NationalWatch

President Biden’s re-election campaign isn’t revealing the names of any donors who attended its star-studded fundraiser in New York City with Biden and former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. 

A Thursday evening fundraiser with the three presidents pulled in over $26 million, according to Biden’s campaign. 

“An Evening with President Biden and Presidents Obama and Clinton” was held at Radio City Music Hall and was sold out, per the campaign, welcoming more than 5,000 attendees. Those at the function included a combination of small grassroots donors, who entered into a contest, all the way up to some of the campaign’s highest donors and bundlers, a senior Biden adviser said.

However, Biden’s team refused to divulge the names of any financial supporters at the glamorous event when requested by Fox News Digital. 

TRUMP AIMS TO TROUNCE BIDEN’S RECORD $26 MILLION HAUL AT UPCOMING FLORIDA FUNDRAISER: ‘WE FEEL REALLY GOOD’

Biden was criticized for the glamorous fundraiser. (REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

A senior adviser for the reelection effort said they do not routinely make the names of their donors public. 

AXELROD ADMITS BIDEN FUNDRAISER LOOKS BAD RAISING HUGE CASH AMID LEFT-WING PROTESTS

While Biden participated in the event moderated by late-night TV host Stephen Colbert, former President Trump attended a wake for New York police officer Jonathan Diller, who was killed in the line of duty. 

Trump paid his respects to Diller’s family Thursday evening. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)

Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung told Fox News Digital in a statement, “President Trump honored the life and legacy of Officer Diller and paid respects to his family, friends, and the NYPD for their terrible loss.”

“Meanwhile, the Three Stooges—Biden, Obama, and Clinton—were at a glitzy fundraiser in the city with their elitist, out-of-touch celebrity benefactors,” he added. 

Biden’s high-raising night included a program hosted by actress Mindy Kaling and performances from Queen Latifah, Lizzo, Ben Platt, Cynthia Erivo, and Lea Michele. 

First Lady Jill Biden introduced the main event and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., each gave remarks. 

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The two events, both in New York, were quickly contrasted on social media. 

The Republican National Committee (RNC) posted screenshots of headlines detailing each president’s Thursday activities, writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, “Today in New York, President Trump visits with a grieving family. Joe Biden parties.”

“Both Presidential candidates will be in New York City today,” noted Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., on X. “President Trump will be attending the funeral of a heroic NYPD officer who was tragically killed. Joe Biden will be skipping the funeral to attend a globalist fundraiser with Obama and Clinton.”

The Trump-aligned Indiana lawmaker is running for Senate in November. 

FORMER US SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN TO BE HONORED WITH FUNERAL SERVICE IN HIS HOMETOWN OF STAMFORD

Diller was killed during a routine traffic stop. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)

Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, similarly remarked on the starkly differing events attended by the 2024 competitors. According to the senator, Biden promotes “a culture that places criminals above victims and predators over cops.”

But, “Donald Trump offers a different path,” he said. 

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Republican strategist Doug Kochel told Fox News Digital the move was a “smart play by Team Trump.”

Biden’s fundraiser took place the same night as Diller’s memorial.  (REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz)

“With all his challenges and tendency to go off script and say crazy things, Trump handles all these moments like a very smart executive producer,” he added. 

Even veteran Democratic strategist and former senior adviser to Obama, David Axelrod, granted that the two competing occasions didn’t look good for Biden.

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However, fellow Democratic strategist Max Burns slammed the comparison from Trump’s campaign as “sadly predictable.” He further claimed, “Trump will be using every trick in the book to distract from President Biden’s record-breaking $26 million fundraising haul, something Trump can’t even dream of achieving.” 

Representatives for Obama and Clinton did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication. 

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

FIRST ON FOX: Chinese migrants are making their way to the U.S. southern border in record numbers as part of a migration crisis of global proportions and are traveling through multiple countries to get there.

So far in federal fiscal year 2024, which began Oct. 1, 2023, there have been over 22,000 migrant encounters of Chinese nationals at the southern border. That’s on pace to exceed the 24,314 encountered in fiscal 2023. That was a massive increase from the 2,176 encountered in fiscal 2022 and 450 encountered in fiscal 2021.

Fox News spoke this month to a 36-year-old man from northern China who had traveled to Mexico with his wife and twin sons on their way to the U.S.

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

His Douyin account, the Chinese version of TikTok, shows his family in China on the way to the airport. He says he has collected information online about a way to travel to the U.S., including information on routes, border navigation and how to dispose of information so one’s origin cannot be traced. People “vlog” about their journey on Chinese social media apps to get in contact with other Chinese nationals in the U.S. who can help find them jobs and a place to live.

A Chinese migrant speaks to a border patrol officer before being processed after crossing the Rio Grande into the U.S.  (Brandon Bell)

He says they left China in January and have traveled from China to Thailand (with a transfer in Bahrain) then going through Morocco (with a transfer in Spain), Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and now into Mexico.

So far, they’ve spent nearly $17,000 to make their way to the U.S. and are using a mix of cash, bank cards and app-based payments. Unlike many migrants, who will pay smugglers to guide them, this migrant designed all the routes himself, including through dangerous rainforests. 

“The Mexican Immigration Bureau has been very strict these days,” he said. “Spending money may not solve the problem, but fortunately, I have two children, and they actually take much better care of children and women.”

CHINESE MIGRANTS POURING ACROSS SOUTHERN BORDER SPARK NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS

Some migrants have been pictured expressing support for President Biden, while Republicans have accused the administration of encouraging the flow with its reversal of Trump-era policies, a claim the administration has rejected. But the migrant Fox spoke to expressed indifference about who is running the country.

Migrants have different motivations for going to the U.S., some for more political or religious freedom, some because the U.S. offers benefits like health care, while others travel to America because they have lost faith in the Chinese economic recovery.

Migrants in line in Jacumba, Calif. Border authorities are contending with an influx of Chinese migrants in a key border sector. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

“No matter whether it is Trump or Biden, we just wanted to come to the United States. I am not worried about my legal identity problem, because as long as we arrive in the United States, there will always be a way to solve the identity problem. We want to go to the United States mainly for our children and to give them a better future.”

There are risks not only on the journey but even in China. One can be detained and fined nearly $1,500 for obtaining fraudulent travel documents.

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“My English is not very good, and I don’t know anyone in the United States. Once I get to the United States, I know I have to start all over again. But I want to live a good life in the future, and I want my children to be educated well. I strive to take root in the United States as soon as possible.”

Another migrant Fox spoke to was in his late 30s and had worked in the poultry business. Inspired by others who had moved to the U.S., he also flew to Ecuador via Thailand and then moved over to Mexico but was deported. He also believes Mexican authorities are targeting the Chinese.

He also didn’t express concern or interest in the U.S. political situation.

“I don’t care, I just want to make money, and the United States is the country to go,” he said. 

He also posted on Douyin, including about his experience of being removed from Mexico. In the comment sections of his videos, there were many comments suggesting he will be welcomed by the Chinese community in different locations. 

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China is one of more than 150 countries represented among migrants arriving at the southern border. Some officials and Republican lawmakers have raised concerns that single adults entering from the geopolitical foe could pose a national security threat.

“There have been numerous documented instances of Chinese nationals, at the direction of the CCP, engaging in espionage, stealing military and economic secrets,” a group of Republican senators warned last year.

Fox News staff contributed to this report.

Former President Donald Trump is aiming to break a brand-new fundraising record just set by President Biden.

Biden, in a fundraising appearance with former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall on Thursday night, hauled in over $26 million. 

The president’s re-election campaign called the money raised at the star-studded event — which set a record for a single fundraiser — “historic.”

The fundraising haul helped Biden boost his already massive cash advantage over Trump.

TRUMP AIMS TO LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD IN FUNDRAISING FIGHT WITH BIDEN

President Biden, center, flanked by former Presidents Barack Obama, left, and Bill Clinton, appears at a fundraising event at Radio City Music Hall  in New York on Thursday. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

But the former president is looking to rake in up to $33 million when he teams up with some of the wealthiest Republicans in the country at a April 6 fundraiser in Palm Beach, Florida. A source familiar with details of the fundraiser confirmed the dollar amount, which was first reported by the Financial Times.

Billionaire investor and hedge fund founder John Paulson is hosting the top-dollar fundraiser, which is the kickoff event for the recently formed Donald J. Trump National Committee.

The event will include major contributors, some of whom stayed on the sidelines or supported the former president’s rivals during the recently concluded primary season.

Among those listed as co-chairs of the fundraiser are hedge fund billionaire Robert Mercer and his daughter Rebekah Mercer. They were major boosters of Trump in 2016 but mostly sat out the former president’s 2020 re-election campaign.

FIRST ON FOX: DONALD TRUMP’S FUNDRAISING HAUL LAST MONTH

Also on the list of co-chairs are oil magnate Harold Hamm; hotelier and space entrepreneur Robert Bigelow; casino giant Steve Wynn; and Todd Ricketts, a co-owner of the Chicago Cubs, a member of the TD Ameritrade board of directors and former RNC finance chairman.

The “Inaugural Leadership Dinner” will be held at Paulson’s Palm Beach home, which isn’t far from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club and resort.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a Super Tuesday election night party at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on March 5. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The fundraiser is a further sign of the coalescing of much of the Republican donor class around Trump, now that he’s clinched the GOP nomination and is the party’s presumptive presidential nominee. A source in the former president’s political orbit called the fundraiser a “come home to Trump” moment.

Trump has long had strained relations with some in the Republican Party’s donor class, but he has worked hard in recent months to improve relations. He’s hosted some of these major contributors in recent weeks.

“There’s no question that most of the major donors who were with [Ron] DeSantis or [Nikki] Haley are coming on board and rallying around the president. I think everybody realizes what’s at stake in the 2024 elections,” Republican Jewish Coalition CEO Matt Brooks, who has close ties to the donor class, told Fox News.

One reason Trump faces such a large fundraising deficit to Biden is that the president has been able to raise money in conjunction with the Democratic National Committee and Democratic state parties across the country.

But a joint fundraising committee set up last week by the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee (RNC) will allow them to similarly coordinate among themselves and with state GOP chapters from coast to coast.

The committee was formed after the former president and his campaign team took control of the RNC and installed allies in the national party committee’s top leadership positions.

An RNC and Trump campaign official, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, on Thursday acknowledged that “we’ll never be able to raise dollar to dollar with Biden… but we’re going to have what we need to win.”

The official described the burgeoning Trump campaign-RNC fundraising effort as “impressive” and added that “we feel really good about where we’re going to be this time next month.”

Former President Donald Trump gestures to the crowd at a campaign rally in Vandalia, Ohio, on March 16. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

Biden’s campaign last week taunted Trump over the latest fundraising figures, which spotlighted the president’s formidable fundraising advantage.

“If Donald Trump put up these kinds of numbers on ‘The Apprentice,’ he’d fire himself,” Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler said in a statement. 

But next week’s Palm Beach gala will give Trump some fundraising news to showcase, after a slew of critical coverage spotlighting his cash hauls and the strain his multiple criminal and civil cases are putting on his campaign.

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Save America, the Trump-aligned political action committee that he’s been using to pay his legal bills, spent more than it raised last month, with nearly all the expenditures going to cover the former president’s legal costs.

But the Trump campaign says fundraising is soaring, with more than $1 million per day hauled in online the past six days and over $10.6 million brought in last week from nearly 300,000 digital donors.

“Donald Trump is a ratings and clicks juggernaut, so we have an ability to make use of earned media in a way that Biden cannot,” the campaign highlighted.

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

The Biden administration finalized long-awaited regulations targeting emissions generated from heavy-duty vehicles, including trucks and buses, the latest salvo in President Biden’s sweeping climate agenda.

The Environmental Protection Agency announced the new regulations Friday morning, and officials said they represent the strongest-ever greenhouse gas emissions standards of their kind. The rules will kick in beginning in 2026 for model year 2027 vehicles and progressively become more stringent through model year 2032, forcing a larger number of trucks and buses to be zero-emissions in that time frame.

“EPA’s standards complement President Biden’s unprecedented investment in our workers and communities to reduce harmful emissions, while strengthening our manufacturing capacity for the transportation technologies of the future,” said White House Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi. “By tackling pollution from heavy-duty vehicles, we can unlock extraordinary public health, climate, and economic gains.”

“In finalizing these emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles like trucks and buses, EPA is significantly cutting pollution from the hardest-working vehicles on the road,” said EPA Administrator Michael Regan. “Building on our recently finalized rule for light- and medium-duty vehicles, EPA’s strong and durable vehicle standards respond to the urgency of the climate crisis by making deep cuts in emissions from the transportation sector.”

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President Biden, left, and Environmental Protection Agency administrator Michael Regan. (Getty Images)

Overall, EPA said the aggressive standards will avoid a billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions and provide $13 billion in annualized net societal benefits related to public health, the climate and business savings. The agency claims that the regulations will set the heavy-duty vehicle industry on a “trajectory for sustained growth.”

The new regulations apply to short-haul and long-haul tractor-trailer trucks, in addition to vocational trucks like delivery vehicles, garbage trucks, school and public transit buses, concrete trucks and fire trucks. EPA previously projected that the standards could lead to 50% of vocational trucks, 35% of short-haul tractor-trailers and 25% of long-haul tractor-trailers produced in 2032 being electric.

Less than 1% of new truck sales in the U.S. are zero-emissions, according to the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association, which represents the world’s leading manufacturers of heavy-duty vehicles.

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“With the climate crisis underway and many of our communities facing unprecedented fires, droughts and floods, it’s crucial that truck manufacturers get into the fast lane with zero-emission trucks to deliver the climate, health, and economic benefits we deserve,” said Katherine Garcia, director of the Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All campaign.

Garcia and other environmental activists who lauded the regulations have for years called on the federal government to crack down on the trucking industry, pointing to its heavy carbon footprint. The transportation sector accounts for 29% of the nation’s total greenhouse gas emissions, and medium- and heavy-duty trucks account for 23% of those emissions, federal data shows.

Less than 1% of new truck sales in the U.S. are zero-emissions, according to the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association, which represents the world’s leading manufacturers of heavy-duty vehicles. (Graham Hughes/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

However, the announcement immediately received pushback from the trucking industry and energy producers, who argued that it would lead to higher costs for trucking companies. 

“Small business truckers, who happen to care about clean air for themselves and their kids as much as anyone, make up 96% of trucking,” said Todd Spencer, president of Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, an organization that represents more than 150,000 members across all 50 states and Canada. “Yet, this administration seems dead set on regulating every local mom-and-pop business out of existence with its flurry of unworkable environmental mandates.”

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In comments filed with the EPA last year, the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association warned that the administration had overestimated the nearer-term feasible market penetration and adoption rates of electric trucks, and the demand for them. 

‘This administration seems dead set on regulating every local mom-and-pop business out of existence with its flurry of unworkable environmental mandates,’ says Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association President Todd Spencer. (Getty Images)

In a joint statement, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers President and CEO Chet Thompson and American Petroleum Institute President and CEO Mike Sommers called on Congress to immediately overturn the regulations. They also said they were prepared to take the administration to court over the rule.

“This is yet another example of the Biden administration’s whole-of-government effort to eliminate choices for American consumers, businesses and industries,” Thompson and Sommers said. “There is significant uncertainty regarding the technological and infrastructure capability to comply with this rule, which may threaten the speed and cost of goods moving throughout the country.”

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The regulations are also sure to attract considerable criticism from Republican lawmakers, who have for months warned the Biden administration against targeting the heavy-duty vehicle industry. Last week, Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, said he would soon introduce a resolution to rescind the standards once they are finalized.

Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, is planning to introduce a resolution reversing the standards finalized Friday. (Brandon Bell-Pool/Getty Images)

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“In the midst of sustained, crippling inflation, President Biden is choosing to add more regulatory dead weight onto our economy and our critical supply chains,” Sullivan said. “Hard-working families across the country will pay the price if this rule is allowed to stand. The cost of this rule will be felt in the rising price of gas, bread, eggs and other life essentials.”

The final standards are somewhat less stringent than the first proposed standards in April 2023. They come one week after the EPA finalized its multi-pollutant emission standards for light- and medium-duty vehicles, the strongest of their kind to date.

Rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs, whose homes were raided this week as part of a federal human trafficking investigation, has been a staunch supporter of Democrats during his career.

Combs’ Los Angeles home was searched Monday by Homeland Security officials, and agents were also seen at his home in Miami. A U.S. official confirmed to Fox News that the raids were linked to a federal human trafficking investigation. 

Combs has leveraged his stardom and fame to back Democrats during his career, including President Biden during the 2020 elections, in what looked to be an attempt to persuade Black voters.

RAPPER SEAN ‘DIDDY’ COMBS’ HOMES RAIDED BY HOMELAND SECURITY

Sean “Diddy” Combs has previously thrown his support behind Democrats. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

Combs was part of a group of dozens of Black individuals who sent a letter to Biden in August 2020 urging him to select a Black vice presidential candidate, which appeared to reference reports that then-Sen. Kamala Harris was too “ambitious” to be his choice, The Hill reported.

“Was Joe Biden ever labeled ‘too ambitious’ because he ran for president three times? Should President Obama not have made him VP because he had to worry about his ‘loyalty’ when he clearly had AMBITIONS to be president himself?” the letter said. 

“Why does Senator Kamala Harris have to show remorse for questioning Biden’s previous stance on integrated busing during a Democratic primary debate?”

SEAN ‘DIDDY’ COMBS LAWSUIT NAMES 50 CENT’S EX-GIRLFRIEND AS ONE OF MUSIC MOGUL’S ALLEGED SEX WORKERS

Combs endorsed Biden in 2020. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

In October 2020, Variety reported that Combs endorsed Biden while saying he “played the game” by endorsing Democrats for their views in the past, but said problems persisted. 

He added that neither major political party has done enough for Black people and launched the so-called Our Black Party to bring Black voters behind a single agenda, the outlet reported.

Combs has also appeared to be friendly with former President Barack Obama. 

In 2004, he interviewed the then-Illinois state senator for MTV’s “Rock the Vote” campaign and later appeared friendly with him in pictures posted to social media.

“This week has been great,” Combs wrote in a September 2017 Facebook post showing a photo of him and Obama. “Shout out to the king Barack Obama!!! #BlackExcellence” 

Former President Barack Obama, left, and Combs in 2017. (Screenshot from Combs’ Facebook page)

Combs also said “white men like [Donald] Trump need to be banished” during a 2020 interview with Charlamagne tha God when he endorsed Biden’s candidacy, CNN reported. Trump has appeared in pictures alongside Combs in the past, primarily at public events.

On Tuesday, Combs’ lawyers said that the raids on his homes were “a gross use of military-level force” and maintained his innocence. 

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“Yesterday, there was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs’ residences,” attorney Aaron Dyer said in a statement. “There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated.”

Dyer said there has been “no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations” and called them a “witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits.”

A Pennsylvania federal appeals court has ruled that mail-in ballots received without accurate handwritten dates on the outside of envelopes are not valid, a ruling that will have a significant impact on this year’s elections in the key battleground state. 

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled 2-1 on Wednesday, overturning a lower court’s November decision.

The lower court had ruled that even without the proper dates, mail-in ballots should be counted if received on time. The court said that “trivial paperwork” errors disenfranchised voters and violated the Materiality Provision of the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964, which states that immaterial errors or omissions should not be used to prevent voting.

Former President Donald Trump has railed against mail-in ballots for years. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images, left, Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images, right.)

KEY ISSUES AHEAD OF PENNSYLVANIA’S GOP PRIMARY INCLUDE ELECTION INTEGRITY, MAIL-IN VOTING LAW

But in Wednesday’s federal appeals court’s opinion, Judge Thomas Ambro wrote that the state legislature passed law and had decided that mail-in voters must write the date on their envelopes to make their vote effective.

“The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania unanimously held this ballot-casting rule is mandatory; thus, failure to comply renders a ballot invalid under Pennsylvania law,” Ambro wrote.

The Materiality Provision “only applies when the State is determining who may vote,” Ambro wrote.

Under a state law passed in 2019, Pennsylvania voters must “fill out, date and sign the declaration printed on [the] envelope” before returning their ballot.

Proponents of mail-in ballots argue it makes voting more convenient, as well as being easier for senior citizens and people with disabilities to vote. However, some Republicans say that the process raises serious election integrity issues, while former President Donald Trump has blasted the system as “totally corrupt” and blames it, in part, for his 2020 election loss. 

In Pennsylvania, Democrats have been far more likely to vote by mail than Republicans.

Chester County election workers process mail-in and absentee ballots during the 2020 presidential election. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

AHEAD OF 2024 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, SWING STATE PENNSYLVANIA SETS UP ELECTION SECURITY TASK FORCE

“This is a crucial victory for election integrity and voter confidence in the Keystone State and nationwide,” Michael Whatley, the chair of the Republican National Committee said in a statement.

“Pennsylvanians deserve to feel confident in the security of their mail ballots, and this Third Circuit ruling roundly rejects unlawful left-wing attempts to count undated or incorrectly dated mail ballots.”

The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, which helped represent groups and voters who challenged the date mandate, said that voters will lose as a result of the ruling.

Michael Whatley, the chair of the Republican National Committee, welcomed the ruling.  (Robert Willett/The News & Observer/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

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“If this ruling stands, thousands of Pennsylvania voters could lose their vote over a meaningless paperwork error,” said Mike Lee, the executive director of the ACLU in Pennsylvania.

“The ballots in question in this case come from voters who are eligible and who met the submission deadline. In passing the Civil Rights Act, Congress put a guardrail in place to be sure that states don’t erect unnecessary barriers that disenfranchise voters. It’s unfortunate that the court failed to recognize that principle.”

In the 2022 midterms, more than 7,600 mailed ballots in 12 counties were tossed because their outer envelopes lacked dates or had incorrect dates, according to the decision.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

The White House is moving forward with its campaign to confirm judicial nominee Adeel Mangi and pushing back on claims that he is antisemitic or against law enforcement, despite several Democratic senators expressing concern over the nominee’s organizational ties and casting doubt on his chances of garnering enough votes. 

According to a White House official, Biden’s team is keeping the pressure on senators to confirm Mangi, who is nominated to serve on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, dismissing attacks on him as false. The official said those focused on lobbying senators to support the nominee are White House chief of staff Jeff Zients, White House Director of Legislative Affairs Shuwanza Goff, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of the Office of Legislative Affairs Ali Nouri, White House Counsel Ed Siskel, and White House senior counsel in charge of nominations Phil Brest.

Zients said in a statement to Fox News Digital, “Some Senate Republicans and their extreme allies are relentlessly smearing Adeel Mangi with baseless accusations that he is anti-police.”

President Biden, left, and Adeel Mangi. (Getty Images)

TRUMP CAMPAIGN REVEALS BATTLEGROUND PLANS AMID 2024 CONCERNS

“That could not be further from the truth and the close to a dozen law enforcement organizations that have endorsed him agree,” he said, pointing to several new endorsements of Mangi by three former attorneys general in New Jersey, two former U.S. attorneys who served in the state, the International Law Enforcement Officers Association, the Italian American Police Society of New Jersey and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives. 

“The Senate must confirm Mr. Mangi without further delay,” Zients said. 

DEMS TARGET FOUR COMPETITIVE HOUSE SEATS TO WRESTLE BACK MAJORITY FROM GOP

Chances of Mangi being confirmed have appeared grim in recent weeks as allegations of antisemitism have been spotlighted due to his previous role on the board of advisers for the Rutgers University Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR). The center has sponsored events, including one on the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, with controversial speakers like Hatem Bazian, who in 2004 called for an “Intifada,” according to video from an anti-war protest in San Francisco, and Sami Al-Arian, who in 2006 pleaded guilty to “conspiring to provide services to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad,” according to the Justice Department. 

The CSRR has also hosted an event with Noura Erakat, who had previously been advertised as a panelist for a separate event alongside Hamas commander Ghazi Hamad.

Mangi’s confirmation may not have enough votes to pass the Senate. (Getty Images )

Mangi has also been accused of being against law enforcement because of his role as a current advisory board member for the Alliance of Families for Justice (AFJ). The alliance’s founding board member, Kathy Boudin, pleaded guilty to the felony murder of two police officers in 1981 after they died during the robbery of an armored truck. The robbery was carried out by Boudin’s group, the Weather Underground Organization, which was recognized as a domestic terrorist organization by the FBI. 

Neither the CSRR nor AFJ provided comments to Fox News Digital. 

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital in a statement, “It is unsurprising that Mangi’s record has split Senate Democrats, and the White House should recognize their error, withdraw Mangi’s nomination, and instead nominate a candidate who can garner widespread bipartisan support.”

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said Mangi’s “well-known ties to this extreme organization that supports terrorists and cop killers makes him wholly unqualified to serve as an appellate judge.”

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Biden’s White House has previously hit back at criticism of Mangi, calling it a “malicious and debunked smear campaign” prompted by the nominee’s potential to become the first Muslim appellate judge. 

While Judiciary Republicans had already sounded alarm bells over Biden’s pick last year after probing Mangi about his connections to the groups, Democratic senators appeared likely to fall in line behind the president’s choice. 

However, after a recent report indicated Biden was being privately warned that Mangi may not have enough votes for confirmation, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., revealed she was one of the lawmakers to reach out to the White House with concerns. 

The senator previously confirmed her stance against the nominee to Fox News Digital, citing his connection to AFJ.

Several other Democratic senators recently refused to say whether they would support Mangi.

The office of Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., confirmed to Fox News Digital that he is also committed to voting against Biden’s pick. 

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., right, revealed she had concerns over Mangi’s nomination. (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images | Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images | Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Cortez Masto and Manchin were recently joined by Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., who said in a statement, “Given the concerns I’ve heard from law enforcement in Nevada, I am not planning to vote to confirm this nominee.”

Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP, the law firm at which Mangi is a partner, did not provide comment to Fox News Digital. 

The loss of any Democratic support is a concern for Mangi’s confirmation prospects, given the Senate’s close 51-49 split in favor of the Democratic caucus.

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Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., called on Biden last week to withdraw the nomination, and now Republicans are reinforcing their campaign against Mangi’s confirmation. 

“The White House can’t defend Adeel Mangi’s record. So, they’re launching personal attacks against anyone who notices the ties to cop-killers and antisemites that Mr. Mangi has forged of his own free will,” Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said in a statement. 

He added, “It’s not Islamophobic for senators to recognize” a nominee’s failure to meet qualifications. 

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., requested President Biden withdraw the nomination. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“Now even his own Democrat party is rebelling against [Biden],” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., remarked in a statement, attributing it to the president’s “push for radical, anti-Israel nominees.”

On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary GOP revealed three additional law enforcement groups were opposing Biden’s choice, bringing the total to 17. The Pennsylvania Fraternal Order of Police, Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 and Pennsylvania State Troopers Association penned a joint letter to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.; Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.; Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill.; Ranking Member Graham; and Pennsylvania Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman, who are both Democrats. 

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The court that Mangi has been nominated to serve on is located in Philadelphia. 

The Pennsylvania-based groups noted their letter is on behalf of over 40,000 members requesting that the Senate “reject the nomination” of Mangi, citing his AFJ affiliation. 

FIRST ON FOX: A group of 20 House Republicans is urging the Biden administration to roll back protections for the gray wolf, pointing to the species’ growing population size and conflicts with ranchers and farmers.

The GOP coalition, led by Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ore., argued in a letter to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Director Martha Williams that the gray wolf no longer needed to be listed under the Endangered Species Act. He wrote that “protection merely for the sake of protection” is not the purpose of the law. Instead, he encouraged the agency to focus its efforts on protecting species in danger of extinction.

“The substantial growth in the population of gray wolves throughout Oregon and the western United States poses significant challenges for ranchers, farmers, and outdoorsmen alike,” Bentz, who chairs the House Natural Resources Committee’s Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Subcommittee, told Fox News Digital in a statement.

“It’s imperative that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service promptly act to delist the gray wolf so that those in the western United States who are burdened by the reintroduction of an admittedly recovered apex predator species can protect themselves.”

BIDEN ADMIN ACCELERATES PLAN TO UNLEASH GRIZZLY BEARS NEAR RURAL COMMUNITY OVER WIDESPREAD LOCAL OPPOSITION

Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ore., is seen outside a meeting of the House Republican Conference in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 3, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Bentz and his 19 fellow Republicans said the resurgence of the gray wolf population should be touted as a success story of the Endangered Species Act. They argued that removing the federal protections would allow western states to pursue their own protections.

And they emphasized that without a FWS rule delisting the species, the growing population of wolves would create significant, and sometimes life-threatening, conflicts for Americans. Under the Endangered Species Act, killing listed animals can be punishable by heavy fines and even jail time. 

BIDEN ADMIN BACKS OFF PROTECTIONS FOR APEX PREDATOR, ANGERING ENVIRONMENTALISTS

“Unsurprisingly, the substantial growth in gray wolf populations has led to increased conflict between wolves and people,” the letter reads. “The impact of gray wolves on livestock herds is not, and cannot, be limited to just depredation. Wolves inflict much greater damage to herds than can be measured by simply counting carcasses.

Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams was sworn in to lead the agency in March 2022. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

“Wolves have an immense psychological impact on livestock herds that does result in losses for producers. These losses can manifest as ‘stress, sickness, and reduced weight gain and pregnancy rates when wolves scare, chase or attack livestock.’ Too often ranchers are put in the impossible situation of choosing between obeying the law and protecting their livelihoods.”

SENATE STRIKES DOWN BIDEN MOVE ALLOWING POTENTIALLY DISEASED BEEF INTO US

The letter concluded by stating that ranchers “must be able to protect their livestock” and should not “be hamstrung by unnecessary regulations that over-protect a species that is thriving.”

Republicans and cattle rancher groups have argued the gray wolf has fully recovered and is no longer threatened, and are urging the Biden administration to roll back protections. (Getty Images)

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In 2020, the Trump administration agreed that gray wolves had fully recovered and, as such, delisted them as “endangered.” Then-Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said at the time that the species was neither threatened nor endangered, based on the provisions of the Endangered Species Act.

In early 2022, though, a federal district court reinstated the Endangered Species Act protections in the lower 48 states.

And, in a separate but related decision last month, the FWS declined to list the gray wolf in the Northern Rocky Mountains’ ecosystem over objections from environmentalists. Bentz and the other GOP lawmakers said that decision means the species should be delisted across the country.

Calls placed to the FWS were not returned at press time. 

Former President Donald Trump attended the wake of slain NYPD officer Jonathan Diller on Thursday afternoon at a Massapequa Park funeral home, while calling for law and order. 

“Such a sad, sad event. Such a horrible thing. And it’s happening all too often and we’re just not going to let it happen,” Trump said. 

“We need law and order,” he added. 

Diller was fatally shot on Monday during a traffic stop in Queens after a man with 21 prior arrests allegedly shot him in the stomach as Diller was trying to get the suspect, Guy Rivera, 34, to exit the vehicle. Rivera opened fire on Diller and his partner at about 5:45 p.m. Monday. The officers approached the vehicle because it was illegally parked at a bus stop. 

Diller was 31 years old and lived in Massapequa Park with his wife and nearly 1-year-old son, Fox News Digital previously reported. He had served three years with the NYPD before his death. 

Former President Donald Trump speaks while attending the wake of NYPD officer Jonathan Diller at Massapequa Funeral Home in Long Island, New York on Thursday, March 28, 2024. Diller, a three-year NYPD veteran, was killed during a traffic stop earlier this week. (Probe-Media for Fox News Digital)

JONATHAN DILLER SHOOTING: NYPD SERGEANTS’ UNION TELLS ANTI-POLICE DEMOCRATS TO STAY AWAY FROM FUNERAL

The Trump campaign first announced Wednesday that the 45th president would attend the wake. New York City Mayor Eric Adams was anticipated to also attend the wake following Trump. 

“President Trump is moved by the invitation to join NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller’s family and colleagues as they deal with his senseless and tragic death,” Karoline Leavitt, the campaign’s spokeswoman, said. 

NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller is survived by his wife and their nearly 1-year-old son.  (NYPD)

Trump has railed against cities’ crime rates under the Biden administration, including last month in remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference. 

SUSPECTS IN SHOOTING DEATH OF NYPD OFFICER JONATHAN DILLER IDENTIFIED, HAVE LENGTHY RECORDS

“Four years ago, I told you that if crooked Joe Biden got to the White House, our borders would be abolished, our middle class would be decimated and our communities would be plagued by bloodshed, chaos and violent crime,” Trump said last month. “We were right about everything.”

Former President Donald Trump speaks while attending the wake of NYPD officer Jonathan Diller at Massapequa Funeral Home in Long Island, New York on Thursday, March 28, 2024. Diller, a three-year NYPD veteran, was killed during a traffic stop earlier this week. (Probe-Media for Fox News Digital)

He told the New York Post in a recent interview that the “radical lunatic left” is ruining cities and preventing police officers from doing their jobs. 

NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller, 31, was the father of a 1-year-old boy. A violent ex-con has been accused of fatally shooting him during a stop earlier this week. (Tunnel to Towers Foundation)

Rivera, who was sitting in the passenger’s seat, was injured when the officers returned fire. He was charged with first degree murder of a police officer, attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon in the case, police announced this week. 

Another man who was in the vehicle at the time of Diller’s death, Lindy Jones, was also charged following the death, including for criminal possession of a weapon and defacing a weapon.

Former President Donald Trump speaks while attending the wake of NYPD officer Jonathan Diller at Massapequa Funeral Home in Long Island, New York on Thursday, March 28, 2024. Diller, a three-year NYPD veteran, was killed during a traffic stop earlier this week. (Probe-Media for Fox News Digital)

“We just can’t 21 times arrested this thug. And the person in the car with him was arrested many times and they don’t learn because they don’t respect. … And this should never happen. I just visited with a very beautiful wife that now doesn’t have her husband. Stephanie was just incredible. Their child, brand new, beautiful, baby. Sitting there innocent,” Trump said Thursday. 

Leavitt, in a message posted to her X account on Thursday, highlighted that President Biden “will be at a fancy fundraiser with [former Presidents] Obama and Clinton” during the wake. 

NYPD OFFICER SHOT, KILLED DURING CAR STOP IN QUEENS BY SUSPECT WITH MULTIPLE PRIOR ARRESTS: POLICE

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday that President Biden had spoken with Adams about the death, adding she did not have “private communications to share” regarding whether Biden had spoken to Diller’s family. 

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Diller will be laid to rest Saturday in Massapequa.

President Biden appeared with his predecessors — former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton — at a star-studded fundraiser in New York City on Thursday night expected to fetch more than $25 million toward his re-election campaign. 

The one-night event was held at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan. More than 5,000 people were expected at the sold-out gala. The event isn’t cheap. 

Organizers charged a minimum of $250 to attend and up to $500,000 for a more intimate, exclusive reception. For $100,000, guests can get a photo with all three presidents taken by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz.

Stephen Colbert, host of “The Late Show,” moderated a discussion with Biden and two former commanders-in-chief in front of thousands of guests.

BIDEN MINGLES WITH OBAMA, CLINTON AT RITZY NYC FUNDRAISER ON SAME DAY FALLEN COP IS MOURNED JUST 40 MILES AWAY

President Joe Biden, center, and former presidents Barack Obama, left, and Bill Clinton participate in a fundraising event Thursday night with at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan, N.Y. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Entry to a smaller, virtual event with Biden, Clinton and Obama costs $25. 

Musicians Queen Latifah, Lizzo, Ben Platt, Cynthia Erivo and Lea Michele are slated to perform, Reuters reported. 

Lots of cash

Biden, who has routinely raised more campaign cash than former President Trump, raised more than $53 million in February, and $10 million in the 24 hours following his March 7 State of the Union address. 

“This historic raise is a show of strong enthusiasm for President Biden and Vice-President [Kamala] Harris and a testament to the unprecedented fundraising machine we’ve built,” said Jeffrey Katzenberg, the Hollywood film mogul who serves as Biden campaign co-chair, said in a statement. 

BIDEN CHOOSING FUNDRAISER OVER NYPD WAKE ‘INSULTING,’ SAYS EX-FBI AGENT

“Unlike our opponent, every dollar we’re raising is going to reach the voters who will decide this election — communicating the president’s historic record, his vision for the future and laying plain the stakes of this election. The numbers don’t lie: today’s event is a massive show of force and a true reflection of the momentum to re-elect the Biden-Harris ticket.”

Obama is still very popular with young voters and progressives, who have voiced disdain over Biden’s support for Israel after its response to the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas. Thursday’s fundraiser was met with pro-Palestinian protests outside Radio City Music Hall. 

Protesters interrupt Biden, others

Video footage taken from outside Radio City Music hall showed protesters clashing with police and accusing Biden of being complicit in the deaths of residents of the Gaza Strip at the hands of Israeli forces. 

During the event, several people interrupted the presidents’ during the question-and-answer portion of the night. 

“You can’t just talk and not listen,” Obama said before the audience gave him a standing ovation. 

Another shouted: “You’re out of your f—– minds,” while being escorted out of the building. 

As the event got underway, emcee Mindy Kaling joked that it was nice to be in a room with “so many rich people,” adding that she loved they were supporting a president who “openly” promised to “raise your taxes.”

“The reason we are here is to re-elect President Joe Biden,” she said. 

Trump attends police officer’s wake

As Biden was preparing for the event Thursday, Trump was some 40 miles away on Long Island to attend the wake for slain New York police officer Jason Diller, who was fatally shot this week during a traffic stop in Queens. 

After the service, Trump emphasized law and order. 

“Such a sad, sad event. Such a horrible thing. And it’s happening all too often and we’re just not going to let it happen,” Trump said. “We need law and order.”

New York’s Radio City Music Hall (AP)

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The White House offered its condolences to Diller’s family and NYPD, saying Biden has stood law enforcement his entire career.

“The President has stood with law enforcement his entire career and continues to stand with them as they put their lives on the line for their communities,” she said. “Under his leadership, we will continue to support police officers and ensure that they have resources they need to continue — to continue to do the work — the all-important that — work that they have to do on behalf of the community.”

A U.S. judge ruled against the Biden administration in a decision about a highway climate rule on Wednesday.

The rule was issued by the Department of Transportation (DOT)’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in December 2023. It requires states to measure and report the greenhouse gas emissions from any vehicles using the U.S. highway system.

The rule also asked states to establish declining carbon dioxide targets, and to report back about progress on those goals. Texas sued the DOT in response.

U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix, a Trump appointee, ruled in favor of Texas and wrote on Wednesday that “the rule was unauthorized.”

TEXAS GOVT PUSHING ACTION THAT COULD ‘KNEECAP’ NEW FOSSIL FUEL GENERATION, DESTABILIZE GRID, EXPERTS WARN

A Texas judge ruled against the Biden administration in a lawsuit against a highway rule from the Department of Transportation. (Getty Images)

While issuing the rule three months ago, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that it “will provide states with a clear and consistent framework to track carbon pollution and the flexibility to set their own climate targets.”

In a December statement, the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton argued that the DOT “does not have the statutory authority to institute such a rule, and the mandate violates the Administrative Procedure Act.”

“Further, the rule is arbitrary and capricious and violates the Spending Clause by impermissibly restricting the use of federal funds by requiring TxDOT to implement the greenhouse gas measure.”

CALIFORNIA’S GRID FACES COLLAPSE AS LEADERS PUSH RENEWABLES, ELECTRIC VEHICLES, EXPERTS SAY

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg speaks during a press conference on June 28, 2021, in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Texas is also suing the Biden administration over a climate-related reason in a separate lawsuit. Last week, a group of 16 Republican states filed a lawsuit against the Department of Energy (DOE)’s pause of major liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal projects.

“Biden’s unilateral decree disregards statutory mandates, flouts the legal process, upends the oil and gas industry, disrupts the Texas economy, and subverts our constitutional structure,” Paxton said on Mar. 21.

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton makes a statement at his office, May 26, 2023, in Austin, Texas.  (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Fox News Digital reached out to the DOT for comment.

Reuters and Fox News Digital’s Thomas Catenacci contributed to this report.

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

What’s happening? 

-Biden has stopped promoting ‘Bidenomics’ despite still insisting it works

-Speaker Johnson set dates for delivering Mayorkas impeachment date to Senate

-Chris Christie shuts down consideration for ‘No Labels’ candidacy

Trump in black

Former President Donald Trump attended the wake of slain NYPD officer Jonathan Diller Thursday afternoon at a Massapequa Park funeral home, while calling for law and order. 

“Such a sad, sad event. Such a horrible thing. And it’s happening all too often and we’re just not going to let it happen,” Trump said. 

“We need law and order,” Trump added. 

Diller was fatally shot on Monday during a traffic stop in Queens after a man with 21 prior arrests allegedly shot him in the stomach as Diller was trying to get the suspect, Guy Rivera, 34, to exit the vehicle. Rivera opened fire on Diller and his partner at about 5:45 p.m. Monday. The officers approached the vehicle because it was illegally parked at a bus stop. 

Diller was 31 years old and lived in Massapequa Park with his wife and nearly 1-year-old son, Fox News Digital previously reported. He had served three years with the NYPD before his death. 

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday that Biden had spoken with Adams about the death, adding she did not have “private communications to share” regarding whether Biden had spoken to Diller’s family. 

Donald Trump speaks after NYPD wake.  (Fox News)

White House

CALLING ON POTUS: House GOP invites Biden to testify in his own impeachment inquiry …Read more

DOESN’T WORK: Biden has all but stopped promoting ‘Bidenomics’ but still insists it’s effective …Read more

BOOK BUST: Books about Biden presidency go ‘bust’ as Trump ‘best-sellers’ prove more popular …Read more

‘ADVANCE EQUITY’: Biden admin unveils new AI regulations for federal agencies …Read more

‘100% BEHIND HIM’: Former ICE chief speaks out on Gov. Abbott’s border battle with Biden …Read more

Capitol Hill

WALLS ‘WORK’: Abbott gets backing from key GOP senator on Biden border battle …Read more

MARCHING AHEAD: Johnson sets date for delivering impeachment articles to Senate …Read more

NORTHERN EXPOSURE: House Republicans plead with Mayorkas to address ‘unprecedented surge’ across northern US-Canada border …Read more

ANTI-‘SOCIAL’: Most Americans support House plan to ban TikTok if it isn’t sold, poll finds …Read more

TIKTOK  (Fox News Digital )

Tales from the Campaign Trail

MASSIVE HAUL: Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, light up fundraising jackpot for Biden in his rematch with Trump …Read more

‘NOT THE WAY FORWARD’: Chris Christie pulls out of consideration for ‘No Labels’ White House bid …Read more

Across America

PROTECTED SPEECH: Trump’s election interference case in Georgia should be tossed on First Amendment grounds, lawyer says …Read more

‘ULTRA-LEFT-WING BAN’: Trump vows to strike down California EV mandate on ‘day one’ …Read more

‘CANCEL THIS PROGRAM’: Dem Gov. blasted program giving cash to house ‘newcomer’ migrants after illegal immigrant murder …Read more

CURVEBALL: Opinion — The Supreme Court’s abortion pill curveball …Read more

‘STAY FOCUSED’: Fani Willis scolded by Democrat for making herself ‘a character’ in GA election case …Read more

CAMPUS ON FIRE: Stanford student calls for Biden to be killed for advancing ‘genocide’ of Palestinians …Read more

SEEING RED: Union sends wake-up call to woke Dems thinking of attending cop’s funeral …Read more

COP KILLING: Suspect in NYPD murder came close to gunning down his partner: docs …Read more

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

BALTIMORE, MD – Former two-term Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan says he’s urging fellow Republicans on Capitol Hill to support federal funding to rebuild the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge.

“I’m going to push them as hard as I can. I’ve already called a couple of Republican Senate leaders and started working them,” Hogan, who’s running for a Democratic-controlled open Senate seat in his home state, emphasized in a Fox News Digital interview on Thursday.

Six construction workers were presumed killed when the bridge collapsed on Tuesday moments after a large container ship which lost power as it was leaving Baltimore harbor slammed into a pillar. 

President Biden quickly pledged that the federal government would pay the “entire cost” to rebuild the near half-century old structure. Much of the funding will come from the Federal Highway Administration’s emergency fund, which needs to be replenished on an annual basis.

POPULAR FORMER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR LEADS DEMOCRATIC RIVALS IN BLUE STATE SENATE SHOWDOWN

Recovery efforts resumed Wednesday for the construction workers who are presumed dead after the cargo ship hit a pillar of the bridge, causing the structure to collapse. (AP/Matt Rourke)

But a battle appears to be brewing in Congress over the federal government’s role in rebuilding the bridge, as some conservative spending hawks already angry over the recent approval of a massive 2024 spending package are pushing back against Biden’s proposal.

Hogan, who served eight years as Maryland governor, has been out of office for 15 months.

“You go through dealing with crises and emergencies for eight years and there’s a reflex – I have to instantly take action,” Hogan said of his tenure as governor. He added that “it’s a little strange” not to be part of the crisis management team.

Hogan noted that “I did immediately reach out to Gov. Wes Moore [his Democratic successor] and let him know that when it comes to a crisis like this, we’re all one Team Maryland and anything that I could do to possibly help him.”

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Hogan also noted that during his term as chair of the National Governors Association, he made infrastructure his signature issue.

And he was a major supporter of President Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure law, and helped shape the two-and-a-half old measure.

Hogan spotlighted that the infrastructure law “has a lot of funding for this work right now. We’ve already got some federal funding that will really come in handy.”

The former governor was interviewed moments after spending an hour greeting Baltimore Orioles fans, including a large contingent of first responders, at a former firehouse turned pub blocks from Camden Yards, just ahead of the major league baseball team’s home opener.

Republican Senate candidate and former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan greets Baltimore Orioles fans, including a large contingent of first responders, at a former firehouse turned pub blocks from Camden Yards, just ahead of the major league baseball team’s home opener. On March 28, 2024, in Baltimore, Maryland (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Hogan won election and re-election in 2014 and 2018 as governor in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans by a roughly 2-to-1 margin.

A successful business leader before entering politics, he seriously mulled a run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and made numerous trips in 2022 to New Hampshire, the state that holds the first primary in the GOP nominating calendar.

But in March of last year, Hogan announced he wouldn’t seek his party’s presidential nomination.

MARYLAND SHOCKER: FORMER GOVERNOR MAKES SURPRISE CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCEMENT

During his last year as governor, Republican leaders in the nation’s capital and in Maryland heavily courted Hogan to run for the Senate in the 2022 midterm elections against Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen.

But Hogan declined, saying in a news conference in February of that year that “as I have repeatedly said, I don’t aspire to be a United States senator.”

Asked about his change of heart when it comes to running for the Senate, Hogan told Fox News “I was governor at the time and I loved being governor and I had a lot more work to still do.”

“I don’t need a title and I don’t need a job, but I’m more concerned than ever about the direction of the country and I just became more convinced that I could make a difference there,” he emphasized. “A lot of people are leaving the House and the Senate and I thought it was time for somebody to go in the other direction and maybe bring some sanity back to the divisiveness and dysfunction.” 

Hogan has long been a vocal GOP critic of former President Donald Trump, who is now the Republican Party’s 2024 presumptive presidential nominee.

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump gestures at a campaign rally Saturday, March 9, 2024, in Rome, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

That means as Hogan runs for the Senate, he’ll have Trump atop the ballot come November.

“It’s a tough hurdle to overcome because he lost my state by 33 points,” he emphasized. “It’s not going to be helpful to me, but I think we’re going to be able to overcome that challenge.”

SIX KEY SENATE SEATS REPUBLICANS AIM TO FLIP IN NOVEMBER 

A recent Washington Post/University of Maryland poll indicates Hogan remains very popular among voters in his home state, and holds double-digit leads over both of his potential Democratic rivals – Rep. David Trone and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks.

“I would not put a lot of stock in polls right now. We’ve got a lot to do. We have not elected a Republican senator from Maryland since 1980, when Ronald Reagan was elected president,” Hogan pointed out. “It’s a tough state – the bluest state in America. But I think if we work hard, we have the ability to get people to vote their hearts and vote for the person they think can do the job and not just vote straight party line.”

Democrats currently control the U.S. Senate with a 51-49 majority, but Republicans are looking at a favorable Senate map this year, with Democrats defending 23 of the 34 seats up for grabs. 

Three of those seats are in red states that Trump carried in 2020 — Ohio, Montana and West Virginia, where Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin is not running for re-election. And five more are in key general election battlegrounds. Now, Democrats also have to worry about holding the open Senate seat in blue Maryland.

Greeting Baltimore Orioles fans, including a large contingent of first responders, at a former firehouse turned pub blocks from Camden Yards, just ahead of the major league baseball team’s home opener. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Since he jumped into the race earlier this year, Democrats have attacked Hogan over the combustible issue of abortion, criticizing him for not supporting federal legislation to codify the now-overturned landmark Roe v. Wade ruling which legalized abortion.

“In November, Marylanders will reject Larry Hogan because they know that a vote for Larry Hogan is a vote for a Republican Senate majority to pass a national abortion ban,” the Maryland Democratic Party charged.

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But Hogan told Fox News that “I absolutely do not” support a federal abortion ban being pushed by some Republicans.

“All the Democrats started attacking me the first day just because I was Republican and saying I would,” Hogan charged.

Hogan has said he personally opposes abortion. And as governor, he vetoed legislation to end a restriction that only physicians provide abortions. His veto was overridden by the Democratic-controlled legislature.

But Hogan said that “when I ran for governor I made a promise that I was going to do nothing to take away the rights of women in our state and I kept that commitment for eight years.”

Abortion, which is protected in Maryland, will be on the ballot in the state in November. Democratic state lawmakers voted last year to put a state constitutional amendment before voters. 

“Certainly it’s going to be an issue in the campaign that we’ll be addressing. But I’m not one of the ones Democratic cookie-cutter talking points are going to be able to impact,” Hogan argued.

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

President Biden and former President Trump were in the New York City area on Thursday, but they attended very different events. 

Biden was in town for a Democratic fundraising event, while Trump attended a wake for New York City Police Officer Jonathan Dille at a Massapequa Park, Long Island funeral home, some 40 miles from Manhattan. 

Biden was slated to be at a glitzy Democratic fundraising event at Radio Music Hall that will be attended by former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, as well as A-list celebrities.

SUSPECTS IN SHOOTING DEATH OF NYPD OFFICER JONATHAN DILLER IDENTIFIED, HAVE LENGTHY RECORDS

President Biden and former President Trump were in the New York City area on Thursday. Biden was in town for a fundraiser, while Trump attended the wake of a slain NYPD officer.  (Getty Images)

During a press gaggle on Air Force One en route to New York, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre didn’t address why Biden missed the wake, but said the president “grieves for them (the NYPD) and honors their sacrifice.”

“The President has stood with law enforcement his entire career and continues to stand with them as they put their lives on the line for their communities,” she said. “Under his leadership, we will continue to support police officers and ensure that they have resources they need to continue — to continue to do the work — the all-important that — work that they have to do on behalf of the community.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and police unions. 

Meanwhile, Trump attended Diller’s wake, which had a massive law enforcement presence to pay their respects. 

NEW YORKERS SHOUT AT SUSPECT IN FATAL SHOOTING OF NYPD OFFICER, WHO NOW FACES CHARGES

Guy Rivera, 34, left, is accused of fatally shooting NYPD Officer Jason Diller during a routine traffic stop.  (NYPD)

“Such a sad, sad event. Such a horrible thing. And it’s happening all too often and we’re just not going to let it happen,” Trump said. “We need law and order.”

Jean-Pierre said violent crime under Trump surged while the Biden administration took “decisive action from the very beginning to fund the police and achieving a historic reduction in crime under his leadership. And so, we’re going to continue to do that.”

Diller, 31, a father to a one-year-old boy, was killed Monday after Guy Rivera, 34, allegedly opened fire and killed him during a routine traffic stop in Far Rockaway, Queens. Both the driver of the vehicle and Rivera, who was in the passenger seat, had at least 20 prior arrests, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams. 

Before his wake, the NYPD’s Sergeants Benevolent Association (SBA) sent a letter telling far-left Democratic leaders in New York City to stay away from the funeral because of their soft-on-crime policies.

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“I’m sure that many elected officials will attend PO Diller’s funeral, shed a few crocodile tears, and prominently seat themselves for a good photo opportunity,” SBA President Vincent Vallelong wrote in a letter to union members. “The sad reality is we don’t want them there.”

The White House on Thursday stressed that it is putting U.S. interests first when making policy decisions, emphasizing that it has a “constructive” relationship with Mexico after that country’s president made a number of demands related to migration policy.

Lifting sanctions on Cuba and Venezuela, sending Latin American and Caribbean countries $20 billion in aid a year and granting legal status to Mexican illegal immigrants in the U.S. were among President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s demands of President Biden in exchange for the Mexican government doing more to halt the surge of migrants to the U.S. border.

López Obrador was asked about those demands by “60 Minutes” correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi this week.

MEXICAN PRESIDENT SAYS THE ‘FLOW OF MIGRANTS WILL CONTINUE’ UNLESS THE US MEETS HIS DEMANDS 

President of Mexico Andrés Manuel López Obrador speaks during the daily briefing at Palacio Nacional March 12, 2024, in Mexico City, Mexico.  (Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

“If they don’t do the things that you’ve said need to be done, then what?” she asked. 

“The flow of migrants will continue,” Obrador responded.

Elsewhere in the interview, he emphasized the positive relationship between Mexico and the U.S., describing it as “very important” and “fundamental.” He also said Mexico does plan to slow down migration but wants the “root causes” of the crisis to be dealt with. He also said he would continue to try to secure his border even without those demands being met.

In response, a White House National Security Council spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Mexico is “an important partner on multiple areas” including dealing with migration, as well as drug traffickers and economic cooperation, while pointing toward the comments the Mexican leader made elsewhere in the interview.

“As President López Obrador noted in his interview with ’60 Minutes’ on Sunday, we mutually need each other. We are at a moment of incredible promise and consequence for the United States and Mexico with Mexico being our No. 1 trading partner. Last year, our bilateral trade hit a record $860 billion,” the spokesperson said.

President Biden and Andrés Manuel López Obrador  (Sophie Park/Hector Vivas)

The spokesperson noted the Biden administration’s strategy to address the migrant crisis, which has included tackling “root causes” of migration, while also developing lawful pathways to the U.S. for migrants and improving regional enforcement. The spokesperson also mentioned the Los Angeles Declaration for Migration and Protection, signed in 2022, in which countries committed to measures to reduce migration in the Western Hemisphere.

FORMER TOP ICE OFFICIAL SIDES WITH TEXAS GOV. ABBOTT OVER BIDEN IN ONGOING BORDER BATTLE 

The spokesperson also said López Obrador and President Biden “have a constructive relationship built on respect.”

“President López Obrador has been a critically important partner to President Biden in developing a constructive bilateral approach to addressing issues of mutual interest, including migration and counternarcotics cooperation,” the spokesperson said.

However, the White House also emphasized that national interest forms the basis of policy decisions.

“As President López Obrador said, both Mexico and the United States are sovereign countries. We can have frank, candid and respectful conversations, and, at the end of the day, our policy decisions are based on what is in the best interest of the United States,” the spokesperson said.

HOW EAGLE PASS BECAME THE CENTERPIECE OF ABBOTT’S EFFORTS TO SECURE THE BORDER 

The Mexican president’s comments came a day before the president of Guatemala met with Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House to discuss cooperation on migration.

Immigration is looking to be a top issue in the November election, with both President Biden and former President Trump having visited the southern border with Mexico last month. Meanwhile, the Biden administration has been locked in a legal battle with the state of Texas over its efforts to secure the border.

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Republicans have called on the administration to reinstate Trump-era policies, including the Remain in Mexico policy, which would keep migrants in Mexico until their asylum claims are completed. 

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described herself as a victim of election disinformation during a panel discussion on Thursday, and warned that the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) will make her experience “look primitive.”

Clinton was taking part in a Columbia University event titled, “AI’s Impact on the 2024 Global Elections.” 

She discussed her own experience in 2016 when she lost to former President Donald Trump, pointing out that the internet was populated with memes, fake content and conspiracies about her in the lead up to Election Day.

“I don’t think any of us understood it. I did not understand it. I can tell you, my campaign did not understand it. Their, you know, the so-called ‘Dark Web’ was filled with these kinds of memes and stories and videos of all sorts…portraying me in all kinds of… less than flattering ways,” Clinton said. “And we knew something’s going on, but we didn’t understand the full extent of the very clever way in which it was insinuated into social media.”

AI WEAPON DETECTION COMPANY SEEKS TO PREVENT SCHOOL, OTHER SHOOTINGS: ‘A PROACTIVE MEASURE’

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned of the threat of AI deepfakes during a Columbia University panel discussion. (Franziska Krug/Getty Images)

Clinton argued it was that leap to social media that accelerated the false content’s integration with everyday Americans.

“There are people today who think I’ve done all these terrible things because they saw it on the internet. And they saw it on the internet in their Facebook feed or some, you know, Twitter this or Snapchat that. They were, you know, following the breadcrumbs,” she said, warning of those efforts: “And what they did to me was primitive.”

The former Democratic presidential nominee claimed the online conspiracies about her are now being used to create more sophisticated false content with more advanced technology. 

WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?

Clinton pointed out that she had false stories and conspiracies circulate about her during the 2016 election. (REUTERS/Rick Wilking /File Photo )

“What we’re talking about now is the leap in technology that we’re dealing with. You know, they had all kinds of videos of people looking like me, but weren’t me, and they had to keep whoever that woman was with her back to the camera enough so that they couldn’t actually…be found out,” Clinton said. “Now they can just go ahead, they can take me.”

“I’ve had, you know, people who are students and experts in this tell me… because they’ve got such a library of stuff about me, they’re using it to practice on and see how more sophisticated they can get. So I am worried because, you know, having defamatory videos about you is no fun. I can tell you that. But having them in a way that you really can’t make the distinction…you have no idea whether it’s true or not, that is of a totally different level of threat.”

The potential prevalence of deepfakes – AI-generated videos, audio or images that show altered or completely fabricated scenarios – has already raised concern among U.S. officials ahead of November’s elections.

SPEAKER JOHNSON MEETS WITH OPENAI CEO, SAYS CONGRESS ‘NEEDS TO PLAY’ ROLE IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

FBI Director Christopher Wray has also warned about the threat of AI deepfakes in this coming election. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Those same officials are also concerned about the threat of hostile foreign actors intervening in the 2024 cycle. 

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FBI Director Christopher Wray warned in a speech last month that AI technology is lowering the barrier to entry for malign actors looking to meddle in U.S. elections.

“This election cycle, the U.S. will face more adversaries moving at a faster pace and enabled by new technology,” Wray said.

“Advances in generative AI, for instance, are lowering the barrier to entry, making it easier for both more and less sophisticated foreign adversaries to engage in malign influence while making foreign influence efforts by players both old and new, more realistic and more difficult to detect.”

House Democrats are pouring money and resources into four congressional seats in a bid to win back the majority as the 2024 election cycle heats up.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), the House Democrats’ campaign arm, announced a new slate of races for its “Red to Blue” program. They’re targeting vulnerable Republican lawmakers in California, New York and New Jersey, as well as an open California seat being vacated by Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif.

“I am excited to work with this diverse group of public servants, veterans, and leaders to take the House back in November,” DCCC Chair Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., said in a Thursday statement. “Their records of service stand in stark contrast to their extreme and dangerous far-right opponents.”

KEY BATTLEGROUND STATE DEM ANNOUNCEMENT STUNS POLITICAL WORLD: ‘BIG SURPRISE’

House Democrats are funneling resources into districts in California, New York and New Jersey to unseat vulnerable Republicans, from left, Reps. Anthony D’Esposito, Michelle Steel and Tom Kean Jr.

The “Red To Blue” program is dedicated to ensuring its selected candidates “receive strategic guidance, staff resources, training, and fundraising support to ensure they are in the best possible position to win in November.”

Democrats’ laser focus on vulnerable GOP seats, including lawmakers who represent districts won by President Biden in 2020, comes as the House Republican majority prepares to grapple with just a one-seat margin of power after multiple early departures. 

In California’s 45th Congressional District, Democrats are targeting Rep. Michelle Steel, R-Calif., by bolstering Army veteran and business owner Derek Tran. 

“Tran is equipped to deliver that message to the voters in this diverse Biden +6.8 district with a broad coalition of support, impressive fundraising apparatus, and compelling contrast with the far-right incumbent,” the DCCC said.

FETTERMAN CHARTS A DIFFERENT PATH, BREAKS WITH FELLOW DEMOCRATS IN THE SENATE

Democrats are also hoping to keep the California House seat being vacated by Rep. Katie Porter. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Democrats are also hoping to keep control of Porter’s seat after she announced her departure from the House for an ill-fated Senate bid. 

The DCCC is eyeing California state Sen. Dave Min as her replacement, calling him a “proven vote-getter and common-sense champion for the middle class.” He’s running against former California state Assemblyman Scott Baugh, who has been endorsed by GOP leaders.

“It seems that House Democrats are admitting what we already know,” Baugh told Fox News Digital. “That CA-47 is no longer a blue seat. We will win this seat in November because Dave Min is a radical left-wing legislator who is very out of touch with this district.”

On the East Coast, the DCCC is hoping to flip New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District back to blue after it was won by first-term Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. in November 2022, who unseated a Democratic incumbent. To do so, it’s bolstering Sue Altman, a former teacher and former state director of the leftist Working Families Party.

Kean’s campaign told Fox News Digital that Altman “is going to cost Democrat stakeholders like the DCCC a lot of campaign dollars trying to run away from her record as head of the Working Families Party in New Jersey where she advocated for insane policies like defunding the police.”

DEMOCRATS REPORTEDLY ‘SCRAMBLING’ OVER THREAT OF RFK JR. IN 2024 RACE

The four districts the DCCC is targeting were all won by President Biden in 2020. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

And the Long Island, New York, seat in the 4th Congressional District currently held by first-term Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito is also on the DCCC’s list, with Democrats promoting former local official Laura Gillen to flip the district blue.

D’Esposito’s campaign told Fox News Digital, “While Congressman D’Esposito continues to put the interests of Nassau County neighbors ahead of partisan politics, perennial candidate Laura Gillen wants to be a rubber stamp vote in favor of Joe Biden’s reckless spending and pro-criminal open borders agenda.”

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The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) said the Democrat candidates “would make for a great cast on a Bravo reality show.”

“However, watching them on CSPAN greenlight every liberal pipedream from defunding the police to even more open-border policies would be a nightmare for American families,” the NRCC said.

Fox News Digital also reached out to Min and Steel’s campaigns for comment.

In a hearing Thursday in Fulton County Superior Court, lawyers for former President Trump and co-defendants argued that the sweeping election interference case against him should be tossed, citing First Amendment protections for political speech. 

Judge Scott McAfee presided over the hearing Thursday morning in the first court appearance in the Trump case since ordering District Attorney Fani Willis to remove special counsel Nathan Wade from the case over their romantic affair. 

McAfee heard arguments related to motions from Trump and co-defendant David Shafer, the former chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, who his lawyer says acted legally when he and other state Republicans signed a certificate asserting that Trump won the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.

Steve Sadow, counsel for the former president and presumptive GOP nominee in the 2024 election, argued Thursday, “There is nothing alleged against President Trump that is not political speech.”

GEORGIA JUDGE ALLOWS TRUMP, CO-DEFENDANTS TO APPEAL FANI WILLIS DISQUALIFICATION DECISION

Judge Scott McAfee at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta. (Alyssa Pointer, Getty Images)

Sadow quoted from a dissent in a key Supreme Court case, United States v. Alvarez, written by Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, which says “even where there is a wide scholarly consensus concerning a particular matter, the truth is served by allowing that consensus to be challenged without fear of reprisal.” 

“Today’s accepted wisdom sometimes turns out to be mistaken. And in these contexts, even a false statement may be deemed to make a valuable contribution to public debate, since it brings about the clear perception and livelier impression of truth produced by its collusion with error,” Sadow read from the dissent.

“That’s the essence of what we have right here. That’s the facts that have been alleged,” Sadow said. 

TRUMP GEORGIA CASE: FIVE KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM JUDGE’S ORDER GIVING DA FANI WILLIS AN ULTIMATUM

Former President Trump speaks during a Buckeye Values PAC Rally in Vandalia, Ohio, on March 16, 2024. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)

“Essentially, the state’s position is, because – as alleged – what President Trump said speech-wise or expressed either through his speech or conduct, which is still freedom of expression, because that’s false in the eyes of the state, it’s lost all protection to the First Amendment.” Sadow argued, adding that Supreme Court justices concluded “just the opposite” in their dissent. 

A lawyer for the state pushed back, saying “what we have heard here today is an attempt to rewrite the indictment, to take out the parts that are inconvenient and only say, ‘Well, it’s all speech, it’s all talking.’”

“He was just the guy asking questions and not someone who was part of an overarching criminal conspiracy, trying to overturn election results for an election he did not win by violating the RICO statute, by making false statements to the government, by filing false documents, by impersonating officers, and doing a whole host of other activity which is harmful in addition to the falsity of the statements employed to make them happen,” the state’s lawyer added. 

FANI WILLIS SAYS SHE’S THE ONLY DA IN US WITH ENOUGH ‘COURAGE’ TO PROSECUTE TRUMP

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is spearheading the sweeping 2020 election interference case against Trump. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Trump was indicted in August on charges that include the Georgia RICO Act – the Racketeer Influenced And Corrupt Organizations Act; solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer; conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer; conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree; conspiracy to commit false statements and writings; conspiracy to commit filing false documents; conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree; and filing false documents. 

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In March, Judge McAfee tossed six of the charges against Trump and his co-defendants, saying the state failed to allege sufficient detail for six counts of “solicitation of violation of oath by public officer.” 

A former acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) chief who served in federal law enforcement under presidents of both parties is backing Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, in his fight with the Biden administration over efforts to secure the border.

Thomas Homan, whose service includes being head of ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) under President Obama and acting ICE director under President Trump, spoke to Fox News Digital about the ongoing feud between Abbott and the administration over border security.

“I’ve seen six different administrations, I’ve seen policies come and go. I see policies that failed and policies work, but as far as what Gov. Abbott is doing I’m 100% behind him,” he said.

HOW EAGLE PASS BECAME THE CENTERPIECE OF ABBOTT’S EFFORTS TO SECURE THE BORDER 

Abbott launched Operation Lone Star in 2021, surging resources and personnel to the border in response to what he believes is a lack of leadership on the matter by the Biden administration.

Its efforts to secure the border, including setting up razor wire, deploying buoys and a new anti-illegal immigration law allowing police to arrest illegal immigrants, have seen pushback from the Biden administration and immigration activists. In January, Texas officials also seized Shelby Park, part of Eagle Pass.

Former President Trump speaks to Gov. Greg Abbott during a visit to Eagle Pass, Texas, on Feb. 29, 2024. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The White House has accused Abbott of trying to politicize the border crisis, and the administration has argued in court that its border security measures – including the anti-illegal immigration law – interfere with federal immigration enforcement.

“[Texas’] efforts, through SB 4, intrude on the federal government’s exclusive authority to regulate the entry and removal of noncitizens, frustrate the United States’ immigration operations and proceedings, and interfere with U.S. foreign relations,” the Department of Justice said in its January lawsuit against the law.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

Homan pointed to things Abbott had done, including putting up barriers and imposing punishments for illegal entry, moves that are similar to what the Trump administration did.

“He has proven what the Trump administration did, that border barriers work and consequences work, ending catch release,” he said.

Homan said that if the Biden administration worked with Texas on the matter, it would benefit both sides. He said Texas taking Shelby Park allowed Border Patrol to go to areas where gotaways are getting through.

“So why would they push back on the governor, who has proven success in Eagle Pass? Why not use the state of Texas as a force multiplier? The men and women of the Border Patrol love what the state of Texas is doing because they act as a force multiplier for them.”

He dismissed the claim that Texas is interfering with federal enforcement.

A National Guard soldier on the banks of the Rio Grande at Shelby Park on Jan. 12, 2024, in Eagle Pass, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

“I would say, ‘Interfering with what enforcement? What are they interfering with?’” he said.

BIDEN, TEXAS FEUD OVER ANTI-ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION LAW AS MIGRANTS RUSH BORDER: WHAT TO KNOW 

The Biden administration has said it is imposing “consequences” for illegal entry while expanding “lawful” migration pathways, but says it is dealing with a hemisphere-wide crisis that needs funding and immigration reform from Congress. 

Biden has accused Republicans of making the crisis worse by refusing to pass a bipartisan Senate border package. Conservatives have said that package would not fix the crisis, and have urged instead the passage of a House GOP bill that passed the chamber last year.

As that feud goes on, the border crisis is still hitting records. And while places like Eagle Pass have seen a reduction in migration encounters, the crisis has had flashpoints elsewhere in places like El Paso – where migrants burst through barriers last week and have also been spotted trying to cut through fences with boltcutters.

Homan argues that Texas was right to take action as he believes the federal government is not stepping up.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

“I truly believe if the federal government’s going to abdicate their responsibility to secure the border and protect Texas, then Texas has to do it,” he said. “And what we’ve got to remember is Texas isn’t only protecting the citizens of Texas; 98% of the people aren’t staying in Texas, they’re going all over the country, so Gov. Abbott is actually protecting the entire country.”

Asked whether states or the federal government are better at enforcing immigration law, Homan stressed that it isn’t an either/or situation.

“I think it’s a combination of the two. Border Patrol is good at what they do if they’re allowed to do it. We proved that under the Trump administration. But again, we had high numbers in the first two years of the Trump administration and the partnership of Texas was invaluable. So it’s best if everybody works together to secure the border.”

He also accused the administration of running an anti-Trump agenda, arguing that they focused on ending anything that was a Trump-era policy, including wall construction and safe third country agreements.

“From day one it’s been political… they tried to tear down anything associated with Trump,” he said.

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Homan is supportive of a second Trump term, and asked whether a Trump administration would restore that cooperation, Homan said “100%.”

“Because, again, they’re a force multiplier, we have the same goal. Additional resources are always good on the border. So, of course, we’d have a partnership. Why would you not have a partnership with a force that has the same goals as you?”

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