Red state leader calls for states to stand behind Trump’s ban on funding illegal immigration


As Democrat states double down on resisting the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, Oklahoma Education Superintendent Ryan Walters is calling on states to stand behind the president and take a proactive role in implementing his executive orders.

Walters, a Republican, believes that all state elected officials and agencies, including state education systems, have a role to play in implementing President Donald Trump’s agenda.

“You’ve got Democrat governors, you’ve got Democrat elected officials saying we’re going to thwart this in any way we can,” he said. “Where are the states that are moving at lightning speed to enact these agenda items?”

Last week, he filed an inquiry to Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond to clarify how the Oklahoma public education system can implement Trump’s executive order ending taxpayer funding for programs that incentivize illegal immigration.

DEMS CLAIM TRUMP KILLED IMMIGRATION BILL, BUT HIS SUCCESS ON THE BORDER PROVES HE HAD THE RIGHT IDEA: EXPERT

Ryan Walters

Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters speaks during a special state Board of Education meeting, April 12, 2023, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

The order, titled “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders,” directs the heads of each federal executive department and agency to examine their agencies to “ensure, to the maximum extent permitted by law, that no taxpayer-funded benefits go to unqualified aliens.”

The purpose of this, according to the order, is to “prevent taxpayer resources from acting as a magnet and fueling illegal immigration to the United States.”

Drummond responded on Monday by praising Trump and his order while asserting that it does not affect state agencies and that Walters’ request is “nothing more than manufactured political drama.”

He also criticized Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt for what he called his “many failures in dealing with this critical issue here in Oklahoma.”

TRUMP ADMIN PROMISES TO BE ‘RUTHLESSLY AGGRESSIVE’ IN RESPONSE TO SUSPECTED CARTEL KILLING OF US CITIZEN

Governor Kevin Stitt

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (Chris Kleponis)

Stitt, in turn, responded to these criticisms by telling Fox News Digital, “Sadly, once again, we are just getting noise from people campaigning for their next political promotion.” 

Stitt said that “being governor has been one of the greatest honors of my life” and he “will continue to do everything in my power to protect both Oklahomans and the innocent children in our communities.”

In response, Walters said he was “disappointed but not surprised by AG Drummond’s response.” 

“He has a responsibility to offer opinions on all laws, not just the ones he deems worthy,” he said. “Once again, he is refusing to support President Trump’s executive order on illegal immigration at a time when we all need to move forward with a unified front to protect Oklahoma families.”

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Walters asserted that though the order only pertains to federal tax dollars, it is also up to state education officials to make sure the funding they receive from the federal government complies with the order.

“What we’ve seen here with this latest executive order is to not allow illegal immigrants to have access to federal funds. Well, in education, there’s a lot of different federal funding streams that come into states,” he explained. 

DEM AND GOP GOVERNORS URGE TRUMP TO ‘LET THE STATES PLAY A ROLE’ IN IMMIGRATION DECISIONS

Trump Border Patrol

(Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images | Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)

Walters said that under the Biden administration, the Oklahoma education system was flooded with illegal immigrant students, which he said caused “chaos” in the schools. He estimates Oklahoma spent a minimum of $474 million on illegal immigrant students, which he said took away resources and opportunities from students who are U.S. citizens.

Since Trump retook the White House, Walters has been a vocal advocate for policies he believes will aid the administration in putting an end to the migrant crisis.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

In late January, he announced that Oklahoma public schools would begin tracking students’ immigration status and share that information with federal authorities. However, Stitt has opposed this policy, and it is currently under consideration by the state legislature. 

Walters continued, “We are applying President Trump’s executive orders in every way possible, and that means, yes, you’ve got to know how many illegal immigrants are in your school system, how does this apply to formulas funding streams, how does this apply to grant funding streams, so that you’re able to ensure that those executive orders are being followed through on.”

TRUMP REPORTS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ENCOUNTERS AT HISTORIC LOWS DURING FIRST FULL MONTH IN OFFICE

Ultimately, Walters believes “education systems across the country” should be following suit and moving quickly to similarly implement Trump’s orders.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Here’s the reality that’s facing states right now,” he said. “Are you going to align with President Trump’s illegal immigration agenda, which means you are going to ensure that illegal immigrants are being accounted for and that you are ensuring that every executive order from President Trump is being carried out for illegal immigration, or are you going to support President Biden’s illegal immigration view, which is don’t ask, don’t even acknowledge it?”

“There couldn’t be a [more] clear mandate from this last election,” he went on. “Every state has a decision to make, and they should all be aligning with President Trump.”



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Top 5 moments from Trump’s address to joint session of Congress


President Donald Trump addressed both chambers of Congress Tuesday evening in an expansive speech that lasted more than 90 minutes, as he took a victory lap for his accomplishments thus far and previewed his vision for the future. 

The speech marked Trump’s first address before Congress since he reclaimed the Oval Office in January. Though similar to a State of the Union Speech, Trump’s address did not carry the same official title as he has not been in office a full year. 

Fox News Digital compiled the top five moments from Trump’s address, including Democratic protests, chants of “USA, USA, USA” and Trump revealing that a top terrorist has been apprehended. 

1.  Trump sets speech record while declaring ‘America is back’ 

Trump spoke for about an hour and 40 minutes, notching the longest address a president has delivered before a joint session of Congress, according to the American Presidency Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara. The longest speech on record previously was held by former President Bill Clinton, when he spoke for one hour and 28 minutes during his State of the Union Address in 2000. 

“To my fellow citizens, America is back,” Trump declared at the start of his Tuesday speech. 

“Six weeks ago, I stood beneath the dome of this Capitol and proclaimed the dawn of the golden Age of America,” he said. “From that moment on, it has been nothing but swift and unrelenting action to usher in the greatest and most successful era in the history of our country. We have accomplished more in 43 days than most administrations accomplished in four years or eight years. And we are just getting started.” 

The audience broke out into chants of “USA, USA, USA” as Trump opened his speech by declaring “America is back,” 

Trump rattled off a handful of accomplishments since taking office, notably the Department of Government Efficiency’s work to stamp out government overspending, fraud and mismanagement, as well as securing the border and previewing how his tariff plans will lead to an economic “boom” for Americans. 

‘HE’S BACK’: TRUMP’S JOINT ADDRESS TO CONGRESS TO BE BLANKETED WITH 6-FIGURE AD BUY TOUTING TAX PLAN

“Every single day, we will stand up and we will fight, fight, fight for the country our citizens believe in and for the country people deserve,” Trump said in his conclusion. “My fellow Americans, get ready for an Incredible future, because the golden age of America has only just begun. It will be like nothing that has ever been seen before. Thank you. God bless you and God bless America.” 

2.  Sergeant-at-Arms escorts Rep. Al Green out, Democrats protest with signs

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson ordered the sergeant at arms to remove Democratic Texas Rep. Al Green after he repeatedly shouted during Trump’s opening remarks. 

“Members are engaging in willful and continuing breach of decorum, and the chair is prepared to direct the sergeant at arms to restore order to the joint session,” Johnson warned as a handful of Democrats disrupted Trump. 

“Mr. Green, take your seat,” he said, as Green continued shouting and shaking his cane at Trump. 

Rep. Al Green (D-TX)

Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) shouts out as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 2025, in Washington.  (Win McNamee/Pool via Reuters)

Johnson ordered the Sergeant-at-Arms to remove Green from the chamber. 

Green, one of Trump’s most vocal critics, already has filed impeachment articles against Trump over what he called “ethnic cleansing in Gaza.”

DEMOCRAT REMOVED FROM HOUSE CHAMBER AFTER DISRUPTING TRUMP’S SPEECH TO CONGRESS: ‘TAKE YOUR SEAT’

Some Democrats had warned their colleagues against protesting Trump ahead of the speech, with former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, for example, saying they should let him “stew in his own juice.”

U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez

Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.) holds a protest sign with fellow Democrats as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol on March 4, 2025, in Washington, DC.    (Win McNamee/Pool via Reuters)

Democrats, however, protested nonetheless, including remaining seated as Trump celebrated his policies, and held up signs reading “false,” “lies,” “Musk steals” and “Save Medicaid.” Some female Democratic lawmakers wore pink suits in protest of policies they claim are anti-woman, while other Democrats were heard jeering Trump throughout the speech. 

3.  Trump honors young women killed by illegal immigrants

Trump honored the lives of Laken Riley and Jocelyn Nungaray — who both were brutally killed by illegal immigrants under the Biden administration — including naming an animal refuge after Nungaray. 

“Alexis, I promised that we would always remember your daughter, your magnificent daughter,” Trump said while directing his attention to Jocelyn Nungaray’s mom, Alexis. “And earlier tonight I signed an order keeping my word to you. One thing I have learned about Jocelyn is that she loved animals so much. She loved nature. Across Galveston Bay, from where Jocelyn lived in Houston, you will find a magnificent National Wildlife Refuge. A pristine, peaceful, 34,000-acre sanctuary for all of God’s creatures on the edge of the Gulf of America.”

The 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray was sexually assaulted and murdered by strangulation when two illegal immigrants in their 20s allegedly lured the young girl under a bridge before killing her in June 2024. 

images of Jocelyn Nungaray

Jocelyn Nungaray, 12, was found strangled to death in a Houston creek in June 2024.  (Fox Houston courtesy of the Nungaray family)

“Her precious Jocelyn walked to a nearby convenience store,” Trump said. “She was kidnaped, tied up, assaulted for two hours under a bridge and horrifically murdered. Arrested and charged with this heinous crime are two illegal alien monsters from Venezuela, released into America by the last administration through their ridiculous open border. The death of this beautiful 12-year-old girl, and the agony of her mother and family touched our entire nation greatly.”

Trump also celebrated the life of Laken Riley, who was 22 years old when she was discovered beaten to death by an illegal immigrant in 2024 after going for a run on the University of Georgia’s campus.

TRUMP HONORS LIVES OF LAKEN RILEY, JOCELYN NUNGARAY WHILE CELEBRATING STRIDES ON SECURING BORDER

“Laken was viciously attacked, assaulted, beaten, brutalized, and horrifically murdered,” Trump said during his speech. “Laken was stolen from us by a savage illegal alien.” 

Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law upon taking office for a second time in January, saying that the U.S. will never forget Riley through the law that directs Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain illegal immigrants arrested or charged with theft-related crimes, or those accused of assaulting a police officer. 

Laken Riley smiles wearing a brown top

Laken Riley, a nursing student at the University of Georgia, was found dead near a lake on campus on Feb. 22.  (Laken Riley/Facebook)

Trump declared during his speech that the U.S. “will never, ever forget our beautiful Laken Riley” through legislation he singed into law. 

“All three savages charged with Jocelyn and Laken’s murders were members of the Venezuelan prison gang, the toughest gang, they say, in the world known as Tren De Aragua,” Trump said. “Two weeks ago, I officially designated this gang, along with MS-13 and the bloodthirsty Mexican drug cartels, as foreign terrorist organizations.” 

“They are now officially in the same category as ISIS, and that’s not good for them,” he said. “Countless thousands of these terrorists were welcomed into the U.S by the Biden administration. But now, every last one will be rounded up and forcibly removed from our country. Or, if they’re too dangerous, put in jail, standing trial in this country, because we don’t want them to come back ever.”

4.  Trump reveals top terrorist behind Abbey Gate attack apprehended

Trump revealed during his speech that the top terrorist suspect behind the 2021 Abbey Gate attack in Afghanistan that killed 13 U.S. service members has been apprehended and headed towards the “swift sword of American justice.” 

“Tonight, I am pleased to announce that we have just apprehended the top terrorist responsible for that atrocity,” Trump revealed during his speech before a joint Congress. “And he is right now on his way here to face the swift sword of American justice.” 

TRUMP REVEALS TOP TERRORIST BEHIND ABBEY GATE ATTACK APPREHENDED, FACING ‘SWIFT SWORD OF AMERICAN JUSTICE’

The suspect was identified as Muhammed Sharifullah, Fox News confirmed. 

“And I want to thank, especially, the government of Pakistan for helping arrest this monster,” he said. “This was a very momentous day for those 13 families, who I actually got to know very well.” 

Donald Trump

Vice President JD Vance and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) applaud as President Donald Trump speaks during an address to a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber of the Capitol in Washington, March 4, 2025.  (Win McNamee/Pool/AFP)

The Biden administration’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan led to the deaths of 13 U.S. service members — eleven Marines, one Navy corpsman and one sailor — defending the Kabul airport, while hundreds of Americans and tens of thousands of Afghan allies were left in the country under Taliban rule. At least 170 Afghan civilians were injured in the attack, according to the U.S. military’s investigation of it. 

The families who lost loved ones during the botched withdrawal had previously and repeatedly slammed former President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris over their deaths, including the families saying the “administration killed my son” and that they “have not seen any support from you or your administration.”

Trump revealed he held a phone call with the families of those who were killed in Afghanistan, filling them in on the latest development, which he said brought them tears of joy. 

“I spoke to many of the parents and loved ones, and they’re all in our hearts tonight,” Trump said. “I spoke to them on the phone. We had a big call. Every one of them called. And everybody was on the line and they did nothing but cry with happiness. They were very happy. As happy as you can be under those circumstances. Their child, brother, sister, son, daughter was killed for no reason whatsoever,” he said. 

5.  13-year-old cancer survivor earns standing ovation as he becomes Secret Service agent 

DJ Daniel, a 13-year-old boy who survived cancer, stole the show Tuesday evening when the president introduced him to the audience and officially swore him in as a member of the Secret Service. 

“Joining us in the gallery tonight is a young man who truly loves our police,” Trump told the crowd. “His name is DJ Daniel is 13 years old, and he has always dreamed of becoming a police officer. But in 2018, D.J. was diagnosed with brain cancer. The doctors gave him five months at most to live. That was more than six years ago.”

13-YEAR-OLD CANCER SURVIVOR EARNS STANDING OVATION AS HE BECOMES SECRET SERVICE AGENT DURING TRUMP SPEECH 

Daniel received a standing ovation from a majority of the crowd, although some Democrats were seen sitting at various times while Trump was speaking about the 13-year-old.

DJ Daniel

13-year-old cancer survivor DJ Daniel was honored during Trump’s speech to Congress on Tuesday (Fox News)

Trump told the audience that Daniel and his dad, who was in attendance and held the young boy up to the cheering lawmakers, that they were on a “quest” to make his dream of becoming a police officer come true.

“Tonight, DJ, we’re going to do you the biggest honor of them all,” Trump said. “I am asking our new Secret Service Director, Sean Curran, to officially make you an agent of the United States.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Secret Service chief walked over to Daniel and presented him with a customized Secret Service badge, as the audience cheered. 

“Thank you, DJ,” Trump said after the crowd started chanting the young boy’s name.

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



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President Donald Trump says that wokeness is ‘trouble’ and makes vow to children


President Donald Trump proclaimed that “wokeness is gone” during his joint address to Congress Tuesday night.

Speaking to a bipartisan crowd in the U.S. Capitol building, Trump touted his administration’s early efforts to roll back “wokeness” in the U.S., taking aim at “gender-affirming” procedures for minors.

“I want Congress to pass a bill permanently banning and criminalizing sex changes on children, and forever,” Trump said during his speech. “Ending the lie that any child is trapped in the wrong body. This is a big lie. And now a message to every child in America is that you are perfect, exactly the way God made you.”

“Because we’re getting wokeness out of our schools and out of our military, and it’s already out and it’s out of our society,” he continued. “We don’t want it. Wokeness is trouble. Wokeness is bad. It’s gone.”

TRUMP’S ELECTION COULD EXPOSE NAMES IN JEFFREY EPSTEIN’S ‘BLACK BOOK’

Donald Trump addresses Congress

President Donald Trump arrives to address a joint session of Congress at the Capitol on March 04, 2025, in Washington. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., and Vice President JD Vance applaud behind him. (Win McNamee/Pool via REUTERS)

Trump’s comments come over a month after he signed an executive order to restrict “chemical and surgical” sex-change procedures for minors. 

“Across the country today, medical professionals are maiming and sterilizing a growing number of impressionable children under the radical and false claim that adults can change a child’s sex through a series of irreversible medical interventions,” the order, entitled “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” stated. 

“This dangerous trend will be a stain on our Nation’s history, and it must end.”

PEDO ACT: LAWMAKER MOVES TO PROTECT EPSTEIN FILES, ACCUSES ‘CERTAIN FBI AGENTS’ OF TRYING TO DESTROY DOCS

Trump speaks

President Donald Trump makes an announcement about an investment from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, March 3, 2025. (Leah Millis/Reuters)

Though Trump’s order has been resisted by hospitals and medical practitioners in Democratic-run areas, other hospitals have begun to comply with the order.

In February, the University of Virginia Health Hospital announced it would begin to stop providing transgender treatments to new patients as young as 11 years old. 

“Common sense and medical ethics have prevailed,” Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, R-Va., wrote in a post on X at the time.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters West Palm Beach

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters upon arrival in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., February 16, 2025. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

“I’m grateful to the University of Virginia Board of Visitors for its action today to stop harmful transgender treatments for minors and to transfer existing patients to other providers,” the governor added.

Fox News Digital’s Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.



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Social media explodes after Dems do not stand for 13-year-old cancer survivor


Most Democrats appeared to remain sitting as a 13-year-old brain cancer survivor was asked to be made an honorary Secret Service agent, which led to swift criticism on X Tuesday night.

“A terminally ill child with brain cancer is given an honorary Secret Service award and the Democrats refuse to stand or clap for the child,” Trump administration official Ric Grennell tweeted regarding the interaction between the 13-year-old and the president. 

“Democrats refused to stand for the brain cancer surviving kid! How awful can one party be?” Outkick founder Clay Travis tweeted.

TRUMP INTRODUCES ELON MUSK TO GOP OVATION BEFORE RATTLING OFF SEVERAL DOGE VICTORIES: ‘WE APPRECIATE IT’

DJ Daniel

13-year-old cancer survivor DJ Daniel was honored during Trump’s speech to Congress on Tuesday (Fox News)

“Democrats didn’t even stand for the boy who survived brain cancer,” Republican activist Scott Pressler posted on X.

“Democrats refused to stand or clap for a little boy fighting cancer,” Libs of TikTok posted on X. “Truly sick people.”

“Can’t believe the lousy Democrats can’t even applaud a little boy with brain cancer or a Kennedy who wants to Make America Healthy Again,” New York Post columnist Miranda Devine posted on X.

However, others highlighted the overall importance of the moment. 

“This is the first time I can remember crying during a state of the union. Thank you President Trump,” Meghan McCain posted. “This is so beautiful. Anyone who has been impacted by brain cancer knows how special this is.” 

DEMOCRAT REMOVED FROM HOUSE CHAMBER AFTER DISRUPTING TRUMP’S SPEECH TO CONGRESS: ‘TAKE YOUR SEAT’

U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez

WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 04: U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) holds a protest sign with fellow Democrats as U.S. President Donald Trump address a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 04, 2025 in Washington, DC.   (Win McNamee/Pool via REUTERS)

McCain’s father, the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., died of brain cancer in 2018. 

Others explained why they were skeptical of the interaction. 

“Trump is using a kid who had brain cancer as a prop. He wants to be a cop so he made him an honorary member of the secret service,” liberal commentator Kyle Kulinski posted to X.

SOCIAL MEDIA ERUPTS AFTER HOUSE DEM AL GREEN INTERRUPTED TRUMP’S ADDRESS: ‘EMBARRASSING THEMSELVES’

Donald Trump addresses Congress

WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 04: U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to address a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 04, 2025 in Washington, DC. U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Vice President JD Vance applaud behind him. (Win McNamee/Pool via REUTERS)

Some Democrats protested at the start of Trump’s speech on Tuesday night, which even led to the removal of Rep. Al Green by the Sergeant of Arms at the request of House Speaker Mike Johnson. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-V.T., also exited the speech early. 



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‘Would have lost us the Cold War’: Slotkin blasts Trump’s foreign policy in response to Congress address


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Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., blasted President Donald Trump’s foreign policy agenda Tuesday after the president addressed Congress, claiming that Trump would have lost the Cold War if he’d been president in the 1980s. 

Slotkin’s remarks come after Trump delivered an address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday in a speech similar to the annual State of the Union, where he declared that “America is back” and that the “American dream is surging.” 

“We all want an end to the war in Ukraine, but Reagan understood that true strength required America to combine our military and economic might with moral clarity,” said Slotkin, who was tapped to deliver the official Democratic Party response to Trump’s address. “As a Cold War kid, I’m thankful it was Reagan and not Trump in office in the 1980s. Trump would have lost us the Cold War.”

TRUMP PROMISES ‘THIS WILL BE OUR GREATEST ERA’ IN JOINT ADDRESS TO CONGRESS 

Trump address

President Donald Trump addressed members of Congress, March 5, 2025, where he discussed plans to end the war in Ukraine.  (Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Slotkin zeroed in on Trump’s tense Friday exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, where Trump and Vice President JD Vance sparred with Zelenskyy over whether diplomacy was the best avenue to bring peace to end the conflict. 

Trump and Vance said Zelenskyy wasn’t grateful to the U.S., and the exchange stalled peace negotiations to end the war in Ukraine and put a pause on a rare-earth minerals deal between Washington and Kyiv.

However, Trump revealed in his speech to Congress Tuesday that Ukraine was ready to resume peace negotiations, and was ready to sign a minerals agreement that would allow the U.S. access to Ukraine’s minerals in exchange for U.S. support in the country. 

While Trump has touted he seeks to achieve peace through strength, a term coined by former President Ronald Reagan, Reagan must be “rolling in his grave” following the “spectacle” between Trump and Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, Slotkin said. 

Slotkin, a former CIA analyst who worked at the Pentagon and the White House under both the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations, also attacked the administration’s efforts to whittle down the federal government workforce. 

“The mindless firing of people who work to protect our nuclear weapons, keep our planes from crashing, and conduct the research that finds the cure for cancer — only to re-hire them two days later? No CEO in America could do that without being summarily fired,” Slotkin said. 

DEMOCRAT REMOVED FROM HOUSE CHAMBER AFTER DISRUPTING TRUMP’S SPEECH TO CONGRESS

Elissa Slotkin

Sen. Elissa Slotkin previously served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives before she became a member of the Senate in 2025.  (Reuters)

The Trump administration sent a memo in February instructing agencies across the federal government to launch plans for “large-scale reductions in force” and construct reorganization plans by mid-March. 

Slotkin did signal that Republicans and Democrats should work together on immigration, after Trump touted Tuesday that his administration has “launched the most sweeping border and immigration crackdown in American history.” 

“Every country deserves to know who and what is coming across its border. Period,” Slotkin said. “Democrats and Republicans should all be for that.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

On Tuesday, Trump said that he’d sent Congress a detailed funding request laying out how to eliminate threats and carry out the “largest deportation operation in American history,” and urged Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to pass such a measure so he could sign it into law quickly.

Slotkin also encouraged U.S. citizens to remain engaged and hold their elected officials accountable —  a task she described as “American as apple pie.” 

“Hold your elected officials, including me, accountable,” Slotkin said. “Watch how they’re voting. Go to town halls and demand they take action.”



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Trump tells high school senior of West Point acceptance during Tuesday speech


President Donald Trump made a high school senior’s dream come true during his speech to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday evening.

In a speech that focused on how hot topics across the country have impacted Americans personally, Trump began talking about Jason Hartley, whose dream is to “carry on the family legacy of service” by joining the U.S. military.

Hartley’s father, grandfather and great-grandfather all served the country in the military. His father, who died in August 2018, also worked as a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy.

His dream was to be accepted to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and, as a high school senior, Hartley had already applied for the prestigious school.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP DECLARES ‘AMERICA’S MOMENTUM IS BACK’ IN JOINT ADDRESS TO CONGRESS

Donald Trump addresses Congress

President Donald Trump told a high school senior during his joint address to Congress that his dream of attending West Point is coming true as his application has been accepted. (Win McNamee/Pool via REUTERS)

Trump bragged on Hartley during the speech, mentioning his accolades as a six-letter varsity athlete and a “brilliant student” with a 4.46 grade point average. Both feats were met with lots of applause from the chamber.

Trump’s praise for the teenager led to a very exciting announcement, where he let Hartley know his dream of attending West Point would be coming true.

“That’s a hard one to get into, but I am pleased to inform you that your application has been accepted,” Trump said, surprising Hartley and his mother.

jason hartley accepted to west point

Jason Hartley stands after President Donald Trump announced he has been admitted to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point during his joint address to Congress on Tuesday. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

In a touching moment of congratulations, Hartley was approached by D.J. Daniel, a 13-year-old cancer survivor and aspiring police officer who Trump had sworn in as an honorary Secret Service agent.

13-YEAR-OLD CANCER SURVIVOR EARNS STANDING OVATION AS HE BECOMES SECRET SERVICE AGENT DURING TRUMP SPEECH 

Daniel could be seen tapping Hartley on the shoulder and giving him a high five before returning to his seat a few feet away.

DJ Daniel

D.J. Daniel, a 13-year-old brain cancer survivor and aspiring police officer, was honored during Trump’s speech to Congress on Tuesday by being sworn in as an honorary Secret Service agent. (Fox News)

Hartley and Daniel were just two of many everyday Americans that Trump honored during his speech Tuesday night.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

After the address was over, FOX News hosts deemed the moments involving the two young men as some of the best of the entire night.



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Trump honors lives of Laken Riley, Jocelyn Nungaray while celebrating strides on securing border


President Donald Trump honored the lives of Laken Riley and Jocelyn Nungaray, who were both brutally killed by illegal immigrants under the Biden administration, during his address to a joint Congress on Tuesday.

“All three savages charged with Jocelyn and Laken’s murders were members of the Venezuelan prison gang, the toughest gang, they say, in the world known as Tren De Aragua. Two weeks ago, I officially designated this gang, along with MS-13 and the bloodthirsty Mexican drug cartels, as foreign terrorist organizations,” Trump said. 

“They are now officially in the same category as ISIS, and that’s not good for them. Countless thousands of these terrorists were welcomed into the U.S by the Biden administration. But now, every last one will be rounded up and forcibly removed from our country. Or, if they’re too dangerous, put in jail, standing trial in this country, because we don’t want them to come back ever,” he said.

Trump declared during his speech that the U.S. “will never, ever forget our beautiful Laken Riley” through legislation he singed into law. 

TEXAS POLITICOS LAUNCH FULL-COURT PRESS AGAINST HARRIS AHEAD OF HER BORDER STATE CAMPAIGN RALLY: ‘APOLOGIZE’

Donald Trump addresses Congress

WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 04: U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to address a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 04, 2025 in Washington, DC. U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Vice President JD Vance applaud behind him. (Win McNamee/Pool via REUTERS)

“Laken was viciously attacked, assaulted. Beaten, brutalized, and horrifically murdered. Laken was stolen from us by a savage illegal alien,” Trump said during his speech. 

Georgia nursing student Laken Hope Riley, 22, was discovered beaten to death last year after going for a run on the University of Georgia’s campus. The Augusta University student crossed paths with an illegal immigrant, Jose Antonio Ibarra.

Ibarra, a Venezuelan national, entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and was granted border “parole,” which allows noncitizens to temporarily enter the country due to an emergency or humanitarian reason, authorities have said. Ibarra soon made his way up to New York City, where he was arrested in August and “charged with acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17 and a motor vehicle license violation,” according to ICE. 

TRUMP SIGNS LAKEN RILEY ACT INTO LAW AS FIRST LEGISLATIVE VICTORY IN NEW ADMINISTRATION

Trump continued that Ibarra “was arrested while trespassing across Biden’s open southern border.”

President Donald Trump signs the Laken Riley Act during in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump signs the Laken Riley Act during in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

“And then set loose into the United States under the heartless policies of that failed administration. It was indeed a failed administration. He had then been arrested and released in a Democrat run sanctuary city, a disaster, before ending the life of this beautiful young angel. With us this evening are Laken’s beloved mother, Alison, and her sister Lauren,” he said. 

Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law upon taking office for a second time in January, saying that the U.S. will never forget Riley through the law that directs Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain illegal immigrants arrested or charged with theft-related crimes, or those accused of assaulting a police officer. 

Laken Riley in a medical coat in a grassy field

Laken Riley poses for a photo posted to Facebook. Riley, a nursing student at the University of Georgia, was found dead near a lake on campus on Thursday, February 22, 2024. (Allyson Phillips/Facebook)

“Since taking office, my administration has launched the most sweeping border and immigration crackdown in American history. And we quickly achieved the lowest numbers of illegal border crossing ever recorded. … The media and our friends in the Democrat Party kept saying we needed new legislation. We must have legislation to secure the border. But it turned out that all we really needed was a new president,” he continued.

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

Trump also remember the life of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, who was sexually assaulted and murdered by strangulation when two illegal immigrants in their 20s allegedly lured the young girl under a bridge before killing her in June of 2024. 

images of Jocelyn Nungaray

Jocelyn Nungaray, 12, was found strangled to death in a Houston creek in June of this year. Venezuelan citizens Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, left, and Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel were charged her killing. (Fox Houston courtesy of the Nungaray family)

“Her precious Jocelyn walked to a nearby convenience store,” Trump said, speaking to the young girl’s mom, Alexis Nungaray. “She was kidnaped, tied up, assaulted for two hours under a bridge and horrifically murdered. Arrested and charged with this heinous crime are two illegal alien monsters from Venezuela, released into America by the last administration through their ridiculous open border. The death of this beautiful 12-year-old girl, and the agony of her mother and family touched our entire nation greatly.”

Trump said that he learned of the young girl’s love of nature while getting to know her family, and revealed that he renamed a wildlife refuge in Texas in honor of Jocelyn Nungaray.

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“Alexis, I promised that we would always remember your daughter, your magnificent daughter. And earlier tonight I signed an order keeping my word to you. One thing I have learned about Jocelyn is that she loved animals so much. She loved nature. Across Galveston Bay, from where Jocelyn lived in Houston, you will find a magnificent National Wildlife Refuge. A pristine, peaceful, 34,000-acre sanctuary for all of God’s creatures on the edge of the Gulf of America.”

“Alexis, moments ago, I formally renamed that refuge in loving memory of your beautiful daughter, Jocelyn,” he said. 

Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy contributed to this report. 



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Democrats slammed, praised for interrupting Trump’s address


Reactions poured in as Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, was removed from the House chamber for protesting in the middle of President Donald Trump’s address to Congress on Tuesday night. 

However, Green and other Democrats protesting were drowned out with chants of “USA” at the start of the president’s remarks. 

On social media, several conservatives slammed Green and the Democrats, saying their behavior was “out of control.”

“The Democrats are out of control. They are embarrassing themselves. Heckling the President, especially in a forum like this, is not how they will win,” former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer posted on X.

TRUMP DECLARES ‘AMERICA IS BACK’ IN SPEECH BEFORE CONGRESS

Donald Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump’s attends a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 4, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

“Al Green is a disgrace,” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., tweeted. “[Trump] won the election. #47.”

“Speaker Mike Johnson just ordered the Sergeant at Arms to forcibly remove Rep. Al Green for breaking rules of decorum in the House Chamber. Good for the Speaker. Al Green is a clown,” Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk posted on X.

“Rep. Al Green has been a gadfly his entire time in Congress. He purposefully disrupted in order to get removed… shameful conduct, but absolutely not surprising,” American Encore President Sean Noble stated on X.

“I am disgusted. This is disgusting behavior on the part of democrats,” Megan McCain, the daughter of the late Sen. John McCain, said on X. “Get a grip. You’re in congress.”

TUNE IN: LIVE COVERAGE OF TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS TUESDAY NIGHT ON FOX NEWS

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 04: U.S. President Donald Trump enters the U.S. House chamber before he addresses a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 04, 2025 in Washington, DC.     Win McNamee/Pool via REUTERS

WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 04: U.S. President Donald Trump enters the U.S. House chamber before he addresses a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 04, 2025 in Washington, DC.     Win McNamee/Pool via REUTERS

However, some believe that the Democratic congressman did the right thing. 

“Rep. Al Green is a goddamn hero,” progressive writer and former Hillary Clinton adviser Charlotte Clymer tweeted.

“If 77 year old Al Green can disrupt and be removed, then every single other Democrat had a duty to do so as well. Keep em coming,” Dear White Staffers, a popular far-left social media account, posted on X.

Speaker Mike Johnson asked the Sergeant at Arms to escort the Democrat out of the chamber, which was met with cheers from Republicans. Many of Green’s fellow Democrats remained seated as the interaction went on.

Green, one of Trump’s most vocal critics, has already filed impeachment articles against Trump over what he called “ethnic cleansing in Gaza.”

SCOOP: SPEAKER JOHNSON REVEALS GUEST LIST FOR TRUMP’S BIG SPEECH TUESDAY

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 04: U.S. Rep. Al Green (D-TX) is removed from the chamber as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 04, 2025 in Washington, DC.  

WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 04: U.S. Rep. Al Green (D-TX) is removed from the chamber as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 04, 2025 in Washington, DC.   (Win McNamee/Pool via REUTERS)

He was far from the only one making a statement on Tuesday night, as many of the Democratic women in the chamber wore pink in uniform, and Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., briefly held up a sign behind the president stating “This is not normal.” The sign was quickly taken away by Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Texas. 



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Guests of first couple heap praise on Trump policies ahead of address to Congress


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FIRST ON FOX: Guests attending President Donald Trump’s speech before Congress on Tuesday evening heaped praise on the 47th president and his policies in a video obtained by Fox News Digtial. 

“From the bottom of my absolute heart and my family’s heart, we truly appreciate everything that you’ve done for us, and it means absolutely the world to bring justice to my daughter, Jocelyn, and to every other family to not have to go through what we’re going through. On the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything,” Alexis Nungaray, the mom of Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old girl who was murdered by illegal immigrants said in the video, which was exclusively obtained by Fox Digital. 

“Thank you, President Trump, for giving me this opportunity to be a light for foster care community and the adoption community,” another woman, Haley Ferguson, a former foster child invited by the first lady, said in the video. 

MELANIA TRUMP SPEAKS ON CAPITOL HILL FOR FIRST TIME IN ROUNDTABLE FOCUSED ON PUNISHING REVENGE PORN

melania and donald trump

Former U.S. President Donald Trump and former first lady Melania Trump stand together during an event at his Mar-a-Lago home on November 15, 2022 in Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The first lady announced earlier Tuesday that she would bring 15 “everyday Americans” to Trump’s first address to Congress following his return to the White House in January. 

“These men, women, and families come from all different walks of life with incredible stories about the disaster wrought by the previous administration, and the historic achievements President Trump has already enacted to usher in the Golden Age of America,” the White House said in a statement announcing the guest list on Tuesday. 

Elliston Berry, one of the first lady’s guests, is a 15-year-old girl from Texas who was the victim of artificial intelligence-generated deepfake images that peers spread across social media. Berry joined the first lady on Capitol Hill on Monday, where she championed the passage of legislation that would make it a federal crime to publish, or threaten to publish, nonconsensual intimate imagery, including “digital forgeries” crafted by artificial intelligence.

Melania Trump

Francesca Mani and Elliston Berry join first lady Melania Trump to rally support for the Take It Down Act.  (Fox News )

MELANIA TRUMP ANNOUNCES RETURN OF WHITE HOUSE EASTER EGG ROLL

“Fear, shock and disgust were just some of the many emotions I felt,” Berry said during her appearance at a congressional roundtable on Monday. “I felt responsible and began to blame myself and was ashamed to tell my parents. Despite doing nothing wrong. As I attended school, I was scared of the reactions of someone or someone could could recreate these photos.”  

FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP ANNOUNCES REOPENING OF PUBLIC WHITE HOUSE TOURS

“We need to hold big tech accountable to take action,” the young girl added. “I came here today to not only promote this bill, but to fight for the freedom of so many survivors, millions of people, male, female, teenage children, kids all are affected by the rise of this image-based sexual abuse. This is unacceptable. The Take It Down act will give a voice to the victims and provide justice.” 

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The White House previously told Fox News Digital that “The Renewal of the American Dream” is the theme of the speech and will feature four main sections: accomplishments from Trump’s second term thus far at home and abroad; what the Trump administration has done for the economy; the president’s renewed push for Congress to pass additional funding for border security; and the president’s plans for peace around the globe.



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Republican lawmakers urge Trump to keep Ukraine mineral deal on the table


House Republicans said President Donald Trump should keep a proposed minerals deal with Ukraine on the table, despite the public Oval Office showdown with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Friday. 

“I hope that Zelenskyy will come back humbly to the president, thanking the president for being willing to engage (and) having those business interests,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital Tuesday. 

He added that it would have been a “really great” way for Ukraine to signal to Russia that America is on its side. 

“I hope we’ll go down that road,” Roy said of the proposed deal. 

GOP REBELS FIRE WARNING SHOT IN SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWN: NO DOGE, NO DEAL

Zelenskyy, Trump, mineral quarry

House Republicans said President Donald Trump should keep a proposed minerals deal with Ukraine on the table, despite the public Oval Office showdown with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Feb. 28, 2025.  (Reuters/Getty )

Trump and Vice President JD Vance’s Friday meeting with Zelenskyy at the White House was cut short after they publicly sparred over the effort to end the Ukraine-Russia war. 

An agreement that would give the U.S. access to Ukraine’s critical minerals in exchange for the financial support the U.S. has given Ukraine since 2022 and future investment in the country was left unsigned and Zelenskyy was asked by Trump to depart early. 

Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, said the deal should “absolutely” still be in consideration. He pointed out that the U.S.’s presence in Ukraine would deter “the threat of having attacks that we had three years ago. So it’s a win-win.”

SENATE BID TO PREVENT BOYS FROM PLAYING GIRLS’ SPORTS GETS STUCK ON FILIBUSTER

Trump and zelenskyy

President Donald Trump, center, and Vice President JD Vance, right, meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, left, in the Oval Office at the White House Feb. 28, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images)

“I think everything should be on the table. Right?” remarked House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn. “I’m very I was encouraged by President Zelenskyy’s move today to say everything he should have said last week when he was in the Oval Office. And I think that bodes well.” 

Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., agreed with his GOP colleagues that the deal shouldn’t be scrapped. 

“Donald Trump did the right things,” he said. “What Zelenskyy did to disrespect the president. Watch how he interrupted the president. Watch how he challenged the vice president. It’s unheard of.”

WHO IS ELISSA SLOTKIN, AND WHY DID DEMS CHOOSE HER FOR THE PARTY’S REBUTTAL TO TRUMP SPEECH?

Tom Emmer speaking

“I think everything should be on the table. Right?” remarked House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn.  (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Trump is “going to have to decide what he wants,” according to Norman. 

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., said, “I think that President Zelenskyy regrets not signing it and keeping his mouth shut.” 

House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., also said the deal should remain in consideration, “absolutely.”

“I think it’s a win-win for the Ukrainians,” he added. “I was very disappointed they didn’t take advantage of it.” 

FLASHBACK: DEM SENATOR EMBROILED IN CONFLICT OF INTEREST ROW TARGETED SCOTUS IN ETHICS CRUSADE

Zelenskyy

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said March 4, 2025, that Ukraine was “ready to come to the negotiating table.” (Getty Images)

In a new development, Zelenskyy addressed the contentious meeting once again Tuesday, and said Ukraine was “ready to come to the negotiating table.” 

He further remarked that the discussion with Trump and Vance “did not go the way it was supposed to be,” but Zelenskyy said “it is time to make things right.”

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“My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts,” he said in a lengthy statement on social media. 





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Conservatives flip script on Senate Dems pushing identical talking points against Trump


Conservatives on social media slammed Senate Democrats for posting videos with identical scripts ahead of President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress Tuesday night.

Mashups of the identical videos, which included Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., leading the “Sh– That Ain’t True” social media campaign, have gone viral on social media. Many conservatives on social media, including Elon Musk, are asking, “Who is writing the words that the puppets speak? That’s the real question.”

Senators Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., led the charge with their matching social media videos this morning. About two dozen Senate Democrats have since followed with their own identical posts. 

The video begins with a clip of Trump vowing to “bring prices down starting on day one” followed by a cut-in of the Senate Democrats saying: “Sh– That Ain’t True? That’s what you just heard.”

KAROLINE LEAVITT SENDS MESSAGE TO DEMS WHO MAY DISRUPT TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS

booker/schumer/warren

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., chair of the Senate Democrats’ Strategic Communications Committee, led the “Sh– That Ain’t True” social media campaign.  (Getty/Reuters)

TUNE IN: LIVE COVERAGE OF TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS TONIGHT ON FOX NEWS

“Since Day One of Donald Trump’s presidency, prices are up, not down. Inflation is getting worse, not better. Prices of groceries, gas, housing, rent, eggs – they’re all getting more expensive. Meanwhile, Donald Trump has done nothing to lower costs for you,” the Democrats said in near-perfect unison.

The social media campaign reflects the Democratic National Committee’s broader media strategy ahead of Trump’s joint address to Congress. The DNC directed Democrats to focus their message on the economy tonight, advising Democrats to tell voters that Trump is breaking his promise to lower prices and boost America’s economy while promoting his billionaire cabinet. 

REP. JASMINE CROCKETT CALLS PRESIDENT TRUMP AN ‘ENEMY TO THE UNITED STATES’

cory booker

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., speaks at a rally in support of USAID on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol Feb. 5, 2025. (Chip Somodevilla)

“The truth hurts sometimes. Donald Trump promised to lower prices ‘on day one’ of his presidency but has failed to do so. Instead, inflation has accelerated, costs are rising and Trump’s actions are making things worse. Democrats are highlighting Trump’s failures and speaking with a unified voice. And we’re grateful that Elon Musk lifted our voices higher,” a Booker spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“Every time Fox News plays this video, an angel gets its wings. We hope you will keep playing it,” a Schumer spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

“Democrats all spewing the same scripted talking points like robots,” conservative influencer Tim Pool posted on X. “This is extremely dangerous to our democracy.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

trump at CPAC

President Donald Trump gestures to the crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center Feb. 22, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Md.  (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

“These political dinosaurs need to realize that the propaganda that was once fed to various local news outlets doesn’t work in the era of X,” communications strategist Erica Knight posted on X. 

“Weird,” North Carolina Republican Congresswoman Virgina Foxx posted on X. 

Sen. Warren did not respond to a Fox News Digital media inquiry before publication.



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Lawmakers reveal top issues they want Trump to hammer home during joint address to Congress


WASHINGTON — Lawmakers on Capitol Hill who spoke to Fox News Digital revealed the issues they would like President Donald Trump to discuss during his address to Congress on Tuesday night.

Trump is scheduled to deliver a speech at 9 p.m. Tuesday to a joint session of Congress, meaning both members of the House and the Senate will convene at the U.S. Capitol to hear the president speak.

Democrat lawmakers said the president should focus on costs during the speech, and they hope he “keeps it short.”

“The economy, how we’re going to lower the cost of groceries,” Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., told Fox News Digital when asked what Trump should focus on.

TRUMP TO DELIVER FIRST ADDRESS OF HIS SECOND TERM TO JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS

Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., said he hopes Trump "keeps it short, because he tends to keep it long-winded."

Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., said he hopes Trump “keeps it short, because he tends to keep it long-winded.” (Fox News Digital)

TUNE IN: LIVE COVERAGE OF TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS TONIGHT ON FOX NEWS

“Actually doing something that is going to help lower the cost of living for the American people, something he promised to do, but since he’s become president, the cost of living has gone up for people,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass. “I hope he keeps it short, because he tends to keep it long-winded.”

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital that she had already heard the speech and that it is going to be “historic.”

Rep. Nancy Mace told Fox that she has heard Trump's speech and that it is "historic."

Rep. Nancy Mace told Fox that she has heard Trump’s speech and that it is “historic.” (Fox News Digital)

“I’ve heard the speech. It’s going to be incredible. It’s going to be epic. It’s going to be historic,” Mace told Fox. “You will laugh. You will cry. And you’ll question what the hell has been going on the last four years under the Joe Biden administration. The Democrats have lost their effing minds.”

Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., who voted to impeach Trump during his first term, said the president should focus on farmers, while Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., said the president should highlight “his vision for the country.”

Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., thinks the president should focus on the “promises made” and “promises kept” during his first month in the White House. 

PAYTON MCNABB, HS VOLLEYBALL PLAYER SEVERELY INJURED BY TRANS OPPONENT, TO BE AT TRUMP’S SPEECH TO CONGRESS

Rep. Russell Fry said the president should highlight "his vision for the country."

Rep. Russell Fry said the president should highlight “his vision for the country.” (Fox News Digital)

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said Democrats are “not working with us at all” but that Trump has “got a great track record to celebrate” during his speech.  

Roy said he hopes to hear Trump talk about “what he’s accomplished the past month,” specifically the issue at the border.

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Some Democrats, such as Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., said they will not attend the president’s speech, the first joint address of his second term.



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Florida Gov. DeSantis takes victory lap on Florida new laws enforcing Trump immigration crackdown


Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis says that when it comes to implementing President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, Florida is “rocking and rolling.”

Florida’s two-term conservative governor used a portion of his State of the State address on Tuesday to spotlight a sweeping package of immigration laws passed a few weeks ago during a special session of the GOP-dominated legislature.

“We are convening for the regular legislative session having already enacted groundbreaking legislation to fulfill the historic mission of delivering on President Donald Trump’s mandate to end the illegal immigration crisis once and for all,” DeSantis said in his address to lawmakers inside the state capitol in Tallahassee.

FLORIDA SHOWDOWN: GOP STATE LAWMAKERS DEFY DESANTIS OVER IMMIGRATION PUSH

Gov DeSantis

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis shakes hands with lawmakers as he enters the House chamber to address a joint session on the opening day of the 2025 legislative session, Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at the state capitol in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

And the governor touted that “no state has done more, and no state did it sooner than we did in Florida.”

Florida’s new measures stiffen immigration enforcement by state and local law enforcement. 

‘THANK YOU RON’ – TRUMP PRAISES DESANTIS IMMIGRATION PUSH IN FLORIDA 

“Thanks to the recent legislation, it is now a crime to enter Florida illegally, the days of catch and release are over, and all state and local law enforcement have a duty to assist in interior immigration enforcement efforts,” the governor emphasized.

DeSantis and other Florida leaders

Law enforcement officials look on as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a press conference on immigration enforcement, at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection hangar on Homestead Air Force Base, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Homestead, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

The new law also mandates the death penalty for immigrants in the U.S. without legal authorization who commit capital offenses such as first-degree murder or child rape. The legislation goes even further than a slew of executive orders signed by Trump since his return to the White House in late January.

Speaking with reporters following his speech, DeSantis described the new laws as “momentous immigration legislation” and touted that “we’ve gone so much faster than any other state.”

Florida State Capitol Building

The Florida State Capitol Building, as seen in Tallahassee, Florida.  (Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images)

The governor signed the immigration bills into law last month after a compromise with the Republican leaders of the legislature was brokered, which brought to an end a weekslong standoff over dueling bills.

DeSantis called the original special legislative session, but lawmakers quickly gaveled out and then held a separate special session, where they passed their own immigration bills, which the governor criticized.

DeSantis, reflecting Tuesday on the standoff with lawmakers, said “we got there. It wasn’t necessarily a straight shot, but we got there.”

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The governor, who waged a bitter and unsuccessful primary challenge against Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, was praised by the then-president-elect in January for calling the special session.

“Thank you Ron, hopefully other governors will follow!” Trump wrote in a social media post after DeSantis announced the special session.



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Federal judge reverses Trump firing of federal employees’ appeal board chairwoman


The former chairwoman of a little-known agency that hears appeals by fired or disciplined federal government employees has been ordered reinstated to her position by a federal judge.

Cathy Harris, a Democrat who led the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) until she was fired by President Donald Trump on Feb. 10, has been put back in her position after a judge issued a permanent injunction.

Harris had filed an appeal the day after her sacking, arguing that Trump and other federal officials did not have the authority to terminate her and that an email outlining her dismissal showed no reason for cause to terminate her. 

She cited the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1935 ruling in Humphrey’s Executor v. United States that has limited a president’s ability to fire certain agency heads. Some justices on today’s 6-3 conservative-majority court have signaled a willingness to rein in or perhaps overturn that ruling.

Trump and Cathy Harris

President Donald Trump and Cathy Harris (Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images, left, U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, right. )

TRUMP FIRES 17 GOVERNMENT WATCHDOGS AT VARIOUS FEDERAL AGENCIES

On Tuesday, U.S. District Court Rudolph Contreras of the District of Columbia agreed with Harris and wrote that federal law states that members of the MSPB may be removed from office “only for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.” 

Contreras wrote that President Donald Trump informed Harris that her position on the MSPB was “terminated, effective immediately,” but provided no reason for Harris’s termination.

Harris was appointed to the board in 2022 by former President Joe Biden for a 7-year term. The merit Systems Protection Board is the primary agency used by civil servants to file complaints within the federal government.

Trump named Henry Kerner, a Republican, as its acting chair upon returning to the White House on Jan. 20. 

donald trump

President Donald Trump fired Harris and did not provide a reason.  (Tierney L. Cross/Getty Images)

FEDERAL JUDGE HINTS SHE WILL CONTINUE BLOCKING TRUMP FROM FIRING HEAD OF WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION AGENCY

Contreras further ordered that Harris shall continue to serve as a member of the MSPB until her term expires, unless she is earlier removed for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office under that statute.

Contreras, who was nominated by President Barack Obama, a Democrat, and has served on the court since 2012, initially agreed on Feb. 18 to issue a temporary restraining order for Harris to continue chairing the three-member board until the court decides her case. After a hearing on Monday, the judge issued a permanent injunction extending that previous order.

“Harris has undoubtedly experienced an injury to this independence in her capacity as a member of the MSPB following the President’s attempt to terminate her without cause, and any future attempts would prove just as harmful to that autonomy,” the judge wrote.

“In addition, unlike most other federal employees, Harris was duly appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate to a position carrying a term of years with specific reasons for her removal.”

President Joe Biden

Harris was nominated by former President Biden. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

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The judge wrote that injunctive relief in this case is in the public interest, and the balance of the equities tips in Harris’s favor. 

“Given that federal law limits the conditions under which Harris’s tenure may be terminated, Supreme Court precedent supports the constitutionality of those conditions, and defendants do not argue that those conditions were met here, the court finds that it is in the public interest to issue injunctive relief,” the judge wrote.

Government attorneys had argued that the court didn’t have the authority to reinstate Harris or bar Trump from replacing her on the board.

“The American people elected President Trump to run the executive branch,” they wrote in court documents. “And President Trump has determined that keeping (Harris) in office no longer serves the best interests of the American people. That democratically accountable choice should be respected.”

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. 



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Mexico’s lawsuit against American gunmakers faces tough Supreme Court questions


The U.S. Supreme Court looked skeptically Tuesday at Mexico’s efforts to hold American gunmakers legally responsible for their weapons being smuggled in and contributing to that country’s drug cartel violence.

In a brisk 90-minute oral argument, the justices debated whether the production and sale of firearms in the United States is the “proximate cause” of alleged injuries to the Mexican government and its people, by somehow knowingly aiding and abetting illegal sales of guns to traffickers across the border.

The U.S. neighbor to the south, which has strict gun sale restrictions, argues it should be allowed to file a $10 billion civil suit in American courts.

DOD SENDS OVER 1,000 ADDITIONAL TROOPS TO HELP BOLSTER SOUTHERN BORDER EFFORTS

But weapons manufacturers say their “routine business practices” are being unfairly targeted, and strongly deny being aware their products have been illegally transported into Mexico.

Both sides of the bench asked tough questions.

“We know that a straw seller is going to sell to someone who is going to use the gun illegally, because if they weren’t, they wouldn’t use the straw purchaser, and that illegal conduct is going to cause harm, and harm like this that the gun is going to be used in some way to injure people, correct?” said Justice Sonia Sotomayor, summarizing Mexico’s legal position.

trump-sheinbaum-split

President Trump has imposed tariffs on Mexico, and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is working with the U.S. to take on cartels and fentanyl. Mexico has also launched a lawsuit to hold American gunmakers legally responsible for their weapons being smuggled into the country and contributing to cartel violence. (Reuters)

“Your theory of aiding and abetting liability would have destructive effects on the American economy,” said Justice Brett Kavanaugh. “Lots of sellers and manufacturers of ordinary products know that they’re going to be misused by some subset of people. They know that to a certainty, that it’s going to be pharmaceuticals, cars, what you can name, lots of products. So that’s a real concern.”

The case comes to the high court during a delicate time for both countries, politically and diplomatically.

The Trump administration has pushed the Mexican government to better patrol its border to block drugs and migrants from entering the United States, while Mexican officials have demanded the U.S. stop military-style firearms from ending up in Mexico – fueling the very drug crisis both sides seek to end.

The public session arguments provide a high-profile American forum for Mexico and its complaints about its northern neighbor, just as the U.S. on Tuesday launched historic tariffs on Mexican imports.

MEXICO’S PRESIDENT ON TRUMP TARIFFS: ‘NOBODY WINS’

The case could also affect the broader national debate over competing rights contained in the Second Amendment.

A 2005 federal law known as the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) was designed to shield gunmakers from civil suits when their products were criminally misused by others. But Mexico is relying on exceptions in the law to pursue its claims.

Families of gun violence, like the parents of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, have since still tried to file such claims, but this will be the first time the Supreme Court will rule on its limits.

Those families reached a $73 million out-of-court settlement with gunmaker Remington.

Mexico is arguing it should be allowed to file a $10 billion civil suit in American courts to hold American gun makers legally responsible for their weapons being smuggled into Mexico and used by drug cartels.

Remington rifles are displayed during the NRA annual meeting at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center on May 5, 2018, in Dallas, Texas. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Supporters of gun control argue a high court ruling against Mexico will make it harder for them to go after U.S. gunmakers when future mass shootings occur, if it can be proved they knowingly and foreseeably broke the law.

Gun rights groups counter that a lawful, heavily regulated industry should not be subject to liability for criminal acts committed by armed gangs in another country.

Known as the “Iron River,” anywhere from 200,000 to 500,000 American-made guns are illegally trafficked into Mexico each year, according to U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives estimates.

More than 70% of illegal guns seized in Mexico between 2013-18 were sold in the U.S., according to the Giffords Center for Violence Intervention, named after former Rep. Gabby Giffords, severely wounded in a Tucson, Arizona-area mass shooting in 2011.

Mexico has only one gun store – managed by the country’s military – with no private shops, gun shows or commercial manufacture of firearms.

Court records show only 3,215 private gun licenses were issued in the country for low-caliber weapons as of the year 2018, and that illegal possession was the third leading cause of criminal imprisonment.

Mexico is usually among the top three countries globally in annual gun deaths.

Cartel guns seized

Mexico’s complaint alleges that 2% of the guns manufactured in the United States are smuggled into Mexico. (Yuri Cortez/AFP via Getty Images)

Two weeks ago, the Trump administration designated six Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.

Much of the oral arguments centered on whether gunmakers could be sued on the “proximate case” standard, when the complex commerce pipeline goes from them to wholesalers, distributors, rogue retail dealers, straw purchasers, smugglers, and then to Mexican cartels themselves.

“You haven’t sued any of the retailers that were the most proximate cause of the harm,” Justice Amy Coney Barrett told Catherine Stetson, lawyer for Mexico. “And you haven’t identified them that I can tell in the complaint.”

“All of the things that you asked for in this lawsuit would amount to different kinds of regulatory constraints that I’m thinking Congress didn’t want the courts to be the ones to impose,” said Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, when it came to such remedies as gun distribution and marketing practices.

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But some on the court suggested the scope of the problem Mexico alleges has real consequences.

“The complaint says that 2% of the guns manufactured in the United States find their way into Mexico,” asked Chief Justice John Roberts of the gunmakers’ attorney Noel Francisco. “And I know you dispute that, but is there a number where your legal analysis might have to be altered – if it’s 10%, if it’s 20%? At some point, the proximate cause lines that you draw really can’t bear the weight of the ultimate result.”

The case is Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos (23-1141). A ruling is expected by late June.



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Reporter's Noteboook: Sorting it out



It’s a little hard to sort out.

Wait. The government runs out of money next week?

I thought the House and Senate just passed a budget?

When do the House and Senate vote on President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill?”

Doesn’t that address the debt ceiling?

I don’t blame you if it’s hard to follow. There are really four distinct issues with which Congress is grappling. So let me try to sort it out for you.

THEME OF TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS REVEALED

Let’s first explain government funding.

The deadline for Congress to avoid a government shutdown is 11:59:59 p.m. ET on Friday, March 14. The House and Senate must figure out how to either re-up all current funding at existing levels for a short time period – or face a shutdown. The other option – which is utterly unrealistic at this point – is for the House and Senate to pass all 12 of the annual spending bills which run the government. The House approved several of these last year, but the Senate hasn’t OK’d any of those bills.

Keep in mind, these are spending measures for fiscal year 2025. They were due Oct. 1, so both Democrats and Republicans have stumbled in this effort.

Congress finally approved a “skinny” stopgap spending package just before Christmas to keep the lights on. That was after adopting another interim measure to avoid a government shutdown last Oct. 1 – the start of fiscal year 2025.

What does all of this mean? Well, for starters, Congress is already running behind funding the government for fiscal year 2026 – which begins this coming Oct. 1. Lawmakers are trapped on a vicious treadmill. That’s because it’s been years since Congress finished its bills on time. Congress didn’t approve the final spending plan for fiscal year 2024 until April of last year, seven months and change after the deadline.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-LA, and President Donald Trump are signaling they’re good with another “year-long” Continuing Resolution, or CR in Congress-speak. That just renews the funding at existing levels through the fall. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., says to expect text of a CR over the weekend.

But some conservatives are opposed to all CRs. Military hawks have yet to weigh in on the consequences of a CR, but those who support the military generally hate them. The reason? The Pentagon consumes about 55% of all money that Congress appropriates to federal departments and agencies annually. So a CR is disproportionately damaging to the armed forces. No department likes to operate under a CR because spending doesn’t go up, but it’s particularly troubling for the military since it enjoys the largest slice of federal dollars doled out by Congress.

SEVERAL DEMOCRATS TO BOYCOTT TRUMP’S ‘PEP RALLY’ SPEECH TO CONGRESS

Funding the government is completely separate from what House and Senate Republicans prepped in late February: a budget. Yes, a “budget” may sound like the legislative vehicle to run the government, but it’s not. A “budget” is a general, non-binding blueprint which lays out the prospective expenditures for all federal programs. That includes “discretionary” spending – which is what Congress allocates to run the government each year – and “mandatory” spending. That includes dollars which lawmakers green-lighted at one point for Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Beneficiaries of those programs receive assistance based on qualifications. A big chunk of the mandatory spending pie includes interest on the debt. Congress doesn’t draw up a bill to alter this spending each year, but it could, and that’s where Republicans are eyeing cuts.

Note that entitlements and mandatory spending comprise about 65% of every dollar spent by the government. Earlier, I wrote about how the Pentagon consumes more than 50% of discretionary spending. That’s a pittance compared to what goes out the door for entitlements. And that’s why it’s such a challenge for Republicans to cut spending – and cut taxes – without blowing an even bigger hole in the already yawning deficit chasm.

But mechanically, here’s what must happen next.

The House and Senate approved different budget frameworks. The House plan went all the way with major spending cuts and a renewal of the 2017 Trump tax cuts. The Senate version was leaner – focused on border security.

Here’s the most important thing I will write in this column.

The only reason Republicans want to develop a budget blueprint is so they can sidestep a Senate filibuster when it comes to advancing their final piece of legislation. It’s about the math. Republicans only have 53 Senate seats. Sixty votes are required to overcome a filibuster. So while Republicans might be able to thread the needle and approve the plan with their narrow majority in the House, moving it through the Senate is tough.

Unless…

They can avoid a filibuster.

That’s why House and Senate Republicans prepared a budget framework. Then they have the opportunity to plop their final bill into the budget reconciliation vehicle and avoid a filibuster. Otherwise, the gig is up.

Still, there are lots of problems for the GOP.

In order to use budget reconciliation, the House and Senate must approve the SAME framework. That hasn’t happened yet. Then, via the budget reconciliation process, the House and Senate must align on the same bill.

There’s a lot of work ahead.

And don’t forget that a government shutdown could sidetrack or delay all of this.

That brings us to the debt ceiling.

First, let’s define the debt ceiling. It is a distinct issue from government funding and the budget frameworks lawmakers are now working on. The debt ceiling is simply a threshold as to how much red ink the federal government can carry at any one time. That figure is now around $36 trillion. A failure to address the debt ceiling could make the stock and bond markets go bonkers.

President Trump tried to get Congressional Republicans to shoehorn an increase or suspension of the debt ceiling into the CR to avoid a government shutdown last fall. The president parachuted this demand into talks to fund the government at the last minute – even though Johnson and others had not heard anything about that request until two days before the deadline.

It’s unclear whether the debt ceiling could wind up in a spending measure or attached to another piece of legislation in the next few months. Some Republicans have never voted for a debt ceiling increase. A successful increase of the debt limit will likely need the assistance of Democrats voting yea on the floor. The numbers won’t work out for House Republicans. Plus, Democrats would be necessary to break a filibuster on the plan, since Republicans only hold 53 Senate seats.

The government technically hit the debt ceiling in January. But via a mechanism the Treasury Department calls “extraordinary measures,” the government can delay an actual drop-dead date for a few months. That means the true debt ceiling deadline probably comes in April or May.

So there you have it. Four distinct fiscal issues facing Congress right now: government funding, a “budget” for the “reconciliation” process to avoid a filibuster, President Trump’s policy agenda, and a race to avoid a debt ceiling collision.

None are directly related, but yet all intertwined. The only thing Congress must do is fund the government and wrestle with the debt ceiling. And an imbroglio over those issues could sidetrack efforts to finalize the budget framework and move the president’s policy agenda.



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Where does Trump stand with Americans hours before his primetime speech to Congress?


President Donald Trump vows to “TELL IT LIKE IT IS” during his primetime address Tuesday to a joint session of Congress.

“TOMORROW NIGHT WILL BE BIG,” the president touted in a social media post on the eve of his first major speech to Congress during his second presidential administration.

Trump is expected to use the address — which Fox News was first to report will be themed, “The Renewal of the American Dream” — to showcase his avalanche of activity during his first six weeks in the White House.

“Best Opening Month of any President in history,” Trump wrote in a social media post last week, as he touted his accomplishments — some of them controversial — since his Jan. 20 inauguration.

TUNE IN: LIVE COVERAGE OF TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS TONIGHT ON FOX NEWS

President Donald Trump makes an economic announcement in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 3, 2025.

President Donald Trump makes an economic announcement in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 3, 2025. (REUTERS/Leah Millis)

However, the latest polls indicate Americans are divided on the job he has done so far.

Trump stands at 45% approval and 49% disapproval in one of those polls, according to a Marist College poll for PBS News and NPR. Additionally, a CNN survey, also conducted last week, put the president’s approval rating at 48%, with 52% disapproving. 

But Trump’s approval ratings were above water in other new polls, including one for CBS News that was also in the field in recent days and released over the weekend.

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With the president being a polarizing and larger-than-life politician, it is no surprise that the latest polls indicate a massive partisan divide over Trump’s performance. The surveys spotlight that the vast majority of Democrats give the president a big thumbs down, while Republicans overwhelmingly approve of the job he is doing in office.

While Americans are split on Trump’s performance, the approval ratings for his second term are an improvement from his first tour of duty, when he started 2017 in negative territory and remained underwater throughout his four-year tenure in the White House.

Trump at White House

President Donald Trump talks with reporters before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

One reason — Trump nowadays enjoys rock solid Republican support.

“He never had support among Democrats in the first administration, but he also had some trouble with Republicans,” Daron Shaw, a politics professor and chair at the University of Texas, noted.

Shaw, who serves as a member of the Fox News Decision Team and the Republican partner on the Fox News Poll, emphasized “that’s one acute difference between 2017 and 2025. The party’s completely solidified behind him.”

Trump has been moving at warp speed during his opening six weeks back in the White House with a flurry of executive orders and actions. His moves not only fulfilled some of his major campaign trail promises, but also allowed the returning president to flex his executive muscles, quickly put his stamp on the federal government, make major cuts to the federal workforce and also settle some long-standing grievances.

FIRST ON FOX: WHAT TRUMP WILL SAY IN HIS PRIMETIME SPEECH

Trump as of Tuesday had signed 82 executive orders since his inauguration, according to a count from Fox News, which far surpasses the rate of any recent presidential predecessors during their first weeks in office.

Trump and EO

President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House on Feb. 14, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Those moves include a high-profile crackdown on immigration, slapping steep tariffs on major trading partners, including Canada and Mexico, and freezing foreign aid to Ukraine.

TOP WILDEST MOMENTS FROM PRESIDENTIAL SPEECHES TO CONGRESS

“It’s been a flooding-of-the-zone here every day, often multiple times a day,” Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, told Fox News Digital. “We’re just seeing a lot of things happening with little time for the public to digest. The net effect of it all is there’s a sense, on the part of the public, that some things are moving just a little too fast.”

While an improvement over his first term, Trump’s approval ratings are lower six weeks into his presidency than any of his recent predecessors in the White House.

Shaw noted that neither Trump nor former President Joe Biden “started out with overwhelming approval. This is not like the honeymoon period that we historically expect presidents to enjoy….Historically, the other side gives you a little bit of leeway when you first come in. That just doesn’t happen anymore.”

Biden’s approval rating hovered in the low- to mid-50s during the first six months of his single term as president, with his disapproval in the upper 30s to the low- to mid-40s. 

However, Biden’s numbers sank into negative territory in the late summer and autumn of 2021, in the wake of his much-criticized handling of the turbulent U.S. exit from Afghanistan, and amid soaring inflation and a surge of migrants crossing into the U.S. along the nation’s southern border with Mexico.

Joe Biden

President Joe Biden speaks about his administration on Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Biden’s approval ratings stayed underwater throughout the rest of his presidency.

“He just got crippled and never recovered,” Shaw said of Biden.

An average of all the most recent national polls indicates that Trump’s approval ratings are just above water. However, Trump has seen his numbers edge down slightly since returning to the White House in late January, when an average of his polls indicated the president’s approval rating in the low 50s and his disapproval in the mid 40s.

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“The honeymoon is over, and he’s actually governing, and that typically does bring numbers down,” veteran political scientist Wayne Lesperance, the president of New Hampshire-based New England College, told Fox News Digital. “I expect the numbers to continue to slip as the changes in Washington really do begin to impact people’s everyday lives.”

Shaw noted that Trump’s “rating on the economy is about minus four, which is 25 points better than Biden. He’s above water on immigration. His best issue right now is crime. He’s plus ten on crime.”

However, Shaw emphasized that inflation, the issue that helped propel Trump back into the White House, remains critical to the president’s political fortunes.

“If prices remain high, he’s going to have trouble,” Shaw warned.



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Rep Darrell Issa nominates President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize


Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., announced Monday in a post on X that he was nominating President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.

“Today I will nominate @realDonaldTrump for the Nobel Peace Prize. No one deserves it more,” Issa declared in the tweet.

Fox News Digital reached out to Issa’s office on Tuesday to request a comment from the congressman regarding why he decided to nominate the president for the award.

TRUMP SAYS ZELENSKYY CAN ‘COME BACK WHEN HE IS READY FOR PEACE’ AFTER FIERY WHITE HOUSE EXCHANGE

Left: Rep. Darrell Issa; Right: President Donald Trump

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., announced that nominated President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. (Left: Andrew Harnik/Getty Image; Right: ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)

“Not since Ronald Reagan has an American president better represented the national resolve of peace through strength or the fundamental case for a world without war,” Issa said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“Remarkably, it was the 2024 election of Donald Trump – more than 10 weeks before his swearing in – that tangibly kickstarted the cause of peace in numerous regions of the world, and we are already seeing the benefits. I hope the Committee takes note of these extraordinary times and recognizes that President Trump ideally represents what the Nobel Peace Prize should stand for,” the lawmaker added.

President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, less than a year into his first term in office.

REP TENNEY NOMINATES TRUMP FOR NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FOR ‘HISTORIC’ ABRAHAM ACCORDS

President Donald Trump wearing a "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN" hat

President Donald Trump takes a question from a reporter before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on Feb. 28, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize last year.

“Donald Trump was instrumental in facilitating the first new peace agreements in the Middle East in almost 30 years,” the congresswoman said, according to a January 2024 press release.

Later in 2024, Tenney nominated Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for the prize.

NEW BILL THREATENS TO CRIPPLE ‘JUDICIAL TYRANNY’ FROM DERAILING TRUMP’S AGENDA AT EVERY TURN

Rep. Claudia Tenney

Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., speaks during a hearing with the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on Capitol Hill on June 12, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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She asserted that their “valiant work to combat terrorism and stand up to Islamist regimes has directly led to greater regional and global stability,” according to a December 2024 press release.



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Conservatives warn GOP leaders against hamstringing DOGE ahead of shutdown deadline


FIRST ON FOX: A group of conservative lawmakers in the House and Senate is warning Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., against agreeing to restrict the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in a spending bill as the government shutdown deadline of March 14 inches closer. 

“[W]e are deeply concerned about recent reports of Democrats’ demands for a government funding agreement that would perpetuate the unsustainable status quo of wasteful spending,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., wrote to the congressional leaders. 

“Any attempt to use government funding legislation to dilute the President’s constitutional authority to save taxpayer dollars must be rejected outright,” the lawmakers wrote.

WHO IS ELISSA SLOTKIN, AND WHY DID DEMS CHOOSE HER FOR THE PARTY’S REBUTTAL TO TRUMP SPEECH?

Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Mike Johnson, John Thune

Conservatives are urging GOP leadership not to agree to limiting DOGE in a spending bill. (Getty Images)

The correspondence was co-signed by 19 other Republicans: Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., Ted Budd, R-N.C., and Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, and Reps. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., Ralph Norman, R-S.C., Barry Moore, R-Ala., Clay Higgins, R-La., Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Brandon Gill, R-Texas, Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., Sheri Biggs, R-S.C., and Mark Harris, R-N.C.

Scott is the new chairman of the Republican Senate Steering Committee, a group of conservatives in the upper chamber that works to influence policy and priorities in their conference. 

FLASHBACK: DEM SENATOR EMBROILED IN CONFLICT OF INTEREST ROW TARGETED SCOTUS IN ETHICS CRUSADE

READ THE LETTER – APP USERS, CLICK HERE:

According to the sometimes rebellious group of Republicans, they “stand ready” to work with both House and Senate leadership to keep the government open. But, they made clear, “we will not support a government funding package that would be weaponized against President Trump at the very moment he is seeking to make good on the promises he made to the American people.”

Johnson’s office referred Fox News Digital to a recent appearance by the speaker on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” where he said, “Heading up to the March 14 deadline, we’ll have to probably pass a clean CR instead of separate [appropriations] bills. Why? Because the Democrats in Congress were trying to demand that as a condition of appropriations, that we would somehow tie the hands of the president, limit his authority, you know, put Elon Musk in a corner and take him off of his mission.”

“We’re not doing that. That’s a nonstarter, and Democrats know that, so I hope they’ll be reasonable,” he said.

Thune’s office declined to comment to Fox News Digital.

Last month, President Donald Trump sounded off on the shutdown deadline on Truth Social. “As usual, Sleepy Joe Biden left us a total MESS. The Budget from last YEAR is still not done. We are working very hard with the House and Senate to pass a clean, temporary government funding Bill (‘CR’) to the end of September. Let’s get it done!” he wrote. 

The House Freedom Caucus has at times weaponized the House’s razor-thin majority to push for more conservative positions in negotiations and legislative matters. In the Senate, members of the more covert Steering Committee have also banded together in the past against actions by GOP leadership that they didn’t agree with. 

‘UTTER DISASTER’: LINDSEY GRAHAM CALLS FOR ZELENSKYY RESIGNATION AFTER WHITE HOUSE THROWDOWN

Florida Sen Rick Scott

Scott was selected as the new steering chairman this Congress. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The deadline for a partial government shutdown is March 14, and Republicans and Democrats have yet to come to an agreement on a spending measure to avoid such a fate.

As Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s DOGE has aggressively tackled perceived waste and bloat in the federal government, Democrats have expressed outrage at widespread spending cuts and federal worker layoffs.

And now, with some leverage in the shutdown discussions, Democrats in Congress are demanding assurance that Trump spends the money as Congress has appropriated it, shielding it from DOGE.

SEE THE STAR-STUDDED LIST OF TRUMP ALLIES DESCENDING ON DC TO CHART FURTHER 100-DAY WINS

Representative Andy Harris, a Republican from Maryland, speaks during a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, Aug. 23, 2021.

Harris is chair of the Freedom Caucus. (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg)

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Sources familiar with previously told Fox News this could take form in a specific bill provision hamstringing DOGE.

In order to pass a spending bill to avoid a partial shutdown, Republicans will need some level of Democratic support. Sixty votes are needed in the Senate, meaning at least seven Democrats will need to cross the aisle, provided that all Republicans also support it. Only a majority is needed in the House, but full Republican support of any bill is not guaranteed.





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EU weighs $840 billion plan to ‘rearm Europe’ after US pauses Ukraine aid


The European Union has a new plan to spend $840 billion more on its own defense after President Donald Trump paused aid to Ukraine and peace negotiations hit a wall.

“I do not need to describe the grave nature of the threats that we face, or the devastating consequences that we will have to endure if those threats would come to pass,” EU Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen told reporters on Tuesday. 

She said she had written a letter to the heads of state of all European governments outlining a “set of proposals” to “rearm Europe.” 

“A new era is upon us,” von der Leyen wrote in the letter. 

The plan details “how to use all the financial levers at our disposal in order to help member states to quickly and significantly increase expenditures in defense capabilities, urgently now, but also over [a] longer period of time, over this decade.” 

EUROPE MUST LEAD ON UKRAINIAN SECURITY GUARANTEES, GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS: ‘WE ARE THE NEIGHBORS’

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stands in front of the European Union flag, her head wreathed in its stars.

“I do not need to describe the grave nature of the threats that we face,” said EU Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

Countries in the EU would have access to loans of up to $158 billion for defense investment, according to the proposal. It also calls for relaxing strict debt ceilings agreed to by the bloc for defense spending. 

“This will allow member states to significantly increase their defense expenditures without triggering the excessive deficit procedure,” she said, referring to the rule that requires nations to bring their deficits down if they breach a certain amount. 

The proposal also involves using the existing EU budget to “direct more funds towards defense-related investments.”

“With this equipment, member states can massively step up their support to Ukraine. So, immediate military equipment for Ukraine,” she said.

The new defense plan comes as Washington recalibrates its relationship with Europe, and conservative Republicans push Trump to lead efforts to pull the U.S. out of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). 

European leaders held an emergency summit over the weekend in London to discuss how to support Ukraine after the Oval Office meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy brought peace negotiations to an abrupt halt. 

At that summit, European leaders discussed ways to keep military aid flowing, increase economic pressure on Russia, and establish a “coalition of the willing” of European nations ready to offer forces to act as a safeguard against another invasion by Russia once the two sides reach a peace agreement. 

EUROPEAN LEADERS ON EDGE AS PROSPECT LOOMS OF TRUMP PULLING 20K TROOPS FROM CONTINENT

Volodymyr Zelenskiy and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen

The EU proposal was put forth after Trump paused aid for Ukraine. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters/files)

“This is a moment for Europe, and we are ready to step up,” said von der Leyen. 

Even France’s Marine Le Pen, leader of the conservative National Rally party, called the U.S. action a form of “brutality.” 

“I consider the brutality of this decision to be reprehensible,” she said of the move to pause aid. 

“It is very cruel for Ukrainian soldiers engaged in a patriotic defense of their country,” she insisted, adding that it was “very questionable” not to give the Ukrainians a warning before doing so. 

Ammunition for a howitzer is seen during training at a German army base on a NATO media day

Von der Leyen called for close to $1 trillion more to be invested in Europe’s defense. (Reuters/Fabian Bimmer/File Photo)

The temporary pause will apply to all U.S. military aid not yet in Ukraine. It is expected to last until the White House determines that Zelenskyy is committed to peace talks.

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“We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution,” a White House official said.

After President Joe Biden shipped over a $500 million aid package on his way out the door in January, some $3.86 billion from previously approved aid packages remains, a defense official told Fox News Digital, including Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) and anti-tank weapons and thousands of artillery rounds and armored vehicles. 



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