related to child sex trafficking.

“Wow who would have thought that electing a rapist would have complicated the release of the Epstein Files?” Ocasio-Cortez posted to X on Friday. She appeared to be referencing the 2023 civil trial leveled against Trump by writer E. Jean Carroll. A jury found Trump liable of sexual assault, but not of rape, which critics of Ocasio-Cortez repeatedly cited in their condemnation of her use of the word “rapist.” 

The comments came after the Trump Department of Justice said there is no list of Epstein clients. But Trump supporters and legal experts alike warned AOC to lawyer up after dropping the “R” bomb.

“The President should sue AOC into bankruptcy. I realize she’s trying to raise her profile but this is way way too far,” legal analyst Phil Holloway posted to X on Saturday in response to a message from Ocasio-Cortez. 

‘I’M JUST A SILLY GIRL’: AOC FIRES BACK AFTER TRUMP CALLS HER ‘STUPID’

“Even under the ridiculously lenient standards of NY Times v. Sullivan, you’ve managed to incur defamation liability Wow,” Republican Utah Sen. Mike Lee posted to X in response. 

“Why didn’t you guys release the Epstein files over the last 4 years? Maybe you were too busy covering for Joe Biden… or, could it have something to do with another former Democrat President?” Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin posted in response to Ocasio-Cortez. 

APPEALS COURT DEALS TRUMP BLOW IN CHALLENGE TO E JEAN CARROLL VERDICT

“Well we have grounds for a huge defamation suit here you idiot because Donald Trump has never been indicted for rape much less convicted,” host of YourVoice America Bill Mitchell posted to X. 

“You realize your X account doesn’t carry the same protections to defame people that you enjoy during congressional proceedings?” another X account posted. 

Other critics of the lawmaker’s message said the use of the word “rapist” comes on the heels of ABC paying Trump $15 million, which will go toward funding his presidential library, over George Stephanopoulos’ claim in March of last year that Trump was found civilly liable of rape in the E. Jean Carroll case. Trump has repeatedly denied even knowing Carroll, claiming she made false allegations that he raped her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s in an effort to sell books decades later. 

“Donald Trump has not been criminally convicted of being a rapist. This is defamatory. And I hope you are sued by Trump for this the same way George Stephanopoulos was sued and forced to pay Trump $15 million dollars. I hope you have millions ready for Trump, Porky. @AOC,” Trump ally Laura Loomer posted in response to Ocasio-Cortez. 

‘GONE TOO FAR’: GOP LAWMAKERS RALLY AROUND TRUMP AFTER MUSK RAISES EPSTEIN ALLEGATIONS

“This is gonna be fun. AOC is so dumb she just called Trump a rapist – after ABC was forced to fork over $16 million in a settlement with Trump after George Stephanopoulos called him a rapist,” Townhall contributor Rachel Alexander posted to X. 

In March 2024, Stephanopoulos asserted in a tense interview with Republican Rep. Nancy Mace that Trump was found “liable for rape” in a civil case. Stephanopoulos showed a clip of Mace discussing being a victim of rape before he asked her, “How do you square your endorsement of Donald Trump with the testimony we just saw?” 

“You’ve endorsed Donald Trump for president. Judges and two separate juries have found him liable for rape and for defaming the victim of that rape,” Stephanopoulos said, alluding to the legal victory by Trump accuser E. Jean Carroll. 

AOC TAUNTS TOM HOMAN AFTER DOJ REFERRAL THREAT OVER DEPORTATIONS: ‘COME FOR ME’

Stephanopoulos repeated the claim on rape 10 times during the interview, Fox Digital previously reported, before Trump filed a defamation suit. ABC News and Stephanopoulos reached a settlement agreement with Trump’s legal team ahead of his second inauguration, paying $15 million and announcing the network and anchor “regret” the comments made on air.

“Editor’s Note: ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret statements regarding President Donald J. Trump made during an interview by George Stephanopoulos with Rep. Nancy Mace on ABC’s This Week on March 10, 2024,” an editor’s note in an article focused on the interview states. 

Other social media commenters defended Ocasio-Cortez‘s use of the word “rapist,” arguing she did not use Trump’s name in her post and that a defamation case was unlikely. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Ocasio-Cortez’s office on Sunday for additional comment on the matter, but did not immediately receive a reply. 

“AOC likes to play pretend like she’s from the block, but in reality she’s just a sad, miserable blockhead who is trying to over-compensate for her lack of self-confidence that has followed her for her entire life,” White House communication director Steven Cheung said in comment provided to Fox News Digital on Sunday. 

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“Instead, she should get some serious help for her obvious and severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that has rotted her pea-sized brain,” he added.

Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino all called for Jeffrey Epstein‘s sex-trafficking secrets to be made public long before the DOJ’s stunning about-face last week.

“This systemic review revealed no incriminating ‘client list,’” read a joint memo leaked to Axios a week ago. “There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions. We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.” 

The revelation shocked many MAGA Republicans and Trump supporters, who had for years believed that Epstein was at the heart of a child sex trafficking ring that involved blackmailing prominent movers and shakers worldwide. Many also doubt the government’s finding that Epstein died by his own hand in New York’s Metropolitan Correctional Center in 2019.

Trump has since brushed off the Epstein investigation as old news, slamming a reporter who asked about Epstein during a Cabinet meeting last week, and posting a Truth Social message on Saturday defending Bondi for her leadership over the case and claiming that Epstein is “somebody that nobody cares about.”

“LET PAM BONDI DO HER JOB — SHE’S GREAT! The 2020 Election was Rigged and Stolen, and they tried to do the same thing in 2024 — That’s what she is looking into as AG, and much more,” Trump wrote in a lengthy Truth Social post defending Bondi. “One year ago our Country was DEAD, now it’s the ‘HOTTEST’ Country anywhere in the World. Let’s keep it that way, and not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about.”

MAGA WORLD ERUPTS OVER TRUMP’S DEFENSE OF BONDI AMID EPSTEIN FILES FALLOUT

As MAGA supporters continue calling for details on Epstein’s crimes and alleged ties to the world’s elite, Fox News Digital took a look back at what Bondi, Patel and Bongino had to say about Epstein before the anticlimactic memo dropped. 

AG PAM BONDI 

Just a couple of weeks after Bondi was sworn in as the nation’s 87th attorney general on Feb. 5, she joined Fox News Channel and touted her mission of transparency, most notably on Epstein, and the assassinations of former President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. 

“The DOJ may be releasing the list of Jeffrey Epstein’s clients. Will that really happen?” Fox News’ John Roberts asked Bondi in an interview on Feb. 21. 

“It is sitting on my desk right now to review. That’s been a directive by President Trump. I’m reviewing that. I’m reviewing the JFK files, the MLK files. That is all in the process of being reviewed because that was done at the directive of the president from all these agencies,” Bondi responded. 

“Have you seen anything that you said, ‘Oh, my gosh?’” Roberts asked.

“Not yet,” Bondi responded. 

Bondi released an initial batch of files on Epstein to a handful of social media personalities in late February, but the packets did not contain new evidence. However, Bondi once again vowed to come through on Trump’s message of transparency on Epstein’s “disgusting actions.”

“This Department of Justice is following through on President Trump’s commitment to transparency and lifting the veil on the disgusting actions of Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirators,” Bondi said in press release. “The first phase of files released today sheds light on Epstein’s extensive network and begins to provide the public with long overdue accountability.” 

KASH PATEL TORCHES ‘CONSPIRACY THEORIES’ ABOUT BONDI FEUD AMID MAGA FUROR OVER EPSTEIN FILES

The next month, in March, Bondi joined Fox News’ Sean Hannity and said she ordered the FBI to deliver evidence related to Epstein under a firm deadline, claiming a local field office in New York initially withheld evidence on Epstein. 

“I gave [the FBI] a deadline of Friday at 8 a.m. to get us everything,” Bondi said. “And a source had told me where the documents were being kept, Southern District of New York, shock. So we got them all by Friday at 8 a.m.”

“Thousands of pages of documents. I have the FBI going through them… and Director Patel is going to get us a detailed report as to why the FBI withheld all of those documents,” she continued at the time. 

Bondi again in May fanned the flames of a potential Epstein bombshell when she stated there were no files missing from her investigation and that the DOJ had uncovered tens of thousands of videos showing Epstein with “children and child porn.”

“No, the FBI, they’re reviewing tens of thousands of videos of Epstein with children or child porn,” Bondi told the media in May when asked about the Epstein files. 

“There are hundreds of victims,” she added. “… The FBI is diligently going through that.”

FBI’S DAN BONGINO AND ATTORNEY GENERAL PAM BONDI CLASH OVER HANDLING OF EPSTEIN FILES

Bondi was confronted about her February comments on the Epstein files during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, where she defended her remarks to Fox News regarding claims that the Epstein files were on her desk and ready for review. 

“I was asked a question about the client list, and my response was, ‘it’s sitting on my desk to be reviewed,’ meaning the file along with the JFK, MLK files as well,” Bondi responded. 

“That’s what I meant by that. Also, to the tens of thousands of video, they turned out to be child porn downloaded by that disgusting Jeffrey Epstein,” she continued, saying no such videos would be released or “see the light of day.” 

DIRECTOR PATEL

Long before Patel was floated and named as Trump’s FBI chief, the longtime opponent of the “Deep State” claimed the FBI was in control of Epstein’s reported client list and said it could be released on Trump’s first day in office via a subpoena. 

“That’s under direct control of the director of the FBI,” Patel said in 2023 during an interview with BlazeTV’s Glenn Beck. “That’s a thing I think President Trump should run on. On day one, roll out the black book.” 

Patel added in an interview with conservative social media personality Benny Johnson that same year that the FBI was keeping the list private due to the high-profile names in Epstein’s orbit. 

“Put on your big boy pants and let us know who the pedophiles are,” Patel said, aiming his remarks at Republican lawmakers. 

10 REASONS THE DOJ AND FBI FACE BACKLASH OVER EPSTEIN FILES FLOP

He continued that “one subpoena to the FBI” would have forced the release of the alleged list during the same interview with Johnson. 

Patel, who was seen as one of Trump’s more controversial Cabinet picks, earned the praise of key senators for his public calls to uncover details on Epstein ahead of his confirmation hearings. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., for example, promoted Patel’s nomination as FBI director as he would reveal details on Epstein. 

“I look forward to working with Kash Patel as FBI Director to release Epstein’s flight logs and black book,” Blackburn posted to X following Patel’s nomination in November. “Under the Trump administration, the American people are going to get answers.”

Fast-forward to his confirmation hearing in January, Patel vowed he would work to uncover Epstein’s alleged vast web of crimes and connections to high-profile individuals. 

TRUMP DEFENDS EMBATTLED AG PAM BONDI, SAYS ‘NOBODY CARES ABOUT’ JEFFREY EPSTEIN

“I want to talk to you about the Epstein case,” Blackburn told Epstein in January during his confirmation hearing. “I have worked on this for years, trying to get those records of who flew on Epstein’s plane and who helped him build this international human trafficking, sex trafficking ring. Now earlier I urged then Chairman Durbin to subpoena those records and I ended up being blocked by Senator Durbin and Christopher Wray. They stonewalled on this and I know that breaking up these trafficking rings is important to President Trump. So will you work with me on this issue so we know who worked with Jeffrey Epstein in building the sex trafficking rings?”

“Absolutely, Senator,” Patel responded. “Child sex trafficking has no place in the United States of America. And I will do everything, if confirmed as FBI director, to make sure the American public knows the full weight of what happened in the past and how we are going to counterman missing children and exploited children going forward.”

Patel again vowed in February that he would let no stone go unturned as Bondi demanded more documents from the FBI related to Epstein. 

“The FBI is entering a new era – one that will be defined by integrity, accountability, and the unwavering pursuit of justice. There will be no cover-ups, no missing documents, and no stone left unturned – and anyone from the prior or current Bureau who undermines this will be swiftly pursued. If there are gaps, we will find them. If records have been hidden, we will uncover them. And we will bring everything we find to the DOJ to be fully assessed and transparently disseminated to the American people as it should be. The oath we take is to the Constitution, and under my leadership, that promise will be upheld without compromise,” he posted to X a the time. 

Patel and Bongino joined Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo in May and defended that evidence showed Epstein killed himself in his New York City jail cell in 2019 – a death many speculated was not suicide, but a cover-up to allegedly protect elites wrapped up in Epstein’s crime – which sparked outrage among conservatives for their handling of the case. 

TRUMP SLAMS REPORTER FOR ASKING ABOUT ‘CREEP’ JEFFREY EPSTEIN DURING CABINET MEETING

“As someone who has worked as a public defender, as a prosecutor who’s been in that prison system, who’s been in the Metropolitan Detention Center, who’s been in segregated housing, you know a suicide when you see one, and that’s what that was,” Patel said when questioned about Epstein’s death during the interview. 

As Trump supporters spoke out against the FBI and DOJ memo determining there was no Epstein bombshell, reports circulated that a rift at DOJ could lead to Patel resigning. The FBI chief denied such claims on X while also adding that “the conspiracy theories just aren’t true.” 

“The conspiracy theories just aren’t true, never have been. It’s an honor to serve the President of the United States @realDonaldTrump – and I’ll continue to do so for as long as he calls on me,” he posted to X. 

DEPUTY DIRECTOR BONGINO 

Back when Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino hosted a popular national podcast, he urged Americans to keep their eyes peeled on details related to Epstein because it’s a “big deal.”

“That Jeffrey Epstein story is a big deal. Please do not let that story go. Keep your eye on it,” he told his audience in May 2023. 

In January 2024, Bongino again claimed to his audience that details surrounding Epstein were shocking and that he heard from trusted sources that there were multiple videos showing Epstein with associates abusing children. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, it has been speculated by many people who are extremely credible,” Bongino said on a podcast in 2024, “including multiple sources to others and to me – one I spoke to directly – that there are a multitude of tapes.”

“This is where I get really upset at the media,” he said later in the podcast, adding that journalists had “done almost like no – maybe because I was an investigator before, it’s like, I’m amazed at how few people are putting two and two together.”

Following Patel and Bongino reporting to the public that evidence showed Epstein committed suicide, Bongino posted to X that he was not asking Americans to “believe me, or not,” but was telling them the facts surrounding “what exists, and what doesn’t.”

AG PAM BONDI ON EPSTEIN FILES: ‘THE PUBLIC HAS A RIGHT TO KNOW’

“I was asked about some of the details surrounding the Jeffrey Epstein case. I have reviewed the case. Jeffrey Epstein killed himself. There’s no evidence in the case file indicating otherwise,” Bongino posted on the social platform X after the interview. “I’m not asking you to believe me, or not. I’m telling you what exists, and what doesn’t. If new evidence surfaces I’m happy to reevaluate.”

Reports spread over the weekend that Bongino clashed with Bondi over the Epstein files, including allegedly raising his voice at White House chief of staff Susie Wiles before abruptly leaving a meeting. Bongino was said to be irate over Bondi’s “lack of transparency from the start” over the handling of the files. Bongino is considering resigning over the matter, but no decision has been made publicly known. 

Trump, meanwhile, threw his support behind Bondi in the Saturday Truth Social post while underscoring members of his administration are all on the same team. 

“What’s going on with my ‘boys’ and, in some cases, ‘gals?’ They’re all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB,” Trump wrote in a lengthy post on Truth Social on Saturday. “We’re on one Team, MAGA, and I don’t like what’s happening.” 

“For years, it’s Epstein, over and over again,” Trump continued while pinning blaming for the files on Democrats. “Why are we giving publicity to Files written by Obama, Crooked Hillary, Comey, Brennan, and the Losers and Criminals of the Biden administration.”

“They created the Epstein Files, just like they created the FAKE Hillary Clinton/Christopher Steele Dossier that they used on me, and now my so-called ‘friends’ are playing right into their hands,” Trump wrote. “Why didn’t these Radical Left Lunatics release the Epstein Files? If there was ANYTHING in there that could have hurt the MAGA Movement, why didn’t they use it?”

Trump, who said from the campaign trail he was open to releasing such Epstein files if re-elected, slammed a reporter on Tuesday for inquiring about the files, calling Epstein a “creep” who was old news in comparison to national tragedies such as the floods that gripped Texas this month. 

“This guy’s been talked about for years. You’re asking.… We have Texas, we have this, we have all of the things. And are people are still talking about this guy, this creep?” Trump asked. “That is unbelievable.”

“I mean, I can’t believe you’re asking a question on Jeffrey Epstein,” Trump added. “At a time like this, where we’re having some of the greatest success and also tragedy with what happened in Texas. It just seems like a desecration. But you go ahead.” 

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The DOJ and White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment on the previous remarks from DOJ leadership ahead of the memo determining Epstein did not have a client list. 

Fox News Digital’s Ashley Oliver, Brooke Signman, and Brie Stimson contributed to this report. 

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Sunday said criticisms over the federal response to the deadly flooding in Texas were politically motivated, calling one Democratic lawmaker’s accusations “absolutely despicable.”

Noem appeared on “Fox News Sunday,” where she defended against claims that the FEMA response was delayed, and the assertion from Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., that President Donald Trump and Noem fired FEMA employees as flood victims called the agency.

“You know, this memo and this criticism, I think, is all politics because I was there,” Noem said. “I was there and every time somebody asked for something, we said, absolutely, it’ll be here as soon as possible and it’ll be done.”

Noem said that she and over 700 FEMA workers were in the area within hours of a call with Texas officials. The Coast Guard also immediately deployed following the call, she added.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S TEXAS FLOOD DISASTER RESPONSE ‘FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT’ FROM BIDEN’S APPROACH: NOEM

The July Fourth floods killed at least 129 people in central Texas. Authorities believe more than 160 people may still be missing in Kerr County.

The secretary said this operation was “the fastest in history that FEMA has ever responded to a disaster” and, unlike FEMA’s poor track record under the Biden administration, this time FEMA “operated how President Trump wanted it to operate.”

“I’m very proud of the fact that we didn’t go there and manage it,” she said. “We went there and allowed the local officials to manage it, to run it. The state did a fantastic job. We’re there to support and give them what resources they need.”

NOEM RIPS CNN REPORT CLAIMING SHE DELAYED DHS RESPONSE TO TEXAS FLOOD AS ‘ABSOLUTELY TRASH’

When asked about Murphy’s claims about victims’ calls to FEMA going unanswered in the days following the deadly flooding due to firings, Noem called his words “an absolute lie.”

“That’s what I think is so disingenuous and horrible about the situation. Nobody was fired, no contracts were ended, everybody was there answering calls and doing all they could to help the people of Texas,” Noem said. “So the fact that Democrats are politicizing this while people are still looking for their babies, they’re still looking for their family members, I think it’s absolutely despicable.”

Noem said Americans “need to know the truth” of how Democrats are “taking advantage of this situation to help themselves politically.”

“It’s a disservice not just to the people of Texas and these families that are going through grief right now, it’s a disservice to our country,” she said.

Fox News Digital reached out to Murphy’s office for comment on Noem’s remarks, but they did not immediately respond.

Noem was also asked about a federal judge issuing a temporary restraining order against many of the ICE operations that have been carried out in Southern California.
She called the judge’s ruling “ridiculous” and said the federal government will appeal.

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“We always built our operations, our investigations on casework, on knowing individuals that we needed to target because they were criminals, because they had conducted violent crimes against individuals in their communities or had overstayed their orders, had violated federal laws, and that is always how this is done,” Noem said.

Butler, Pa. – No one in Butler, Pa. – population 13,000 – ever imagined their quiet community would become the backdrop to an attempted presidential assassination. 

But on July 13, 2024, gunman Thomas Mathew Crooks opened fire at a rally for once and future President Donald Trump at the local farm showgrounds, a burst of violence that reverberated far beyond western Pennsylvania’s rolling hills and changed the course of American history. 

One bullet grazed Trump’s ear and could have ended his life had he tilted his head even slightly. In the months that followed, Republicans rallied fiercely behind him. Trump went on to win re-election in a wave of support, with backers, and Trump himself, saying God had spared him to save America.

Residents and rally attendees are still stunned that their town became synonymous with the attack, and saddened that Butler’s image as a peaceful farm community has been overshadowed by that dark day.

FIRST RESPONDERS SIT DOWN WITH WIDOW OF FIREFIGHTER KILLED AT BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA TRUMP RALLY

“For something like this to thrust Butler into the national and the international spotlight, it’s very sad,” J.D. Longo, mayor of Slippery Rock, told Fox News Digital.

“It’s not what anybody in Butler or western Pennsylvania wants to be known for,” Longo said. “This is a place where you can start a family if you want to, have a great life.”

But most of all, their hearts break for the family of the firefighter who lost his life when Crooks fired eight shots directed at Trump.

“Many of us hope that, despite the ugliness and the horror of that day and the obvious loss of life that occurred, by way of losing Corey Comperatore, that Butler County can be remembered more for the way in which we unified immediately following that moment and how we came to the aid and the defense of the Comperatore family and of the president.”

TRUMP REVEALS CRUCIAL, SPLIT-SECOND MOMENT THAT SAVED HIS LIFE DURING BUTLER ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

There is pride in how Butler came together after the tragedy. But some can’t forget why it had to. 

“It definitely put us in a rough spot,” said Zach Scherer, a Butler local who volunteered for multiple Trump campaigns. “There’s some people here that think about this all the time.”

“Many of us hope that, despite the ugliness and the horror of that day and the obvious loss of life that occurred, by way of losing Corey Comperatore, that Butler County can be remembered more for the way in which we unified immediately following that moment and how we came to the aid and the defense of the Comperatore family and of the president.”

“We feel really bad for Butler,” said Erin Autenreith of Glenshaw, Pennsylvania, a longtime Trump campaign volunteer and rally-goer.

“I’ve gone to the farm show for years,” she added, referring to the annual event that draws families from across western Pennsylvania. She described one of her favorite attractions – an area where cows walk in to be milked and a building next door that has vanilla milkshakes made from that milk. “It’s just so wholesome. My husband likes the truck pull,” she said. 

“It’s always been something we looked forward to, and now it’s tied to this.”

REPORT GIVES NEW DETAILS ON TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT SUSPECT’S ‘DESCENT INTO MADNESS’

The Butler Farm Show, which allowed the Trump campaign to use its property for the rally, is also attempting to shake the association with the shooting. Members of the media are not permitted to film on the property. 

“It’s put a stain on a really nice community,” said Autenreith. “It’s only 45 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh. it’s like you’re transformed into, you know, a little bit like, I would say Iowa.”

Still, Butler residents say the shooting did not break the community. In the days and weeks after, they pulled together to support the Comperatore family and others affected by the violence. 

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“The general Pittsburgh area, we’re pretty tough right here – as the president would refer to as tough cookies,” said Bob Crankovic.  

Lucie Roth, who had been seated just behind Trump at the Butler rally, said she didn’t hesitate to return. “The very next rally that [Trump] had, I was right behind him again.”

Border czar Tom Homan slammed lawmakers for criticizing the conditions of “Alligator Alcatraz” — the nation’s newest detention center — while remaining “silent” about the migrant death toll under former President Joe Biden. 

“Alligator Alcatraz,” which was constructed in the alligator-filled swamplands of the Florida Everglades to deter escapees, has drawn scrutiny over its conditions, remote location and potential environmental impact. Critics have questioned whether the site is safe, humane or appropriate for long-term detention.

Homan, however, said the center still meets guidelines under U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and maintains the “highest” standards in the industry.

“Detainees complain about the conditions of detention,” Homan said during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. “You can simply go to ICE.gov and look at the detention standards ICE has. They have the highest detention standards in the industry, but these same congressmen are complaining about ‘Alligator Alcatraz.’” 

DEM LAWMAKERS TO INSPECT ‘ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ’ DETENTION CENTER, CITING SAFETY CONCERNS

Homan argued that the lawmakers condemning the facility were noticeably absent when migrant deaths surged under the Biden administration.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data obtained by Fox News, 856 migrants died attempting to cross the southern border in fiscal year 2022 — the highest number ever recorded at the time.

“You didn’t see them complaining about, under Biden administration, people being held in a border patrol parking lot surrounded by a fence and sweltering heat,” Homan said. “They ignored four years of open borders, historic migrant deaths, historic Americans dying from fentanyl, historic numbers of women and children being sex trafficked.”

TRUMP SAYS ONLY WAY OUT OF ‘ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ’ IS DEPORTATION

The border czar claimed that half a million children were trafficked into the country during Biden’s presidency — a crisis he said was not criticized heavily — and asserted that the administration under President Donald Trump has done more to locate those children.

“You didn’t hear a word about half a million children being trafficked in the country and them not being able to locate 300,000,” Homan said. “President Trump, this administration, is finding thousands of those children.” 

SELF-DEPORT OR END UP IN ‘ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ,’ NOEM WARNS MIGRANTS DURING TRUMP VISIT

Homan said lawmakers who failed to push for stronger border security remained “silent because they’re complicit” in the crises that unfolded under the Biden administration.

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“You can’t have strong national security in this country if we don’t have border security,” Homan said. “We got to know who’s coming in, what’s coming, where it’s coming from. But, instead, they kept silent and they kept feeding the American people.”

Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report.

MAGA supporters are nor pleased with President Donald Trump following his full-throated defense of Attorney General Pam Bondi, whose Department of Justice denied the existence of a Jeffrey Epstein client list after years of Trump surrogates vowing to reveal the disgraced financier’s secrets. 

Longtime conservatives and supporters of Trump sounded off on social media this weekend, as well as in person during a convention in Florida, with various messages pledging that the Epstein scandal will not “go away.” The DOJ determined that Epstein committed suicide in 2019 and that there is no list detailing the names of the world’s elite who allegedly took part in Epstein’s history of sexual deviancy. 

“.@realDonaldTrump please understand the EPSTEIN AFFAIR is not going away,” retired Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn, Trump’s national security advisor from his first administration, posted to X on Saturday. “If the administration doesn’t address the massive number of unanswered questions about Epstein, especially the ABUSE OF CHILDREN BY ELITES (it is very clear that abuse occurred), then moving forward on so many other monumental challenges our nation is facing becomes much harder.”

The DOJ and FBI said in a joint memo obtained by Fox News last week that the two agencies had no further information to share with the public about Epstein’s case and death. That led to FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino clashing with Bondi over “lack of transparency” and threatening to resign over the matter, Fox News reported. 

TRUMP DEFENDS EMBATTLED AG PAM BONDI, SAYS ‘NOBODY CARES ABOUT’ JEFFREY EPSTEIN

Epstein was a notorious predator who pleaded guilty to procuring underage girls for prostitution in 2008, before he was arrested in 2019 on new federal charges of sex trafficking minors and conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors. Epstein, who had rubbed elbows with the world’s elites stretching from Bill Gates to being photographed with Trump long before his presidency, was found dead in his New York City jail cell in August 2019 by apparent suicide. 

Many MAGA supporters, however, have claimed Epstein did not hang himself, and the death was allegedly part of a bigger cover-up protecting elites allegedly involved in his sexual abuse of minors.  

DAVID MARCUS: TRUMP IS FLUNKING HIS MAGA BASE’S JEFFREY EPSTEIN TEST

Trump took to Truth Social on Saturday evening and offered a strong endorsement of Bondi as conservatives demanded answers over the long-running scandal. 

“What’s going on with my ‘boys’ and, in some cases, ‘gals?’ They’re all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB,” Trump wrote in a lengthy post on Truth Social on Saturday. “We’re on one Team, MAGA, and I don’t like what’s happening.” 

He referred to Epstein as the “guy who never dies,” adding, “For years, it’s Epstein, over and over again.”

FBI’S DAN BONGINO AND ATTORNEY GENERAL PAM BONDI CLASH OVER HANDLING OF EPSTEIN FILES

Trump questioned why people were “giving publicity to Files written by Obama, Crooked Hillary, Comey, Brennan, and the Losers and Criminals of the Biden administration.”  

“They created the Epstein Files, just like they created the FAKE Hillary Clinton/Christopher Steele Dossier that they used on me, and now my so-called ‘friends’ are playing right into their hands,” Trump wrote. “Why didn’t these Radical Left Lunatics release the Epstein Files? If there was ANYTHING in there that could have hurt the MAGA Movement, why didn’t they use it?”

“LET PAM BONDI DO HER JOB – SHE’S GREAT! The 2020 Election was Rigged and Stolen, and they tried to do the same thing in 2024 – That’s what she is looking into as AG, and much more,” he wrote. “One year ago our Country was DEAD, now it’s the ‘HOTTEST’ Country anywhere in the World. Let’s keep it that way, and not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about.”

Trump supporters repeatedly posted on X that the Epstein scandal will not simply dissipate after years of high-profile Trump allies, including Bondi, Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel, previously vowing to expose the corruption surrounding Epstein, his alleged client list and the alleged crimes that played out on his notorious island, Little Saint James. 

“We cannot allow pedophiles to get away. I don’t personally care who they are or what elite or powerful position they hold. They must be exposed and held accountable!!!” Flynn continued in his X post. 

Activist and Trump ally Laura Loomer also slammed Bondi over her leadership, while taking a swipe at the president as well. 

10 REASONS THE DOJ AND FBI FACE BACKLASH OVER EPSTEIN FILES FLOP

“President Trump says he thinks Blondi is ‘doing a Fantastic job’ as AG in a post he posted on Truth Social today….” Loomer posted to X on Saturday, accompanied by screenshots of his Truth Social post praising Bondi. 

“People make their own choices and decisions, but mark my word, the lack of actual results at the DOJ and lack of transparency that translates into incompetence will cost the GOP House and Senate seats. Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” she added in a follow-up post on Saturday. 

Robby Starbuck, another longtime Trump supporter and conservative social media personality, railed online that the “age of secrets” must come to an end – beginning with Epstein. 

“People want truth, they want the rapists exposed and brought to justice, they want to break the deep state, they want the 100 year storm of lies from government to end and they want to end the two tiered system of justice. People want peace, safety, justice and sanity,” Starbuck posted in a lengthy message on Saturday. 

GHISLAINE MAXWELL FOLLOWS PRISON FITNESS ROUTINE, VIDEO SHOWS, AS DOJ’S JEFFREY EPSTEIN MEMO DRAWS HEAT

“They want their country back. This case became a symbol for all of that. Fair or unfair, that’s the truth. President Trump rarely loses touch with what’s happening among the base but he’s missing the pulse on this one. Saying so doesn’t mean disloyalty or hatred, it means that this matters so much that we must remind him why it matters so much. We want President Trump to succeed on EVERYTHING he ran on. To do so requires disclosure and transparency on every issue. We need to end the age of secrets,” he continued. 

Amid the fallout surrounding the DOJ’s Epstein findings, Turning Point USA is holding its Student Action Summit in Tampa Bay, Florida, where some conservative allies spoke out against the DOJ and Trump over the lack of answers regarding Epstein. 

“I think that these people – and I don’t know, for whatever reason, there could be reasons – but I don’t think they’re telling us the truth about Epstein,” podcaster Brandon Tatum said during the convention. “I think that that guy was involved in something nefarious that implicates a whole lot of people. And my guess is that the whole lot of people may have, may happen to be some of our allies and some people that we don’t want to have a bad relationship with.”

“Trump is losing his touch,” former Republican Florida state Rep. Anthony Sabatini said, according to NBC. “Bad personnel are undermining him left and right. We need a full reset.”

The lack of additional details on Epstein has also spurred liberals to call on the Trump administration to release the files surrounding Epstein. 

“Dear Donald Trump and Pam Bondi: Release the Epstein files. What ever happened to ‘Promises Made, Promises Kept?’” Democratic New York Rep. Ritchie Torres posted to X. 

Officials in Trump’s orbit, including those who ultimately rose to high-level positions within the administration, had vowed to uncover alleged details and corruption that had not yet been made public or confirmed both before and after the high-stakes 2024 election. 

BONDI UNDER SIEGE AFTER DOJ REVEALS NO EPSTEIN CLIENT LIST

Patel told conservative social media personality Benny Johnson in 2023, before he became FBI director under Trump’s second administration, that Republicans at the time could easily obtain Epstein’s alleged client list with subpoena, while adding in another interview that year that Trump should “roll out the black book” containing Epstein’s alleged client list on “day one.” 

Patel also doubled down during his Senate confirmation hearing that he would assist lawmakers in investigating Epstein’s alleged web of the world’s elite involved in his sex crimes. 

“Child sex trafficking has no place in the United States of America,” Patel told Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn when asked about investigating Epstein during his Senate confirmation hearing this year. “And I will do everything, if confirmed as FBI director, to make sure the American public knows the full weight of what happened in the past and how we are going to counterman missing children and exploited children going forward.”

Patel on Saturday posted to X that the “conspiracy theories” weren’t and have never been true, but it was unclear if he was referring to Epstein or reports that he intended to step down if Bongino did. 

“The conspiracy theories just aren’t true, never have been. It’s an honor to serve the President of the United States @realDonaldTrump – and I’ll continue to do so for as long as he calls on me,” he posted. 

Bondi has landed in hot water over her comments during a February Fox News interview when she was asked about the Epstein files, and said it was “sitting on her desk.” The Epstein investigation came as the DOJ also readied to release files on former President John F. Kennedy’s assassination and Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. 

KASH PATEL TORCHES ‘CONSPIRACY THEORIES’ ABOUT BONDI FEUD AMID MAGA FUROR OVER EPSTEIN FILES

“It’s sitting on my desk right now to review,” Bondi told “America Reports” in February when asked about Epstein’s alleged client list. “That’s been a directive by President Trump.”

Bondi argued during a Cabinet meeting this month that she was referring to files on Epstein, “along with the JFK, MLK files” when she told Fox News that “it’s sitting on my desk.”

Trump slammed a reporter for asking about Epstein during the Cabinet meeting, calling Epstein a “creep” who should not take media attention away from other tragic news stories, such as the devastating flooding that rocked Texas’ low country this month. 

“Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?” Trump said to a reporter on July 8. 

“This guy’s been talked about for years. You’re asking.… We have Texas, we have this, we have all of the things. And are people are still talking about this guy, this creep?” Trump asked. “That is unbelievable.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to the White House, DOJ and FBI on Sunday morning regarding some MAGA allies criticizing the administration over the handling of the Epstein case but did not immediately receive responses. 

Fox News Digital’s Brie Stimson and Amanda Macias contributed to this report. 

In a matter of minutes on a hot summer Saturday in northwestern Pennsylvania, the already unprecedented 2024 election cycle was rocked by an assassination attempt on President Donald Trump’s life that had a sweeping effect not only on the upcoming presidency, but also staffers who witnessed the harrowing moment. 

Eight shots rang out at the Butler Farm Show Grounds at about 6:11 p.m. Eastern Time, roughly six minutes after Trump took the open-air rally’s stage. The rally began on its typical lively note, with the former and upcoming president swaying to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” and engaging with supporters by pointing at them as they clapped and held up signs declaring, “Joe Biden, you’re fired.”

The rally came to a screeching halt after Trump began his address and was seen grabbing the side of his head before abruptly dropping to the ground. Rally-goers were also seen ducking for cover as confusion gripped the small fairgrounds located just north of Pittsburgh. 

Secret Service agents threw their bodies over Trump as shields as they worked to get him off of the stage and to a secure location. 

FIRST RESPONDERS SIT DOWN WITH WIDOW OF FIREFIGHTER KILLED AT BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA TRUMP RALLY

Acting Secret Service Director Sean M. Curran, one of the agents who rushed to protect Trump that day, told Fox News Digital that July 13, 2024, has remained at the top of his mind since he was tapped to lead the Secret Service. 

“One year ago, I was by President Trump’s side when a lone gunman attempted to assassinate him in Butler, Pennsylvania,” Curran said. “My heart will always be with all those impacted on that day, especially Corey Comperatore, who lost his life while protecting those around him.” 

“Since President Trump appointed me as director of the United States Secret Service, I have kept my experience on July 13 top of mind, and the agency has taken many steps to ensure such an event can never be repeated in the future,” he continued. “Nothing is more important to the United States Secret Service than the safety and security of our protectees. As director, I am committed to ensuring our agency is fully equipped, resourced and aligned to carry out our important mission each and every day.” 

ONE YEAR AFTER TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT, BUTLER WIDOW DEMANDS ACCOUNTABILITY FROM SECRET SERVICE

Trump emerged into the camera’s view with a trail of blood streaked across his cheek and famously raised a fist before defiantly chanting, “Fight, fight, fight” as law enforcement escorted him from the stage. 

White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, who served as Trump campaign manager in 2024 and witnessed the harrowing attempt, told the New York Post’s Miranda Devine earlier in July in a podcast interview that she “100%” believes divine intervention protected Trump from a greater tragedy that day. 

“The way the rally itself unfolded, the chart he had them put up on the screens… it was always the last chart in the rotation. And it was always on the other side” of the stage, Wiles told Devine in an interview that published Wednesday. “To have him ask for that chart eight minutes in and to have it come on the side that is opposite caused him to look in a different direction… I believe God wanted him to live.”

SECRET SERVICE SUSPENDS 6 AGENTS TASKED WITH PROTECTING TRUMP DURING JULY 2024 ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

Pennsylvania Sen. Dave McCormick, who was in the midst of his election cycle to unseat longtime Democrat Sen. Bob Casey, said in comment to Fox News Digital that he was just feet from Trump when the gunshots rang out. 

“I was sitting just 15 feet from the stage at the Butler rally when the shots rang out. Moments before the attempted assassination, President Trump asked me to come on stage to give my remarks. As I was headed onstage, he prompted me to wait until after he spoke to the crowd about an immigration chart. Returning to my seat, I watched as President Trump turned his attention and head towards the chart—a decision that likely saved his life,” McCormick said. 

“Moments later, a bullet meant for his head struck his ear. He went down, then stood up and raised his fist in defiance. That moment captured who he is at his core—a strong leader—and marked a turning point in the 2024 election. Strong leadership sets a tone — like a ripple effect. President Trump didn’t panic and stood strong and so did the crowd. Instead of chaos, chants of ‘USA’ rang out.”

The shooting injured three people, including Trump, and killed local father and former fire chief Corey Comperatore. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reflected on Comperatore’s tragic death in a comment to Fox Digital, underscoring that the president “will never forget Corey and his beautiful family.”

“One year ago in Butler, Pennsylvania, we tragically lost an American hero, Corey Comperatore, who selflessly laid down his life to protect those around him,” she said. “President Trump will never forget Corey and his beautiful family. On that dark day, God spared President Trump’s life by a miraculous millimeter. Now one year later, President Trump is standing stronger than ever as he continues to ‘fight, fight, fight’ for the American people.” 

Comperatore’s widow, Helen, spoke to Fox News in an emotional interview about her husband’s death earlier in July, demanding accountability from the Secret Service over how a gunman was able to fire off shots without intervention. 

“We were all sitting ducks that day,” Helen Comperatore told Fox News. “Our blood is all over their hands. I am angry. I lost the love of my life. They screwed up.” 

TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT AFTERMATH, REACTIONS FROM INNER CIRCLE REVEALED IN NEW BOOK

“Why Butler? Why was that such a failure? Why weren’t they paying attention? Why did they think that that roof didn’t need covered?” she asked. “I want to sit down and talk to them. I have the right to. They need to listen to me.” 

McCormick remembered Comperatore as a heroic dad and husband who died protecting his family. 

“Corey Comperatore—a Pennsylvanian, volunteer firefighter, and father—was sitting behind me. He died shielding his family. I’m remembering Corey and praying for the Comperatore family on this one-year anniversary,” the Republican Senator said. 

Longtime political reporter Salena Zito published a book in July detailing her recollections of the day, and said in an interview earlier this month with Fox Digital that she refused to duck for cover as gunshots rang out. 

“I didn’t get down,” Zito said in an interview ahead of the book’s release Tuesday. “There was this inner voice that told me, ‘You have a job to do, continue doing it.’” 

Zito was located near the stage and the Secret Service’s secure permitter when the gunman opened fire on Trump and the crowds. 

“Time has these layers that happen,” Zito added while reflecting on the 2024 events. “It’s not remembering them. It’s experiencing them. It’s this interesting thing that happens. I see a sea of navy blue suits immediately surround him. Then, I hear the second four shots. I still didn’t get down.”

TRUMP TELLS FOX NOTICIAS HE ‘WOULD LIKE TO HEAR THE EXPLANATION’ BEHIND ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS

McCormick told Fox Digital that recent politically-motivated attacks, including the targeted attacks and murder of a Minnesota state lawmaker in June, need to end and be replaced with civility that protects democracy. 

“From the attempts on President Trump’s life, to arson at the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence, to the murder of Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, these politically-motivated attacks are an assault on democracy itself. Regardless of party, we must choose to engage civilly. This anniversary serves as a solemn reminder that for our country,  violence borne from political disagreement is never the answer,” he said.Following the assassination attempt, Trump quickly was whisked away from the rally to receive medical attention. Just a day later, June 14, 2024, the Republican National Convention was set to kick off in Milwaukee, with concern initially mounting that Trump might not be able to attend the convention due to the injury. 

The president, however, made his public return in Milwaukee that week while wearing a bandage over his ear. Trump officially accepted the party’s nomination for him to serve as president, and delivered a 93-minute speech that was underscored by how the attempt on his life changed him. 

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“There was blood pouring everywhere, and yet, in a certain way I felt very safe, because I had God on my side,” Trump told the crowds of supporters on the final night of the RNC. “The amazing thing is that prior to the shot, if I had NOT moved my head at the very last instant, the assassin’s bullet would have perfectly hit its mark, and I would not be with you tonight.” 

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

When President Donald Trump entered his vehicle, surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents, in the moments following his attempted assassination at his Butler, Pennsylvania, campaign rally one year ago, the crowd traded their “USA” chants for expletives as they directed their anger toward the media gathered on the press riser. 

Veteran political reporter Salena Zito spoke with Fox News Digital ahead of the release of her new book, “Butler: The Untold Story of the Near Assassination of Donald Trump and the Fight for America’s Heartland.” Zito found herself inside the Secret Service’s secure perimeter, just steps away from Trump, when a gunman unleashed gunfire on the crowd, one year ago. 

“It wasn’t directed at the press,” Zito said of the impassioned Trump supporters who turned to face the media once Trump was out of sight. “It was directed at the cameras, letting the country know that this is unacceptable, and our country is in peril, and we need to be strong about it.”

Zito, who has built her career telling real stories from the American heartland, said she spoke with the Trump supporters who can be seen shouting at the camera in the video played around the world. 

VETERAN POLITICAL REPORTER REVEALS WHAT THE MEDIA MISSED ABOUT TRUMP’S APPEAL TO AMERICANS IN 2024

“They confirmed that. They said, ‘We weren’t blaming the press. We were blaming everything that led to this in our country, and we were mad about that, and we wanted to show defiance to that,'” Zito said. 

JOURNALIST WHO REFUSED TO DUCK DURING TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT REFLECTS ON BUTLER RALLY IN NEW BOOK

Fox News confirmed ahead of the one-year anniversary of Trump’s first attempted assassination that six Secret Service agents were suspended without pay after 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire at Trump during a rally in western Pennsylvania last summer. 

Supervisors and line-level agents were suspended in February, ranging from 10 to 42 days without pay, the Secret Service confirmed to Fox News.

Speaking with Fox News Digital following initial reports about the agents’ suspension, Zito said it was “well warranted” for those making logistical decisions to be suspended. 

“I will say unequivocally that the men and women that were taking care of President Trump that day, that were in his detail and in that buffer, were on top of everything,” Zito said. “Those men and women were doing their jobs right when they put themselves in the line of fire.”

Zito, who refused to get down when she first heard the shots, said Trump was “surrounded in a sea of blue.”

“They put him in a protective stance, and they put their lives on the line,” Zito said. “Nothing should be taken away from that bravery in that moment. Those field officers were heroes that day.”

Trump recovered from his near assassination with little more than a bullet graze to the ear, thanks to the immigration chart he was turning his head to face. One rally attendee, firefighter Corey Comperatore, was killed, and two others were critically injured by Crooks’ gunshots. 

In the moments following the gunfire, Zito said what she saw next was “really quite remarkable.”

“People left there pretty orderly. There wasn’t a rush. There wasn’t a stampede. You saw the medics taking care of the people that had fallen [or] were injured. But you mostly saw people getting each other out and across the field,” Zito explained.

Zito said it was “amazing” to see “how orderly people left.” An hour later, when she returned to the large parking lot, they hadn’t let one car go, so there were thousands of Trump supporters gathered together.

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“These people are out of their cars, they’re sharing water, they’re hugging each other, they’re making sure they’re okay, they’re sharing food. They’re just talking. I really was struck by their comportment in that moment,” Zito said. 

Zito’s book takes readers back to July 13, 2024, when she was mere steps away from Trump when shots were fired. She is a political reporter for the Washington Examiner, a special contributor for the Washington Post and has been a columnist for the New York Post. 

Presidential candidate Donald Trump took the stage at a routine campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, exactly a year ago, on July 13, 2024, one of hundreds he’d appeared at since announcing his first presidential campaign in 2015. 

But this rally turned out unlike any other of his political career. 

As Trump stood at the podium, with supporters holding signs that said “Joe Biden, you’re fired!” directly behind him, the president pointed to a chart detailing low illegal immigration numbers at the end of his first term and how they’d risen under the Biden administration. 

“That chart’s a couple of months old, and if you want to really see something that’s sad, take a look at what happened,” Trump said, halting as the sound of gunshots pierced the air. 

TRUMP REVEALS CRUCIAL, SPLIT-SECOND MOMENT THAT SAVED HIS LIFE DURING BUTLER ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

Moments later, Trump ducked, and Secret Service agents rushed to his side. More gunshots followed, and attendees fearfully screamed while Trump remained covered, waiting for the all-clear sign. 

Once given the green light, Secret Service personnel rose alongside Trump to escort him from the stage. But Trump didn’t hide himself from his supporters. Instead, he emerged from the huddle, raised his fist high in the ai, and said “fight” three times, prompting the audience to erupt and chant “U-S-A!” as he exited. 

Ultimately, 20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks fired eight bullets at Trump from a rooftop during the rally, with a bullet grazing Trump’s ear. The gunman also killed Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old firefighter, father and husband attending the rally, and injured two others.

A Secret Service sniper killed Crooks during the shotting, and an FBI investigation remains in progress. No motive has been determined for why Crooks conducted the attack. 

Classmates of Crooks have described Crooks as a “loner” subjected to bullying, and the FBI told reporters in August 2024 that Crooks likely suffered from an undiagnosed disorder. 

FIRST RESPONDERS SIT DOWN WITH WIDOW OF FIREFIGHTER KILLED AT BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA, TRUMP RALLY

“It was unforgettable,” Trump said during an exclusive interview clip that aired Thursday on “My View with Lara Trump.” “I didn’t know exactly what was going on. I got a whack.

“People were screaming, and I got down quickly, fortunately, because I think they shot eight bullets.” 

Trump’s chief of staff Susie Wiles, who then served as Trump’s campaign co-chair, said she initially believed Trump had been killed. 

“You think the worst,” Wiles said in an interview that dropped Wednesday with Miranda Devine on “Pod Force One.” “You cannot — it’s human — you can’t think otherwise. And when he stood up, I thought, ‘Oh my gosh.'” 

Wiles recounted that, due to the immigration chart, Trump had just moved his head slightly at the time of the ambush, a key adjustment in Trump’s posture as Crooks started to fire at him. 

TRUMP CHIEF OF STAFF SUSIE WILES RECOUNTS BUTLER ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT, THOUGHT PRESIDENT WAS DEAD AT FIRST

“So, to have him ask for that chart, eight minutes in, and to have it come on the side that was opposite, caused him to look in a different direction and lift his head just a little because it was higher, and that just doesn’t happen because it happened,” she said.

“But it was a scary time, and it changed everything for us. The security became front and center, which it hadn’t been before.”  

The attack led to an overhaul of the Secret Service in the past year to prevent another attack like the one in Pennsylvania. The Department of Homeland Security issued a report in October 2024, which determined that if the Secret Service didn’t enact reforms, another episode like the one in Pennsylvania was possible. 

“The Secret Service does not perform at the elite levels needed to discharge its critical mission,” the report said. “The Secret Service has become bureaucratic, complacent, and static even though risks have multiplied and technology has evolved.”

Since then, the Secret Service has ushered in several key reforms to bolster its security measures and suspended six of its agents due to their response. 

TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT AFTERMATH, REACTIONS FROM INNER CIRCLE REVEALED IN NEW BOOK

Trump spoke about the attempt on his life days later at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, wearing a bandage on his ear and telling audience members he was “not supposed to be here tonight.” In response, the crowd started to chant back, “Yes you are!” 

“Many people say it was a providential moment. Probably was,” Trump said at the convention. “When I rose, surrounded by Secret Service, the crowd was confused because they thought I was dead. And there was great, great sorrow. I could see that on their faces. 

“As I looked out, they didn’t know I was looking out. They thought it was over. But I could see it. I wanted to do something to let them know I was OK. I raised my right arm, looked at the thousands and thousands of people that were breathlessly waiting and started shouting, ‘Fight, fight, fight.’”

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Today, a painting depicting Trump’s fist raised with blood smeared across his face stands in the White House’s entrance hall. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital Friday that “God spared President Trump’s life by a miraculous millimeter.” 

“Now one year later, President Trump is standing stronger than ever as he continues to ‘fight, fight, fight’ for the American people,” Leavitt said.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Saturday that the federal response to the deadly floods in Texas Hill Country last weekend was a good indication of the improved disaster response the Trump administration is committed to providing.

Devastating floods on the Fourth of July claimed at least 119 lives, and more than 150 others are missing. Among those killed were 27 girls attending Camp Mystic along the Guadalupe River in Hunt, Texas.

“What you saw from our response in Texas is going to be a lot of how President [Donald] Trump envisions what [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] (FEMA) would look like in the future,” Noem said during a news conference Saturday. 

“We did things in Texas, in response, very different than Joe Biden.”

PRESIDENT TRUMP, FIRST LADY HEAD TO VISIT KERRVILLE, TEXAS FOLLOWING FATAL FLOODS

In response to the 2023 Ohio train derailment in East Palestine, the Biden administration said the chemical disaster did not meet legal requirements for a FEMA disaster declaration, waiting two weeks to deploy a team to assist.

In the 2023 Maui fires, more than 100 people were killed, and historic Lahaina was reduced to rubble. Survivors were left without food, water and shelter.

At the time, FEMA Administrator Michael Brown called President Joe Biden’s response to the deadly fires “an abject failure.”

Slow responses and inadequate aid were also widely reported after Hurricane Helene struck North Carolina, Georgia and South Carolina in late 2024. 

“I’ll also be signing an executive order to begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA or maybe getting rid of FEMA,” Trump said in January while visiting North Carolina. “I think, frankly, FEMA is not good.”

DEADLY TEXAS FLOOD EXPOSES ‘NEGLECTED’ WEATHER ALERT SYSTEM TRUMP AIMS TO MODERNIZE

Noem noted that, during the most recent disaster, federal assistance was on the ground in Texas as soon as the flooding hit.

“We deployed our Coast Guard, helicopters, [aircraft] and swift water rescue teams out of Customs and Border Protection,” she said. “Our [Border Patrol Tactical Unit] (BORTAC) teams, which I like to call the Department of Homeland Security’s ninjas, are specifically trained for situations like that, where the unprecedented is happening.”

After the floods, Noem said she immediately met with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and spoke with him about getting a major disaster declaration signed.

Within an hour or two of the request, she said, it was approved by the White House.

“We pre-deployed dollars right to Texas so that they can make the best decisions responding to their people,” Noem said. “FEMA has never done that before — pre-deployed dollars to a state so that they could use that to save their people, so they could use that to go out and save lives.”

Noem said the president wants the states to be empowered during emergencies.

GOV. ABBOTT DEMANDS COMPREHENSIVE OVERHAUL OF TEXAS FLOOD WARNING SYSTEMS AS DEATH TOLL RISES

“Emergencies are locally executed,” she said. “They are state-managed and then the federal government comes in and supports you. [No one] ever wants to sit back and wait for someone from the federal government to show up and rescue you out of your house because that, in the past, has not served people well under the Biden administration.

Under President Trump, Noem said, federal officials were there immediately to help local and state officials manage the response.

She added her belief that FEMA “will cease to exist the way that it is today.”

“We are fundamentally reforming that agency,” Noem said. “President Trump may want to, in his prerogative, as he likes to do, rename things. He may come up with a new name for this agency that reflects the fundamental change that’s going to happen there. But this agency will no longer be the bureaucratic agency where people have to wait 20 years for their claim to be paid. 

“It will be an agency that immediately says to that state, and to that local emergency management director, ‘What do you need? How can we support you?’ And then trains them to have the skill set that they need to be serving their people immediately, because they’re always there faster. They’re right there on the streets.”

It is unclear what the new agency name might be.

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When asked about reports of calls to FEMA from Texas residents going unanswered, Noem said she was “throwing the bull—- flag,” claiming she did not think that was true.

“I will get rid of any contract that doesn’t respond to people because they know they are empowered to do it,” she said.

FEMA did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

FBI Director Kash Patel on Saturday squashed rumors of a rift inside the Trump administration’s law-and-order team, just hours before the president himself defended Attorney General Pam Bondi amid Jeffrey Epstein probe backlash.

The criticism came after the FBI and Department of Justice on Sunday released a memo shutting down theories about an alleged Epstein client list, finding a tell-all document exposing his associates did not exist. Fueling the fire was a one-minute gap in a surveillance video from Epstein’s cell, which was part of the evidence the DOJ released. The review found the disgraced financier died by suicide in jail in 2019.

INSIDE DAN BONGINO’S TENSE MEETING WITH WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS OVER JEFFREY EPSTEIN FALLOUT

Fox News reported Friday that Patel’s No. 2, Deputy Director Dan Bongino, was considering resigning if Bondi stayed on as head of the Department of Justice, which oversees the FBI. There were unconfirmed reports that Patel might step down as well, but he shot that down with a social media post Saturday, saying “conspiracy theories” about a potential resignation over Bondi’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files “just aren’t true.”

“The conspiracy theories just aren’t true, never have been,” Patel wrote. “It’s an honor to serve the President of the United States @realDonaldTrump — and I’ll continue to do so for as long as he calls on me.”

Hours after Patel’s post, President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to express unhappiness with his follower’s reaction.

Trump supporters posted videos to social media Saturday afternoon charring MAGA hats in protest.

“What’s going on with my ‘boys’ and, in some cases, ‘gals?’ They’re all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB,” Trump wrote. “We’re on one Team, MAGA, and I don’t like what’s happening.” 

FBI’S DAN BONGINO AND ATTORNEY GENERAL PAM BONDI CLASH OVER HANDLING OF EPSTEIN FILES

He went on to describe Epstein as a “guy who never dies” and shifted blame to former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former FBI Director James Comey, former CIA director John Brennan, and the Biden administration.

“They created the Epstein Files, just like they created the FAKE Hillary Clinton/Christopher Steele Dossier that they used on me, and now my so-called ‘friends’ are playing right into their hands,” Trump wrote. “Why didn’t these Radical Left Lunatics release the Epstein Files? If there was ANYTHING in there that could have hurt the MAGA Movement, why didn’t they use it?”

The president claimed that one year ago, the country was “DEAD,” but is now “the ‘HOTTEST’ Country anywhere in the World. 

“Let’s keep it that way, and not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about,” Trump wrote.

Rumors about a change in leadership were triggered by Patel’s apparent X biography change, where his title as FBI Director was removed to only read, “Fmr Chief of Staff @DeptofDefense.”

10 REASONS THE DOJ AND FBI FACE BACKLASH OVER EPSTEIN FILES FLOP

Multiple sources told Fox News Digital Bongino and Bondi butted heads at a White House meeting Wednesday, with Bongino accusing Bondi of a “lack of transparency from the start” in the Epstein files probe. 

The former Secret Service agent-turned FBI official allegedly raised his voice at Trump’s White House chief of staff before storming out, and has since been weighing resignation over the episode, insiders said. 

Bondi and Patel, however, have presented a united front. Sources close to Bondi claim she has “no intention of stepping down” and the pair are in constant communication.

“Any attempt to sow division within this team is baseless and distracts from the real progress being made,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields told Fox News Digital, emphasizing that Trump’s law-and-order lineup is working “seamlessly and with unity.”

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“President Trump has assembled a highly qualified and experienced law and order team dedicated to protecting Americans, holding criminals accountable, and delivering justice to victims,” Fields added. “This work is being carried out seamlessly and with unity. Any attempt to sow division within this team is baseless and distracts from the real progress being made in restoring public safety and pursuing justice for all.”

The FBI did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News’ David Spunt, Amanda Macias, Jake Gibson, Ashley Oliver and Brie Stimson contributed to this report.

Trump administration border czar Tom Homan fired up the crowd at Turning Point USA’s Student Action Summit Saturday night when a heckler asked Homan, “Are you an MS-13 member?”

But the heckler’s comments added fuel to Homan’s fire as he delivered fiery closing remarks, saying, “Tom Homan is going to run the biggest deportation operation this country has ever seen. Take it to the bank.”

“U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A,” the crowd chanted as Homan exited the stage. About five minutes into Homan’s speech, he was interrupted by a heckler who was escorted out by security, lighting a fire for the rest of the speech. 

HOMAN ACCUSES DEMS, MEDIA OF PUSHING ‘FAKE’ STORIES ABOUT ICE AFTER AGENTS CLASH WITH CALIFORNIA RIOTERS

Homan had a message to the anti-ICE protesters across the United States, including to those who gathered outside the summit in Tampa, Florida, Saturday night. 

“You want some? Come get some,” Homan said. “I’m tired of it. For the men and women of ICE, I deserve your respect. They’re the finest 1% this country has. And Tom Homan isn’t going anywhere. Tom Homan isn’t shutting up.”

When the heckler asked Homan if he was an MS-13 member, referencing the Salvadoran transnational criminal gang that has been targeted through Trump’s deportation rollout, Homan said federal immigration officers are dealing with these types of detractors on a daily basis. 

BORDER CZAR HOMAN DEMANDS DEMOCRATS STOP COMPARING ICE TO ‘NAZIS’ AFTER OFFICER SHOT BY DETENTION FACILITY

“This guy wouldn’t know what it’s like to serve this nation. This guy ain’t got the b—- to be an ICE officer. He hasn’t got the b—- to be a border patrol agent,” Homan continued, as the crowd cheered him on. 

As the heckler was escorted out, Homan added, “This guy lives in his mother’s basement. The only thing that surprised me is [he] doesn’t have purple hair and a nose ring. Get out of here, you loser.”

While the crowd continued cheering Homan’s fiery speech, he assured that those protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would not intimidate agents because “we’re going to do the job that President Trump gave us to do.”

Homan said he has never seen “such hate against the men and women of ICE and in the Border Patrol,” and those protesting don’t have the courage to put on a badge and stand in their place. 

While Homan said he was disappointed he didn’t see any protesters when he arrived at the summit, protesters had lined the streets outside Saturday afternoon, rejecting Trump’s agenda and his crackdown on illegal immigration. 

The demonstrations on Saturday followed protests that deteriorated into riots in Los Angeles last month as rhetoric against ICE agents has reached a boiling point. 

Federal immigration law enforcement officers have been targeted since Trump signed his “big, beautiful bill,” which includes legislation for robust immigration reform, into law last Friday. There have been at least two ambushes in Texas, and protesters clashed with federal officers at the Portland, Oregon, ICE center. 

The brazen border czar had made it clear his speech might contain some profanity Saturday night, telling the crowd at the top of his remarks, “Sometimes, I’m harsh. But if I offend anybody here tonight, I don’t give a s—.”

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Homan also applauded Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, telling the crowd, “Under his leadership, we got the most secure border in the history of nation, and we did that in seven weeks. President Trump did in seven weeks what Joe Biden couldn’t or wouldn’t do in four years.”

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.