NationalWatch

Former President Trump indicated during an interview Sunday that he would not make a run for the Oval Office in 2028 if his current bid falls short in November.

Trump was a guest on Sinclair Broadcast Group’s “Full Measure,” hosted by Sharyl Attkisson, which aired Sunday morning.

At the end of the interview, Attkisson asked Trump if he was not successful in his bid for president in November, could he see himself running again in four years?

“No, I don’t. No, I don’t. I think that that will be, that will be it. I don’t see that at all,” the former president answered. “I think that hopefully we’re gonna be successful.”

HARRIS-TRUMP SHOWDOWN: THE EDGE IS CLEAR ON THIS KEY ISSUE

Republican presidential nominee former President Trump speaks during a rally last week in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Trump, 78, is on his third run for president, having beaten Hillary Clinton for the Commander in Chief seat in 2016, and losing to President Biden in 2020. He now faces Vice President Kamala Harris for a second, four-year term in office.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Trump campaign for clarification on the former president’s comments. The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on Trump’s statements.

With over six weeks to go until Election Day on Nov. 5, and early voting and absentee balloting underway in a growing number of states, a number of public opinion polls agree that the race in key battleground states that will decide the 2024 Presidential election is within the margin-of-error.

WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLL SHOWS IN THE HARRIS-TRUMP 2024 SHOWDOWN 

Former President Trump and VP Kamala Harris on the campaign trail.

The polls also show Harris has a healthy advantage among voters when it comes to the issue of abortion, while Trump has an equally large margin in dealing with the border and immigration.

When it comes to the economy, the polls show the issue remains the top issue on the minds of American voters as they prepare to cast their ballot in November.

A Fox News national poll also in the field entirely post-debate spotlighted that 39% of voters surveyed said the economy was their most pressing issue, far ahead of immigration (16%) and abortion (15%). All other issues tested were in single digits. 

HEAD HERE FOR ALL THE MOST RECENT FOX NEWS POLLING IN THE 2024 ELECTION

Immigrants line up after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in Lukeville, Ariz.  (John Moore/Getty Images)

Trump spoke with Attkisson about several issues, including his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which he said he did “an amazing job” handling.

“I never got the credit for it. Remember that more people died under Biden-Harris than died under Trump,” he said. “And they had a much easier time because when it came in here, nobody knew what it was. It came from the Wuhan labs, which I always said. But nobody really knew what it was, where it came from…nothing. They knew nothing, and we got hit.”

Trump also said he got credit with the military and knocking out ISIS, saying, “we rebuilt the military.”

TRUMP VOWS TOUGH APPROACH TO SANCTUARY POLICIES

Former President Trump raises his fist as he departs a campaign event at Nassau Coliseum, Wednesday, in Uniondale, N.Y.  (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

After speaking about his accomplishments, Attkisson asked him what he does to stay healthy.

“I used to play golf a little bit…but it seems to be quite a dangerous sport, in retrospect,” Trump said, referring to a recent incident in which a man hid in the bushes with a gun before being shot at by Secret Service and fleeing. The man was later arrested, and the matter is being handled as an assassination attempt on Trump.

“I try and eat properly,” Trump told Attkisson, getting back to her question.

The host told Trump she though he ate hamburgers and drank soda, which the former president acknowledged he did.

“But proper hamburgers,” he said. “But I like, perhaps, all the wrong food. But then I say, ‘does anybody know what the right food is?”

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He continued, saying people lectured him for years on what to eat, and they’re gone because they passed away.

“And here I am,” Trump said. “So, I’m not sure I wanna make too many changes.”

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

The mayor of a Muslim-majority city in Michigan says he is endorsing Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, calling the former commander-in-chief, “the right choice for this critical time.” 

Amer Ghalib, mayor of the Detroit-area suburb Hamtramck, announced his endorsement of Trump in a Facebook post Sunday. While admitting he and Trump didn’t “agree on everything,” he said he regarded the former commander-in-chief as “a man of principles.” 

Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib, 43, in his City Hall office in Michigan. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

“Though it’s looking good, he may or may not win the election and be the 47th president of the United States, but I believe he is the right choice for this critical time,” Ghalib wrote in Arabic on his Facebook page. “I’ll not regret my decision no matter what the outcome would be, and I’m ready to face the consequences. For this, and for many other reasons, I announce my support and endorsement for the former, and hopefully, the next president of the United States, Donald Trump.”

He added: “Now, let the Caravan begin its journey. This is just the starting point.”

TRUMP VOWS TOUGH APPROACH TO SANCTUARY POLICIES

Trump reposted Ghalib’s message on his Truth Social account.

Republican presidential nominee former President Trump raises his fist as he departs a recent campaign event. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Ghalib’s endorsement of Trump comes after the two met in Flint earlier this week for a private 20-minute conversation. 

Ghalib told The Detroit News that Trump “knew a lot about me before the meeting.” 

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“We talked about various topics including the debates, the polls updates, the statistics of votes in Michigan and Wayne County, the Arab American concerns and the Yemeni Americans in particular. We also talked about the situation in Yemen,” Ghalib said. 

Hamtramck is the only U.S. city governed entirely by Muslims, with more than 40% of the city’s population foreign-born. 

The U.S. government will be funded for another three months, thanks to a bipartisan funding agreement reached on Sunday that avoids a government shutdown.

The agreement maintains funding until Dec. 20, with the House likely to vote on the bill as early as Wednesday.

The development was announced in a press release by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

“Over the past 4 days, bipartisan, bicameral negotiations have been underway to reach an agreement that maintains current funding through December 20 and avoids a government shutdown a month before the election,” Schumer’s statement reads.

HARRIS-TRUMP SHOWDOWN: WHICH CANDIDATE HOLDS THE EDGE ON THIS CRUCIAL ISSUE

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., leaves at a news conference on Capitol Hill. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLL SHOWS IN THE HARRIS-TRUMP 2024 SHOWDOWN

“While I am pleased bipartisan negotiations quickly led to a government funding agreement free of cuts and poison pills, this same agreement could have been done two weeks ago.”

The bill also includes $231 million for the U.S. Secret Service with conditions that the agency cooperates with congressional investigations.

This breaking news story is developing. Check back with us for updates.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is unveiling a new plan for avoiding a partial government shutdown on Sunday after a House GOP rebellion derailed a more conservative measure last week.

House leaders are aiming for a vote this week on a short-term extension of the current year’s government funding levels, called a continuing resolution (CR), to give congressional negotiators more time to hash out federal spending priorities for the new fiscal year beginning Oct. 1.

The new measure, closer in line with what Senate Democrats and the White House had called for than his first plan, is likely to spark fury among the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus and its allies. But most Republicans are wary of the backlash of a potential government shutdown just weeks before Election Day.

Johnson took a swipe at the upper chamber for failing to pass a single one of their 12 appropriations bills, writing to House GOP colleagues on Sunday that because “Senate Democrats failed to pass a single appropriations bill or negotiate with the House on an acceptable topline number for FY 2025, a continuing resolution is the only option that remains.”

JOHNSON’S PLAN TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN GOES DOWN IN FLAMES AS REPUBLICANS REBEL

Speaker Mike Johnson released a new government funding plan that includes additional Secret Service funding after the attempts on former President Trump’s life. (Getty Images)

The plan would keep the government out of a partial shutdown through Dec. 20. House GOP leadership staff told reporters on Sunday that Democratic requests for additional dollars were rebuffed, and extra disaster relief funds that were in Johnson’s initial plan have been removed.

But it would include roughly an additional $230 million for the U.S. Secret Service (USSS), coupled with certain oversight measures, after a bipartisan push for more security following two foiled attempts on former President Trump’s life.

Perhaps the most significant change is the removal of the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, a bill requiring proof of citizenship in the voter registration process.

That legislation, backed by Trump, passed the House earlier this year with all Republicans and five Democrats in favor. Johnson hoped that attaching it to a CR would force the Democratic-controlled Senate and White House – both of which have called it a nonstarter – to consider it, or at least that it would serve as a potent opening salvo in negotiations.

CLUB FOR GROWTH POURS $5M INTO TIGHT HOUSE RACES AS GOP BRACES FOR TOUGH ELECTION

But 14 Republicans – most opposed to a CR on principle – tanked the bill last week.

Trump wrote on Truth Social ahead of the vote, “If Republicans don’t get the SAVE Act, and every ounce of it, they should not agree to a Continuing Resolution in any way, shape, or form.”

“Our legislation will be a very narrow, bare-bones CR including only the extensions that are absolutely necessary,” Johnson pledged to colleagues Sunday.

“While this is not the solution any of us prefer, it is the most prudent path forward under the present circumstances. As history has taught and current polling affirms, shutting the government down less than 40 days from a fateful election would be an act of political malpractice.”

Government funding has been one of the most volatile fights in the 118th Congress, pitting even the most conservative House allies against each other.

Johnson’s new plan is not likely to abate those tensions. Critics of a CR through December have argued it would leave them with no choice but to group their 12 annual appropriations bills into a massive “omnibus” spending bill, something nearly all Republican lawmakers oppose.

MCCARTHY’S ‘FINAL STRUGGLES’ THREATEN TO HAUNT JOHNSON’S GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN FIGHT

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized Johnson’s original plan. (Reuters/Mike Segar)

But House GOP leadership staff suggested it was more likely Congress would pass another CR into the new year rather than set new levels for fiscal year 2025 – lining up with Johnson’s original plan.

The speaker’s previous proposal would have funded the government through March, something Democrats and some national security hawks opposed. 

Trump allies, however, wanted to see the government funding fight kicked into the new year in hopes that he would win the White House and usher in a fully Republican Congress.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., did not weigh in directly on the plan but took a swipe at Johnson for trying to pass his conservative CR last week. 

“While I am pleased bipartisan negotiations quickly led to a government funding agreement free of cuts and poison pills, this same agreement could have been done two weeks ago. Instead, Speaker Johnson chose to follow the MAGA way and wasted precious time,” Schumer said in a statement.

“If both sides continue to work in good faith, I am hopeful that we can wrap up work on the CR this week, well before the September 30 deadline. The key to finishing our work this week will be bipartisan cooperation, in both chambers.”

Former President Trump unveiled a new policy proposal, promising to eliminate sanctuary cities throughout the country.

“Today, I am announcing a new plan to end all sanctuary cities in North Carolina and all across our country,” Trump said during a Saturday rally in Wilmington, North Carolina.

The comments come as Trump has continued to hammer Vice President Kamala Harris on border security, noting her role in being appointed the “border czar” before the administration oversaw record-setting illegal crossings during President Biden’s first three years in office.

ELECTION BOARD IN CRUCIAL SWING STATE ISSUES CONTROVERSIAL RULING REQUIRING HAND COUNTING OF BALLOTS

Former President Trump departs a campaign event at the Central Wisconsin Airport on Sept. 7, 2024 in Mosinee, Wisconsin. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

So-called “sanctuary cities,” or jurisdictions that have limited their cooperation with federal immigration authorities, have become controversial in recent years, with critics arguing that the existence of the cities incentivizes illegal border crossings and hampers ICE’s ability to take custody of migrants accused of committing crimes in the U,S.

Trump vowed to tackle that issue during his rally Saturday, telling the crowd that he would “ask Congress to pass a law outlawing sanctuary cities nationwide, and we will bring down the full weight of the federal government on any jurisdiction that refuses to cooperate” with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Former President Trump raises his fist as he departs a campaign event at Nassau Coliseum, Wednesday, Sept.18, 2024, in Uniondale, New York. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

BIDEN ADMIN’S USE OF BORDER PAROLE REVEALS EYE-POPPING NUMBER OF MIGRANT ARRIVALS IN US

The former president also doubled down on promises to deport all illegal immigrants living in the country, starting with those who pose a danger to public safety.

“As soon as I take office I will surge federal law enforcement to every city that is failing – which is a lot of them – to turn over criminal aliens, and we will hunt down and capture every single gang member, drug dealer, rapist, murderer and migrant criminal that is being illegally harbored,” Trump said. “We will get them out of North Carolina and send them home where they belong.”

Former President Trump speaks during a rally, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Uniondale, New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

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North Carolina is one of seven critical swing states that figure to play an outsized role in this year’s election. Trump, who narrowly won the state in both 2016 and 2020, currently holds only a 0.1 percentage point lead in the state, according to the Real Clear Politics polling average, the narrowest margin of all seven swing states.

A 5-year-old video of Vice President Harris touting her support for a fracking ban resurfaced on social media over the weekend, highlighting an issue that has plagued the vice president in her run for the White House.

“Climate change is the single greatest threat facing our world today. That’s why I am committed to passing a Green New Deal, creating clean jobs and finally putting an end to fracking once and for all,” Harris said during a September 2019 appearance on the “Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon.

Harris, who at the time was a California senator and running for the Democrat nomination for president, had touted her support for such a ban at other points in the campaign, including a CNN town hall earlier in the same month when she said there is “no question” that she was “in favor of banning fracking.”

NBC’S CHUCK TODD KNOCKS KAMALA HARRIS’ ‘MISTAKE’ OF AVOIDING PRESS: ‘ANY FUMBLE’ WILL BE ‘OVERLY SCRUTINIZED’

Vice President Harris (Montinique Monroe/Getty Images)

During her appearance on the “Tonight Show,” which was unearthed by conservative commentators over the weekend, Harris also expressed support for a Green New Deal, a controversial proposal popularized by progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

But the issue of a fracking ban has been the most sticky for Harris during her presidential campaign, with the vice president reversing her stance and vowing not to pursue a ban on fracking during an interview with CNN last month.

“What I have seen is that we can grow, and we can increase a clean energy economy without banning fracking,” Harris said.

Vice President Harris speaks at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute leadership conference, Sept. 18, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

KAMALA HARRIS GRANTS FIRST INTERVIEW TO CNN AFTER WEEKS OF AVOIDING PRESS, TO BE JOINED BY TIM WALZ

The issue of a fracking ban is of even more importance in the vital swing state of Pennsylvania, a state where the method of natural gas extraction is a source of employment and enjoys broad support.

Harris currently holds a narrow lead of less than one point in Pennsylvania, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average, coming in at 48.3% support to former President Trump’s 47.6%.

Republican presidential nominee former President Trump speaks at a rally, Sept. 18, 2024, in Uniondale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

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Trump has seized on Harris’ previous push for a fracking ban in recent weeks, arguing during the debate last week that “fracking in Pennsylvania will end on day one” if she is elected president.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reflected on how students at Columbia University, where she teaches a class, “morphed” from holding “respectful” dialogue on the war in Israel into holding “nasty” protests against the nation that she said were “not student-led.” 

“We basically sat down and answered questions for 45, 50 minutes, and the questions were really raw. I mean, we had a student from Palestine, a Palestinian student. We had a student from Israel, we had students from across the Middle East. We had students from Asia and obviously the rest of the world, struggling to understand what all of it meant. But it was a respectful, informative, open dialogue, and literally at the end of it, the students applauded,” Clinton told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria in an interview that aired Sunday morning of a class she held last year when war broke out in Israel. 

Clinton co-teaches a political course at Columbia University, titled “Inside the Situation Room,” where she joined Columbia University students on the Wednesday following Oct. 7, when Hamas launched attacks on Israel and sparked the ongoing war. Clinton said following the “open dialogue” on campus, she witnessed rhetoric on campus “morph into something that was not student-led.”

“Within a few days, we were doing an event, and we started being protested – the dean and I and our guests – and being screamed at, being called, you know, all kinds of names. What happened in that period? And the best I can sort of unpack it, is that there, there were already existing groups within our country, and particularly on certain campuses like Columbia, who had talking points, they had a plan for protest and disruption, and I watched it sort of morph into something that was not student led, even though students participated, but which had outside funding, outside direction,” she said. 

HILLARY CLINTON CALLED OUT FOR SUGGESTING AMERICANS SHOULD BE ARRESTED OVER DISINFORMATION: ‘QUITE CHILLING’

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks during a panel at the Vital Voices Global Festival on May 5, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Clinton added that “to this day,” she’s still not sure how the outside funding and outside influence swayed college students to join the anti-Israel protests. 

During the 2023-24 college school year, agitators and student protesters flooded college campuses nationwide to protest the war in Israel, which also included spiking instances of antisemitism and Jewish students publicly speaking out that they did not feel safe on some campuses. 

HILLARY CLINTON RECALLS SEEING MELANIA TRUMP AT ROSALYNN CARTER’S FUNERAL: LIKE ‘KID’ OUTSIDE BIRTHDAY PARTY

Pro-Palestinian supporters demonstrate with a protest encampment on the campus of Columbia University on April 29, 2024, in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Agitators on Columbia’s campus, for example, took over the school’s Hamilton Hall building, while schools such as UCLA, Harvard and Yale worked to clear spiraling student encampments where protesters demanded their elite schools completely divest from Israel. 

The former secretary of state went on to say that when she pressed college students about their anti-Israel views, they lacked historical context surrounding politics in Israel and the Middle East. 

HILLARY CLINTON SAYS IT’S A ‘DOUBLE STANDARD’ TO ASK HARRIS ABOUT HER POLICIES

Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks onstage for a celebration of the release of her book “Something Lost, Something Gained” at Dolby Theater on Sept. 20, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

“A lot of the videos on social media gave not just a one-sided view of the conflict, but a totally anti-Israel, pro-Hamas, not just pro-Palestinian view. And for me, it was distressing, because, look, I have my own opinions formed over many years. I am willing to sit down and have a conversation with anybody, but it’s difficult to have conversations with people who hold strong opinions with no factual and historical basis,” she said. 

“And so in trying to talk to students, not just at Columbia, but elsewhere, I would be met with slogans. I would be met with attacks, and, you know, very inflammatory language. And when I would ask, ‘Well, what about, do you know what happened in 2000 at Camp David?’ ‘No.’ ‘Do you know what happened in 1947?’ ‘No.’ ‘Do you know how difficult the relationships have been?’ ‘No.’ ‘Do you know that there are Arab Israelis, and some are serving in the IDF?’ None of that. And this whole chanting of, you know, ‘from the river to the sea.’ What does that mean? What river, what sea? That’s what bothered me,” Clinton said. 

HILLARY CLINTON REVEALS INITIAL REACTION TO BIDEN WITHDRAWING FROM RACE: ‘THIS IS EXCITING!’

Clinton said that so far this year, it “has been much quieter” with “a much more educational environment.”

Hillary Clinton and Fareed Zakaria speak during the 10th Anniversary Women In The World Summit at David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on April 12, 2019, in New York City. (Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

She condemned the harassment on college campuses against Jewish students, saying the temperature quickly changed from holding “legitimate” dialogue among students disagreeing with a country’s foreign policies to open antisemitism. 

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators protest the Israel-Hamas war at the University of Wisconsin Library Mallon on April 29, 2024, in Madison, Wisconsin. (Getty Images)

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“This was screaming at students who were Jewish, it was blocking their entry into classes or into club activities. It was nasty. And so there was something else going on here that was very troubling. And we now, you know, have seen evidence of, you know, obviously foreign money, foreign influence, the algorithms on TikTok, which were anti-Israel right off the bat. And so I think that a university particularly has an obligation to, of course, protect free speech, but also to protect students against harassment and against the kind of behavior that interfered with their learning,” she said. 

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

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman dodged questions about his and Vice President Kamala Harris’ previous comments against fracking during a Sunday interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“It’s so strange why we keep talking about fracking,” the Democratic senator said when asked about Harris’ reversal on the issue over the last few years. “Back in 2020 I said it might be an issue but that it’s not going to be a defining issue, and now in 2024 we’re still trying about fracking.”

The comments come as Harris has continued to face criticism for her reversal on the issue of fracking over the last few years, going from supporting a ban on the practice during her unsuccessful bid for president during the 2020 election to vowing not to support such a ban last month.

FETTERMAN REAMS OUT NY TIMES FOR PLATFORMING TERRORIST PROPAGANDA AFTER INTERVIEW WITH SENIOR HAMAS OFFICIAL

Sen. John FettermaN (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

But Fetterman insisted that fracking is not an important issue during his interview Sunday, instead pivoting to attacking former President Trump and Ohio Sen. JD Vance for their comments on Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio.

“The other side, they’re talking about eating cats and geese and dogs and saying absurd things,” Fetterman said. “Having a serious policy conversation when the other side is just absolutely on fire.”

Fetterman was then confronted with his own reversal on the issue, including a quote from 2016 in which he called fracking a “stain” on the state of Pennsylvania and another in 2018 in which he said he doesn’t “support fracking at all.” But by 2022 Fetterman had changed his tune, NBC News pointed out, displaying a quote in which he said he “absolutely” supported fracking.

Vice President Kamala Harris waves during a campaign event in Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

FETTERMAN SETS POLITICS ASIDE AFTER TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT, SAYS US MUST ‘TURN DOWN … THE TEMPERATURE’

“What exactly do you like about fracking,” Fetterman was asked.

“It’s strange for some weird gotcha taking quotes out of context and here I am now, I am a United States senator I won by five points,” Fetterman responded. “I fully support fracking and so does Vice President Harris,” he continued, before again pivoting to attacking the Republican ticket for their claims on “eating dogs.”

Fetterman’s home state of Pennsylvania, where fracking remains popular, figures to play a critical role in November’s election, with Trump having narrowly won the state in 2016 before a similarly narrow defeat at the hands of President Biden in the state in 2020.

Former President Trump, speaks during a rally, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Uniondale, New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

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Fetterman acknowledged that the race between Trump and Harris will be “very close,” though he pushed back against the notion that the state’s vote would be “defined by fracking.”

Harris currently holds a narrow lead in the state, according to the Real Clear Politics polling average, garnering 48.3% support to Trump’s 47.6%, a 0.7 point margin.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby deemed the leader of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar, “the major obstacle” to achieving a cease-fire deal in recent weeks. 

During an appearance on “Fox News Sunday,” Kirby responded to The Wall Street Journal’s reporting that senior U.S. officials who hoped for months for a cease-fire and hostage release deal now do not expect Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement before the end of President Biden’s term. The report cited administration officials as saying Hamas makes demands and “then refuses to say ‘yes’ after the U.S. and Israel accept them.” 

“It’s certainly apparent to us that Mr. Sinwar remains the big obstacle here to getting a deal. And it certainly is the case that he has done nothing in the recent weeks to prove that he’s willing to move this forward in a good faith way. He is the major obstacle, no question about it,” Kirby said Sunday. “It’s tough to get them to say yes to things that he’s already said that he wanted. So it’s very, very difficult.” 

“But as the president said the other day, everything’s unrealistic until all of a sudden it’s not anymore. And we’re gonna keep trying at this,” Kirby added. “And this idea that we’re just throwing up our hands and ‘well, it’s not gonna happen before the end of the term,’ I can tell ya that’s not where the president is. It’s not where Jake Sullivan or Tony Blinken are. We still believe that there’s a possibility of moving this forward, and we’re gonna keep trying. Those hostages need an effort to get them home. We’re not going to give up on that.”  

ISRAEL SAYS IT CONDUCTED RETALIATORY STRIKES AGAINST HEZBOLLAH IN LEBANON, STRUCK HAMAS IN GAZA

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Kirby reiterated the administration’s position that Israel has a right to defend itself, but acknowledged that some of the criticism of how Israel is handling the conflict has come from the Biden administration as well. 

“They absolutely have a right to defend themselves. And we are still providing them the tools and capabilities to do that. But how they do it matters,” Kirby said.  “President Biden has said that, Vice President Harris has said that to our Israeli counterparts. They need to be doing it in as precise and as discriminant a way to avoid damage to civilian infrastructure and more critically, to civilian life. So it does matter a lot to us.” 

“Fox News Sunday” host Shannon Bream also asked Kirby to respond to the death of Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Akil, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs Friday. 

Bream pointed to criticism from Trump administration Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who suggested Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in expressing fear of escalation to Israeli officials after the strike, was not grateful enough to Israel for taking out a man responsible for the death of hundreds of Americans during the 1983 Beirut barracks bombings. 

A poster in the Iranian capital Tehran, featuring Hamas’ new political chief, Yahya Sinwar, on Aug. 13, 2024. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)

HEZBOLLAH IDENTIFIES SECOND TOP COMMANDER KILLED IN ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE IN LEBANON

“Nobody, including Secretary Austin, is shedding a tear over the death of Mr. Akil, who does have American blood on his hands. I think the world’s better for not having him walking around on the planet anymore. But that doesn’t mean we want to see a full out war. We don’t believe, again, that that’s in the best interest of the Israeli people,” Kirby said. 

Akil was one of the Lebanon-based terrorist group’s top military officials, in charge of its elite forces, and had been on Washington’s wanted list for years.

The strike Friday came as the group was still reeling from an attack targeting Hezbollah communications earlier last week when thousands of pagers exploded simultaneously. The attack killed 12 people, mostly Hezbollah members, and injured thousands, according to Hezbollah officials. Israel is suspected of being behind that attack but has not claimed responsibility. 

Israeli security and rescue forces work at the site hit by a rocket fired from Lebanon, in Kiryat Bialik, northern Israel, on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Gil Nechushtan)

As Hezbollah has been launching rockets into Israel since October 2023, Kirby said the U.S. has been working at “intense diplomacy here now for months to try to prevent an escalation in the conflict up at the blue line with Lebanon.”  

“We still believe that there should be a strong effort to work on that diplomacy and to try to get that – that escalation to stop, to get the situation to stabilize, ” Kirby said. 

Kirby also defended the Biden administration’s handling of Iran, despite criticism from Republicans. 

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“Iran is one of the most heavily sanctioned countries in the world,” Kirby said. “And that’s in part, actually large part, to what President Biden has done. Six hundred sanctions alone just in this administration, 60 sanction regimes. So I don’t buy the argument that we somehow turned a blind eye and just given them cash.” 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, who at times has cozied up to Donald Trump as he tries to win re-election in a state the former president won by 16 points in 2020, has a long history of blaming Trump’s popularity on racism. 

Tester, a lifelong farmer in Montana, has attempted to portray himself as a moderate in his Senate race against GOP challenger Tim Sheehy and has often touted how many times he has worked with Trump. However, Tester also has a long track record of denouncing Trump’s support as a result of racism.

“As Trump spoke directly to rural America, most Democrats ignored it. Trump elevated white voters who had struggled for years as their mostly white communities suffered, as jobs and opportunities disappeared, and as businesses boarded up,” Tester wrote in his 2020 book “Grounded: A Senator’s Lesson on Winning Back Rural America.” 

“Trump turned to the old but effective strategy of lifting them up by pushing down others; by stirring up race-based fears and by giving angry and scared white voters permission to distrust other religions, other cultures, and other people. Trump tapped into the deep, gnarly root of racism in rural America. While we can’t uproot it overnight, we can’t ignore it either.”

MONTANA SUPREME COURT RULING ON GREEN PARTY CANDIDATE COULD SPELL TROUBLE FOR JON TESTER, POLLING REVEALS

Sen. Jon Tester arrives for the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense hearing on June 18, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

In the same book, Tester claimed that a reason people stood by Trump no matter what was because “racial tension was its undercurrent.”

“Trump brought charisma to the politics of millions of ordinary people, making himself relatable, tough, and believable,” Tester wrote. “That’s why, when his own policies hurt American farmers and manufacturers, they marched in lockstep behind him, even despite their own self-interest. And there’s no denying that racial tension was its undercurrent.”

Tester also told the New York Times in 2020 that he “can’t figure out” Trump’s appeal with rural America.

KEY SENATOR REPORTEDLY BEHIND HARRIS’ RISE TO POWER WITHHOLDS HIS ENDORSEMENT FOR PRESIDENT

Tester cast doubt on a recent unfavorable poll of his Montana race. (Reuters)

“There’s no doubt about it, he has an appeal in rural America,” Tester said. “I can’t figure it out, but there’s no denying it. But I will also tell you I think there’s a long-term structural issue. And by the way, I’ve had this conversation with Chuck Schumer several times – that we have to do a better job developing a message so that rural Americans can say, ‘Yeah, those guys, they think like I do.’ Because that’s what Trump has right now.’”

Monica Robinson, a spokesperson for Montanans for Tester, told Fox News Digital that Tester “has been ranked one of the most effective and bipartisan senators because he’ll work with anyone to get things done for Montana.”  

“No matter who is in the White House, Jon Tester always does what’s right for Montana,” she added. “It’s why Jon has consistently stood up to the Biden administration on many issues – from securing the border to protecting Montana from bureaucratic rules that would hurt rural America – and it’s why President Trump signed more than 20 of his bills into law.”

In a statement to Fox News Digital, National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesperson Maggie Aboud said, “Jon Tester hates Donald Trump, that’s why he routinely insults Trump’s voters and even called for Trump to be physically assaulted.”

Former President Trump, speaks during a rally, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Uniondale, New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

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“Montanans can see right through Two-Faced Tester’s shameless attempts to tie himself to Trump now that he needs his voters.” 

Many experts believe Montana is the best chance Republicans have to take back control of the Senate in 2024 and recent polling suggests Sheehy has a slight edge.

The Cook Political Report, an independent nonpartisan election handicapper, recently shifted the race from “toss-up” to “lean Republican,” while Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics moved the race to “leans Republican.”

Fox News Digital’s Aubrie Spady contributed to this report

WILMINGTON, N.C. — Fired-up attendees at former President Trump’s North Carolina rally are “praying that he wins” in November, explaining that they are infuriated over Democratic rhetoric regarding the GOP nominee.

Trump held an outdoor campaign rally in North Carolina on Saturday – a battleground state that the Republican nominee narrowly won in the 2020 presidential race.

Rallygoers spoke with Fox News Digital about why they showed up to Saturday’s event, and what their thoughts on the current state of the 2024 election.

“We need Trump to save this country,” Sharron from New Bern, North Carolina, told Fox News Digital.

NY RALLYGOERS PLEAD FOR TRUMP’S RETURN TO RESTORE FUTURE OF BLUE STATE, CITE MIGRANT CRISIS AS MAJOR CONCERN

One rallygoer, Richard, told Fox News Digital that he was at the rally to “get this world straightened back out” and elect Trump in 2024. (Fox News Digital)

One individual, Richard, told Fox that he was at the rally to “get this world straightened back out” and elect Trump in 2024.

Several attendees expressed uncertainty about the fairness of the 2024 election. Asked whether they think it will be fair, one individual said “definitely not.”

“Yes, I hope so,” one woman, Tammy, told Fox News Digital.

‘TRUMP 2024!’: YOUNG SUPPORTER WITH RARE BRAIN DISORDER BEAMS AFTER SURPRISE MEETING WITH FORMER PRESIDENT

“I absolutely do not,” another attendee told Fox. “It infuriates me to the fact that I’m almost in tears. I’m so passionate about it.”

Former President Trump held a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Saturday. (Fox News Digital)

“If he doesn’t get in, we are gonna to lose everything,” she added. “What they put this man through is despicable, and I just pray for him every day.”

Since July, two individuals have attempted to assassinate Trump – one during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and the other allegedly on a golf course in Florida.

Several rallygoers said they believe Democratic rhetoric labeling Trump a “threat” contributed to the attempts on his life.

Attendees at Trump’s rally spoke with Fox News Digital. (Fox News Digital)

“I absolutely think its appalling that they continue to do that,” one attendee said. “The day after, they were still making false claims about him, saying he’s a threat to democracy, the campaigns were full of lies and I just can’t fathom how anyone can support this other administration.”

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“That definitely contributed to that. If they call him tyrant, [a] threat to democracy, they make him basically Hitler,” an individual, from South Korea, attending the event told Fox.

Last week, Vice President Kamala Harris rallied in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, a key electorate given its decades of Democratic prominence until the Trump era.

Former President Trump upended the political map in 2016 when he won blue-collar, union-heavy counties like Luzerne and neighboring Schuylkill, Columbia and Northumberland as a Republican nominee.

However, many of those who attended Harris’ Wilkes-Barre rally predicted that trend was coming to an end.

Jill Purdy, whose nearby home of Northampton County flipped red in 2016 but went for President Biden in 2020, said Harris’ strength is explaining her plans for fixing the economy and meeting with foreign leaders.

PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTERS TAUNT HARRIS RALLYGOERS AS VEEP SUPPORTER HITS BACK: ‘WHAT ABOUT HAMAS’

“I think that what resonated with me is Trump saying at the very end [of the debate], ‘I have a concept of a plan.’ So, you know, what is a concept of a plan? None of us can get by with a concept, and you have to have something in your back pocket,” Purdy, a teacher, said.

“So, I really appreciate how she … I would hope she would have done a little bit more and, hopefully, we hear more before the election. But I think she set [her plan] in motion.”

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, speaks at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute leadership conference Sept. 18, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

In Northampton County, Bethlehem Steel’s stacks and coke works once puffed smoke at all hours, signaling solid employment and well-paying union jobs for the Lehigh Valley. 

Now, its steel stacks instead serve as a backdrop for a casino and other smaller venues on the rest of its former property, a silent reminder of the area’s industrial past.

Similarly, in nearby Macungie, Mack Trucks — now owned by Volvo — still produces some of its Bulldog-emblazoned vehicles in Macungie, though its former “world headquarters” nearby sat vacant after its buyout.

HARRIS SUPPORTERS SOUND OFF ON HER BORDER BLUEPRINT

Even in 1981, singer Billy Joel’s “Allentown” described the decline in the area’s industrial might, and the issue has persisted today.

Since 2016, groups like Auto Workers for Trump have formed, citing concern with the Biden administration’s green policies and the offshoring of jobs. And Teamsters President Sean O’Brien became the first such union boss to speak at the Republican National Convention.

But, for voters like Purdy, Harris remains the best hope for her area, she said.

A Trump counter-demonstrator sits outside a Harris rally site in Luzerne County, Pa. (Charlie Creitz)

“I do see a lot of Trump supporters in my neighborhood,” she said. “Though. I’m a teacher. So, I’m familiar with unions. And I do think they are for the ‘common workers,’ so to speak. Those doing the grunt work are still going to favor Harris for the reality of what she can say.”

By contrast, she claimed Trump’s reassurances are “just words.”

“I think most of the people that are [part] of unions are starting to really hear that.”

When asked about Trump’s overtures to energy workers or autoworkers like those at Mack, invoking green restrictions and the like, Purdy said she would defer on that particular aspect.

“I don’t know enough to know whether I hear anything that this is … personally, I still think Kamala probably has a more logical route [on the topic],” she said.

“[Harris] did switch a little on the fracking and that type of thing. I’m OK with people changing their mind for a logical reason. I do worry about the environment, but I can’t speak to what others are really thinking about.”

Purdy said that, as a teachers union member, she does fear Trump would abolish the federal Department of Education. 

The cabinet office was established by former President Carter, and part of the 1980 Republican platform was to do away with the fledgling agency.

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Meanwhile, rallygoers Christian and Annette traveled to Wilkes-Barre from neighboring Hanover Township. They took issue with Trump’s tack on the affordability crisis.

Fox News Digital asked about the disparity between gas prices at the end of his term and today and the similar dynamic in the housing market.

“I don’t believe anything Trump says,” Annette replied. “He lies.”

“The reason [gas] was a dollar in the first place was because nobody was on the road — because there was COVID,” Christian added, recalling empty Pennsylvania roads in 2020.

Annette said Harris “really wants to help us.”

“I believe Harris is really for the middle class,” she said. “Trump always likes to brag about how much money he has.”

A Harris-Walz supporter arrives in Wilkes-Barre in a police-style vehicle with a campaign logo. (Charlie Creitz)

Behind the venue on Franklin Street, Joe Granteed sat in a chair along the major northbound thoroughfare with a sign he said was meant to warn rallygoers and students at Wilkes University against buying what Harris is selling.

Granteed, of neighboring Plains, said it took him some time to think out what he wanted to write on his large poster facing traffic.

“I think she’s desperate,” he said of Harris. “She needs to get a piece of Pennsylvania, but Trump owns Pennsylvania.”

“Don’t be fooled by all her lies. She preys on your youth and inexperience. They promised unity and prosperity and we got chaos and struggles and division,” Granteed’s sign said.

Granteed also suggested Trump got a raw deal from ABC News moderators at the “3-on-1” debate, as he put it.

Meanwhile, on Main Street, Chris M. traveled all the way from Manchester, N.H., to see Harris speak.

Chris said Trump had been a political force until Harris came along.

“He mowed down like 16 competitors in 2016,” Chris said. “No one figured out how to handle him until she came along.”

Former President Trump acknowledges the crowd during halftime of a game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and Clemson Tigers at Williams-Brice Stadium.  (Jeff Blake/USA Today Sports)

While he “loathes Trump,” Chris did admit that, amid persistent inflation, it was the Republican nominee who likely originated the “no tax on tips” plan both candidates put out around the same time last month.

“I did hear that latest thing about what he said [Friday] about taxes. I think it’s a good idea,” he added.

“[But] Harris hasn’t been afraid to address that, even though it’s a weakness under Biden-Harris. So, I don’t know,” he said, adding inflation does not feel as bad as it did under former President George W. Bush in 2008.

In line to get into the McHale Center, Kerry Jones from nearby Dallas said Harris “really puts forth the agenda of the middle class and bringing up the economy for the working people.”

“As opposed to the rich people and the corporate greed and the takeover of our country by interests that are not ours.”

Jones said Harris’ housing plan is “great,” and that it would help her daughters finally move out of her house.

“She nails home that she’s for the working people, and she wants to take our money and put it back into us,” she said.

When asked about energy prices and the overall affordability crisis, Jones said the president has “very little” to do with gas prices because they are subsidized by the feds and assisted by “Republican tax cuts.”

Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., was dealt a blow in the Michigan Senate race this week when the Michigan Farm Bureau’s AgriPac endorsed her Republican opponent, former Rep. Mike Rogers, potentially upending the already close race.

In the latest slate of endorsements, the industry group revealed its support for Rogers, diverging from AgriPac’s recent history of endorsing the Democrat candidate for that Senate seat. The group has not endorsed a Republican candidate for the Senate seat since 2006, backing outgoing Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., in her re-election campaigns in 2012 and 2018.

“I’m honored and grateful to have earned the endorsement of AgriPac and the farmers across Michigan who feed our nation and power Michigan’s economy,” Rogers said in a statement.

“Michigan farmers are struggling mightily under the current administration with rising input costs and burdensome government regulations, and now for the first time in American history we are importing more food than we export. As Michigan’s Senator, our farmers know I’ll always have their back, and I’ll fight to lower costs, slash needless regulations, and pass the Farm Bill, so farmers can thrive and leave a lasting legacy for the next generation to succeed and feed the world,” he wrote.

RICK SCOTT LEADS EFFORT TO UP SECRET SERVICE PROTECTIONS AFTER 2ND ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON TRUMP

Rogers received the coveted AgriPac endorsement. (Reuters/File)

The group has palpable influence in Michigan, given that agriculture is one of the state’s top three industries, according to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. Farming in the state contributes “over $100 billion annually to the state’s economy,” per the department. It further employs nearly a million people, or 22% of Michigan’s employment.

Michigan Republican strategist Jason Roe told Fox News Digital that the endorsement is “pretty damn significant.”

“Slotkin serves on the House Agriculture Committee and her patron, Debbie Stabenow, is chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. I imagine they are both pretty p—ed about that decision,” he said. 

Stabenow has backed Slotkin and had been encouraging the farm bureau to also support the congresswoman as her successor. 

‘I’VE NEVER SEEN THIS’: TOP REPUBLICAN DETAILS LEVEL OF SECRET SERVICE ‘LACK OF COOPERATION’

Stabenow had a record of receiving the group’s backing. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images/File)

Stabenow told Fox News Digital, “That was very disappointing,” in response to the endorsement. 

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Gary Peters, D-Mich., dismissed the group’s decision, telling reporters at a Christian Science Monitor Breakfast on Tuesday, “The Farm Bureau always endorses – they always endorse the Republican. The only exception has been Debbie Stabenow because she’s chair of [the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry].”

“She’s the only one,” he said. “Otherwise, basically, they’re an extension of the Republican Party.”

Rogers pushed back at Peters’ claim, pointing out that the organization has backed 14 Democrats across the state this cycle alone, including in the House of Representatives.

Slotkin’s campaign did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication. 

HARRIS, TRUMP DEADLOCKED IN PENNSYLVANIA AS FORMER PRESIDENT TRAILS IN OTHER ‘BLUE WALL’ STATES: POLL

Peters said the group was an extension of the GOP. (Reuters/Mike Segar/File)

According to Rogers, “I think their conclusion to endorse us sends a very clear message, not just to the [agriculture] community but the rest of the business community in Michigan.”

As for Peters’ claim likening the group to the Republican Party, Rogers said in an interview with Fox News Digital, “You just insulted the second-largest industry in the state. They have a very thoughtful process, and it tells me he hasn’t visited very many farms recently.”

Such a remark could even hurt Peters if he seeks re-election in 2026, according to Roe.

The race between Slotkin and Rogers has been quickly tightening as the election approaches. New surveys have shown the Republican within reach of Slotkin, though she still has a lead. According to the latest Marist poll, the Democrat beat Rogers by six percentage points among registered voters, 51% to 45%.

GOP SENS CALL ON SCHUMER, DEMS TO TAKE UP BORDER BILLS AS THEY TOUT IMMIGRATION VIGILANCE

The Michigan Farm Bureau’s AgriPac endorsed Rogers for Senate. (Getty/File)

The stakes have been raised in the race, which has surprised some with its level of competitiveness. It is one of only two “toss up” Senate elections, according to top political handicapper the Cook Political Report, alongside the matchup in Ohio. It was previously considered to “lean Democrat” before being shifted in the summer.

Despite Slotkin’s current lead in the polls, Rogers is confident that this particular endorsement will make a difference.

“What it does is it makes people take note,” he said.

He pointed out the plethora of negative ads being run against him but said, “I will tell you one thing about farmers … they know exactly where the bear does its business in the woods; it’s an old expression my dad used to say.”

The former representative said farmers “don’t care about the ads. They don’t care about the misinformation.”

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Rogers said the farming community is instead more concerned with the candidates who met with them and their county boards to discuss agricultural solutions.

He also said the AgriPac endorsement wasn’t just a crucial win among farmers but also independent voters, who are some of the few who remain undecided.

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

Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz appeared to misspeak at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, prompting social media conservative commentators to pounce on the apparent gaffe.

During his speech in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on Saturday afternoon, Walz was discussing gun violence when he became distracted by an audience member who appeared to need water. Walz, the running mate of Vice President Kamala Harris, strayed from his speech to call attention to the rallygoer. 

“Things like we did in Minnesota, to have enhanced background checks and red flag laws, to get guns out of there, to make a difference,” Walz described.

“And I still got my guns to go shoot pheasants in a couple weeks….We need some water, can we get [a] check on him?” the candidate added, while pointing at the attendee.

TRUMP’S GRANDCHILDREN STEAL THE SHOW AT NORTH CAROLINA RALLY: ‘VOTE FOR GRANDPA’

Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a campaign event. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

Around two minutes later, the Democrat brought attention back to the race and began criticizing former President Trump and his running mate JD Vance.

“I’ll bring her home here quick, folks: Look, Kamala Harris made it clear these guys want to instill fear,” Walz began. “They want to tell you that [you should] just get over it, it’s a fact of life. This is the way it is.”

“[Harris] simply has said it doesn’t have to be this way,” he added. “It doesn’t have to be this way. We can’t afford four more years of this.”

Walz then segued into discussing Project 2025, which the Trump campaign has repeatedly disavowed.

HARRIS TELLS OPRAH ANYONE BREAKING INTO HER HOME IS ‘GETTING SHOT:’ ‘PROBABLY SHOULD NOT HAVE SAID THAT’

Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks at a rally in Milwauke. (Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)

Although Walz may have been referring to gun violence or Trump’s rhetoric when he cited “four more years” of an issue, the ambiguity of his statement led conservative commentators to roast the Minnesota governor on social media for what appeared to be a criticism of the Biden administration.

“Dude is campaigning for Trump now?” commentator Rita Panahi wrote on X.

“I’m with Him/Tim,” Donald Trump Jr. jokingly replied.

Trump War Room, an X account run by Trump’s presidential campaign, wrote, “WALZ FINALLY TELLS THE TRUTH: ‘We can’t afford four more years’ of Kamala Harris.”

Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz waves to supporters following a campaign event. (Dominic Gwinn/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

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Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign for clarification on Walz’s comments.

Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign reportedly announced Harris will skip the historic Al Smith dinner, eschewing a decades-old campaign tradition.

The decision was first reported by CNN Saturday afternoon, citing Harris campaign officials. The campaign reportedly told event organizers Harris was instead planning to campaign in a battleground state, but the report did not specify which state Harris will be campaigning in.

The annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner is traditionally held in New York City to benefit Catholic Charities and is hosted by the archbishop of New York.

Every presidential election year, the Republican and Democratic candidates will typically come together to give humorous speeches at the dinner. The tradition began when John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon spoke at the event in 1960.

HARRIS-TRUMP SHOWDOWN: WHICH CANDIDATE HOLDS THE EDGE ON THIS CRUCIAL ISSUE

Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign reportedly told organizers the presidential nominee would skip the traditional Al Smith dinner. (Getty Images)

There have been exceptions to the tradition. The Al Smith dinner opted not to invite the two major presidential candidates during the 1996, 2000 and 2004 election cycles.

Fox News Digital asked the Trump campaign if the Republican candidate plans on attending the dinner but did not immediately hear back. The last time a Democratic candidate opted out of the event while a Republican nominee attended was in 1984, when President Ronald Reagan gave a speech without Walter Mondale in the audience. 

In 2020, both President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden appeared at the dinner. Neither candidate took shots at the other despite the intensity of the race.

WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLL SHOWS IN THE HARRIS-TRUMP 2024 SHOWDOWN

President Carter and Ronald Reagan shake hands at the 1980 Al Smith dinner. (Getty Images)

“Throughout my life of public service I’ve been guided by the tenets of Catholic social doctrine,” Biden said in his speech. “What you do to the least among us, you do to me.”

“Catholics have enriched our nation beyond measure,” Trump said at the dinner. “The essence of the Catholic faith, as Jesus Christ said in the gospel, ‘Everyone will know you are my disciples.'”

Vice President Kamala Harris waves during a campaign event in Madison, Wis.  (Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign for comment but did not immediately hear back.

The Associated Press and Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

Former President Trump had a heartwarming moment with his grandchildren at a Saturday rally in battleground North Carolina.

The Republican nominee brought his grandchildren, Luke and Carolina, onto the stage while speaking to rallygoers in Wilmington. Luke and Carolina Trump are the young children of Eric and Lara Trump.

“We also have…a very important member of my family. Far more important than Eric or Lara,” Trump joked to the audience. “And her name is Carolina.”

“And she’s beautiful and she’s sweet and she doesn’t know how evil life is,” he added. “Can I ask Carolina to come up? Is that possible?”

BILL MAHER MAKES THIS BOLD 2024 PREDICTION AFTER TRUMP-HARRIS DEBATE

Former President Trump introduced two of his grandchildren, Carolina and Luke, at a rally in Wilmington, N.C., on Saturday afternoon. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

Moments later, Trump reappeared at the podium holding his 5-year-old granddaughter and took her to the microphone.

“Make American great again,” Carolina said, confusing “America” and “American.”

The crowd cheered wildly before Trump introduced Luke and invited him on stage.

“Would anybody like to meet Luke? Her brother? Luke, come on up,” the Republican said, before picking up his grandson and bringing him to the podium.

HARRIS TELLS OPRAH ANYONE BREAKING INTO HER HOME IS ‘GETTING SHOT:’ ‘PROBABLY SHOULD NOT HAVE SAID THAT’

Republican presidential nominee former President Trump watches as his granddaughter Carolina Trump walks to her mother Lara Trump during a campaign rally at Wilmington International Airport, Saturday, in Wilmington, N.C. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Luke, who is 7 years old, told the cheering crowd to “Vote for grandpa,” and received loud cheers in response. Trump told the audience that he actually asked Luke to say something else.

“I whispered into his ear, so cute, I said, ‘Say MAGA,’” the presidential candidate said. “He said, ‘Vote for grandpa.’”

“He didn’t care what I said and that was actually much better.”

Trump added that his daughter-in-law Lara grew up in North Carolina before continuing the rest of his speech against his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris. Earlier in the rally, Trump stressed the importance of getting the vote out in the Tar Heel State.

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump holds his grandson Luke Trump during a campaign rally at Wilmington International Airport, Saturday, Wilmington, N.C.  (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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“Exactly 45 days from now, we’re going to win North Carolina,” Trump predicted. “We’re going to defeat Kamala Harris, and we’re going to make America great again.”

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance on Thursday stood by past remarks calling Haitian migrants who have entered the U.S. through a Biden-era parole program or who are protected from deportation “illegal aliens” — amid an ongoing debate about migration into the U.S.

Vance was asked at a campaign event about why he was referring to migrants from Haiti in towns like Springfield, Ohio, as “illegal aliens” when many of them have come in through the parole processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans (CHNV) or are protected from deportation via Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

“The media loves to say that the Haitian migrants — hundreds of thousands of them, by the way, 20,000 in Springfield, but hundreds of thousands of them all across the country — they are here legally.”

BIDEN ADMIN’S PAROLE USE IN SPOTLIGHT AS IT REVEALS EYE-POPPING NUMBER OF MIGRANT ARRIVALS IN US

Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance spoke on the subject of Haitian migration on Thursday. (Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

“And what they mean is that Kamala Harris used two separate programs, mass parole and Temporary Protected Status. She used two programs to wave a wand and to say, we’re not going to deport those people here,” he said. “Well, if Kamala Harris waves the wand illegally and says these people are now here legally, I’m still going to call them an illegal alien. An illegal action from Kamala Harris does not make any alien legal. That is not how this works. “

The CHNV parole processes were expanded by the Department of Homeland Security in 2023 to allow up to 30,000 migrants from those four countries into the U.S. each month if they are vetted and have a supporter already in the U.S.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration redesignated and extended TPS for Haiti last year, offering protection from deportation and work permits for hundreds of thousands of Haitians — even those in the country illegally.

Republicans have objected to the use of parole programs by the Biden administration, both the CHNV program and the use of the CBP One app at ports of entry to allow in 1,450 migrants per day via parole. They argue that Congress has limited the use of parole to a “case by case” basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit, and that use of parole in such quantities is a breach of that. Republican states sued over the CHNV program this year, but they have lost in court.

TRUMP REVEALS NEW PLEDGE AMID HAITIAN REFUGEE CONTROVERY: ‘I WILL SAVE OUR CITIES’

“These processes — a safe and orderly way to reach the United States — have resulted in a significant reduction in the number of these individuals encountered at our southern border,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said earlier this year in a statement when that case was decided. “It is a key element of our efforts to address the unprecedented level of migration throughout our hemisphere, and other countries around the world see it as a model to tackle the challenge of increased irregular migration that they too are experiencing.”

Migrants wait in line to enter the shelter set up by the authorities for migrants as migrants wait for an appointment through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) one application in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on May 23, 2023.  ((Photo by Christian Torres Chavez/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images))

The administration says that the use of the parole programs encourages legal immigration and has been tied to a sharp drop in illegal crossings from those nationalities.

“All CHNV beneficiaries continue to be thoroughly screened and vetted by CBP prior to their arrival to the United States and must meet other eligibility criteria authorization to travel to the United States in a safe, orderly and lawful way once they purchase their own commercial airline tickets,” Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said on Monday.

“Since DHS has implemented these safe, orderly and lawful processes, encounters of CHNV nationals in between POEs are down 99%,” the statement said.

But the debate has come back into the spotlight in recent days amid attention on the influx of Haitian migrants into small towns like Springfield, Ohio. Both Vance and Former President Trump repeated unsubstantiated claims that Haitians in Springfield were eating pets of the people that live there.

As that debate has continued, and sparked a slew of memes, it has led to more attention on the use of parole. The administration recently announced that more than 1.3 million migrants have been allowed in using the CBP One app. While critics have pointed out that many of the migrants are not here illegally due to the use of parole, Vance pushed back.

BIDEN ADMIN RESTARTS CONTROVERSIAL MIGRANT FLIGHT PROGRAM WITH ADDITIONAL VETTING AFTER FRAUD REVELATIONS 

“What is fundamentally illegal is for Kamala Harris to say we’re going to grant parole not on a case by case basis, but to millions of illegal aliens who are coming into this country. That does not magically make them legal,” he said.

The Harris campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Vance also criticized the use of TPS by the administration. The Trump administration attempted to end the use of TPS for a number of nationalities, including Haitians.

Vance described TPS as a “government edict saying that you’re not allowed to deport people anymore.”

The remarks show how the debate about immigration has extended beyond the southern border, where numbers have dropped sharply in recent months after an executive order by President Biden that limited arrivals into the U.S. 

Former President Trump said recently that he will “immediately end the migrant invasion of America.”

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“We will stop all migrant flights, end all illegal entries, terminate the Kamala phone app for smuggling illegals (CBP One App), revoke deportation immunity, suspend refugee resettlement, and return Kamala’s illegal migrants to their home countries (also known as remigration),” he said.

Fox News’ Sophia Compton contributed to this report.

Former President Trump vowed to “protect women at a level never seen before” if elected, and to ensure that “powerful exceptions” for abortion are adopted across the nation, in a social media post early Saturday.

Trump, in the lengthy late-night missive to his Truth Social in all capitalized letters, said “women are poorer than they were four years ago, are less healthy than they were four years ago, are less safe on the streets than they were four years ago, are more depressed and unhappy than they were four years ago, and are less optimistic and confident in the future than they were four years ago.” 

TRUMP VOWS HE ‘WILL NOT BLOCK’ ABORTION PILLS OR MEDICATION IF ELECTED, SAYS HE BELIEVES IN ‘EXCEPTIONS’

“I will fix all of that, and fast, and at long last this national nightmare will be over,” he said. “Women will be happy, healthy, confident and free!”

Polls have consistently shown Trump running strongly, against Vice President Kamala Harris in most demographic groups, but struggling with women. Much of that has been attributed to the fact that the three justices he picked for the Supreme Court helped overturn Roe v. Wade, which had enshrined abortion protections under federal law.

In his post, Trump wrote that women “will no longer be thinking about abortion, because it is now where it always had to be, with the states, and a vote of the people—and with powerful exceptions, like those that Ronald Reagan insisted on for rape, incest, and the life of the mother—but not allowing for Democrat demanded late term abortion in the 7th, 8th, or 9th month, or even execution of a baby after birth.”

“I will protect women at a level never seen before,” he said. “They will finally be healthy, hopeful, safe and secure.” 

Trump added: “Their lives will be happy, beautiful, and great again!” 

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Uniondale, New York, on Wednesday, September 18, 2024. (Julia Bonavita/Fox News Digital)

The former president’s play for the female vote comes after Vice President Harris campaigned in Georgia, delivering a speech about the consequences of, what her campaign calls “extreme Trump Abortion Bans.” 

“After Vice President Harris spent the week speaking about the consequences of Trump Abortion Bans and the stakes of this election for women’s lives, Donald Trump snapped — taking to his phone late at night to rant and rave about women,” Harris-Walz 2024 Spokesperson Sarafina Chitika said in response to Trump’s Truth Social post. “After ripping away our reproductive freedom, now he’s trying to tell us how to think.” 

Chitika said “Trump thinks he can control women — he’s wrong.” 

The Harris campaign said he is “terrified that women across the country will vote like our lives and freedoms depend on it, because they do.” 

“Women aren’t stupid. We see Trump’s Project 2025 agenda for what it is: an extreme plan to ban abortion nationwide and threaten access to IVF and birth control,” Chitika said. “We’ll vote like it this November.”

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But Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital that Harris and President Joe Biden have put women’s lives in danger, and noted the names of women who have been killed by illegal immigrants.

“President Trump is right. Kamala may want to be the first woman president, but she’s made the lives of women worse — more dangerous and more unaffordable,” Leavitt said. “If Kamala cared about protecting women, she would close the border and stop allowing rapists and murderers to flow into our country to prey on young women and girls. Kamala has never said the names of Laken Riley, Jocelyn Nunguaray, and Rachel Morin. President Trump has honored their lives and consoled their grieving families.” 

Leavitt added: “If women want safety, security and prosperity for our families, there’s only one option on the ballot — President Trump.”

As for Project 2025, a blueprint for a Republican administration crafted by the Heritage Foundation, Leavitt repeated Trump’s assertion that he did not commission it and has no plans to implement it if elected.

“President Trump has repeatedly said he has nothing to do with Project 2025,” Leavitt said, adding that “Kamala’s campaign is lying because they are losing.”

Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks on stage during the final day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 22, 2024. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

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Harris continues to claim that Trump will install a national abortion ban that would allow for no exceptions, despite Trump repeatedly saying that he would never support a national abortion ban, and believes in exceptions for abortion, including rape, incest, and life of the mother. 

Harris has refused to say whether she supports any abortion restrictions up to birth. 

Trump has vowed that he “will not block” abortion pills or abortion medication for women, should he be elected president.

Vice President Kamala Harris entered the final stretch of the 2024 race for the White House with a large fundraising advantage over former President Trump, new federal filings show.

Harris hauled in nearly $190 million in fundraising for her 2024 campaign in August, more than quadrupling the $44.5 million that Trump’s team reported bringing into his principal campaign account last month — this according to figures from the Federal Election Commission made public on Friday.

The Harris campaign also vastly outspent the Trump campaign last month, as it dished out roughly $174 million. Much of those expenditures went to creating and running ads, as the campaign aimed to familiarize Americans with Harris after she replaced President Biden on the Democrats’ 2024 ticket two months ago.

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Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally at Bojangles Coliseum, in Charlotte, N.C., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

The Trump campaign, by comparison, listed just $61 million in expenditures, with most of the spending going toward media buys.

But despite the Harris spending spree, the vice president’s campaign entered September with $235 million cash-on-hand, far ahead of the $135 million Trump’s coffers, according to the FEC filings.

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The latest cash figures are another sign of the vice president’s surge in fundraising since becoming her party’s standard-bearer.

Trump speaks at a rally in Uniondale, New York on Wednesday, September 18, 2024. (Julia Bonavita/Fox News Digital)

Both the Harris and Trump campaigns use a slew of affiliated fundraising committees to haul in cash, and those panels file their reports on a different schedule.

The Harris campaign announced earlier this month that they and their allied committees hauled in $361 million in August — nearly triple the $130 million reported raised by the Trump campaign and its aligned committees.

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The vice president’s team also touted that Harris hauled in $47 million from nearly 600,000 donors in the 24 hours after her first and potentially only debate with Trump, which took place earlier this month in Philadelphia.

Vice President Kamala Harris, right, and former President Donald Trump during their presidential debate in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024.  (Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

When asked about the fundraising deficit, Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley told Fox News Digital in the debate spin room earlier this month that “the Democrats have a ton of money. The Democrats always have a ton of money.”

However, he emphasized that “we absolutely have the resources that we need to get our message out to all the voters that we’re talking to and feel very comfortable that we’re going to be able to see this campaign through and we’re going to win on November 5.”

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

Former President Donald Trump has a “special” connection with the people of Pennsylvania, Democratic Sen. John Fetterman warns.

Fetterman made the observation during a conversation with The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg during the 2024 Atlantic Festival on Thursday.

“Trump has created a special kind of hold within the coronet he’s remade – the party – and he has a special kind of place in Pennsylvania, and I think that only deepened after the first assassination attempt,” Fetterman said. 

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Jeffrey Goldberg and John Fetterman speak on stage during the “In Conversation with John Fetterman” panel for The Atlantic Festival 2024 in Washington, DC.  (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for The Atlantic)

A deranged gunman attempted to assassinate Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July. The shooting, which Trump miraculously survived with only a wound on the side of his head, sharpened support among his die-hard base.

“I also want people to understand, you know, and it’s not science, but there is, there’s energy and there are kinds of anger on the ground in Pennsylvania — and people are very committed and strong,” Fetterman said Thursday. “And I joked that his signs became like the state flower – and you see that everywhere.”

However — after President Biden’s withdrawal from the race and Vice President Kamala Harris’ rapid ascension as the Democratic presidential nominee, polls indicate she holds a slight lead over Trump in the Keystone State.

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Former President Trump was injured during an assassination attempt at a July rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

A Thursday poll from the Washington Post had Harris at 48% support among likely and registered voters, while Trump sits at 47%. A New York Times poll gave Harris a slightly larger lead, with the vice president sitting at 50% compared to Trump’s 46%.

Fetterman expressed skepticism of Harris’ reported lead in Pennsylvania on Thursday, comparing the situation to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s seven-point lead in Pennsylvania that ultimately collapsed on Election Day during her failed 2016 presidential bid.

“Everybody thought that it was in the bag, but that’s not the energy and the other kinds of things that were really consistent with what I’m witnessing all across,” Fetterman recalled. “And then, sadly, we saw what happened.”

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Harris, right, and Trump during the second presidential debate at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“People understand who he is and what he’s about, and enough people think that that’s the feature, and it’s not a bug,” he added.