Donald Trump Poll News

DES MOINES, IA – Donald Trump is confident he’ll do “very well” in Monday night’s Iowa caucuses, which lead off the 2024 Republican presidential nominating calendar.

But the former president isn’t ready to make a prediction on if he’ll top 50%.

As he left his hotel in Des Moines on Sunday, Trump was asked by Fox News’ James Levinson about whether he would receive more than 50 % of the vote in the caucuses.

“I don’t know, I think we are doing very well,” Trump answered. The former president is the commanding front-runner in the latest polls in Iowa as well as in national surveys in the GOP presidential nomination race as he makes his third straight White House run.

WHAT THE FINAL POLL BEFORE MONDAY’S IOWA GOP PRESIDENTIAL CAUCUSES SHOWS

Trump grabbed 50% support, or higher, in a slew of polls over the past month in Iowa. And he stood at 48% support in the final Des Moines Register/Mediacom/NBC News poll of likely Republican caucusgoers was released Saturday night. His closest rivals – former ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis – stood at 20% and 16% in the new survey.

The closely watched and highly anticipated survey, conducted by longtime pollster Ann Selzer, has a well-earned tradition of accuracy in past GOP presidential caucuses, and is considered by many as the gold standard in Iowa polling.

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DeSantis campaign manager James Uthmeier, in a Sunday appearance on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom,” argued that “expectations are high for Trump…he’s got to perform. If he gets less than half the vote, more people voting against him than for him. I think that’s, you know, setting up doom down the road.”

And Haley, in an interview on the same program, noted that people will be looking to see if Trump “is falling below 50%.”

Longtime Republican strategist David Kochel, a veteran of numerous GOP presidential campaigns and statewide contests in Iowa, told Fox News “there are two campaigns going on in Iowa right now.”

“One is Trump vs. his expectations and the other one is Haley vs. DeSantis to see who gets the right to take on Trump one-on-one,” noted Kochel, who remains neutral in the Republican presidential caucuses.

Trump made history last year as the first former or current president to be indicted for a crime, but his four indictments, including charges he tried to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss, have only fueled his support among Republican voters.

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But Trump and his campaign have been attempting to downplay the high expectations he faces in Iowa.

“No one has ever won the Iowa caucus by more than 12%,” Trump campaign senior adviser Chris LaCivita told Fox News Digital on Saturday. “I think the public polls are a little rich.”

Trump, speaking with reporters on Sunday, took aim at media attention over Iowa expectations.

“There seems to be something about 50% now. It doesn’t matter,” Trump argued. “I think they’re doing it so that they can set a high expectation. So if we end up with 49%, which would be about 25 points bigger than anyone else ever got. They can say he had a failure, it was a failure. You know fake news.”

While he takes aim at expectations, Trump is also urging his supporters to show up at the caucuses.

“Tomorrow, Jan. 15, I need each and every one of you to get out. Everybody get out. Just get out and vote,” Trump urged his supporters at a rally Sunday in Indianola, Iowa.

BLIZZARD DERAILS IOWA CAMAPIGN EVENTS, WILL BELOW ZERO TEMPS DEPRESS CAUCUS TURNOUT?

At an Iowa rally earlier this month, Trump touted to supporters that “we’re leading by 30 to 40 points.”

However, he added that “the poll numbers are scary because we’re leading by so much.”

 “We’re not taking any chances,” Trump emphasized as he took aim at potential complacency among his supporters. “The biggest risk is, you say you know what? He’s winning by so much, darling. Let’s stay home and watch television. Let’s watch this great victory. And if enough people do that, it’s not going to be pretty. But we’re not going to let that happen.”

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The Trump campaign in Iowa shifted into a higher gear weeks ago, and the former president picked up the pace of stops in the state. High profile surrogates have also parachuted into Iowa to campaign on the former president’s behalf. Additionally, the campaign trained nearly 2,000 caucus captains in precincts across the state. 

“Their sole job is to run each individual caucus that takes place and making sure that the list of the targeted voters supporting President Trump show up,” LaCivita highlighted.

“We’ve built an operation in over 1,800 caucus locations with straight up volunteers, neighborhood by neighborhood. They know the area and they know who’s caucusing in their area and they’ll be following up with them, making sure they vote,” he said. “Our focus and our premium has been on people.. and we think it’s going to bear fruit in a big way.”

The Trump campaign’s ground game operation in Iowa is leagues ahead of his 2016 effort, when he narrowly lost the caucuses to Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. 

“Ted Cruz won in 2016 because his ground game was fantastic,” Iowa GOP chair Jeff Kaufmann, who remains neutral in the Republican nomination race, told Fox News.

Pointing to the 2024 Trump campaign, Kaufmann said “their ground game has increased immensely.”

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

It is now mid-January. And there is no deal on potential legislation to secure the border.

That also means there is no agreement on an international aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

That is not an indictment. 

It’s just that realists on Capitol Hill knew this was going to take a while – even though negotiators began hammering away at a possible border accord in early December and worked through the holidays.

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The top GOP negotiator in the talks, Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., suggested on “Fox News Sunday” last weekend that his aim was to have bill text ready sometime this week.

But that never materialized. Lankford says nothing changed for the worse.

“I think we just didn’t make progress as fast as I’d hoped we would,” said Lankford. “I was thinking, ‘I think we’re close.’ But in all of our meetings [Sunday] night and [Monday] we’re not going to be able to get there.”

A source close to the talks told Fox that negotiators didn’t lose momentum or hit an unexpected pothole.

“There are a thousand small things to work out,” said the source, noting the complexity of the talks.

But there is concern about speed. Fox is told that senators are aware of the need to ship aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. Soon. Moreover, there is concern that any struggle with funding the government later this month could undercut everything the sides are trying to do with the border.

“That takes precedent,” said a source about government funding. “That’s a hard deadline.”

Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., said Lankford “actually surprised me with some of the progress he has made” on the border deal. Marshall observed that lawmakers have “a once in a lifetime opportunity to secure the border. And if we have that opportunity, if we have a good deal on the table, if we’re getting 80 or 90% of what we want,” than GOPers should take the deal.

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Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., said “the amount of progress that the negotiators have made is substantial and encouraging.”

But when Capitol Hill devolved into the Hunter Biden circus Wednesday, few paid close attention to the border talks. Lankford briefed fellow GOP senators and some House members on his negotiations. And the week ended without the production of bill text as the sides wrangled over parole for those illegally entering the U.S.

The lack of bill text may actually help the negotiations. If something is printed to paper on Capitol Hill, the details inevitably spill out. That’s when some lawmakers and interest groups may try to undercut the proposal. So negotiators elected to keep their cards close to the vest. But the lack of specificity make it a challenge to judge progress.

“It’s hard to evaluate because there’s no text,” said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. “There’s nothing written down.”

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., echoed his colleague.

“It’s not in writing so I can’t be comfortable – and no one can – until they read it,” said Rubio.

The same thing bothered Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo. 

“This has been a very secretive process,” said Schmitt. “I am skeptical that we might be giving up way too much here.”

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But here’s where things stand.

Negotiators worked feverishly since December. They talked repeatedly over the holidays. And now we’re moving into the third week of January without an accord. In the meantime, the war in Israel rages. Ukraine says it’s unable to match Russia’s firepower. China is keeping an eye on Taiwan. Money for Taiwan could become increasingly urgent if China reacts adversely to the election of Lai Ching-te as president of Taiwan. Don’t forget that Republicans insisted on making assistance to Ukraine contingent on a border security pact. So the international aid package languishes while negotiators forge ahead.

This is the type of timeline which yours truly suggested in December. Some thought that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., would try to jam members with a floor vote on a border package just before Christmas. That never happened – mostly because the negotiations are real and the sides were making progress. A show vote to score political points would have been counterproductive.

And this is why the true, realistic timeline to finish this legislation was probably February or beyond for the Senate alone. If they are able to finish it at all.

We haven’t even talked about the House. 

Many House Republicans don’t want to touch a still shapeless, hazy measure which is wafting around the Senate. For years, congressional Republicans argued that they needed to reassert their Article I powers vested in the Constitution and legislation – not cede authority to the administration. But since Congress has struggled to craft a legislative solution on border security and immigration, some GOPers are now punting to the White House.

Republicans don’t think President Biden can accomplish much. But now they argue he’s the one to address the border crisis.

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“Joe Biden doesn’t want to fix it. He could do it with his own executive order,” said Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Tex.

But that doesn’t comport with what was the longtime mantra by congressional GOPers, who insisted that the Clinton/Obama/Biden administrations were out of control and needed to be reined in on a host of subjects.

“How did President Trump secure the southern border?” asked Nehls. “He did it through 21 executive orders and 25 presidential memorandums.”

This is why a legislative fix to border security remains so elusive. And it may continue to be so for at least a few more weeks. Nothing of this magnitude on immigration and border security – which has been a radioactive subject for decades – could possibly come together this quickly. And even if there is an agreement, it will likely take a few more weeks to hash out and debate because of a divided Congress and lawmakers who are leery of touching immigration.

But here’s the rub.

Aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan is contingent upon a border deal. It’s unclear if lawmakers might unhook the aid package from border security if things grow iffy in any of those locales. Ukraine is where things are the most urgent. And there’s a political risk for some Republicans if things go south in Ukraine. There’s also political peril if Republicans ever decouple international assistance from border security. Hardliners demanding border security first will howl.

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So this will take a while. Still.

If it ever gets done at all.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis predicted that he would “do well” when Iowa Republicans participate in the state’s caucuses on Monday.

DeSantis joined “Fox News Sunday” with host Shannon Bream, arguing that he and his campaign have put in more work than any other candidate. Recent polls show DeSantis trailing in third behind former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former President Trump.

“Do you need to finish second here in Iowa?” Bream asked.

“We’re gonna do well,” DeSantis responded. “I appreciate being the underdog… I do better in those situations, and I think I have a record of doing well as the underdog. We’re gonna do well, and we look forward to doing the next contest.”

BLIZZARD DERAILS IOWA CAMAPIGN EVENTS, WILL BELOW ZERO TEMPS DEPRESS CAUCUS TURNOUT?

“We’ve been working hard. We’ve been doing a great job, and I think Monday is going to be the pivot point where, now that people start to actually vote, I think it’s gonna help change the landscape,” he added. “There has not been a candidate that has worked harder… Iowans notice that. You’re not entitled to just be nominated. You don’t just swoop in and get coronated. You’ve gotta earn it, and we’ve earned it.”

Iowa voters will have to brave bitter cold weather to participate in Monday’s caucuses, however, with forecasts saying much of the state will see temperatures well below zero.

TRUMP TAKES NO CHANCES AS THE IOWA CAUCUSES APPROACH

Trump maintained his dominant lead in the Republican field in the most recent polling, which shows him beating his nearest competitor, Haley, by nearly 30 points.

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Support for DeSantis has appeared to slip in recent weeks as Haley has crept up to replace him in second place, according to multiple polls. Nevertheless, DeSantis and his campaign invested immense resources in Iowa, and DeSantis himself traveled to every county in the state.

The 2024 election cycle is in full swing, with presidential hopefuls working tirelessly to gain the American public’s vote. Since former President Donald Trump announced a second-term run for president in November 2022, he has been speaking at events and rallies across the country to win the public’s vote, first against fellow candidates vying for the Republican nomination. 

During the speeches Trump has given so far in this election cycle, he has spoken about many concerns weighing on American’s minds going into 2024, such as the economy, immigration policies and abortion laws.

Several GOP presidential hopefuls like Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis and Chris Christie, the latter of whom just dropped out of the race, have spoken about the former president during their own campaigns, expressing their disfavor.

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Trump has faced a lot of legal trouble during this campaign run with the four criminal indictments he faces. This includes a classified records case and the Jan. 6 election interference case.  

Toward the beginning of 2024, much of Trump’s campaigning has been focused on states like Iowa and New Hampshire, where the first caucuses and primary in the nation occur, respectively.

All eyes will be on Iowa on Monday as the state’s caucuses kick off the Republican presidential nominating calendar.

The caucuses, unlike most primary elections, are run by the state parties. There is no set list of authorized candidates for the Iowa Republican caucuses, so caucusgoers may write in any person they prefer. Most, however, will choose between the current GOP candidates: former President Donald Trump, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and entrepreneur Ryan Binkley.

Both the Republican and Democratic parties will hold their caucuses Monday night, but only Republicans will vote for a 2024 presidential nominee. Registered Republicans will cast their vote for who they want to be president, while registered Democrats will meet to conduct party business and will not hold a presidential preference vote.

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So, how do the caucuses work?

The Iowa caucuses have been the first-in-the-nation balloting since the 1970s. Unlike on Election Day, the caucuses take place at night, and voters must typically attend in person to vote. 

Starting at about 7 p.m. local time (CST), registered Republican voters will arrive and sign in at their respective precincts in 99 counties statewide, where they will hear brief speeches by representatives of each candidate. 

The caucusgoers will then cast their ballots for who they want to be president, and the ballots will be counted immediately and in view of the caucusgoers and campaign representatives.

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The results from each precinct will then be entered into an online system by each precinct chair, where they will be tallied by Republican Party of Iowa staffers and reported via the party’s official website.

“It will be a very perfected operation, very slick,” Steve Scheffler, an Iowa caucuses precinct chair, told Fox News’ Martha MacCallum on Wednesday. “It’s pretty straightforward.”

“It’s pretty simple, it’s a grassroots effort,” added Randy Weisheit, another chair. “They’ll be able to check in, they’ll get a slip of paper, they’ll be able to easily vote their preference for a presidential candidate. There’s county business that also goes on that we essentially look at, electing representatives to our county party as well as delegates to our county party. That’s it.”

The goal is for the GOP to avoid the same reporting issues faced by the Iowa Democratic Party during the 2020 Democratic caucuses, when it didn’t certify the winner – then-Mayor Pete Buttigieg – until weeks later.

The debacle led to several changes by the Iowa Democratic Party, including demoting the state to Super Tuesday status instead of first in the nation. As a result, Iowa Democrats will mail-in their pick for the presidential nominee and have until March 5 – Super Tuesday – to do so.

On Monday, Iowa Republican voters will choose their presidential nominee, and the results of that vote will determine how many of the state’s 40 convention delegates each candidate will receive. Candidates win national convention delegates in direct proportion to the percentage of the vote they receive. 

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While the Iowa caucuses will give the winning candidate an early lead in the delegate race, it does not necessarily predict who will become the party’s nominee. Iowa makes up only 1.6% of the total number of Republican delegates nationwide, but because it is the first to vote in the country, the results can have a significant effect on a campaign and have the potential to further winnow the Republican primary field.

The New Hampshire primary will be held just eight days after the caucuses.

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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

FIRST ON FOX: Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s campaign spent thousands on luxury hotels last year despite her team’s claim it runs “a tight ship” and stays in “affordable” lodging.

According to Haley’s third-quarter disbursements filing with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), her campaign spent over $11,000 on high-end, four- and five-star hotels. 

That included stays at The Breakers, a luxurious hotel in Palm Beach, Florida, and the Wave Resort in Long Branch, New Jersey.

Other hotel expenditures listed in the report include stays at a high-end Fairmont Hotel in Texas, an Omni Hotel, a J.W. Marriott and multiple stays at the upscale Hotel Fort Des Moines in Iowa. 

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The numerous hotel bills contrast with the frugality touted by Haley’s campaign and her comments during the most recent primary debate between her and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, when she blasted him for what she described as blowing through millions of dollars on his campaign.

“He spent more on private planes than commercial. I flew commercial. I stayed in Residence Inns. We went and saved our money,” Haley said. “We made sure we spent it right because you have to understand it’s not your money. It’s other people’s money. And you have to know how to handle it.” 

Haley’s campaign made similar claims in multiple fundraising emails sent last July, including one that said it was “being smart with every dollar.”

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“We run a tight ship at Team Haley. Supporters like you contribute your hard-earned money to elect Nikki, and we make sure to spend that money wisely,” the email said. 

“Nikki’s an accountant, not a lawyer. When Nikki and the team travel to New Hampshire and Iowa, they’re flying on a lot of Spirit and JetBlue flights. When they stay in hotels, they’re not staying in luxury suites, they’re staying at a lot of Residence Inns,” it added.

Another email stated that the campaign’s road team wasn’t “out there renting private planes like some campaigns. You’re flying a lot of Spirit and JetBlue.” 

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“We’re getting you out to New Hampshire, Iowa, and wherever else you need to go with the most affordable option we can find. And when you all land, you’re driving the rest of the staff around in a rental car. You’re not staying in luxury suites. You’re staying at affordable hotels,” it said.

“Our team is lean and mean. We track every penny coming in and out of our campaign because that was the expectation set on day one.”

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In addition to the high-end hotels, Haley’s FEC report also included stays at lower-rated hotels, such as Residence Inn and Hampton Inn, but those stays were not included in the total amount spent on those classified as luxury.

“As an accountant, Nikki Haley understands the importance of sticking to a budget,” Haley’s campaign told Fox News Digital. “That’s what our campaign did, making smart decisions about staff size, TV spending and travel. The proof is in the pudding: This is now a two-person race with Nikki rising, Trump dropping and DeSantis fading fast after lighting $150 million on fire.”

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

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa – Standing in front of a jam-packed room at the Iowa headquarters of a super PAC supporting his White House bid, Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis stressed “we’ve done it the right way.”

The Florida governor has spent much of his time and resources in Iowa, the state whose caucuses kick off the GOP presidential nominating calendar.

And with his presidential campaign arguably on the line in Monday night’s caucuses, DeSantis was urging his supporters to brave the frigid below zero temperatures that are punishing the Hawkeye State to show up and vote.

“It’s going to be cold. It’s not going to be pleasant. But if you’re willing to go out there and you’re willing to fight for me, if you’re willing to bring people to the caucus, if you’re willing to brave the elements and be there for the couple of hours you have to be there, if you’re willing to do that, if you’re willing to fight for me on Monday night, then as president I’ll be fighting for you for the next eight years,” DeSantis emphasized.

WHAT THE FINAL POLL BEFORE MONDAY’S IOWA GOP PRESIDENTIAL CAUCUSES SHOWS

DeSantis, who was convincingly re-elected to a second term as Florida governor 14 months ago, was once the clear alternative to former President Donald Trump in the Republican White House race. For months, he was solidly in second place behind Trump, who’s the far-and-away front-runner in the latest Iowa polls and in national surveys.

However, after a series of campaign setbacks over the summer and autumn, and after getting hammered by negative ads, DeSantis saw his support in the polls erode.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who served as ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration, grabbed momentum during the autumn and has caught up with DeSantis for second place in polls in Iowa and in national surveys. 

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Haley also surpassed DeSantis and surged to second place and narrowed the gap with Trump in New Hampshire, the state that holds the first primary and second overall contest in the GOP nominating calendar, eight days after Iowa’s caucuses.

While he no longer predicts victory in Iowa, DeSantis has repeatedly said over the past week that he’ll “do well” in the caucuses. And the Florida governor is betting that his vaulted ground game in Iowa – which is heavily reliant on the aligned super PAC Never Back Down – will carry him across the finish line.

“We have massive numbers of people. I think we have more commits than anyone’s ever had in an Iowa caucus. We have all the counties organized. People that have been involved in this process say it’s the best yet,” he touted during a Fox News town hall in Des Moines on Tuesday.

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Never Back Down highlights that they’ve knocked on 900,000 doors in Iowa and that they’ve lined up more than 1,700 precinct captains across the state for the caucuses.

“We have a whole team paid staff, canvassers, volunteers, across the state,” Never Back Down’s Jess Szymanski told Fox News. “They’ve been here for months…we’ve been building this since July.”

But Trump, who narrowly lost the 2016 caucus to Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, has dramatically stepped up his campaign operation in the state compared to eight years ago.

“We’ve built an operation in over 1,800 caucus locations with straight-up volunteers, neighborhood by neighborhood. They know the area, and they know who’s caucusing in their area, and they’ll be following up with them, making sure they vote,” Trump campaign senior adviser Chris LaCivita told Fox News.

TRUMP TAKES NO CHANCES AS THE IOWA CAUCUSES APPROACH

“Our focus and our premium has been on people…and we think it’s going to bear fruit in a big way,” he predicted.

Haley is relying on the political wing of the powerful grassroots network from the influential conservative group Americans for Prosperity for much of her ground game efforts in Iowa.

Speaking with supporters on Friday, Haley acknowledged “I know that on January 15th, it is going to be negative 19. I know it’s asking a lot of you to go out and caucus, but I also know we have a country to save. And I will be out there in the cold. And I know Iowans take this in a very serious way.”

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In a boost of adrenalin for Haley and blow to DeSantis, she edged him 20% to 16% for a distant second place behind Trump in the final Des Moines Register/Mediacom/NBC News poll of likely Republican caucus goers, which was released Saturday night.

The highly anticipated and closely watched survey, conducted by longtime pollster Ann Selzer, has a well-earned tradition of accuracy in past GOP presidential caucuses, and is considered by many as the gold standard in Iowa polling. 

The poll was the second straight to suggest DeSantis had slipped to third place. But DeSantis continues to sound confident, telling Fox News on Friday that his supporters are “motivated, they’re passionate, and they’re going to show up.”

“What about the broader electorate? I just don’t know. But I’m confident our people are going to come out strong,” he predicted.

Fox News’ Clare O’Connor, Deirdre Heavey, and James Levinson contributed to this report

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

EXCLUSIVE: The House investigation into “what really happened” on January 6, 2021, is entering a “new phase,” Fox News Digital has learned, with Rep. Barry Loudermilk leading the charge and vowing to bring “the truth” to the American people.

Loudermilk, R-Ga., the chairman of the House Administration Committee’s Oversight Subcommittee, told Fox News Digital that his investigation, which began under former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, is expanding with the support of House Speaker Mike Johnson.

“We’re entering a new phase,” he said in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital. “The speaker has committee whatever resources we need to move forward, and has basically tripled the size of our staff.”

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“We are investigating what really happened on January 6 and how were these people — whoever they were — how were they able to get into the Capitol? What was the security failure?” Loudermilk said, adding that the panel is also investigating “the actions of the Select Committee [on January 6] and how they conducted their investigation.”

“Because the American people have a right to know what happened,” Loudermilk said. “My main goal is to get the truth out there and give the American people the ability to make their own determination on this with facts — not with preconceived ideas or pre-determined narratives — but just the facts of what happened.”

Loudermilk told Fox News Digital that last Congress’ House Select Committee on January 6, led by Democrats, “went above and beyond the evidence to try to prove something that they wanted to be truth.”

Loudermilk said that panel “cherry-picked” evidence and “excluded evidence that did not support their narrative, which was that Trump and the Republicans are the ones who planned and carried out and assisted in the attacks on the Capitol.”

“But there isn’t evidence to support that so-called truth,” he said.

“Look, I’m not here to vindicate anyone,” he said. “But we want the truth to prevail.”

While the attacks on the Capitol took place three years ago, Jan. 6 has become a major talking point and issue for the 2024 presidential election cycle.

Former President Trump has been charged out of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Jan. 6 and the 2020 election. Trump is charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges.

And while the 2024 GOP frontrunner has never been charged with inciting insurrection, several states across the nation have attempted to use the 14th amendment to remove him from state ballots.

Meanwhile, President Biden’s first re-election campaign speech last week was focused on Jan. 6, and accused Trump of being a threat to democracy due to the Capitol riot, again claiming he incited the violence.

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“It is imperative at this point because we do have a major election,” he said. “I am not trying to influence the election but it is important that the people are really informed.”

Loudermilk pointed to a Biden campaign commercial, using footage from Jan. 6.

“He’s using images of the gallows that was erected — that’s something we’ve been investigating. It was erected at 6 in the morning — how in the world did it stay up all day long? Right with Capitol Police there?” He asked. “That is something that at first sight, somebody should have been taking down.”

Loudermilk said that “regardless of who did the attack, how did these people get in?”

Loudermilk said he is investigating the “security failure.”

“We do know there was plenty of intelligence that there was going to be an attack on the Capitol. So Secret Service knew of it. The FBI knew of it. Department of Defense had intelligence. Homeland Security had intelligence. That intelligence was sent to the Capitol Police Intelligence Division—but it never got passed on any further. The chief did not know about it,” he explained.

“Now whether it was intentional suppression or if it was incompetence, there was a huge cover-up over that,” he continued. “We are looking at that, but from what we can tell, there were groups that were planning this attack on the Capitol.”

Loudermilk also said they have intelligence that there were federal agents embedded in the crowd, which he noted, is “not unusual for large gatherings.”

“But our issue is, if a plainclothes law enforcement officer engaged in nefarious activities, which we have already proven there was one Metropolitan police officer who was plainclothes on duty and encouraged people to go to the Capitol — so that type of activity is very concerning to us,” he said.

But Loudermilk noted that federal officers “are not allowed on Capitol Hill unless they are invited by Capitol Police or the Capitol Police Board.”

“Were any of those federal officers here before the chief of police asked for mutual assistance?” He asked.

Meanwhile, Loudermilk said the term “optics” comes up “way too often in a lot of the communications.”

“People had a concern of the ‘optics’ from the Civil Defense unit to Capitol Police wearing riot gear — someone didn’t like that. I suspect it came from [then-Speaker Nancy] Pelosi’s office,” he said. “We’re tracking that down. But they were told to leave their riot gear in buses — it doesn’t do any good. You don’t have time to tell people storming the Capitol, ‘hey, wait until we go get our defensive gear on.’”

“So the term ‘optics’ also comes up when it comes to the deployment of the National Guard,” he continued. “We have uncovered evidence that Trump was aware of the attack on the Capitol and did order the National Guard to be ready to deploy, so we’ll be coming out with that as well.”

As for the portion of the investigation focused on the now-closed House Select Committee on Jan. 6, Loudermilk said he was even “falsely accused” by the committee “of giving reconnaissance tours of the Capitol.” He called those claims “asinine,” but said that experience gave him “insight of how that committee was operating and I was able to see how they manipulated device, cherry-picked evidence, and even edited evidence in my case.”

FLASHBACK: JAN. 6 COMMITTEE SCRUTINIZES CAPITOL TOUR LED BY REPUBLICAN REP. LOUDERMILK DAY BEFORE RIOT

Loudermilk said that the first phase of the investigation was “laying the groundwork.”

“The select committee was supposed to preserve all of these documents, all of the videos of depositions — what I expected, is when they handed all of the information over, was that we would have their entire database—that’s not what we got,” he explained. “We got boxes of about 2 million printed pages of documents just placed into boxes without any cataloging or categorization. We had about two terabytes of digital data.”

Separately, Loudermilk said members of that committee “took out liability insurance, meaning that they can’t be held liable for anyone that may have been defamed in their accusations or false reporting.”

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“It’s just interesting to me that they took out the liability insurance after the fact, if their reporting is so accurate, why would you be concerned about it?” Loudermilk asked. “

“The American people have the right to know the truth of what happened on January 6 and we have taken this from a very non-biased approach.”

EXCLUSIVE: A key moderate Republican lawmaker is coming out in support of impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, bringing House GOP leaders one step closer to unifying their conference on the issue.

Rep. John James, R-Mich., who represents a swing district that former President Donald Trump won by just 1% in 2020, told Fox News Digital that not only should Mayorkas be impeached but tried for treason as well.

“Secretary Mayorkas must be impeached and tried for treason,” he said. 

“Evidence will prove that Mayorkas’ sustained and willful betrayal of the public trust makes him an accessory to the poisoning of millions of Americans, complicit in a modern-day slave trade and so derelict in his duty to secure the homeland that it crosses unequivocally into the realm of high crimes and misdemeanors.”

TEXAS SEIZES CONTROL OF PARK, BLOCKS BORDER PATROL FROM ENTERING, AS PART OF ANTI-ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION EFFORTS

House Republicans kicked off the process to impeach Mayorkas last week when the Homeland Security Committee held its first hearing into the matter on Wednesday. 

Democrats have decried the move as political, while Republicans have accused Mayorkas of being responsible for the migrant crisis at the southern border. The number of encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border broke 300,000 for the month of December, shattering records.

BIDEN LAWSUIT OVER TEXAS IMMIGRATION LAW LATEST ATTEMPT TO STIFLE STATE’S MOVES TO STOP ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

Any future House floor vote on impeachment will likely not get any support from the left. For GOP leadership, that means bringing together a Republican conference that has been highly fractured for much of this term and getting moderates like James on board.

Under the current circumstances, House GOP leaders cannot lose more than two votes to still pass anything along party lines. 

James was among more than 60 House Republicans who visited the border at the start of this month.

“I believe that legal immigration is an economic and moral imperative for this nation. But we’re talking about border security right now,” he told reporters on a press call afterward.

BIDEN DOJ SEEKS SUPREME COURT INTERVENTION OVER TEXAS RAZOR WIRE AT SOUTHERN BORDER

“We have Border Patrol agents that are underfunded, that are underappreciated, and they’re at their wit’s end. And part of the only reason they’re still sticking around is because if they leave, they feel like they’re leaving their buddies behind. That resonates with me… as a former military member.”

James also discussed the toll of human trafficking by smugglers taking people across the border illegally.

“These are human beings we’re talking about. These are men and women. These are children,” he said. “These are God’s creatures, who are being herded like cattle, like chattel, like, like animals, by these coyotes. And they’re being bought and sold to the tune of $32 million per week just in the Del Rio sector.”

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Republicans have blamed the Biden administration for fueling the crisis by rolling back Trump-era border policies. 

House conservatives are currently pushing to bring many of them back via their own border security bill, known as H.R.2.

Meanwhile, talks are ongoing in the Senate to cobble together a border security deal — talks which Mayorkas has been part of.

Asked for comment on Republicans’ impeachment push, a DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a memo, “After decades of Congressional inaction on our broken immigration laws, Secretary Mayorkas and a bipartisan group of Senators are working hard to try and find real solutions to address these challenges. Instead of working in a bipartisan way to fix our broken immigration laws, the House Majority is wasting time on baseless and pointless political attacks by trying to impeach Secretary Mayorkas.”

The memo also pointed out that Republican lawmakers have fundraised off the Mayorkas impeachment push and the rhetoric around it, and that some in the GOP have decried it as a waste of time.

Vivek Ramaswamy responded to Donald Trump’s scathing personal attack, saying that he would not return his comments with “friendly fire” or criticize the former president, but warned voters to “open their eyes.”

“Yes, I saw President Trump’s Truth Social post. It’s an unfortunate move by his campaign advisors, I don’t think friendly fire is helpful,” Ramaswamy wrote in a late Saturday X post.  

“Donald Trump was the greatest President of the 21st century, and I’m not going to criticize him in response to this late attack,” the biotech multimillionaire continued.

TRUMP SAYS VIVEK RAMASWAMY ‘NOT MAGA’ IN BLISTERING ATTACK AHEAD OF IOWA CAUCUSES: ‘DON’T GET DUPED’

The “America first” campaigner, who has long been complimentary of the former president, defended Trump’s accusations that he was “not MAGA” arguing that he has “defended him at every step.”

“I’m worried for Trump. I’m worried for our country. I’ve stood up against the persecutions against Trump, and I’ve defended him at every step,” Ramaswamy said. 

“I showed up at the Miami courthouse in solidarity following his first federal indictment. I filed a FOIA demand to the Biden DOJ. I submitted an amicus brief this week with the U.S. Supreme Court calling on them to overturn Colorado’s ruling,” Ramaswamy continued. “I pledged to remove myself from Maine’s & Colorado’s primary ballots if they remove Trump, calling on DeSantis and Haley to do the same.”

Ramaswamy continued, attacking presidential candidate Nikki Haley, calling her the left’s “puppet” and encouraging voters to “open their eyes.”

“But we have to open our eyes. Last time it was a man-made pandemic & Big Tech election interference,” he wrote. 

HALEY ON DESANTIS HEADING TO SOUTH CAROLINA BEFORE NEW HAMPSHIRE: ‘WE DON’T HAVE TO HOP A STATE’

“Now, the same billionaires funding the lawsuits against Trump are the ones trying to prop up Nikki Haley. The same MSM blasting Trump is lavishing praise on Nikki,” Ramaswamy said. “They want to narrow this to a two-horse race between Trump & Haley, eliminate Trump (one way or other), & trot their puppet into the White House.”

“We can’t fall for that trap. 1 year from now, we won’t look back and say we were shocked that it happened. We’ll kick ourselves for not stopping it,” he said.

The GOP presidential candidate concluded his response by arguing that his “America First” movement did not start in 2016, but in 1776.

“Our movement must live on. America-First didn’t start in 2016. It started in 1776,” Ramaswamy said. “We owe it to our Founding Fathers to do the right thing for our country. I want to save Trump & to save this country. Let’s do it together.”

“You won’t hear any friendly fire from me,” he said.

TRUMP FIRST, HALEY SECOND, DESANTIS THIRD IN HIGHLY ANTICIPATED FINAL POLL AHEAD OF IOWA CAUCUSES

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Ramaswamy’s campaign spoke about the potential of Trump being removed from the presidential ballot.

“Just because it’s wrong doesn’t mean it won’t happen & we owe it to our nation to take America-First forward,” Ramaswamy’s campaign said.

Ramaswamy’s lengthy statement came after Trump and his team made direct, public attacks against the pharmaceutical entrepreneur.

“Vivek started his campaign as a great supporter, ‘the best President in generations,’ etc.,” Trump wrote in a Saturday evening Truth Social post. “Unfortunately, now all he does is disguise his support in the form of deceitful campaign tricks. Very sly.”

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Trump said that Vivek is “not MAGA” and encouraged his supporters to not get “duped.” 

“A vote for Vivek is a vote for the ‘other side’ — don’t get duped by this. Vote for “TRUMP,” the former president said. “Don’t waste your vote! Vivek is not MAGA.”

Nikki Haley’s campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

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

Nikki Haley said that she does not need to “hop a state” when reacting to the news that her presidential opponent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, was headed to her home state before the New Hampshire primaries.

“We’re going to do this one at a time. We played hard in Iowa. We’re playing hard in New Hampshire. We’re going to play hard in South Carolina. We’re going to keep on going. We don’t have to hop a state,” Haley said in an interview with Fox News Digital. “We’re going to play them all, and we’re going to make sure that we fight to earn every single vote.”

We’re going to keep on going. We don’t have to hop a state.

— Nikki Haley

The two-term South Carolina governor who later served as ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration said that while she welcomes DeSantis to her home state of South Carolina, she thinks it’s “a mistake.”

“I think it’s a mistake to ignore New Hampshire that way,” Haley said. “But I welcome him to South Carolina if he wants.”

SURPRISE MOVE: DESANTIS CAMPAIGN TRIES TO OUTFLANK HALEY IN HER OWN STATE AFTER IOWA CAUCUS

Haley’s pointed remarks toward the Florida Governor come after DeSantis’ campaign announced that he would head to Greenville, South Carolina, where he’ll hold one rally on Tuesday morning.

TRUMP TAKES NO CHANCES AS THE IOWA CAUCUSES APPROACH

DeSantis later told Fox News that he would head later in the day to New Hampshire, which holds the first primary and second overall contest in the GOP nominating calendar on Jan. 23, eight days after the Iowa caucuses.

Typically, Republican candidates transition to campaigning in New Hampshire following Monday’s Iowa caucuses.

HALEY KNOCKS MEDIA EXPECTATIONS BUT LOOKS TO ‘BIG SHOWING’ IN IOWA

South Carolina – another crucial early voting state – holds the first southern primary in the Republican schedule on Feb. 24.

On Saturday night, the final Des Moines Register/Mediacom/NBC News poll of likely Republican caucusgoers was released.

Trump stands at 48% support in the poll, with Haley at 20% and DeSantis at 16%.

Multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur and first-time candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who has relentlessly campaigned across the Hawkeye State the past couple of months, stands at 8% support in the poll.

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The survey, conducted by longtime pollster Ann Selzer, has a well-earned tradition of accuracy in past GOP presidential caucuses, and is considered by many as the gold standard in Iowa polling.

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

DES MOINES, IA – Former President Donald Trump remains the commanding front-runner in a closely watched poll of likely Republican presidential caucusgoers in Iowa.

And former ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley edges Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for second place.

The final Des Moines Register/Mediacom/NBC News poll of likely Republican caucusgoers was released Saturday night, two days before the Iowa caucuses lead off the 2024 GOP presidential nominating calendar.

Trump stands at 48% support in the poll, with Haley at 20% and DeSantis at 16%

Multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur and first-time candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who has relentlessly campaigned across the Hawkeye State the past couple of months, stands at 8% support in the poll.

BLIZZARD DERAILS IOWA CAMAPIGN EVENTS, WILL BELOW ZERO TEMPS DEPRESS CAUCUS TURNOUT?

The new poll is the second straight survey in Iowa to indicate Haley ahead of DeSantis, following a Suffolk University poll that was released a few days ago. But her advantage over DeSantis in the new survey is within the sampling error. 

And poll indicates that just nine percent of Haley supporters are extremely enthusiastic about her White House bid, which was much lower than enthusiasm among those backing Trump and DeSantis.

The survey, conducted by longtime pollster Ann Selzer, has a well-earned tradition of accuracy in past GOP presidential caucuses, and is considered by many as the gold standard in Iowa polling.

Trump is the clear front-runner in the race for Republican standardbearer as he makes his third White House run.

Trump made history last year as the first former or current president to be indicted for an alleged crime, but his four indictments, including charges he tried to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss, have only fueled his support among Republican voters.

TRUMP TAKES NO CHANCES AS THE IOWA CAUCUSES APPROACH

DeSantis, who was convincingly re-elected to a second term as Florida governor 14 months ago, was once the clear alternative to Trump in the Republican White House race. For months, he was solidly in second place behind the former president.

However, after a series of campaign setbacks over the summer and autumn, DeSantis saw his support in the polls erode.

Haley, who served as ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration, grabbed momentum during the autumn, thanks to well-regarded debate performances. In recent weeks, she caught up with DeSantis for second place in polls in Iowa and in national surveys. 

HALEY KNOCKS MEDIA EXPECTATIONS BUT LOOKS TO ‘BIG SHOWING’ IN IOWA

Haley also surpassed DeSantis and surged to second place and narrowed the gap with Trump in New Hampshire, the state that holds the first primary and second overall contest in the GOP nominating calendar, eight days after Iowa’s caucuses.

DeSantis appears to have staked much of his presidential campaign on a strong finish in Iowa. He has highlighted that he has stopped in all 99 of the state’s counties and showcased his strong grassroots outreach organization in Iowa. Pundits have labeled Iowa a “do-or-die” state for the Florida governor.

Last month, in multiple interviews, even though he was down double digits in the polls to Trump in Iowa, DeSantis predicted victory.

“We’re going to win Iowa. We’ve got the organization in place,” the governor declared in a Fox News Digital interview in Bettendorf, Iowa, a week before Christmas.

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But DeSantis seems to have tempered expectations, telling Fox News multiple times in recent days that “we’re going to do well” in Iowa.

The survey was released on Saturday evening, after a blizzard slammed into Iowa the past two days, and as frigid weather dropped temperatures below zero across the state.

The bitterly cold weather, which is forecast to extend into the working week, threatens to put a chill on turnout at Monday night’s caucuses.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who did not campaign in Iowa this cycle as he concentrated his time and resources in New Hampshire, suspended his campaign on Wednesday. His sliver of support was reallocated to the other candidates still in the race.

The poll was conducted Jan 7-12 , with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 points.

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

Former President Donald Trump attacked his GOP political opponent Vivek Ramaswamy in a scathing social media post on Saturday, calling the biotech multimillionaire “not MAGA.”

Ramaswamy, who has long been complimentary of the former president, was the latest candidate to fall victim to the former president’s social media criticism.

“Vivek started his campaign as a great supporter, ‘the best President in generations,’ etc.,” Trump wrote in a Saturday evening Truth Social post. “Unfortunately, now all he does is disguise his support in the form of deceitful campaign tricks. Very sly.”

Trump said that Vivek is “not MAGA” and encouraged his supporters to not get “duped.” 

STATE OF THE RACE: BLIZZARD DERAILS IOWA CAMPAIGN EVENTS; WILL BELOW ZERO TEMPS DEPRESS CAUCUS TURNOUT

“A vote for Vivek is a vote for the ‘other side’ — don’t get duped by this. Vote for “TRUMP,” the former president said. “Don’t waste your vote! Vivek is not MAGA.”

CLIMATE PROTESTERS DISRUPT RAMASWAMY TOWN HALL IN IOWA

“The Biden Indictments against his Political Opponent will never be allowed in this Country, they are already beginning to fall! MAGA!!!” Trump said.

Trump’s post came just two days after Ramaswamy filed an amicus brief at the Supreme Court in support of former president’s efforts to remain on state ballots.

“President Trump’s political opponents have sought to disqualify him from the ballot in multiple states because they fear they cannot beat him in a free and fair election,” Ramaswamy noted in the filing. “Needless to say, the distress of competing against a formidable opponent cannot justify disqualification under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment. The consequences of affirming the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision will extend far beyond the dispute over President Trump’s eligibility.”

According to a Suffolk University survey of 500 Iowa voters likely to participate in Monday’s GOP presidential caucuses, Trump stands at 54% support, with Ramaswamy at 6% support in the poll.

Nikki Haley, who served as ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration, had 20% support.

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had 13% support, according to the Suffolk University survey.

Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: Utah GOP Senate hopeful Trent Staggs is snagging a key endorsement from Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville as he competes for retiring Senator Mitt Romney’s seat. 

Tuberville is the first Senator to throw his support behind the Senate candidate and weigh in on the race for Romney’s vacant seat. The Riverton, Utah, Mayor has already secured more than 30 endorsements from current and former elected officials in the Beehive State.

“I’m proud to endorse Trent Staggs for United States Senate. We don’t just need Republicans in Washington,” said Tuberville. “We need conservatives who aren’t afraid of a fight.” 

“I look forward to having Mayor Staggs join myself and Senator Mike Lee in taking on corruption, defending the unborn and fighting for the America First agenda,” said Tuberville.

Staggs, who said he would support term limits, tax cuts and immigration reform in Congress, has represented a town of about 45,000 people in Salt Lake Valley since 2018. While in office, Staggs says he helped establish Riverton’s own police department and grew the area’s economy.

MAYOR TRENT STAGGS SUGGESTS KYRIE IRVING LOOK FOR ‘NEW LINE OF WORK’ IF HE FOUND JAZZ FAN’S SIGN DISTRACTING

“I’m honored to have the endorsement of Senator Tuberville. I look forward to joining him in fighting against the radical left and defending liberty in Washington,”said Staggs. 

UTAH REPUBLICAN ANNOUNCES BID TO REPLACE ROMNEY AFTER SAYING HE WOULD NOT ENTER RACE AMID UNFINISHED WORK

Staggs is up against nearly a dozen contenders in the GOP Senate primary, namely Republican Utah Congressman John Curtis, who threw his hat in the race just days ago, telling Salt Lake City radio station KSL TV that he had an “aha moment” after teasing a Senate bid this September. 

“After many Utahns from across the state reached out and urged him to run, John decided it was the right thing to do,” a Curtis campaign spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

RACE TO REPLACE ROMNEY IN SENATE HEATS UP AS ANOTHER REPUBLICAN LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN: ‘STRONG CONSERVATIVE WOMAN’

Former Utah state House Speaker Brad Wilson, Roosevelt Mayor Rod Bird Jr. and former GOP Sen. Mike Lee’s staffer Carolyn Phippen are among the other prominent contenders for the seat.

Although Romney has not endorsed his successor, he said that Washington needs “a new generation of leaders” and slammed both President Biden and former President Trump’s policies in his retirement announcement. 

“Utah is fortunate to have several candidates who are interested in serving in the Senate, and Senator Romney appreciates their willingness to serve. He is staying out of the race,” Liz Johnson, Romney’s chief of staff, told Fox News Digital.

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The Republican Senate primary election in Utah will be held on June 25, 2024. The general election will be on November 5, 2024. 

The Pentagon confirmed Saturday that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin remains hospitalized, nearly two weeks after he was admitted due to complications from surgery for prostate cancer.

Providing an update on the health of Austin, who has been hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center since Jan. 1, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said the defense secretary is “in good condition” and that it’s still unknown when he will be released.

“He’s in contact with his senior staff and has full access to required secure communications capabilities and continues to monitor DOD’s day-to-day operations worldwide,” Ryder said of Austin. “We do not have a specific date for Secretary Austin’s release from the hospital at this time but will continue to provide daily updates until then.”

The Pentagon publicly revealed Jan. 5 that Austin had been in the hospital since Jan. 1 due to complications from elective surgery.

LLOYD AUSTIN HOSPITALIZATION: HOUSE REPUBLICANS DEMAND MORE DETAILS AS PRESSURE BUILDS ON PENTAGON

But it was later revealed that not only was the media kept in the dark, but the highest levels of the White House and top officials in the Pentagon itself were not aware until Jan. 4 Austin was in the hospital.

The non-disclosure prompted a flurry of bipartisan concern, with top Democrats and Republicans on the House and Senate Armed Services committees calling for more transparency.

In a recent statement to Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy, the White House confirmed President Biden continued to have “full trust and confidence” in the Pentagon’s leader.

BIDEN SAYS AUSTIN HAD LAPSE IN JUDGMENT FOLLOWING HOSPITALIZATION DEBACLE, SAYS HE STILL HAS CONFIDENCE IN HIM

“The president has full trust and confidence in Secretary Austin. He’s looking forward to him being back at the Pentagon,” the official said.

The Pentagon echoed the White House sentiment in a statement to Fox News Digital earlier this week, saying Austin also has no plans to resign.

“Secretary Austin has no plans to resign,” Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder said. “He remains focused on conducting his duties as secretary of defense in defense of our nation.”

Details emerged Wednesday indicating Austin’s chief of staff, Kelly Magsamen, was aware of her boss’s hospitalization Jan. 2 but did not inform Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks, who took on some of the defense secretary’s duties during the initial hospital stay.

Ryder told reporters this delay was in part due to Magsamen having the flu.

A senior U.S. defense official told Fox News Wednesday a military assistant from Austin’s office notified a counterpart in Hicks’ office of the transfer of authority to her Jan. 2.

Then, on Jan. 4, it was Magsamen who notified the chief of staff for Hicks that Austin had been hospitalized Jan. 1 and that his condition was improving.

When asked by Fox News if it was senior military assistant Lt. Gen. Ron Clark who spoke to the military assistant in Hicks’ office on Tuesday, the senior U.S. defense official did not have an answer and said a 30-day review will cover exactly who the military assistant was.

PENTAGON SLAMMED FOR CALLING LLOYD AUSTIN’S SURGERY TO REMOVE CANCER ‘ELECTIVE’: ‘ARGUING SEMANTICS’

During a visit to small businesses outside Allentown, Pennsylvania, Biden said “yes” when asked by reporters if it was a lapse in judgment for Austin not to tell him about his condition.

When a reporter asked him if he still has confidence in Austin’s leadership following his hospitalization debacle, Biden replied, “I do.”

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center revealed Tuesday that Austin was diagnosed with prostate cancer in early December and underwent a prostatectomy on Dec. 22.

The hospital added that the 70-year-old recovered uneventfully from his surgery and was released the following morning. His prostate cancer was detected early, and the prognosis was “excellent,” according to the hospital.

Several House Republicans are going directly to Austin for more information on the decision-making that led to senior officials in the White House and Pentagon reportedly being in the dark for days about his recent hospitalization.

Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., led a group of two dozen GOP lawmakers in writing a letter to Austin with questions about who was part of the decision to delay disclosure, how Austin would respond “if one of your combatant commanders was unable to discharge the duties of their office for three or four days and you were not informed” and who was in the loop about his situation from the beginning, among other details.

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In a post to X on Saturday, New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik wrote, “Secretary Austin and anyone who lied for him will be held accountable.”

The Associated Press, Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom, Greg Norman, and Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., will introduce legislation next week that would put a citizenship question on the census to prevent non-citizens from being counted for congressional apportionment — amid a surge of migrants in recent years due to the ongoing border crisis.

The Equal Representation Act, a draft of which was obtained by Fox News Digital, would require a citizenship question to be put on the decennial census asking whether the respondent is a citizen, a resident non-citizen or an illegal immigrant.

The bill would then require that the census not count those who are non-citizens for the apportionment of congressional districts. Currently, all people who take the census, including resident non-citizens and illegal immigrants, are counted for redistricting.

REP ROSENDALE VOWS TO RESTORE TRUMP-ERA POLICIES WITH IMMIGRATION PACKAGE: ‘BIDEN IS DESTROYING OUR COUNTRY’

It would apply to the census conducted in 2030 and beyond. 

The bill comes amid long-standing concerns from Republicans that Democrats will benefit electorally from a surge in illegal immigrants into the country, who then will often flock to liberal areas with broad social services and right-to-shelter laws and sanctuary policies that prevent cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

MAYORKAS TELLS BORDER PATROL AGENTS THAT ‘ABOVE 85% OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS RELEASED INTO US: SOURCES 

Former President Donald Trump had tried to include a citizenship question on the census but had been rebuked by the Supreme Court, saying the reasoning was insufficient. Trump had considered using an executive order to put the question on the census, but ultimately it went ahead without one.

“Think about it, $15-20 billion [on a census], and you’re not allowed to ask if someone’s a citizen,” he said at the time.

The question has re-emerged with the massive number of migrants coming through into the U.S. due to the current border crisis, with many flooding to cities like New York City and Chicago. States like California also have their numbers bolstered potentially by larger numbers of illegal immigrants. 

There were over 2.4 million migrant encounters in FY 23. DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has said that over a million people have been released into the U.S., and he recently told Border Patrol agents that they have been releasing over 85% of migrants into the interior.

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Comments by Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-NY, went viral recently when she said, “I need more people in my district just for redistricting purposes” and drew the attention of commentators including X CEO Elon Musk.

This week, similar legislation was introduced in the House as part of a package of legislation from Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) ripped Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) for his “mean-spiritedness” in the illegal immigration crisis, saying he has “devastated” the lives of asylum-seekers.

Adams made those comments Thursday on Good Morning America 3, where he said the governor “has intentionality” in placing migrants on buses and “compelling” them to leave the city. The mayor said that is why he has sued more than a dozen charter bus and transportation companies involved in sending thousands of migrants to New York. 

“We reached out and tried to coordinate with [Abbott], just the mean-spiritedness of this governor, who has this intentionality of just placing people on buses, compelling them to leave the city. That is why we taking legal action,” Adams said. 

“When you look at what he’s doing, history is going to reflect how much he has devastated the lives of people,” he added.

HOUSE DEM IN TRUMP DISTRICT TAKES HEAT FOR SAYING ‘NOBODY STAYS AWAKE AT NIGHT’ OVER BORDER CRISIS

New York is a sanctuary city that limits how much local law enforcement officials can comply with federal immigration authorities. City law also requires homeless people to be housed — policies that don’t exist in border states like Texas. 

There were more than 2.4 million migrant encounters in FY 23, and officials have told lawmakers last month that they are releasing an average of 5,000 a day into the U.S.

Abbott began busing migrants to Washington D.C. in April 2022, and has since expanded to cities including New York City, Denver, Philadelphia and Chicago. Additionally, the state has sent flights to some cities to protest the Biden administration’s immigration policies and highlight how communities at the border, with vastly fewer resources than sanctuary cities, are overwhelmed by the flow of illegal immigration. 

Last week, Adams announced a $708 million lawsuit against 17 charter bus companies that have been employed by Texas to transport migrants to sanctuary cities like New York. 

NYC MAYOR ADAMS SUES TEXAS BUS COMPANIES FOR TRANSPORTING MIGRANTS TO SANCTUARY CITY, SEEKS $700 MILLION

The lawsuit argues that the companies have violated New York state law by not paying for the cost of caring for migrants and seeks damages meant to recoup the cost of caring for them. It cites New York law that requires anyone who brings a “needy person” from out of state for the purposes of making them a public charge to either take them out of the state or support them. 

Abbott has dismissed the lawsuit as “baseless.” He has brushed off criticism from Adams and other Democrat mayors and said he is busing the migrants to help besieged Texas communities. The state says it has transported over 95,000 migrants to “sanctuary” cities, which Abbott recently noted is “only a FRACTION of what overwhelmed Texas border towns face daily.” 

Adams said on Good Morning America 3 that almost 170,000 migrants have been “dropped” in New York City, roughly 1.5 times the population of Albany, New York. The mayor said there should be a national “decompression strategy” to spread asylum-seekers paroled into the United States “throughout the country and not target just certain cities.” 

“Cities should not be handling a national crisis of this magnitude,” Adams said, noting that New York has received between 2,500 and 4,000 migrants each week. 

ABBOTT SAYS ‘WE’RE NOT SHOOTING PEOPLE’ WHO CROSS THE BORDER BECAUSE FEDS ‘WOULD CHARGE US WITH MURDER’

“You have to find housing, food, shelter, clothing, educating the children, health care, that’s not sustainable,” Adams said. “So a $12 billion hole in the budget of our economy is going to impact low-income New Yorkers and is going to impact every service in this city.” 

The mayor stressed the need for migrants to be able to find “work.” 

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“Listen, this is a country of immigrants,” Adams said. “The difference between what we did with Ukrainian citizens and other immigrants who have made their way here to this great country is we allowed them to work.” 

“This is so anti-American, that we’re telling thousands of people you must come to a country and you can’t provide for your children and families. That is not how we are as a country, and that is what is at the heart of this issue.”

Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw contributed to this report.

DES MOINES, Iowa – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is calling an audible.

Instead of heading directly to New Hampshire following Monday’s Iowa caucuses – which is the traditional path for White House contenders – the Republican presidential candidate plans to target rival Nikki Haley with a stop in her home state of South Carolina.

The DeSantis campaign said on Friday that the governor will depart Iowa following his caucus night party and head to Greenville, South Carolina, where he’ll hold a Tuesday morning rally in the state’s heavily conservative northwestern corner.

DeSantis later told Fox News that he would head later in the day to New Hampshire, which holds the first primary and second overall contest in the GOP nominating calendar on Jan. 23, eight days after the Iowa caucuses.

HEAVY SNOW, HIGH WINDS, CURTAIL CAMPAIGNING IN IOWA

South Carolina – another crucial early voting state – holds the first southern primary in the Republican schedule on Feb. 24.

The latest polls in Iowa indicate that DeSantis and Haley are battling for a distant second place behind former President Donald Trump, who remains the commanding front-runner as he makes his third straight White House run.

NEW POLL SUGGESTS HALEY’S MOVED INTO SECOND PLACE IN FINAL DAYS AHEAD OF IOWA CAUCUSES

Haley, who’s soared in recent months, now has second place all to herself and is closing the gap with Trump in New Hampshire. DeSantis registered in the single digits in the latest surveys in the Granite State.

The most recent poll in South Carolina indicates Trump with a very formidable double-digit lead over Haley, with DeSantis a distant third in the single digits.

But DeSantis, in a Friday night interview on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle,” touted his support in Haley’s home state.

“I think the message is simple that you look at South Carolina, Nikki Haley was governor there, and I’ve got, like, five times more endorsements from state legislators — current and former — than she does,” he showcased.

And DeSantis argued that Haley’s “really out of step, I think, with South Carolina. We’re going to show that with the support we have.”

WAS THE CANDIDATE WHO SKIPPED OUT ON THIS WEEK’S IOWA DEBATE THE WINNER OF THE COMBATIVE SHOWDOWN?

DeSantis campaign communications director Andrew Romeo told Fox News in a statement that the stop on Tuesday in South Carolina is a sign that “this campaign is built for the long-haul. We intend to compete for every single available delegate in New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina and then into March.”

The Florida governor, who was convincingly re-elected 14 months ago, has staked much of his White House campaign on a strong performance in Iowa.

But there’s speculation that if he ends up finishing third in Iowa, he may suspend his campaign.

Asked whether he’s heading on to New Hampshire regardless of his finish in Iowa, DeSantis reiterated in a Fox Digital interview on Friday that “we’re going to be in New Hampshire. Yeah.”

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Trump remains very popular in South Carolina, which is a reliably red state. He enjoys the backing of Gov. Henry McMaster, senior Sen. Lindsey Graham, and several House members.

Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who ended his own presidential campaign in November, remains neutral in the GOP nomination race.

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

A Washington state Democrat in a district that voted for former President Trump is under fire from Republicans for comments last year in which she said that “nobody stays up at night” because of the crisis at the southern border.

Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., who won her seat in an upset in 2022, was on Pod Save America in March when she made the comments about the ongoing border crisis — arguing that most Americans have other things to worry about.

“Listen, nobody stays awake at night worrying about the southern border,” she said. “That’s just not…people stay awake at night worrying that their kid is gonna relapse or that, you know, someone’s going to drop out of school or they’re going to lose their house.” 

SENATE REPORT SOUNDS ALARM ON SURGE IN FENTANYL DEATHS AMONG OLDER AMERICANS: ‘SILENT EPIDEMIC’ 

“Those are the things that…not socialism and I think that’s been the most frustrating thing about being actually in DC is that we’re like voting on the horrors of socialism and it’s like that’s not what matters to people,” she said.

The remarks came in March and before the ending of the Title 42 public health order months later. Since then, migrant numbers have skyrocketed to record highs and in December there were more than 302,000 migrant encounters. Overall in FY 23 there were a record 2.4 million encounters.

The National Republican Congressional Committee pointed to reports that her part of the country has seen a 500% increase in fentanyl-related overdoses amid a nationwide fentanyl and opioid crisis. Fentanyl is typically made in drug labs in Mexico using precursors from China and then shipped across into the U.S. via the land border. Republicans have highlighted the massive increase in seizures of the drug, as well as continued high deaths from the drug, and have linked it to the ongoing border crisis, warning that drugs could be slipping past overwhelmed agents. Of the over 107,000 overdose deaths in 2021, 75% involved an opioid, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC.) The Biden administration has put the increase in seizures of the drug down to better screening and technology at ports of entry, and has said it needs more funding.

DOJ RENEWS SCOTUS PUSH TO ACT AFTER TEXAS SEIZES BORDER AREAS, BLOCKS BORDER PATROL FROM ENTERING 

The NRCC also criticized her for voting against the Republican border security bill, H.R. 2 last year, which includes a slew of provisions to limit releases of migrants and increase border security.

“Marie Gluesenkamp Perez’s comments are not only tone-deaf, they reveal her dangerous true beliefs about the border,” NRCC spokesperson Ben Peterson told Fox News Digital.

“Gluesenkamp Perez callously dismissing the Biden border crisis as if it’s not fueling the fentanyl epidemic slamming her district, then voting against border security shows how unfit she is,” he said.

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A few months after her comments on Pod Save America, Gluesenkamp Perez co-sponsored a bipartisan bill in May that would compel DHS to create a comprehensive strategy to secure the border, including a review of security risks and tools for combating fentanyl trafficking. Her office did not respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.

The criticism comes as negotiations are ongoing in Congress over the White House’s request for $14 billion in border funding as part of its overall $105 billion supplemental request. Republicans are demanding stricter limits on asylum and releases into the interior. Meanwhile, Texas has been facing off with the federal government over who has the authority to tackle the continuing crisis. 

DES MOINES, Iowa – The blizzard conditions across Iowa that sidetracked the presidential campaign trail three days ahead of the state’s caucuses were just the first punch.

Now comes frigid below zero temperatures, which are forecast for the weekend and into next week. 

And the bitterly cold weather threatens to put a chill on turnout at Monday night’s caucuses, which lead off the Republican presidential nominating calendar.

The blast of winter weather didn’t stop Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis from holding an early morning event Friday in suburban Des Moines.

HEAVY SNOW, HIGH WINDS, CURTAIL CAMPAIGNING  

“I’m really impressed that so many people came out, given the weather,” DeSantis said to the crowd who came out to hear him and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds — who’s backing him — addressed the crowd at a meeting of the Northside Conservatives Club.

Minutes later, DeSantis pledged in a Fox News Digital interview that “I’m going to show up” and emphasized that with the clock ticking toward the caucuses, “I’m going to use every minute I can to be able to win votes.”

While the weather didn’t sidetrack DeSantis’ first campaign stop of the day, his remaining four stops in northern, central and eastern Iowa, which were being organized by Never Back Down, his aligned super PAC, were postponed.

NEW POLL SUGGESTS HALEY’S MOVED INTO SECOND PLACE IN FINAL DAYS AHEAD OF IOWA CAUCUSES

DeSantis did head over to his campaign headquarters in suburban Des Moines in the afternoon to speak with volunteers who were making calls to urge supporters to attend Monday’s caucuses.

Due to the rough road conditions across the Hawkeye State, the campaign of former ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley canceled their in-person events on Friday and instead held tele-town halls, which they said were well-attended.

“I’m sorry I’m not in Fort Dodge, but it was important for me to talk to you,” Haley emphasized at the top of one of her events.

Of the three major candidates in Iowa on Friday, only multi-millionaire biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy kept to his in-person campaign schedule despite the dangerous weather.

The effects of the winter blast lingered into the weekend, with Donald Trump’s campaign canceling three of the four in-person rallies the former president was scheduled to headline on Saturday and Sunday.

WAS THE CANDIDATE WHO SKIPPED OUT ON THIS WEEK’S IOWA DEBATE THE WINNER OF THE COMBATIVE SHOWDOWN?

The big question moving forward is whether the below zero temperatures will take a bite out of turnout on Monday night. 

DeSantis, who polls indicate is battling Haley for a distant second place in Iowa behind commanding front-runner Trump, was confident the frigid temperatures wouldn’t deter his supporters.

“We have a lot of people that we have signed up to commit to for us over many months. I think they’re motivated, they’re passionate, and they’re going to show up,” DeSantis told Fox News. “What about the broader electorate? I just don’t know. But I’m confident our people are going to come out strong.”

DeSantis supporters that heard him speak Friday morning agreed.

“A little bit of cold can’t keep you away,” said Brian Miller of Ankeny, who brought his two young sons with him to see DeSantis. 

And Laura Murphy, another Ankeny resident, emphasized “it’s important. We need people in numbers to come out Monday. We’re Iowans. We can handle it.”

Linda Burk, another DeSantis supporter, said she would also brave to below zero temperatures on Monday night to attend a caucus. But Burk, an older voter, added that “it depends on the weather for people my age.”

WHAT NIKKI HALEY TOLD FOX NEWS ABOUT CHRIS CHRISTIE’S HOT MIC MOMENT

Haley, speaking to supporters on a tele-town hall, acknowledged “I know that on January 15th, it is going to be negative 19. I know it’s asking a lot of you to go out and caucus, but I also know we have a country to save. And I will be out there in the cold. And I know Iowans take this in a very serious way.”

“If you go out, please remember to bring your I.D. with you. Please wear layers of clothes just in case there are lines so that you are staying safe,” she stressed.

Longtime Iowa GOP chair Jeff Kaufmann was confident that the frigid forecast wouldn’t keep Iowans home on caucus night.

“Out of everything – snow, ice and the cold temperatures – the cold temperatures worry me the least,” he told Fox News on Friday.

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Pointing to the blizzard conditions as he was interviewed, Kaufmann said “if it was today. I would be worried. On Monday, we’re going to have two days of clearing off the roads. There doesn’t appear to be any ice. There doesn’t appear to be any wind. Iowans can handle the cold. And they know exactly what to do to keep themselves safe.”

It was a similar prediction from Will Rogers, the former Polk County GOP chair. 

“Look, we’re Iowans. It’s January in the Midwest, winter. We expect it to be cold,” he told reporters. “Yes, this may be the coldest caucus on record. I still think with the number of campaigns and what they’ve been doing, we’re going to have tremendous turnout.” 

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