Donald Trump Poll News

President Biden’s re-election campaign has been touting recent swing-state appearances as evidence of his presence on the trail ahead of the general election, while suggesting former President Trump was avoiding the important battlegrounds. 

“Joe Biden has hit 8 swing states in 18 days, all while being POTUS. Donald Trump has golfed a lot, all while truth-socialing really hard,” Biden spokesperson James Singer wrote on X, formerly Twitter, Wednesday alongside a graphic of the core swing states.

“Campaigning by the numbers: Biden visited 8 battleground states in 18 days. Trump? One. Just one battleground state,” campaign staffer Daniel Wessel added. 

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

In a press release last week, the Biden campaign slammed Trump, claiming “Broke Don Hides in Basement.” In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Biden was notably criticized for campaigning over Zoom webcasts in a temporary basement studio at his home in Delaware. Since then, a candidate who is relatively absent from visibility has been referred to as running a “basement” campaign. 

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

However, Trump’s campaign pushed back on the claim that he isn’t visible in the critical states, noting he will be in two of them next week. Only one event for next week is advertised on Trump’s campaign website, a rally in Wisconsin April 2. The other visit remains unannounced. 

Trump’s team further pointed to Biden’s accessibility and frequency of interviews, as well as his tendency not to accept many questions from the press during speeches or events. In the first three months of 2024, Biden has participated in three on-camera interviews — one with late-night host Seth Meyers, one with Robert Costa of CBS and one with MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart. He did not sit for a Super Bowl interview in February despite the informal establishment of it as something of a tradition for presidents in the 21st century.

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In reference to the president’s interview schedule, which also featured several radio and digital hits, spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement to Fox News Digital, “There are lots of folks who can’t keep up with Joe Biden.”

According to the University of California-Santa Barbara’s American Presidency Project, Biden has fallen behind his predecessors when it comes to transparency and press accessibility. During his first term so far, Biden has given only 33 news conferences, compared to Trump’s 57 at the same point and former President Obama’s 69. 

Whether the Biden team’s recent blitz of battleground visits and its effort to highlight a period with few Trump appearances will convince voters that Trump is missing in action remains to be seen. 

“I doubt it,” Republican strategist John Feehery told Fox News Digital.

“Both are pretty old, but Biden is older and more prone to gaffes,” he said, noting the campaign will be “long.”

Erin Perrine, another Republican strategist, called it “laughable” for Biden to compare “campaign styles when Biden hasn’t run an aggressive campaign in well over a decade.”

“Biden’s campaign seems to lack a serious strategy to address his polling consistently lagging on almost every major issue facing Americans,” she said.  

According to fellow GOP strategist Doug Heye, the move by the president’s campaign “makes sense” because “Biden is trying to project an image that he is healthy and vigorous.”

POLL FINDS MOST AMERICANS DON’T SUPPORT ISRAEL’S ACTION IN GAZA AS BIDEN-ISRAEL RELATIONS HIT ‘LOW POINT’

But he noted Biden’s packed schedule “comes with the very real risk that something goes wrong for Biden.” 

Trump doesn’t need to work as hard to maintain this image, Heye explained. “He’s lost some of his fastball but remains a ball of energy,” he added. 

Democratic strategist Max Burns felt differently. 

“In a race that both sides agree will be decided by razor-thin vote margins, it isn’t viable for a candidate to take weeks off the campaign to focus on his personal financial and legal issues,” Burns said. “Trump is spending more and more campaign time at Mar-a-Lago, where he’s holding a nonstop stream of fundraisers to help him pay his enormous civil fraud bond.”

He added that he expects Trump to lose polling stature against Biden the longer he remains away from the campaign trail.

REPUBLICANS TOP DEMS ON KEY FACTOR MOTIVATING VOTER TURNOUT FOR BIDEN-TRUMP REMATCH: POLL

Robert Shapiro, a political science professor at Columbia University, described the Biden campaign’s effort as its way of taking “on the view that Biden is less energetic and more affected by age than Trump.” 

“I do not think this can have any more than a marginal short-term effect now,” Shapiro said. This sentiment was echoed by Heye, who claimed, “None of this matters in March.” The Nov. 5 general election is more than 222 days away 

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While there remains ample time for developments in the election, Shapiro said, “It could have a more cumulative effect” later on. 

What is “more important” for Biden, he said, is his maintained presence in the battleground states and the ability to “draw visible comparisons with Trump on all fronts where Trump is vulnerable.” Trump’s presence or lack thereof “is less an issue,” he added. 

Democrat Marilyn Lands won an Alabama legislature special election on Tuesday considered a bellwether contest on abortion and in vitro fertilization (IVF) ahead of the 2024 November elections. 

Lands, who made reproductive rights a centerpiece of her campaign in deep red Alabama early on by launching an ad in which she shared the story of her own abortion decades ago, defeated Republican Teddy Powell to win the open state House District 10, The Associated Press reported, citing unofficial returns Tuesday. 

The suburban district considered one of the few purple, swing seats encompassing parts of Huntsville and Madison in the deep red state was vacated when former Republican state Rep. David Cole pleaded guilty to voter fraud last year amid allegations he rented a closet-size space to fraudulently run for office in a district where he did not live. 

Powell, a member of the Madison City Council, issued a statement conceding the race and congratulating Lands on her victory. 

“Well I am so excited to get down to Montgomery, and I think this is a giant step forward for Alabama. I think it’s a victory tonight for women, for families, for Alabama in general,” Lands said on camera. “I want to get down there and repeal the bad ban on no exceptions abortion, I want to protect IVF and contraception, but I also want to be a champion for healthcare, mental healthcare but healthcare in general. I really feel like we need somebody down in Montgomery who understands mental health issues, and I’m that one.” 

NEW YORK REPUBLICAN CO-SPONSORS BILL DEFENDING IVF TREATMENT

The rare victory for Democrats in the Deep South state, where Republicans hold all statewide offices and hold a lopsided majority in the Alabama Legislature, comes after the state Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos created during fertility treatments should be considered as having the same status as children under state law in wrongful death lawsuits. 

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, signed a bill into law earlier this month protecting IVF treatments after the February decision prompted some fertility clinics to pause their procedures.

The ruling was issued in a pair of wrongful death cases brought by three couples whose frozen embryos were destroyed at a fertility clinic when a patient from the hospital walked into the storage area, removed the embryos from a cryogenic freezer and dropped them on the ground. 

The decision resulted in a flury of warnings about the potential impact on fertility treatments and the freezing of embryos, which had previously been considered property by the courts.

Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, came out in support of protecting access to IVF after the ruling. 

ALABAMA GOVERNOR SIGNS BILL PROTECTING IVF INTO LAW: ‘PROUD WE ARE A PRO-LIFE, PRO-FAMILY STATE’

But Lands’ campaign also centered on Alabama’s ban on most abortion procedures ushered in after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. 

State House District 10 represents parts of the cities of Madison and Huntsville, which is home to the Army’s Redstone Arsenal and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. 

Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Heather Williams called the victory a “political earthquake in Alabama.”

“This special election is a harbinger of things to come. Republicans across the country have been put on notice that there are consequences to attacks on IVF – from the bluest blue state to the reddest red, voters are choosing to fight for their fundamental freedoms by electing Democrats across the country,” Williams said.

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Lands, a licensed counselor, unsuccessfully ran for the seat in 2022 but lost by seven points to Cole. She will finish the term and will be up for election in 2026 when the governor’s office and other races will be on the ballot. Her opponent Powell, a former Defense Department budget analyst, had leaned into issues including the economy and infrastructure while Lands centered on abortion and IVF. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

A new national poll indicates that Republicans are more enthusiastic about former President Trump returning to the White House than Democrats are about President Biden serving another four years in office.

But Trump stirs more anger and fear from Democrats than Biden does from Republicans, according to the findings in an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey.

Fifty-four percent of Republicans questioned in the poll said “excited” describes how they would feel about a second Trump term as president. Only four in 10 Democrats said the same thing about a Biden victory in November’s presidential election rematch between the White House incumbent and his predecessor.

TRUMP LEADS BIDEN BY DOUBLE DIGITS IN THIS DEEP RED STRONGHOLD: POLL

The poll also indicates that seven in 10 Democrats used the words “angry” or “fearful” to describe how they would feel if Trump won the presidential election.

Fifty-six percent of Republicans said the same thing about Biden if he were to defeat Trump for a second straight time.

LATEST GOP PRIMARY RESULTS SPOTLIGHT THAT ‘THIS IS TRUMP’S PARTY‘

In a race that polls indicate will be extremely close, both excitement and dislike of the two major candidates will likely be crucial motivating factors in firing up the Democratic and Republican bases.

The poll was conducted March 21-25, with 1,282 adults nationwide questioned using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The survey’s overall sampling error is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.

With just over seven months to go until Election Day on Nov. 5, Trump enjoys the early edge in public opinion polling – both in most national surveys and in many of the polls in five of the six key battleground states where Biden narrowly topped Trump to win the White House in 2020.

But in another key metric – fundraising – Biden currently enjoys the upper hand.

The Biden-Trump rematch offers up stark contrasts when it comes to their style and demeanor, and on where they stand on key issues, such as the economy, health care and entitlements, immigration, abortion, foreign policy, the war in Ukraine, and America’s overseas role going forward.

CAN TRUMP LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD WITH BIDEN IN 2024 FUNDRAISING FIGHT?

The 81-year-old Biden, who four years ago made history as the oldest American ever elected president, will continue to face questions about his mental and physical durability, even his recent vigorous State of the Union address.

The president also needs to show that he can energize younger voters, progressives, and Black and Latino Americans, who are all key parts of the Democratic base. Biden is also facing primary ballot box protests – materializing in “uncommitted” votes – over his support for Israel in its war in Gaza against Hamas.

The former president is also dealing with plenty of problems. 

Trump, who last year made history as the first president or former president to face criminal charges, now faces four major trials and a total of 91 indictments – including federal cases on his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and on handling classified documents. There’s also a massive civil fraud judgment that Trump is appealing. He will have to juggle his appearances in court with his time on the campaign trail. 

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The 77-year-old Trump will also need to court the sizable block of Republican voters who backed Nikki Haley in the GOP nomination race. The former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina governor was Trump’s last remaining rival before she ended her White House campaign earlier this month. Haley’s support is shining a spotlight on Trump’s weakness with suburban and highly educated voters.

Complicating matters further – the presidential rematch between Biden and Trump won’t be a two-candidate race.

Democratic-turned-Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is working to place his name on state ballots across the country. Kennedy, a longtime environmental activist and high-profile vaccine skeptic who’s a scion of the famous Kennedy political dynasty, is grabbing double-digits in many general election polls.

Green Party candidate Jill Stein and progressive independent candidate Cornell West are polling in the single digits. And the centrist group No Labels is moving ahead with plans to potentially launch a third-party “unity” presidential ticket.

While third-party and independent candidates didn’t play much of a role in the 2020 presidential election, they did in the 2016 showdown between Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. And they may again in 2024.

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

House Republicans are heaping criticism on President Biden’s border policies again after an illegal immigrant was accused of killing a 25-year-old woman in Michigan.

“Biden’s open border policies are costing lives in [Michigan]. TODAY, he could implement border measures, or use the authority that he already has,” Rep. John James, R-Mich., wrote on X. “When is enough, enough?”

Brandon Ortiz-Vite, who is currently behind bars at a jail in Kent County, Michigan, is being charged with murder, carjacking, carrying a concealed weapon and felony use of a firearm after the body of 25-year-old Ruby Garcia was discovered on U.S. 131 in downtown Grand Rapids and identified by investigators. The pair had been in a romantic relationship at the time of the killing, police said.

NEW YORK CITY BEGINS GIVING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS PREPAID DEBIT CARDS AS PART OF $53 MILLION PILOT PROGRAM

In a statement to Fox News Digital, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesperson confirmed that Ortiz-Vite was in the country illegally at the time of Garcia’s death and that he was previously deported to Mexico in 2020.

It comes after the death of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student who was killed while jogging on the University of Georgia campus. Riley’s suspected killer, from Venezuela, arrived in the U.S. illegally. Officials said they did not know each other.

“An illegal migrant has been charged with murdering 25-year-old Ruby Garcia from Michigan. The murderer, Brandon Ortiz-Vite, had been deported then re-entered our country illegally. Under Biden, innocent lives are being cut short by people here illegally. Enough is enough,” said Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., chairman of the House Republicans’ campaign arm.

GOP SENATOR OUTRAGED BY WEEKLY REPORTS OF MIGRANT ARRIVALS RELEASED BY DHS

Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., wrote on X, “Laken Riley, Ruby Garcia… How many more innocent Americans have to die before Joe Biden closes the border?”

Another lawmaker, Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., sounded off, “An illegal alien was charged in the carjacking and murder of a 25-year-old Michigan woman. Joe Biden’s open border policies continue to kill innocent Americans.”

Republicans have blamed Biden’s border policies for fueling the current migrant crisis, accusing him of rolling back stricter Trump administration-era rules and refusing to enforce existing immigration laws. The Biden administration in turn has accused the GOP of withholding funding the White House has requested to add more resources at the U.S.-Mexico border – though Republicans argue more funding is meaningless without policy upheaval.

LAKEN RILEY FUNERAL IN GEORGIA COMMEMORATES NURSING STUDENT ALLEGEDLY KILLED BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT

A recent string of highly-publicized and unrelated crimes involving illegal immigrants has fueled the GOP’s outrage, including an attack on police officers in New York City.

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

Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is rejecting the latest attempt by Democrats to shift scrutiny onto former President Trump’s inner circle. 

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the top Democrat on the committee, led a letter to Comer on Tuesday calling for a hearing into allegations of “apparent influence peddling and quid pro quo deals” by Trump’s son-in-law and former White House adviser, Jared Kushner.

Comer told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that Kushner’s business was “legitimate” and dismissed the request as a bid to “shield President Biden from oversight.”

AOC TAKES HEAT OVER ‘RICO IS NOT A CRIME’ COMMENT IN BIDEN IMPEACHMENT PROBE HEARING

It comes as the House Oversight Committee’s GOP majority conducts an impeachment inquiry into President Biden over accusations he used his former position as vice president to enrich himself and his family, particularly through foreign business deals. Both the president and the White House have denied wrongdoing.

“Unlike the Bidens, Jared Kushner has a legitimate business and has a career as a business executive that predates Donald Trump’s political career,” Comer told Fox News Digital. 

“Democrats’ latest letter is part of their playbook to shield President Biden from oversight. The House Oversight Committee will continue to investigate President Biden’s abuse of public office and hold the Bidens accountable for their corruption.”

FBI INFORMANT CHARGED WITH GIVING FALSE INFORMATION ABOUT HUNTER BIDEN IN 2020

Raskin and Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., wrote to Comer, “This Committee cannot claim to be ‘investigating foreign nationals’ attempts to target and coerce high-ranking U.S. officials’ family members by providing money or other benefits in exchange for certain actions’ while continuing to ignore these matters. We therefore urge you to work with us to finally investigate Mr. Kushner’s receipt of billions of dollars from foreign governments in deals that appear to be quid pro quos for actions he undertook as senior White House adviser in Donald Trump’s Administration.”

They also accused Comer of having “allowed Mr. Kushner to repeatedly ignore and defy these requests,” citing Democrats’ repeated urging to subpoena Kushner and his firm.

TRUMP HOLDS EDGE OVER BIDEN IN CRUCIAL BATTLEGROUND STATE POLL

At the heart of Raskin and Garcia’s latest letter is a New York Times report from earlier this month that claims Kushner is in the final stages of major real estate deals in Albania and Serbia. The report also noted that those deals are coming to fruition while Trump seeks a second term in office.

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Kushner told the outlet he was “excited” and “working hard” to close the deals.

Democrats’ attention to Kushner’s foreign business ties comes as impeachment investigators focus on the president’s son Hunter Biden and his foreign business dealings in Ukraine and China.

Democrat Marilyn Lands won an Alabama legislature special election on Tuesday considered a bellwether contest on abortion and in vitro fertilization (IVF) ahead of the 2024 November elections. 

Lands, who made reproductive rights a centerpiece of her campaign in deep red Alabama early on by launching an ad in which she shared the story of her own abortion decades ago, defeated Republican Teddy Powell to win the open seat for state House District 10, the Associated Press reported, citing unofficial returns Tuesday. 

“Well I am so excited to get down to Montgomery, and I think this is a giant step forward for Alabama. I think it’s a victory tonight for women, for families, for Alabama in general,” Lands said on camera. “I want to get down there and repeal the bad ban on no exceptions abortion, I want to protect IVF and contraception, but I also want to be a champion for healthcare, mental healthcare but healthcare in general. I really feel like we need somebody down in Montgomery who understands mental health issues, and I’m that one.” 

The suburban district, encompassing parts of Huntsville and Madison, is considered one of the deep red state’s few purple swing seats. The position was vacated when former Republican state Rep. David Cole pleaded guilty to voter fraud last year amid allegations he rented a closet-size space to fraudulently run for office in a district where he did not live. 

NEW YORK REPUBLICAN CO-SPONSORS BILL DEFENDING IVF TREATMENT

Powell, a member of the Madison City Council, issued a statement conceding the race and congratulating Lands on her victory. 

The rare victory for Democrats in the Deep South state, where Republicans hold all statewide offices and hold a lopsided majority in the Alabama Legislature, comes after the state Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos created during fertility treatments should be considered as having the same status as children under state law in wrongful death lawsuits. 

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, signed a bill into law earlier this month protecting IVF treatments after the February decision prompted some fertility clinics to pause their procedures.

The ruling was issued in a pair of wrongful death cases brought by three couples whose frozen embryos were destroyed at a fertility clinic when a patient from the hospital walked into the storage area, removed the embryos from a cryogenic freezer and dropped them on the ground. 

The decision resulted in a flury of warnings about the potential impact on fertility treatments and the freezing of embryos, which had previously been considered property by the courts.

Republicans, including former President Trump, came out in support of protecting access to IVF after the ruling. 

ALABAMA GOVERNOR SIGNS BILL PROTECTING IVF INTO LAW: ‘PROUD WE ARE A PRO-LIFE, PRO-FAMILY STATE’

But Lands’ campaign also centered on Alabama’s ban on most abortion procedures ushered in after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. 

Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Heather Williams called the victory a “political earthquake in Alabama.”

“This special election is a harbinger of things to come. Republicans across the country have been put on notice that there are consequences to attacks on IVF – from the bluest blue state to the reddest red, voters are choosing to fight for their fundamental freedoms by electing Democrats across the country,” Williams said.

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Lands, a licensed counselor, unsuccessfully ran for the seat in 2022, losing by seven points to Cole. She will finish the term and will be up for election in 2026 when the governor’s office and other races will be on the ballot. Her opponent Powell, a former Defense Department budget analyst, had leaned into issues including the economy and infrastructure while Lands centered on abortion and IVF. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Former President Obama is holding regular calls with White House chief of staff Jeff Zients amid growing fears that former President Trump will win the 2024 election, the New York Times reported Wednesday.

Obama’s calls with Zients and top aides at Biden’s campaign reportedly center around election strategy and relaying advice from Obama’s team. A senior aide on Obama’s team told the Times that the former president has “always” been concerned about a Trump victory, and he is now working to bolster the Biden campaign any way he can.

The White House and representatives for Obama did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

TIME Magazine also reported on Obama’s increased concern about the 2024 election last week. The publication reported that Obama met personally with Biden on at least two recent occasions and expressed concern that he could lose the 2024 election.

OBAMA BALKED AT BIDEN’S ASSERTION THAT RUSSIA SHOULD ‘PAY IN BLOOD AND MONEY’ AFTER 2014 INVASION: BOOK

Obama reportedly advised Biden to become more aggressive and make the upcoming presidential race a referendum on Trump.

BIDEN PRIVATELY DEFIANT THAT HE DIDN’T BOTCH AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL: BOOK

During a private lunch, Obama told Biden his campaign was unstable, persuading unhappy voters would be a challenge and defeating Trump would be more difficult than 2020, according to a Democrat briefed on the discussion.

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Obama is not the only former president looking to help Biden. He and former President Bill Clinton will both attend a major fundraiser for Biden at Radio City Music Hall in New York on Thursday.

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A spokesperson for Obama’s office highlighted the team’s unity behind Biden in a statement to Fox News Digital last week, saying the Obama Alumni Association hosted an event for Biden’s re-election campaign, during which attendees chanted, “Fired up, ready to go,” in support of the president.

Fox News’ Nikolas Lanum contributed to this report

Longtime Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, who many refer to as a “moderate” Democrat that often works across the aisle, has a voting record in lock step with President Biden nearly 100% of the time, sparking allegations of hypocrisy from his opponents.

Brown, who began serving in the U.S. Senate in 2007, is often referred to in media publications as a practical “moderate” in touch with blue-collar workers in the Buckeye State and as recently as this week campaigned on “standing up for people and fighting for Ohio.”

A review of his voting record since Biden took office using VoteView, a database maintained by political scientists from UCLA, shows that Brown voted with Biden 99% of the time from 2021-2023 and 97% of the time since 2023 while representing a state Trump carried by 8 points in 2020.

Brown’s allegiance to Democrats did drop during the Trump years, as he voted with Democrats 91% of the time from 2019-2021 and 95% of the time from 2017-2019. During the eight years of the Obama administration, Brown voted with Democrats 95%-98% of the time.

VULNERABLE DEM SENATOR BLASTED OVER VOTING RECORD AFTER AD TOUTS STRENGTH ON IMMIGRATION: ‘WON’T BE FOOLED’

The Ohio Democrat has also been a reliable vote for Biden when it comes to confirming nominees to high-profile positions. During the Biden presidency, Brown has voted to confirm Biden nominees over 99% of the time compared to 33% in the Trump administration.

During the Obama administration, Brown voted for 100% of the nominees before the Senate.

Brown’s adherence to Biden’s policies is expected to become a major issue on the campaign trail against his GOP challenger, businessman Bernie Moreno, who was propelled to a commanding victory in the primary by Trump’s endorsement, given that Biden is facing historically low approval numbers and is underwater on several key issues.

Additionally, most political experts believe that courting independent voters and perhaps moderate Republicans will be key to Brown’s success in November. Brown’s critics tell Fox News Digital that Brown’s voting record shows he is anything but “moderate.”

TRUMP-BACKED SENATE CANDIDATE BERNIE MORENO VOWS TO ‘FINALLY RETIRE’ DEMOCRAT SHERROD BROWN

“Sherrod Brown parades around Ohio telling voters that he is a moderate, while he votes with Joe Biden 99% of the time and consistently sells out Ohio workers,” Reagan McCarthy, Communications Director for the Moreno campaign, told Fox News Digital. 

“Brown has supported every single reckless spending package that has resulted in rampant inflation, voted for Biden’s attacks on American energy in favor of green energy schemes, and enabled Biden’s open-border invasion. We look forward to exposing his left-wing record and sending him packing in November.”

Philip Letsou, a spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, told Fox News Digital that Brown “can’t run from his record.”

“He’s a far-left liberal who has spent 50 years rubber-stamping the Democrat agenda,” Letsou said. “As Joe Biden has crushed working Americans with an open border and out of control inflation, Sherrod Brown has been there for him every step of the way.” 

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Brown has managed to win multiple re-elections in Ohio despite the state’s shift toward the GOP in recent years by appealing to Republican and Independent voters. Brown told Politico last month that he is going to “run my own race” and “my own brand” while at the same time is “not going to run away from Biden.”

“He’s also delivered more than any president in recent history.”

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Brown campaign spokesperson Reeves Oyster said, “Sherrod works for Ohio, which is why he’s stood up to presidents of both parties to block bad trade deals, worked with Republicans to make sure border patrol agents and law enforcement officers have the resources they need, and demanded the Biden Administration crack down on Chinese solar products that undercut Ohio manufacturers.” 

The Friends of Sherrod Brown campaign pointed Fox News Digital to examples of Brown standing up to the Biden administration several times, including on trade issues involving China and on the issue of immigration when Biden overturned Title 42.

The campaign also pointed to Brown’s opposition to the nomination of Nelson Cunningham for Deputy U.S. Trade Representative due to his lobbying for foreign union-busting companies and his vocal opposition to Biden EPA emissions rules that negatively affected Ohio.

Donald Trump won a huge legal victory with hours to spare – but you wouldn’t know it from much of the coverage.

A striking number of anchors and pundits, especially on MSNBC, reported Trump’s appeals court victory when it broke on Monday, but soon were describing it as a bad ruling and lamented the fact that once again he seemed to be getting away with something.

They began the day in high spirits, because the deadline had arrived for New York’s attorney general to be able to freeze his bank accounts, seize his properties and perhaps sell off some of his iconic buildings.

WHY MSNBC DOESN’T WANT RONNA MCDANIEL – OR DONALD TRUMP – ON ITS AIRWAVES

The reason, of course, was that Trump was unable to post a $464-million bond that would have allowed him to pursue his appeal without forfeiting some of his real estate holdings.

But when five appellate judges, seemingly out of the blue, slashed the bond requirement to $175 million – and gave him 10 days to come up with the money – the usual battalion of Trump-bashing former prosecutors, including Andrew Weissmann, who was lead prosecutor for Bob Mueller’s largely unsuccessful Trump investigation before becoming an MSNBC legal analyst. Weissmann pivoted to what he called an “ongoing schism” among Trump’s lawyers.  

What most of those covering the story didn’t say was that the ruling was a stinging rebuke to the trial judge, Arthur Engoron, and AG Letitia James. To demand that the former president come up with nearly half a billion dollars was punitive and wildly excessive, and the judge gave James almost everything she wanted. Although there’s no written opinion, it’s impossible to read the appellate decision any other way, given that the judges reduced the draconian penalty by well over half.

What was Trump going to do, flee the country? He’s running for president!

Now it’s true that this may only be a temporary reprieve. Trump was found liable for inflating the value of some of his buildings and golf courses, despite the fact that the banks that loaned him money did their own analysis and were fully repaid.

At first James, the Democrat who campaigned on a platform of going after Trump, sought damages of $250 million – then boosted it to $370 million. Engoron rolled over and gave her almost everything she wanted, as he has throughout the litigation.

So the Trump Organization could be badly wounded if he ultimately loses, and is barred from being an officer of any New York corporation for three years, as James demanded.

WHY THE TRUMP BOND CRISIS LOOKS LIKE A CONCERTED EFFORT TO RUIN HIM

But while it’s hard to predict what courts may do, isn’t it possible that an appeal court that found the half-billion bond demand absurdly high could also reduce the $370-million penalty that Engoron granted as equally excessive?

The media coverage quickly gravitated to a second court ruling that went against Donald Trump. This one, however, was widely expected.

Judge Juan Merchan ruled that the hush money case will begin on April 15, less than three weeks away. Trump’s lawyers had tried a Hail Mary, asking that the case be further delayed or tossed out entirely. 

Such motions rarely succeed, and the judge had already granted a delay from the planned mid-March start date.

This case, brought by Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg, is the least important and most openly partisan of the four indictments against Trump. And yet it is virtually certain that the Stormy Daniels trial will be the only criminal case that reaches a verdict before the election.

That verdict can be appealed, of course, but it’s hardly impossible that a Manhattan jury, in a borough largely opposed to Trump, could convict him. Then we would find out whether hypothetical polls about some independents and Republicans being less likely to vote for a convicted former president.

Trump will try to convince his supporters that this is another case of weaponizing law enforcement against him – especially since Bragg seemed to drop the probe for a time and charged what usually would have been a misdemeanor to a felony.

But the media were so thrilled to have an offsetting ruling that the Washington Post ran this headline: “Trump Reels from Competing Court Decisions as Trials Disrupt Campaign.”

Reels? After a surprise victory on the bond question and a predictable setting of a New York trial date?

It goes without saying that any politician not named Trump would be finished within a day or two if charged with paying off a porn star. But the media were convinced that every previous indictment would damage him and everyone now agrees they boosted him in the polls.

At issue in the hearing was whether Bragg’s office gave Trump’s team enough time to review thousands of pages of documents obtained from federal prosecutors. But it turned out only 300 of those pages involved Michael Cohen, the former Trump fixer who served time and now will be the trial’s star witness.

In the fall of 2016, Trump’s campaign worried that Stormy Daniels would go public with her account of having a one-time sexual encounter with him, which he has always denied. Cohen arranged for her to be paid $130,000 to buy her silence. Trump is charged with approving the reimbursements, though Cohen’s credibility is obviously subject to challenge.

Judge Merchan scolded one of Trump’s lawyers, at one point asking how much experience he had as a prosecutor. He said the defense allegations on the documents were “unbelievably serious,” adding:

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“You are literally accusing the Manhattan D.A.’s office and the people assigned to this case of prosecutorial misconduct and trying to make me complicit in it.”

The former president vowed to appeal, saying, “I don’t know how you can have a trial like this in the middle of an election, a presidential election.” But jury selection is almost certain to begin on April 15.

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By yesterday, the media had moved on to the horrifying collapse of the Baltimore bridge hit by a massive cargo ship, the raids on three of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ homes, and, yes, Judge Merchan’s gag order against Trump in the hush money case. His split decision on Monday had quickly faded from the headlines. 

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced Tuesday that attorney and tech entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan will be his vice presidential running mate heading into the November general election.

A native of Oakland, California, the 38-year-old Shanahan is a philanthropist with a long history of donating to Democrat and left-leaning causes, including supporting President Biden in his 2020 election bid before switching to Kennedy when he launched his own run for the Democrat nomination last year.

Kennedy announced Shanahan by praising her insight into “how Big Tech uses AI to manipulate the public,” her athletic ability, and willingness to be a “partner” in a number of policy areas, including on securing the border.

ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. EXPECTED TO ANNOUNCE WEALTHY FEMALE ENTREPRENEUR AS VICE PRESIDENTIAL RUNNING MATE

Shanahan initially dropped her support for Kennedy after he decided to run as an independent, but later got behind him again by giving $4 million to the super PAC that boosted his candidacy with a John F. Kennedy-themed campaign ad that ran during the Super Bowl in February.

Shanahan also previously donated to Democrat presidential candidates Marianne Williamson and Pete Buttigieg during the 2020 presidential race, and threw more than $150,000 behind progressive Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon’s 2020 election bid.

She is the founder and president of Bia-Echo Foundation, a private firm that describes its mission as focused on “new frontiers in reproductive longevity & equality, criminal justice reform and a healthy & livable planet.” 

Shanahan was previously married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin, a marriage that ended following reports she had an affair with Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk, which both of them deny. She has one daughter from her marriage with Brin.

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Following her divorce from Brin, Shanahan met partner Jacob Strumwasser, who works for bitcoin software company Lightening Labs. The two participated in a “love ceremony” last year to celebrate the commitment to their relationship.

Shanahan’s wealth and ties to major donors would likely benefit Kennedy as he aims to improve his fundraising efforts.

“I want a partner with strong ideas of how to reverse those dire threats to democracy and to our freedoms. I managed to find a technologist at the forefront of AI. She has spent the last decade relying on neural networks, artificial intelligence, and cutting edge science, to identify abuses in our government,” Kennedy said of Shanahan as he introduced her at a campaign event in her hometown.

Kennedy described her as “a woman who grew up right here in Oakland. The daughter of migrants who overcame every daunting obstacle and went on to achieve the highest levels of the American dream” and as “a fellow lawyer, a brilliant scientist, technologist, a fierce warrior mom.”

Shanahan, a life-long Democrat, told the crowd that she was leaving the party.

“The Democratic Party is supposed to be the party of compassion. It is supposed to be the party of free speech, and most importantly, the party of the middle class and the American dream,” Shanahan said.

“While I know many Democrats still abide by those values…I do believe they’ve lost their way in their leadership,” she argued.

And she urged “disillusioned” Democrats and Republicans to support Kennedy’s independent White House bid.

The Trump-aligned super PAC Make America Great Again Inc. took aim at both Kennedy and Shanahan.

“Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a far-left radical that supports reparations, backs the Green New Deal, and wants to ban fracking. It’s no surprise he would pick a Biden donor leftist as his running mate,” MAGA Inc. spokesman Alex Pfeiffer charged in a statement.

Fox News’ Jamie Vera contributed to this report

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

Democrats appear to be in panic mode as they scramble to save President Biden’s re-election hopes from the threat of independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign, a call hosted by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) revealed Tuesday afternoon.

The call with members of the press took place immediately after Kennedy announced tech entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan as his vice presidential running mate at a rally in Oakland, California, and included Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., Pennsylvania Lieutenant Gov. Austin Davis, and Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who all fretted that Kennedy would likely ruin any chance of Biden being re-elected.

“We are doing everything in our power to get President Biden and Vice President Harris reelected. It’s critical that we take seriously every possible obstacle to that goal. And let me be clear, that’s exactly what Robert F. Kennedy is in this election. He’s a spoiler,” Davis said.

WHO IS NICOLE SHANAHAN? MEET THE WEALTHY ENTREPRENEUR RFK JR SELECTED AS HIS VP RUNNING MATE

McMorrow agreed, saying it was important for her to be on the call to share “how horrifying this campaign is and what it really means on the ground for Michigan.”

“Him being in the race means that there is a greater likelihood that Donald Trump will become president again,” she said.

Earlier in the call, Garcia railed against Kennedy as “a tin foil hat conspiracy theorist,” referencing his past skepticism toward vaccines, particularly those aimed at combating the COVID-19 pandemic. He also accused Shanahan of holding an “anti-health agenda” despite a large portion of her introduction as Kennedy’s running mate being focused on Americans’ health, especially that of children.

“He’s turning to Trump mega-donors to really support this, really, spoiler campaign. I think he’s likely interested in trying to get Donald Trump elected. Maybe that’s what this is about. And many of us are not sure, but he is someone that should not be taken seriously as a serious person. I mean, certainly his campaign is quite dangerous,” Garcia said, appearing to launch his own conspiracy theory about Kennedy’s candidacy.

His reference to former President Donald Trump’s donors supporting Kennedy was likely referring to Timothy Mellon, the heir to the Mellon banking fortune who has given millions to outside groups supporting Trump’s third run for the presidency. Last year, Mellon donated millions to American Values 2024, a super PAC backing Kennedy.

DEMOCRATS RIPPED FOR TRYING TO ‘KILL DEMOCRACY’ WITH EFFORT TO PROTECT BIDEN, SILENCE THIRD-PARTY CANDIDATES

Garcia continued to harp on Kennedy’s past positions on vaccines, referring to his bid for the presidency as “disgusting and shameful,” and calling on him to end his “horrific campaign.”

Davis also focused heavily on Kennedy’s past vaccine rhetoric, but repeated Garcia’s theories on the origination of Kennedy’s campaign.

“The truth is that he was drafted into this race by Donald Trump’s top supporters and is being financed in this race by Trump’s largest donor. That isn’t merely a coincidence,” he said. “He has no realistic path to victory in Pennsylvania. All he can do is take away votes from President Biden and make it easier for Donald Trump to win, and we simply can’t afford to let that happen.”

Davis went on to accuse Kennedy of “deliberately” targeting Black people “with dangerous lies and conspiracy theories” about vaccines, and claimed that any suggestion he was an ally of the Black community was “frankly outrageous, and it’s offensive.”

McMorrow later added, “We cannot afford Donald Trump to be back in the White House, which is what is going to happen if people don’t see RFK for what he actually is, which is Donald Trump with a Kennedy name slapped on him.”

WATCH: DEMOCRAT FRONTRUNNER IN TIGHT SENATE RACE DROPS RACIAL SLUR DURING HOUSE HEARING

She went on to fret that Kennedy — like Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein in 2016 — could spoil a key swing state like Michigan for Biden. 

“You don’t need significant support to throw an election to Donald Trump. We saw this play out in 2016 where Jill Stein got 50,000 votes and Hillary Clinton lost by 10,000 votes in Michigan. So it is this type of a campaign — and Kennedy should be smart enough to know better. But I don’t think he does. I think his ego is in the way,” she said.

Earlier this month, the DNC launched an effort to silence the threat from third-party candidates, namely Kennedy, in the form of a team that is expected to actively combat them with legal challenges and opposition research.

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Democrat strategist Lis Smith, who helped lead Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 campaign and is consulting for the DNC on the project, set off a storm of X posts and reposts following Kennedy’s Tuesday speech, referring to the candidate as a “spoiler,” and sharing a video where she accused Shanahan of buying her inclusion on the ticket by donating millions to boost Kennedy before she was named his running mate.

The Democrats weren’t the only ones to go after Kennedy on Tuesday. The Trump-aligned super PAC Make America Great Again, Inc. released a statement that read, “Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a far-left radical that supports reparations, backs the Green New Deal, and wants to ban fracking. It’s no surprise he would pick a Biden donor leftist as his running mate.”

The group slamming Shanahan as a Biden donor was in reference to her backing of the president in his 2020 bid for the White House before flipping to Kennedy this election cycle.

Recent polls have shown Kennedy, Stein and independent candidate Dr. Cornel West would pull significant support from both Biden and Trump, but with Biden appearing to be at risk of losing the most potential votes.

The latest RealClearPolitics average of polls has Kennedy reaching 15% in a three-way race against Biden and Trump. The average shows Trump ahead of Biden by 4 points. 

A five-way race including West and Stein has Kennedy’s support at 11%, with Trump having a 2-point advantage over Biden. 

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

Republicans remained relatively quiet on Tuesday as the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a challenge regarding the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) actions to make the abortion pill Mifeprisone easier to access over the course of several years. 

Democratic lawmakers sounded off in apparent unison, contrasting with their partisan counterparts and bashing the arguments against the drug and the FDA’s choice to make it more accessible for women. 

REPUBLICANS SEE EMBATTLED MENENDEZ’S POTENTIAL INDEPENDENT BID AS CHANCE TO FLIP SENATE SEAT

“Judges need to stay out of women’s health care decisions. Getting prescription abortion medication is a personal decision, not the Supreme Court’s or any politician’s. This is another step in Republicans’ fight to ban abortion nationwide and I am having none of it,” wrote Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., added, “The case before the Supreme Court today is not about the safety or efficacy of medication abortion. The FDA has already made it clear that mifepristone is safe & effective.”

“This case is about Donald Trump & the Republican Party marching us toward a full-on national abortion ban,” she continued, tying the case to the upcoming general election.

SEN. KENNEDY TORCHES OLYMPIC SKIER’S ‘EXPERT’ CLIMATE CHANGE TESTIMONY: THE ‘KARDASHIAN-ING OF AMERICA’

Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., stressed, “We cannot afford to go back” in reference to the case being considered. 

“Medication abortion is safe, effective & routine healthcare,” said progressive squad-member Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.

“SCOTUS must protect access to mifepristone & we must affirm abortion care as the human right that it is,” she emphasized. 

PRO-LIFE GROUPS ASSAIL FDA FOR ‘RECKLESS DISREGARD’ IN SUPREME COURT ABORTION PILL CASE

Democratic lawmakers were vocal on social media ahead of and during the arguments, while many GOP representatives and senators focused on other things. The difference between the two parties’ public statements during the case’s arguments comes as abortion is predicted to play a critical role in the 2024 election in November. 

While most GOP senators avoided commentary, some of the particularly devoted Pro-Life politicians sounded off. 

Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., posted several fact checks to X, addressing “abortion industry lies.”

“I’m praying for the SCOTUS justices as they hear oral arguments regarding the FDA’s decisions to loosen safety protocols of mifepristone. I hope they will prioritize women’s safety and reconsider the approval of this dangerous drug. #WomensHealthMatters,” wrote the chair of the Senate Pro-Life Caucus, Sen. Cindy Hyde Smith, R-Miss. 

However, the relatively few public Republican remarks on the case on Tuesday doesn’t mean many of the lawmakers aren’t supportive of the challenge. In fact, 145 Republican representatives and senators signed an amicus brief last month in support of the respondents, the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, Et Al.

LETITIA JAMES RALLIES PRO-CHOICE CROWD OUTSIDE SUPREME COURT: ‘MARCH TO THE POLLS’

On the other hand, 50 senators and 207 House members previously signed a separate amicus brief backing up the FDA and the use of Mifepristone. 

During the oral arguments, the lawyer for challengers to the FDA and abortion medication, Erin Hawley, asked the high court to require the restrictions that were removed surrounding Mifepristone be re-enstated. 

“The lower court’s decision merely restored long-standing and crucial protections under which millions of women used abortion drugs,” she said of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals previous ruling to roll back many of the FDA’s actions starting in 2016 to make it easier to dispense and access the medication. 

Hawley, senior counsel at the Alliance Defending Freedom, is also the wife of Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. 

Many of the court’s justices appeared skeptical of the case’s trajectory to the Supreme Court, given the small pool of affected parties. “This case seems like a prime example of turning what could be a small lawsuit into a nationwide, legislative assembly on an FDA rule,” said conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch. 

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But fellow conservative justices Samuel Alito, who authored the opinion in Dobbs. V. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturning Roe. V. Wade, and Clarence Thomas criticized the idea that the FDA is immune from challenges. 

Alito claimed during the arguments that the agency is seeking to be “infallible.”

Former President Donald Trump announced on his social media platform, Truth Social, that he is partnering with country musician Lee Greenwood to sell “God Bless the USA” Bibles ahead of Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

“Happy Holy Week! Let’s Make America Pray Again. As we lead into Good Friday and Easter, I encourage you to get a copy of the God Bless The USA Bible,” Trump wrote in a post. 

The former president said every American needs to have a Bible in their home and added that he has many copies himself.

“All Americans need a Bible in their home, and I have many. It’s my favorite book,” Trump said in his video posted on Truth Social. “I’m proud to endorse and encourage you to get this Bible. We must make America pray again.”

LETITIA JAMES RALLIES PRO-CHOICE CROWD OUTSIDE SUPREME COURT: ‘MARCH TO THE POLLS’

The website to purchase the Bibles lists these books as the only Bible inspired by America’s most recognized patriotic anthem, “God Bless The USA.”

This is not the first time Trump has teamed up with the country music star, as he used his patriotic anthem often as his entrance song during his rallies and occasionally during events at the White House during his term as president. 

The Bible will also feature the United States Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, The Pledge of Allegiance, as well as a handwritten chorus of “God Bless The USA,” according to the website.  

TRUMP TOPS BIDEN WITH DOUBLE-DIGIT LEAD IN DEEP-RED STATE BEING TARGETED BY DEMOCRATS: POLL

The Bible is also described as being easy-to-read with large print, having a slim design, and was designed to deliver an easy reading experience in the trusted King James Version translation. 

“Religion and Christianity are the biggest things missing from this country. And I truly believe that we need to bring them back and have to bring them back fast,” Trump said in a video. “I think it’s one of the biggest problems we have. That’s why our country is going haywire. We’ve lost religion in our country.”

The website also states that GodBlessTheUSABible.com is not political and has nothing to do with any political campaign.

This latest move comes as the former president has faced a serious money crunch amid mounting legal bills while he fights four criminal indictments along with a series of civil charges. 

Trump saw some relief on Monday as the appeals court slashed his bond payment, saying Trump must pay $175 million within the next 10 days.

‘THE VIEW’ CO-HOST SUNNY HOSTIN ADMITS JUDGE SLASHING TRUMP’S BOND WAS ‘VERY APPROPRIATE’

Trump had previously faced a Monday deadline to pay a $454 million bond payment that came as a result of civil fraud allegations from New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Trump said he will “abide” by the appeals decision and post the $175 million bond. 

If Trump does post the $175 million by the new deadline, it would effectively block James from attempts to seize Trump’s assets as he continues to appeal the judgment by New York Judge Arthur Engoron.

LETITIA JAMES HAD TO ‘EAT EVERY SINGLE TWEET’ AFTER APPEALS COURT SLASHED TRUMP’S BOND, SAYS ALINA HABBA

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The Bible is the latest product Trump has promoted after releasing a line of $400 sneakers earlier this year. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Trump’s team for comment but has not yet heard back.

The Associated Press, Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report. 

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

What’s happening? 

-TRAGEDY IN BALTIMORE: Biden pledges to rebuild Francis Scott Key Bridge after devastating collapse. Read more live updates on Fox News

-RFK selects running mate

-NYC begins handing out prepaid debit cards to illegal immigrants

New trial, new gag order

New York Judge Juan Merchan has imposed a gag order on former President Trump in the hush-money payments case, set for jury selection on April 15, granting Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s request. 

Merchan issued the order against the 2024 GOP presumptive presidential nominee on Tuesday, pointing to his “prior extrajudicial statements,” saying they establish “a sufficient risk to the administration of justice.” 

Merchan ordered that Trump cannot make or direct others to make public statements about witnesses concerning their potential participation, or about counsel in the case — other than Bragg — or about court staff, DA staff or family members of staff.

Merchan also ordered that Trump cannot make or direct others to make public statements about any prospective juror or chosen juror. 

Merchan said in his decision that Trump has made statements in the past during other trials — likely referring to the months-long non-jury civil fraud trial stemming from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ case. 

A spokesperson for Trump’s campaign told  Fox News Digital that “American voters have a fundamental right to hear the uncensored voice of the leading candidate for the highest office in the land.” 

“President Trump will keep fighting for our country and our Constitution,” the spokesperson said. 

White House

‘TOP SOLDIERS’: Left-wing activist who hired a close ally of notorious antisemite Farrakhan has visited Biden WH 7 times …Read more

LOANS IN PERIL: President Biden’s student loan handout under fire from legal experts …Read more

‘MESSAGE OF WEAKNESS’: Former Navy SEAL, Senate candidate slams Biden’s ‘very poorly’ executed Afghanistan withdrawal …Read more

Capitol Hill

CRIMINAL REFERRALS: Comer dampens prospects of Biden impeachment in new fundraising email …Read more

BORDER ‘REVELATION’: GOP senator outraged by notices of migrant arrivals …Read more

Tales from the Campaign Trail

‘COCKROACHES’: CNN political commentator compares third-party efforts to insects …Read more

VEEP STAKES: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. selects running mate: Report …Read more

SPLIT TICKET: GOP eyes NJ Senate opportunity amid possible Menendez independent bid …Read more

Across America

TRANS VISIBILITY DAY: Virginia County declares Trans Visibility Day on Easter …Read more

MIGRANT MISSION: NYC begins handing out prepaid debit cards to illegal immigrants …Read more

‘FINISH UP’: Trump tells Israel to wrap Gaza offensive because nation is ‘losing a lot of support’ …Read more

‘POLITICALLY MOTIVATED’: Legal experts say U.S. Constitution is on Trump’s side in New York civil fraud case …Read more

FULL REVOLT: MSNBC stars shoot inside the tent, attack NBC for hiring ex-RNC chair Ronna McDaniel …Read more

MSNBC BACKLASH: ‘Truth vs. lies’: Psaki lashes out on-air when compared to Ronna McDaniel …Read more

BORDER BLACKMAIL?: Mexican president warns crisis continues unless US gives $20 billion a year, amnesty for migrant workers …Read more

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New York Judge Juan Merchan has imposed a gag order on former President Trump in the hush-money payments case, granting Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s request. 

Merchan issued the order against the 2024 GOP presumptive presidential nominee on Tuesday, pointing to his “prior extrajudicial statements,” saying they establish “a sufficient risk to the administration of justice.” 

TRUMP HUSH MONEY TRIAL TO BEGIN APRIL 15, JUDGE RULES, DENYING MOTION TO DELAY

Merchan ordered that Trump cannot make or direct others to make public statements about witnesses concerning their potential participation, or about counsel in the case — other than Bragg — or about court staff, DA staff or family members of staff.

Merchan also ordered that Trump cannot make or direct others to make public statements about any prospective juror or chosen juror. 

Merchan said in his decision that Trump has made statements in the past during other trials — likely referring to the months-long non-jury civil fraud trial stemming from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ case. 

“lndeed, his statements were threatening, inflammatory, denigrating, and the targets of his statements ranged from local and federal officials, court and court sta( prosecutors and staff assigned to the cases, and private individuals including grand jurors performing their civic duty,” Merchan writes. “The consequences of those statements included not only fear on the part of the individual targeted, but also the assignment of increased security resources to investigate threats and protect the individuals and family members thereof.” 

The order comes after Bragg, last month, requested an order preventing Trump from making statements attacking others involved in his legal cases, sought a protective order to prohibit the names and addresses of jurors from being disclosed to anyone other than attorneys and requested evidence and testimony regarding campaign finance be limited.

Trump had a gag order imposed on him in the James non-jury civil trial as well. 

MANHATTAN DA BRAGG REQUESTS JUDGE IMPOSE GAG ORDER ON TRUMP DURING HUSH MONEY CASE

Merchan announced on Monday that the trial will begin on April 15. 

Bragg indicted Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Bragg alleged that Trump “repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election.”

TRUMP SLAMS BRAGG AFTER PLEADING NOT GUILTY: ‘I NEVER THOUGHT ANYTHING LIKE THIS COULD HAPPEN IN AMERICA’

The charges are related to alleged hush-money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign.

In 2019, federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York opted not to charge Trump related to the payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal.

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The Federal Election Commission also tossed its investigation into the matter in 2021.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Former President Donald Trump leads President Biden in the race for Texas’ 40 electoral votes by double his margin of victory in the Lone Star State four years ago, according to a new poll.

And the survey released Tuesday by Marist College also indicates Republican Sen. Ted Cruz with a six-point advantage over his Democratic challenger, Rep. Colin Allred, in a key Senate showdown as the GOP aims to regain the chamber’s majority in November’s elections.

Trump carried Texas over Biden by roughly 5.5 points in 2020, which was the smallest margin of victory for a GOP presidential nominee in the deep-red state in nearly a quarter-century.

TRUMP HOLDS EDGE OVER BIDEN IN CRUCIAL BATTLEGROUND STATE POLL

But according to the Marist poll, which was conducted March 18-21, the former president leads his successor in the White House by 11 points (55%-44%) among registered voters. But Trump’s lead narrows to 7 points (53%-46%) among those who say they’ll definitely cast a ballot in the November election.

“Independents, who Biden carried by 6-percentage points in 2020, now break for Trump. Trump receives 56% of Texas independents to 41% for Biden,” the release from Marist highlights.

BIDEN-TRUMP SEQUEL UNDERWAY IN HISTORY MAKING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION REMATCH

The poll also suggests Biden has lost his advantage among younger voters, and that Trump has made major inroads among Black and Latino voters.

In a possible three-candidate race, which includes Democrat-turned independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the poll indicates Trump at 48%, Biden with 36% and Kennedy at 15%. Kennedy, the environmental activist, high-profile vaccine skeptic and scion of the nation’s most famous political dynasty, has yet to obtain ballot access in Texas.

CRUZ HAULS IN BIG BUCKS AS HE PREPARES FOR ROUGH RE-ELECTION

Cruz, the conservative firebrand who’s running for a third six-year term representing Texas in the Senate, tops Allred 51%-45% among registered voters, according to the poll. Cruz’s margin over Allred, a former professional football player in the NFL and a three-term congressman representing a suburban Dallas district, is roughly the same among likely voters.

“Among independents, Cruz (50%) is up by eight percentage points against Allred (42%),” a release from Marist spotlights. “There is a wide gender gap. Cruz (59%) carries men by 21 percentage points over Allred (38%). Allred (52%) tops Cruz (44%) among women.”

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While the controversial Cruz holds a 45%-43% favorable/unfavorable rating in the new survey, Allred is not well known. Fifty-three percent of those questioned said they had never heard of Allred, or didn’t know enough about him to answer the question. 

Immigration, at 27%, was the top issue on the minds of voters in Texas, which shares a 1,254 border with Mexico. According to the survey, inflation (at 26%) was the second most important issue, followed by preserving democracy (at 24%).

The poll had an overall margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.

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

EXCLUSIVE: A Tennessee lawmaker is hitting back at the Biden administration, saying the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has failed to be transparent about the release of migrants into the U.S. after the emergence of notices going to cities in his states alerting them to migrants who have said they are heading there. 

Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., is releasing DHS notices received by local officials in the state that show how many migrants are believed to be heading to them on a weekly basis.

Called “Intended Destination of Noncitizens Processed at the Southwest Border,” the notices explain how Customs and Border Protection first vet migrants’ biographic and biometric information against a number of databases before they are released into the interior.

MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS AT SOUTHERN BORDER HIT NEW FEBRUARY RECORD HIGH

The notices say that arrivals could include migrants who have entered legally via ports of entry using the CBP One app, or entered illegally between ports of entry and who have either passed a “credible fear” screening or who are enrolled in removal proceedings and are released pending their removal hearings. 

While DHS does not transport adult migrants directly within the interior, the notice says that migrants will provide their intended destination to officials before they are released. Once migrants are released, they may be enrolled into Alternatives to Detention but are free to travel as they see fit, and federal authorities have no say over where they go.

In the notice given to officials in Tennessee, and provided to Fox News Digital, it told officials in Nashville, Davidson, Murfreesboro and Franklin that 573 noncitizens had provided their areas as destinations for the week ending Sept. 16, 2023.

Of those, 200 were from Guatemala, 200 from Venezuela and 100 were from Honduras and Mexico.

Hagerty accused the administration of a lack of transparency toward broader requests for information from members of Congress on how many migrants are going to which areas.

“Americans are well aware that, under President Biden, every town is a border town. Along with many other members of Congress and concerned citizens, I’ve sought transparency for three years from the Biden Administration regarding its resettlement efforts through legislation and oversight inquiries—to no avail,” he said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “With the revelation of letters stating exactly how many migrants are resettling in a particular area for a particular week, it’s now clear that the Biden Administration has this information and has simply been hiding it.” 

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

“This begs questions that demand answers: How many migrants has Biden’s Department of Homeland Security knowingly resettled in American towns? How have these migrants been vetted? Do they pose a threat to American citizens? Americans and local governments forced to deal with the impacts of this President’s border crisis and the resettlement in their communities deserve to know what the Biden Administration knows.”

In response, Hagerty is setting up a website via which officials can submit the letter they have received. 

DHS stressed that it does not coordinate the travel of migrants, but that it does coordinate and share information with local officials and NGOs and where they intend to travel. Consequently, the purpose of the notification was to let officials know that noncitizens intended to travel to the area.

“DHS does not transport noncitizens to Tennessee. DHS works in close coordination with local officials, law enforcement, and NGOs to share timely information regarding noncitizens who have been screened, vetted, and conditionally released from custody pending the outcome of their immigration court proceedings,” a spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

“We will continue to partner with communities hosting recently arrived noncitizens to identify ways we can continue to maximize our support, while enforcing the law and returning or removing those without a legal basis to remain in the country,” they said.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION NEWS COVERAGE 

The agency said that communication can ensure that migrants can connect with humanitarian aid and receive help with transportation while they go through the removal process.

The notices highlight the ongoing issues and tensions connected to the release of migrants into the interior. The Biden administration has said it needs more funding, including for removals and detention space as well as money for cities and NGOs receiving migrants. It has called on Congress to pass immigration reform and approve additional funding — including in a bipartisan Senate border bill and DHS’ most recent budget request.

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However, Republicans claim the border crisis has been caused by the policies of the Biden administration, including its reversal of Trump administration policies. They have called for an end to “catch-and-release,” additional wall construction and stricter interior enforcement.

Last week, Customs and Border Protection announced that the number of migrant encounters had hit a new record for February, with over 189,000 encounters for the month.