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Republican Alabama Sen. Katie Britt pulled no punches as she delivered her party’s rebuttal to President Biden’s State of the Union address Thursday night, ripping him for his “despicable” job handling the border crisis, as well as his promotion of “Bidenomics” amid the rising consumer costs plaguing American families.

A rising star within the GOP, the 42-year-old Britt’s selection to deliver the rebuttal last week was met with widespread praise — even from some Democrats — as she continues to build a national profile despite never holding elected office prior to her election in the 2022 midterms.

Britt began her remarks with a reference to Biden’s age and his decades as a career politician, blasting his speech as “the performance of a permanent politician who has actually been in office for longer than I’ve been alive.”

WHO IS KATIE BRITT? ALABAMA SENATOR GIVING STATE OF THE UNION GOP RESPONSE

“The country we know and love seems to be slipping away, and it feels like the next generation will have fewer opportunities – and less freedoms – than we did. I worry my own children may not even get a shot at living their American Dreams,” Britt said.

“The American Dream has turned into a nightmare for so many families. The true, unvarnished State of our Union begins and ends with this: Our families are hurting. Our country can do better,” she said.

Britt then sought to pick apart Biden’s policies, starting with the ongoing crisis at the southern border that’s seen a historic number of migrants cross into the U.S. She specifically called out his diversion from former President Donald Trump’s border policies.

“President Biden inherited the most secure border of all-time. But minutes after taking office, he suspended all deportations, halted construction of the border wall, and announced a plan to give amnesty to millions. We know that President Biden didn’t just create this border crisis. He invited it with 94 executive actions in his first 100 days,” she said.

‘UNCOMMITTED’ DEMOCRATIC VOTERS CREATING NEGATIVE PRESS FOR BIDEN AS PROGRESSIVES PROTEST SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL

She went on to describe the brutalities inflicted upon migrants by cartel members at the border, as well as the recent tragic death of Georgia college student Laken Riley, who was allegedly at the hands of an illegal immigrant.

“President Biden’s border crisis is a disgrace. It’s despicable. And it’s almost entirely preventable,” she said, referencing Riley. “President Biden finally said her name, but he refused to take responsibility for his own actions … but enough is enough.”

Britt said Biden’s failures “didn’t stop” at the border and turned to rising costs and the economy, arguing “the American people are scraping by.”

“Hardworking families are struggling to make ends meet today. And with soaring mortgage rates and sky-high childcare costs, they’re also struggling to plan for tomorrow. The American people are scraping by while the President proudly proclaims Bidenomics is working! Bless his heart. We know better,” she said.

Britt then decried Democrats’ crime policies and calls from progressives to defund the police, before fuming over what she described as Biden “making us a punchline on the world state,” citing rising chaos around the world.

WHO IS JASON PALMER, THE OBSCURE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE WHO DELIVERED BIDEN’S FIRST 2024 LOSS?

“Where I’m from, your word is your bond. But for three years, this President has demonstrated that America’s word doesn’t mean what it used to. From abandoning allies in his disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan … to desperately pushing another dangerous deal with Iran, President Biden has failed. We’ve become a nation in retreat. And the enemies of freedom see an opportunity,” she said.

“Right now, our Commander in Chief is not in command. The free world deserves better than a dithering and diminished leader. America deserves leaders who recognize that secure borders, stable prices, safe streets, and a strong defense are the cornerstones of a great nation,” she added.

Britt closed by arguing the nation was at “a crossroads,” but that it didn’t have to be that way.

“We all feel it. But here’s the good news: we people are still in the driver’s seat. We get to decide whether our future will grow brighter, or whether we settle for an America in decline,” she said. “Well, I know which choice our children deserve – and I know the choice the Republican Party is fighting for.”

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Britt, who previously served as chief of staff to now-retired GOP Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby, and later as president and CEO of the Business Council of Alabama, was born and raised in Enterprise, Alabama.

She defeated then-Republican Rep. Mo Brooks in Alabama’s Senate primary in 2022 before going on to win the general election that November. 

Britt endorsed former President Donald Trump in December, writing in a Yellowhammer News op-ed that the “results of his strong leadership as the 45th President of the United States are clear for all to see” after living under the Biden administration’s policies.

Fox News’ Kyle Morris contributed to this report.

No Labels will likely take another step towards forming a bipartisan presidential ticket in November’s general election, when the centrist group’s delegates huddle during a virtual gathering on Friday.

Two sources with knowledge of the meeting on Thursday confirmed to Fox News that the roughly 800 delegates taking part are expected to vote to give a thumbs up to fielding what the No Labels has described as a “unity ticket” in the presidential election.

No Labels officials would not publicly confirm any plans for tomorrow’s virtual gathering. But in a statement to Fox News, No Labels senior strategist Ryan Clancy did say “we expect our delegates to encourage the process to continue.”

But the expected move, first reported by the Associated Press, comes as some high-profile potential candidates for the No Labels ticket have taken their names out of contention.

NO LABELS CHARGES OPPONENTS ARE TRYING TO KEEP IT OFF THE BALLOT

For over a year, No Labels has mulled a third party ticket, as it pointed to poll after poll suggesting that many Americans were anything but enthused about a 2024 election rematch between President Biden and former President Donald Trump.

And No Labels had long said that it would decide whether to launch a presidential ticket following Super Tuesday, when 16 states from coast to coast held nominating primaries and caucuses.

Trump is now considered the presumptive Republican nominee, after winning 14 of the 15 GOP nominating contests on Tuesday. Trump’s last remaining rival – former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley – dropped out of the 2024 race on Wednesday.

Biden also ran the table on Super Tuesday, winning 14 of the 15 Democratic contests. And Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota – one of the two long-shot challengers to the president – suspended his White House bid on Wednesday.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST 2024 ELECTION RESULTS FROM FOX NEWS

Both Biden and Trump will formally clinch their party nominations in the next week or two, and their campaigns have now moved into general election mode.

No Labels is not expected to name its presidential and vice presidential picks on Friday, but instead will likely kick off a formal selection process which would lead to the naming of candidates in the coming weeks.

But former two-term Republican Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland, a former No Labels leader who was considered a potential contender for the group’s ticket, recently took his name out of contention as he announced a run this year for an open Senate seat in his home state.

And moderate Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who is not seeking re-election and who flirted with a White House run, has also said he won’t launch a presidential bid.

There was plenty of speculation that Haley would consider running on a No Labels ticket if she dropped her Republican White House bid. And No Labels had expressed interest in Haley earlier this year.

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But Haley repeatedly nixed joining a No Labels ticket, most recently on Tuesday in an interview on “Fox and Friends.”

“What I will tell you is I’m a conservative Republican. I have said many, many times, I would not run as an independent. I would not run as No Labels because I am a Republican, and that’s who I’ve always been,” she reiterated.

No Labels says it’s already on the ballot in 14 states – and currently working in over a dozen other states to obtain access. 

There’s been a chorus of calls from Democrats warning that a No Labels ticket would pave a path to victory for Trump in November. But the group dismisses that criticism.

“That’s not our goal here,” Lieberman told Fox News Digital late last year. “We’re not about electing either President Trump or President Biden.”

The No Labels meeting on Friday is closed to press coverage. The group says it will release a statement after the gathering concludes.

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

Saddled with negative approval ratings and trailing former President Trump in the latest polling average of their general election rematch, President Biden went for the jugular in prime time Thursday evening as he delivered the State of the Union address with eight months to go until the November showdown.

Biden early and often took aim at Trump, whom he only referred to as “his predecessor,” and also fired numerous salvos at Republican lawmakers sitting directly in front of him as the president delivered his address to a joint session of Congress.

“My predecessor, a former Republican President, tells Putin, ‘Do whatever the hell you want,’” Biden charged three minutes into his speech. It was the first of thirteen references to Trump, who this week became the GOP’s presumptive nominee.

While Democrats applauded the tone and tenor of the president’s address, Republicans savaged the speech for crossing the line.

BIDEN TARGETS TRUMP AND CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS IN STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS 

“This was the most partisan State of the Union I’ve heard in my lifetime,” said Bill McGurn, who served as chief speechwriter for then-President George W. Bush.

“No outreach to Republicans, and the clear message was this: the era of big government is back, with a vengeance,” added McGurn, a Wall Street Journal editorial board member and columnist as well as a Fox News contributor.

FOX EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP REACTS TO BIDEN STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS

Marc Theissen, who also served as a speechwriter for Bush, argued Biden’s speech was an “utter disgrace.”

“Attacking his opponent directly in the first minutes of his speech is unprecedented and perhaps the most partisan start to a State of the Union address in modern memory,” Theissen emphasized in a social media posting.

It was a very different take from Dan Cluchey, who served as a speechwriter for the president in the Biden White House.

“With energy and vigor, the President laid out the clear choice facing America — a choice between two starkly different visions for our future.  Will we expand freedom, or restrict it?  Will we defend democracy, or attack it?  Will we continue to grow the economy for all, or rig it on behalf of billionaires and the wealthiest corporations?  President Biden made it crystal clear where he stands — and he did it while commanding the room with equal parts sharp oratory, disarming banter, and matter-of-fact moral authority,” Cluchey told Fox News.

And Cluchey argued that “State of the Union addresses don’t get better than this.”

Longtime Democratic consultant Maria Cardona told Fox News “the contrast with Trump was brilliant and scathing. He pulled no punches, told the truth, and he was everything he needed to be.” 

“Of course, Republicans thought it was too political. If that’s their only criticism, they know he had a homer, and they have nowhere else to go,” added Cardona, a Democratic National Committee member and veteran of multiple presidential campaigns.

Cardona argued that the president “was energetic, direct, funny, eloquent, and he laid out his accomplishments clearly and relevantly, connecting them with peoples’ lives.”

McGurn agreed that the 81-year-old Biden “was vigorous, more than we’ve recently seen.”

But he added that the address “had a get-off-my-lawn-you-rotten-kids! quality to it.”

And Clark Judge, who served as a speechwriter for the late President Ronald Reagan, concurred that Biden’s address “sounded angry. For its force, it depended upon him basically shouting and projecting outrage.”

And he charged that the speech was “a laundry list of bad solutions for the problems he [Biden] caused.”

Biden used a portion of his address to spotlight the economic rebound during his tenure in the White House.

“I inherited an economy that was on the brink,” Biden noted before touting “now our economy is the envy of the world.” 

And he spotlighted that “wages keep going up and inflation keeps coming down!”

But poll after poll indicates that Americans aren’t giving the president much credit for the easing in inflation. 

And Biden went on offense against Trump and congressional Republicans on another issue where he’s politically vulnerable, the crisis at the nation’s southern border.

But Colin Reed, a veteran Republican strategist, said that when it came to the economy and the border, “both were buried deep within the confines of the speech.”

“On the two most important issues, he whiffed big time,” said Reed, a campaign veteran who served as a top adviser this cycle on a super PAC supporting former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s 2024 GOP nomination bid.

Biden is the oldest president in the nation’s history. And polls indicate a majority of Americans harbor serious questions about his physical and mental ability to handle another four years in the White House.

“I know I may not look like it, but I’ve been around a while. And when you get to my age, certain things become clearer than ever before,” Biden quipped near the end of his address.

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Seasoned Democratic strategist and communicator Chris Moyer acknowledged that the president “can’t stick his head in the sand and pretend voters don’t know he’s old, and this was the first time he took on his age directly. It was smart to do so, and I think he’ll refine this more and more over the course of the campaign.”

And Moyer, who’s served on multiple Democratic presidential campaigns, noted that “this was more campaign speech and less State of the Union address.” But he argued that Biden “did what he needed to do, showing a fighting spirit and hitting many of the expected notes on popular issues.”

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

Eau Claire, Wisconsin – It looks like President Biden and former President Trump will face off once again in the 2024 presidential race. But fox polling shows a majority of Americans don’t like either candidate.

The latest Fox News Power Rankings show there are eight battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

In downtown Eau Claire, Wisconsin, most aren’t thinking about what’s going on in Washington yet. But people in Washington are thinking about Wisconsin.

“I don’t really like politics,” Jennifer Linville said. “It doesn’t matter what side I feel like at this point, like, show me what you’re going to do for us.”

Wisconsin, Nevada, Arizona and Pennsylvania are fiercely competitive toss-up states. 

FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: TRUMP LEADS A DISSATISFIED ELECTORATE 

“I anticipate that a lot of people in Wisconsin are going to be sick of being asked what we think about the election,” Reba Kreuger said. 

Six out of 10 Americans don’t like either candidate.

“I probably am not going to vote. Neither side looks good to me,” Wisconsinite Jose Ortez said. 

The economy is a big issue for voters in the 2024 election and a majority of Americans disapprove of Biden’s handling of inflation and the economy.

“I’ve been a nurse for a year,” Carlie Olson said. “I thought I was going to make more than I do compared to the prices of things. And I feel like the cost of things has continued to go up.”

HOW PRESIDENTIAL BATTLEGROUND STATES HAVE CHANGED OVER THE YEARS 

Linville is planning to open a new business in downtown Eau Claire in the coming months. 

“Everything just keeps getting more and more expensive. The cost of construction has gone up through the roof. So, that has kind of set me behind a little bit,” Linville said. 

Some Wisconsin voters say they’re hopeful about the economy.

“I think there are definitely signs that the economy as a whole is getting better,” Kreuger said. “During election years, we hear people talk about the economy over and over and over again. What can we do to actually change things?”

Kreuger said efforts on student loan forgiveness and investments in infrastructure for her when thinking about economic policy. 

“I’ve lived in rural Wisconsin most of my life and we have seen with crumbling roads and bridges and not having access to broadband looks like. And so, I see a lot of just like scarcity impacting the local economies that I’ve lived in,” Kreuger said. 

But House Republican Speaker Mike Johnson says Trump and Republicans can really turn things around.

“Republicans have the right answers. You’ve seen what the Democrats have delivered,” Johnson told Fox. 

THIS IS A ‘TALE OF TWO ECONOMIES’: SANDRA SMITH

University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire economics professor Dr. Thomas Kemp says unemployment and inflation in the U.S. are low, a good sign for the economy.

“The president at any given time just doesn’t really have that big of an impact on the economy at that time. Of course, they get the credit for it right? If it’s going good, and they take the blame if it’s going bad,” Kemp said. 

Inflation is down from it’s 2022 high at 3.4% and unemployment is at 3.7 percent. 

Menzie Chinn is a professor of public affairs and economics at the University of Wisconsin’s La Follette School of Public Affairs. He studies the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index, a monthly survey of how consumers feel about the economy. He finds it a mystery that how consumers feel about the economy doesn’t match up with actual economic conditions. 

“The indicators by all accounts from economists or macroeconomists are that the US economy is doing quite well and, in comparison to other countries, even better,” Chinn said. 

LAYOFFS SURGED IN FEBRUARY TO HIGHEST LEVEL SINCE 2009 

Chinn says there are a few explanations for why consumers feel so negatively about the economy, despite conditions improving. He says none of the reasons are the full answer. Chinn says the impact of partisanship has increased, inflation was remarkably high compared to the past, good economic news takes time for people to register and news reporting on macroeconomic conditions is biased.  

Biden’s allies realize the need for the president to address economic challenges, especially during the State of the Union, if he wants a second term. Democratic Congresswoman Dina Titus represents Nevada’s first district. She represents another key swing state. 

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“I want him to brag about what we have accomplished. Talk about investments in infrastructure, talk about the creation of good union jobs in renewable energy, talk about building the speed train to California,” Rep. Titus said. “We also have to admit that there’s more work to be done because people still feel high prices at the grocery store. So, I want him to come out strong about what his plans are to address those issues.” 

Congressional Republicans slammed President Joe Biden’s “angry” State of the Union address on Thursday night, claiming it furthered concerns over both his age, at 81 years old, and his mental acuity. 

Biden spoke to a joint session of Congress for the final SOTU address of his term, emphasizing the threat he said his predecessor, former President Donald Trump, poses to democracy. 

But for many Republican lawmakers, their takeaway was Biden’s heavily-scrutinized mental faculties. 

BIDEN ASSAILS ‘PREDECESSOR’ TRUMP AND GOP IN SHARPLY PARTISAN STATE OF THE UNION

“A lot of the time it was hard to understand what he was saying,” said House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good, R-Va. “He was kind of mumbling and slurring.” 

“We couldn’t understand him. He was so mad,” agreed Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan. “The volume was up and down.”

At several points, Biden did raise his voice to emphasize his points, particularly when referring to Trump. 

EXCLUSIVE:TRUMP REACTS TO BIDEN’S FEISTY STATE OF THE UNION AS 2024 RACE COMES INTO FOCUS

BIDEN USES TERM FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS DURING SPEECH THAT HIS OWN ADMIN WARNED AGAINST

Marshall added he was “very concerned” about Biden’s health. 

Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Okla. observed: “He kind of slurred over words occasionally.”

“It was a long speech. He had a teleprompter. I think that helps,” she said. 

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, remarked the president’s annual address was “reminiscent of an old, angry man standing on his porch screaming ‘get off my front lawn.’”

According to Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., Biden assured the country Thursday night “that he does in fact have mental problems.”

“He was yelling the whole time,” reiterated Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La.

ALABAMA SEN. BRITT SHREDS BIDEN ON ‘DESPICABLE’ BORDER CRISIS IN REPUBLICAN REBUTTAL

While Republicans tended to regard Biden’s address as angry and evidence of his cognitive decline, congressional Democrats believed his speech showcased his energy. 

The president was “Very energetic. Very engaged. Very forceful and very optimistic,” said Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., also praised Biden’s delivery, remarking, “He was feisty!”

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“He was great. He was really fantastic,” said Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, who also described Biden as “energetic” and “clear.” 

Even Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Neb., conceded: “I think in fairness, [Biden] had a good night.” 

Republican and Democratic lawmakers walked away from President Biden’s State of the Union address with very different impressions on Thursday night — as expected.

GOP legislators in the House and Senate called the 81-year-old president an “old man” while blasting his speech as a political campaign speech ahead of the November election.

Democrats, meanwhile, praised Biden’s energy and “strong” address.

“This was not supposed to be a progressive stump speech, this was supposed to be a State of the Union, and I’m not sure we really got that,” Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Okla., told Fox News Digital.

BIDEN’S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS: BRET BAIER, MARTHA MACCALLUM TO LEAD FOX NEWS CHANNEL’S SPECIAL COVERAGE

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., called Biden’s speech “the most political” State of the Union he’s ever heard. “It was not a dignified State of the Union address. It was a partisan stump speech,” Bacon said.

Republican Study Committee Chairman Kevin Hern, R-Okla., told Fox News Digital, “It sounded more like a campaign speech than it did a State of the Union.”

“He talked a lot about his predecessor, which is also his opponent, so he used this platform to run for office as opposed to telling the American people that he’s accountable for what’s happened the last three and a half years with 20% inflation since he’s been in office, you know, trillions of dollars in debt, and more big government, more spending more regulation,” Hern said.

ALABAMA SEN KATIE BRITT TO DELIVER REPUBLICAN RESPONSE TO BIDEN STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS: ‘TRULY HONORED’

Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., told Fox News Digital that Biden seemed “very shrill and very angry.”

“And his solutions are very tired – I mean, he’s been here 50 years, his solutions are the same tax and spend policies that got us into this inflationary spiral that we’ve been in,” he said.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said, “It was a campaign rally. It wasn’t a serious speech.”

Biden’s allies, like Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, came away with a very different view.

“I’ve been here for 12 years, that was probably the best State of the Union I’ve ever heard,” Schatz told Fox News Digital.

JIM BANKS CALLS ON BIDEN TO ‘PUBLICLY ACKNOWLEDGE’ LAKEN RILEY AT SOTU

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Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., suggested Biden was able to dispel concerns about his age while also painting a distinct contrast between himself and the GOP.

“I thought it was great. He had lots of energy,” Beyer told Fox News Digital. “It’s not about his age, it’s about the quality of his ideas, and he clearly laid out two different Americas — our America, which is based on dignity, humanity and decency. And the contrary view which is revenge and hate and retribution.”

President Biden delivered his State of the Union speech for over an hour on Thursday night, delivering a number of highlights and key moments that elicited reactions from the crowd and on social media.

Biden used the first few minutes of the speech to talk about Putin’s aggression in Russia, the war in Ukraine, and Sweden’s entrance into NATO.

“What makes our moment rare is freedom and democracy are under attack both at home and overseas at the very same time,” Biden said. “Overseas, Putin’s Russia is on the march, invading Ukraine and sowing chaos throughout Europe and beyond. If anybody in this room thinks Putin will stop at Ukraine, I assure you he will not.”

Biden went on to criticize those who are blocking funding for Ukraine and tout Sweden’s recent entry into NATO as proof Biden has made the alliance stronger.

EX-REP GEORGE SANTOS RETURNS TO CAPITOL HILL FOR BIDEN’S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS

Biden mentioned Trump several times during the speech — which drew criticism from conservative pundits who said the address sounded like a campaign speech — and often referred to him simply as “my predecessor.”

“My predecessor and some of you here seek to bury the truth about January 6th,” Biden told the audience near the beginning of his speech. “I will not do that.”

Biden leaned into the illegal immigration discussion and touted the merits of the failed bipartisan Senate immigration bill. 

‘DESIGNATED SURVIVOR’ CHOSEN TO PROTECT LINE OF SUCCESSION DURING BIDEN’S SOTU

“In November, my team began serious negotiations with a bipartisan group of senators,” Biden said. “The result was a bipartisan bill with a tougher set of border security reforms than we’ve ever seen.”

That comment drew groans from Republicans in the crowd, who Biden went off script and addressed.

“Oh, you don’t think so?” Biden said. “Oh, you don’t like that bill, huh? That conservatives got together and said it was a good bill? I’ll be darned. That’s amazing.”

“Look at the facts, I know you know how to read,” Biden quipped when Republicans continued to voice their displeasure with his description of the failed legislation.

Biden later mentioned the name of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student in Georgia allegedly murdered by an illegal immigrant, which Republicans have been demanding he do.

“Laken Riley,” Biden said. An innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal. That’s right. But how many of thousands of people being killed by illegals? To her parents, I say my heart goes out to you. Having lost children myself, I understand.”

Many on social media posted that they heard Biden incorrectly say “Lincoln Riley” instead of “Laken.” 

Toward the end of his speech, Biden acknowledged those who have criticized him for his age and made the case that his age is an asset.

“I know it may not look like it, but I’ve been around a while,” Biden said. “When you get to be my age, certain things become clearer than ever. I know the American story again and again. I’ve seen the contest between competing forces in the battle for the soul of our nation, between those who want to pull America back to the past and those who want to move America into the future.”

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“I’ve been told I’m too old,” Biden added, “whether young or old, I’ve always been known, I’ve always known what endures.”

“I’ve known our North Star, the very idea of America, is that we’re all created equal and deserve to be treated equally throughout our lives. We’ve never fully lived up to that idea, but we’ve never walked away from it either, and I won’t walk away from it now. I’m optimistic.”

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

EXCLUSIVE: Former President Donald Trump blasted President Biden and his State of the Union address Thursday night, telling Fox News Digital that Biden clearly “suffers from a terminal case of Trump derangement syndrome.” 

The former president and presumptive Republican nominee, in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, reacted to Biden’s address.

BIDEN SLAMS TRUMP MULTIPLE TIMES IN STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS

“He was angry, mentally disturbed, and misrepresenting a lot of the facts concerning almost every subject he discussed,” Trump said.

“But he got through it. He is still breathing, and they didn’t have to carry him out in a straight jacket,” Trump said. “Other than that, I think he did a terrible job.”

Biden invoked Trump nearly a dozen times during his more than an hour-long address, never using his name, but instead referring to him as “my predecessor,” on issues like abortion, immigration, Russia’s war against Ukraine, and more. 

“He suffers from a terminal case of Trump derangement syndrome, which is only curable through impeachment,” Trump told Fox News Digital. 

BIDEN’S SOTU BLASTED AS ‘NAKEDLY PARTISAN’ CAMPAIGN SPEECH: ‘UTTER DISGRACE’

When asked why he felt Biden repeatedly brought him up, Trump said: “Because I’m beating him by 14 points in the polls.” 

“He was very angry and that’s also a symptom of a certain type of problem — senility,” Trump said. “He shouldn’t be at this age because he’s a young man relative to others his age that are very successful.” 

Trump’s comments come after he gave a play-by-play of Biden’s State of the Union on his Truth Social Thursday night. 

The former president and presumptive GOP nominee blasted Biden throughout the speech on everything from his repeated coughing spells, to the length of time — nearly 40 minutes — it took him to address the crisis at the southern border, to his “shouting,” and more. 

Trump’s comments also come after he swept Super Tuesday primary contests, prompting his last-standing opponent in the GOP field, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, to suspend her campaign. 

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In a Truth Social post Thursday night following the speech, Trump blasted Biden as “a threat to democracy.” 

“HE WEAPONIZED GOVERNMENT AGAINST HIS OPPONENT – DIDN’T TALK ABOUT THAT, NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE!” Trump posted. 

President Biden’s State of the Union speech was trashed by prominent political pundits for its political nature, with some likening it to more of a campaign speech than an overview of the state of the country.

“Attacking his opponent directly in the first minutes of his speech is unprecedented and perhaps the most partisan start to a State of the Union address in modern memory,” AEI Senior Fellow and former speechwriter for President George W. Bush Marc Thiessen wrote on X during Biden’s Thursday night speech.

Biden criticized former President Donald Trump several times during his speech.

“This man should never be allowed to take the rostrum of the House and deliver a State of the Union address again,” Thiessen posted on X moments later.

PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTERS ATTEMPT TO DISRUPT SOTU NEAR CAPITOL: ‘BIDEN’S LEGACY IS GENOCIDE’

“As someone who helped write several SOTUs and who reveres this important presidential institution, I’m stunned by this address,” Thiessen said in another post. “It’s an utter disgrace.”

“Does anyone remember a State of the Union speech so nakedly partisan as this one?” Georgetown Law Professor Randy Barnett posted on X.

“In which the President repeatedly attacks his predecessor and prospective rival? I can’t.”

“This speech is nothing but a cheap and tawdry campaign speech,” conservative radio host and author Mark Levin posted on X.

“Biden is just off,” former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer posted on X. “His tone, his speed of delivery, his loud punchy way of speaking, is really weird.”

“This speech is odd.”

EX-REP GEORGE SANTOS RETURNS TO CAPITOL HILL FOR BIDEN’S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS

“Instead of giving the State of the Union, President Biden is giving a campaign speech,” Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., posted on X.

“Biden lasted on foreign policy only briefly,” Fox News Chief Political Correspondent Brit Hume posted on X. “Since then to this moment, all campaign stuff, read at high volume. For a man speaking of a great comeback, he doesn’t seem very happy. He seems angry.”

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

A federal judge denied former President Donald Trump’s request to delay enforcement and ordered him to pay E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million by Monday or post bond, according to a filing on Thursday evening.

A federal jury in January decided Trump must pay E. Jean Carroll more than $83 million in damages after he denied allegations he raped her in the 1990s.

The jury decided Trump must pay $18.3 million in compensatory damages, and $65 million in punitive damages.

TRUMP LEGAL TEAM FILES MOTION FOR NEW TRIAL IN E JEAN CARROLL CASE

Trump has appealed the decision. 

But on Thursday, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan demanded Trump pay the damages by Monday. 

“Mr. Trump’s current situation is a result of his own dilatory actions,” Kaplan wrote, adding that “he has had since January 26 to organize his finances with the knowledge that he might need to bond this judgment, yet he waited until 25 days after the jury verdict.” 

TRUMP ORDERED TO PAY MORE THAN $80 MILLION IN E JEAN CARROLL DEFAMATION TRIAL

Kaplan also said Trump has not “made any showing of what expenses he might incur if required to post a bond or other security, on what terms (if any) he could obtain a conventional bond, or post cash or other assets to secure payment of the judgment, or any other circumstances relevant to the situation.”

Kaplan added: “Accordingly, his present application for a temporary administrative stay is denied.” 

Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung blasted the ruling Thursday night, telling Fox News Digital that “this is a continuation of a totally lawless Witch Hunt.” 

“President Trump filed a timely motion to stay the ridiculous judgment, and many courts, including the Second Circuit, recognize the importance of temporary administrative stays while such motions are considered,” Cheung told Fox News Digital. “We look forward to continuing to litigate the case and to complete vindication of the Truth.” 

The filing comes just days after lawyers for Trump filed motions for a new trial in the case and arguing that the court limited his testimony during the trial last month and that statements he made about her allegations were meant to “defend his reputation, protect his family, and defend his Presidency.” 

In their motion for a new trial, Trump’s lawyers argue that the court severely limited the former president’s testimony, which they say influenced the jury’s verdict. 

Trump’s lawyers said he made statements about Carroll in an effort to “defend his reputation, protect his family, and defend his Presidency.”

TRUMP DEFENDS HIMSELF ON THE STAND, BLASTS E JEAN CARROLL TRIAL: ‘THIS IS NOT AMERICA’

A federal jury in New York City decided last year that Trump was not liable for rape but was liable for sexual abuse and defamation. The former president was ordered to pay $5 million in that trial.

“Absolutely ridiculous! I fully disagree with both verdicts, and will be appealing this whole Biden Directed Witch Hunt focused on me and the Republican Party,” Trump posted on his Truth Social shortly after the verdict was read. “Our Legal System is out of control, and being used as a Political Weapon. They have taken away all First Amendment Rights.”

Trump added, “THIS IS NOT AMERICA!”

Carroll, who alleged that Trump raped her at the Bergdorf Goodman department store across from Trump Tower in Manhattan sometime in 1996, was seeking $12 million.

Trump, the 2024 GOP front-runner, has repeatedly and vehemently denied the allegation. His denial resulted in Carroll slapping Trump with a defamation lawsuit, claiming his response caused harm to her reputation.

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The jury found Carroll was injured as a result of statements Trump made while in the White House in June 2019.

The jury awarded Carroll $7.3 million in compensatory damages, other than the reputational repair program, and $11 million in damages for the reputational repair program. The jury found Trump’s statements were made to harm Carroll and awarded her $65 million in punitive damages. In total, the jury said Carroll should be paid $83.3 million.

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

FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans, ahead of the State of the Union address by President Biden Thursday evening, are zeroing in on the ongoing border crisis in the first of a number of videos they say will highlight the “Faces of Biden’s State of the Union in Crisis.”

The first video released by the House Republican Conference features Brandon Budlong, a Border Patrol agent and president of the National Border Patrol Council’s (NBPC) branch in Theresa, New York. Budlong is also a guest of Conference Chair Elise Stefanik’s at the address.

In the video, Budlong said he wishes people could see the work Border Patrol agents are doing and the increase in their workload.

JOHNSON’S STATE OF THE UNION GUESTS INCLUDE MOTHER OF WOMAN ALLEGEDLY KILLED BY MS-13 GANG MEMBER 

“We’re not doing what we’re meant to be doing to keep our communities and the public safe. Instead, we’re streamlining millions of people in the country illegally,” Budlong said.

He says the crisis at the southern border is leading to redeployment from the northern border, leaving the northern border more open to illegal immigrants and drugs. He mentioned the death of Laken Riley in Georgia and says it was “extremely frustrating” to him and his colleagues.

“It makes you almost feel like you’ve failed at your job even though you did everything you could with the policies in place,” Budlong said. “This administration created this crisis, and they could fix it but refuse to do so.”

Republicans have hammered the administration on the crisis, which they say is the result of Biden’s policies and the reversal of Trump-era policies that secured the border. On Thursday, it will be one of a number of areas where they will attack the president’s record.

“In his final State of the Union, Joe Biden will desperately attempt to ‘reset’ his failed far left policies that have hurt hardworking families and cost American lives,” Stefanik told Fox News Digital. 

“House Republicans will not let that happen. Filling the audience tonight will be the faces of Joe Biden’s State of the Union in crisis. In Joe Biden’s America, it is crystal clear that the American people are struggling. From #Bidenflation and open borders to failed national security and an overwhelming crime crisis, House Republicans are giving a platform to expose the everyday impact of the real America under Joe Biden.

LIVE UPDATES: PRESIDENT BIDEN TO DELIVER STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS 

“We will not allow Joe Biden to brush his failures under the rug; these brave American voices and stories deserve to be heard.” 

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.

The administration says it is dealing with a hemisphere-wide crisis and a “broken” immigration system and needs funding and comprehensive immigration reform from Congress to fix it.

DUELING BIDEN, TRUMP VISITS TO BESIEGED BORDER COME AMID FRESH SLEW OF VIOLENT CRIMES BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

In his address, Biden is expected to renew calls for Congress to pass a bipartisan Senate bill, which was backed by the NBPC and would include additional staffing for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other DHS agencies.

The deal includes $1.4 billion in funding to cities and NGOs receiving migrants, action to tackle fentanyl smuggling and a limit on asylum claims. It would also increase detention beds to 50,000 and provide additional immigration judges. However, conservatives have opposed it, saying it is insufficient and would normalize high levels of illegal immigration. House Republicans have instead called for the passage of the GOP border legislation passed in the House last year.

Biden is likely to make similar appeals to those he made last week at the border in Brownsville, Texas.

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“Folks, the bipartisan border security bill is a win for the American people and a win for the people of Texas, and it’s fair for those who legitimately have a right to come here,” Biden said.

“The U.S. Senate needs to reconsider this bill, and those senators who oppose it need to set politics aside and pass it on the merits, not on whether it’s going to benefit one party or another party.”

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

Follow live coverage of Biden’s State of the Union address on Fox News.

1. All about the border 

One of the biggest crises of the Biden administration revolves around the southern border and the flood of immigrants entering into the country. President Biden backed a bipartisan bill to address immigration and provide additional border security funding, but many Republicans saw it as insufficient — and Biden has attempted to lay the blame on the GOP. 

How Biden addresses the border, and whether he mentions Laken Riley – the student found brutally murdered in Georgia, allegedly by an illegal immigrant – will be crucial. But the White House pushed back on rumors that Biden would announce executive action related to the border during his speech.

Nearly 30 years ago, Biden’s predecessor Bill Clinton said in the 1995 State of the Union address that Americans are “rightly disturbed by the large numbers of illegal aliens entering our country” – language that seems unthinkable coming from a Democratic president today.

2. Age-old question

Biden addresses Congress Thursday night amid growing concerns about his age and fitness for office. Republicans have long questioned Biden’s mental acuity, and polls indicate many voters do as well. And some congressional Democrats reportedly worry that Biden will make mistakes during his high-profile speech tonight.

People can even place prop bets on whether Biden makes any major gaffes.

Biden’s State of the Union address also comes days before a congressional hearing with Special Counsel Robert Hur — whose report on the president’s mishandling of classified documents also pointed out Biden’s embarrassing memory lapses. Hur is set to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

3. ‘American decline’

House Speaker Mike Johnson hopes Biden will address the economic malaise taking hold of the country, despite the administration’s insistence that “Bidenomics” is working.

“In just three years, President Biden’s policies have rapidly accelerated American decline on every issue from the economy to national security and foreign policy. The American people don’t need empty words on a page for a reset. We need better policies and a real leader,”

The formal Republican rebuttal to Biden’s address will be given by freshman Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas, will deliver the Spanish-language rebuttal.

4. Threats-to-Democracy watch

Grappling with negative approval ratings and trailing former President Trump in the latest polling average of their general election rematch, Biden may have a golden opportunity to try and turn the narrative around with eight months to go until the November showdown.

The White House told Fox News Digital that Biden will stress the importance of “uniting the country” and “saving our democracy.” He will draw a contrast between the “MAGA Republican agenda,” which he claims is focused on “rewarding billionaires and corporations with big tax breaks, taking away rights and freedoms and undermining our democracy.” 

5. The special guests

First lady Jill Biden’s guests for the State of the Union address on Thursday night include an Alabama woman who is seeking in vitro fertilization (IVF), Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain. 

“Each of these individuals were invited by the White House because they personify issues or themes to be addressed by the President in his speech, or they embody the Biden-Harris Administration’s policies at work for the American people. The Second Gentleman, Mr. Douglas Emhoff, will also join the First Lady in the viewing box,” her office said in a statement. 

On the GOP side, members of Congress have invited ex-Hamas hostages and families of those still held in Gaza, a Cuban opposition leader, women’s sports activist Riley Gaines, families of victims of the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal, and more.

White House

THE REAL TRAGEDY: John Kerry says people would ‘feel better’ about the Ukraine war if Russia would reduce emissions …Read more

‘OFFENSIVE’: Biden official who banned WWII kissing photo has long history of controversial moves …Read more

Capitol Hill

‘HOW MANY MORE’: Blistering ad right before Biden’s SOTU set to hold his feet to the fire on Laken Riley …Read more

FLASHBACK: Bill Clinton’s warning in 1995 State of the Union speech still rings shockingly true today …Read more

‘DEMORALIZING MISOGYNY’: LGBT student group seeks SCOTUS stay to hold drag show …Read more

Tales from the Campaign Trail

‘SIGNED THE PLEDGE’: DeSantis criticizes Haley for not endorsing Trump …Read more

Across America

‘WARNING SIGN’: Democrats urge Biden to open eyes after voters abandon him …Read more

TIGHTROPE: Democrats divided over how Biden should thread needle on Israel-Gaza …Read more

BRING THEM HOME: Family members of 6 American hostages in Gaza to attend State of the Union …Read more

‘SANCTUARY STATE’: Maine considers bill that would establish abortion, sex changes a ‘legal right’ …Read more

Subscribe now to get Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox.

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

New York Attorney General Letitia James was booed at a firefighters’ ceremony on Thursday, drowned out by a crowd who shouted: “Trump! Trump! Trump!” 

The booing erupted as James walked up to the podium to honor the swearing-in of the first African-American woman chaplain of the FDNY, the Rev. Pamela Holmes as well as other first responders. 

“Oh c’mon, we’re in a house of God. Simmer down,” James told the rowdy crowd. “Thank you for getting it out of your system.” 

James pressed away with her remarks, paying homage to first responders, but some in the crowd continued booing. 

The crowd began to repeatedly chant, “Trump!” Later in her speech, James said she prayed even for those firefighters in the audience booing her. 

NEW YORK APPEALS COURT ALLOWS TRUMP, SONS TO CONTINUE RUNNING BUSINESS, DENIES REQUEST TO DELAY PAYMENT

Chief of Department John Hodgens later admonished the rowdy behavior of the firefighters. 

“Today’s ceremony was about one thing: the accomplishments of the members being promoted,” he said. “The members whose behavior distracted from that celebration were an embarrassment and not befitting of the world’s best fire department.” 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Attorney General’s office for a response. 

Late last year, James filed a lawsuit against the former president, alleging that he inflated his assets and committed fraud. 

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The ruling came down last month, mandating that Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee in the 2024 presidential race, is barred from operating his business in New York for three years and must pay a more than $350 million fine. 

A Republican Senate candidate in Ohio is taking fire from his political opponents in the GOP Senate primary over an alleged scheduled meeting with No Labels, a third-party political group known for promoting liberal positions on gun control, abortion and other issues.

The controversy started earlier this week when NBC News reporter Henry Gomez posted a screenshot of an email from No Labels promoting a Zoom call with Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose on Tuesday night and touting him as the group’s “longtime friend” who would be a better choice as an “independent senator” then Trump endorsed businessman Bernie Moreno whom the group called a “Trump senator.”

The news generated criticism on social media, including from Moreno, who argued that a true conservative would not meet with No Labels.

“No real conservative would be caught dead begging pro-amnesty and pro-gun control No Labels to fund their Senate campaign,” businessman Bernie Moreno posted on X on Tuesday night. “They only support Democrats and anti-Trump RINOs like Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger.”

OHIO GOP SENATE HOPEFUL MAKES CAMPAIGN TRAIL PITCH AS CANDIDATE DEMS ‘MOST AFRAID OF’ IN TIGHT RACE

“This is who the real Frank LaRose is.”

“On any given day, it’s unclear which version of Frank LaRose is actually going to show up in this primary,” Chris Maloney, a strategist for LaRose’s other opponent State Sen. Matt Dolan told Fox News Digital in response to the No Labels controversy.

“Ohioans clearly see Frank for who he really is, a political chameleon willing to change his stripes and undermine the will of Republican voters for financial support.”

“Fake news,” LaRose campaign spokesperson Ben Kindel wrote on X in response to a report about the No Labels Zoom call. “There is no call with No Labels. Frank LaRose has nothing to do with this group and his labels are clear: Husband, Father, Green Beret, Conservative, Ohio Republican.”

After that post, Gomez reported that LaRose had not ultimately taken part in the call, while an audio clip circulated on social media purportedly from the Zoom call with a voice saying that a “scheduling mishap” prevented LaRose from attending the Tuesday night Zoom.

JD VANCE MAKES CHOICE IN CRITICAL SENATE RACE AS GOP CONTROL HANGS IN THE BALANCE

The issue came up during the third primary debate at Miami University on Thursday night.

“Last night at 5:30, what were you guys doing?” Moreno asked the crowd. “You know what Frank LaRose was supposed to be doing? Having a Zoom call with No Labels, which, oh my God, that’s so funny, they scheduled a Zoom fundraiser for him for No Labels, which is the most radical Planned Parenthood, amnesty, pro-open borders organization that’s too liberal for Nikki Haley. That’s the group that he was doing a fundraiser with last night.”

LaRose pushed back on the criticism and called it “fake news.”

“There was no call, there was no meeting,” LaRose said. 

No Labels and the LaRose campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

“You get a lot of people that want to talk to Frank LaRose during the heat of the campaign…and if somebody wants to put out an email using Frank’s name for a call, then that’s what they did,” LaRose adviser Rick Gorka told NBC News. “Somebody got over their skis, put something out they weren’t supposed to. Frank was never going to be on this call. And he was on a radio interview at that time anyway.”

LaRose has previously expressed support for the idea of a centrist No Labels ticket and posted on Facebook in 2019 that he has worked with them to make a “positive difference.”

No Labels has previously advocated for liberal positions on gun control, amnesty, and abortion. 

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Arguing which of the candidates track records was the most conservative was a common theme in Wednesday’s debate with LaRose and Moreno criticizing Dolan for lukewarm support of former President Trump and his record as a state senator, Dolan and LaRose hitting Moreno for previous statements on key issues like immigration, and Trump endorsed Moreno making the case that he is the only candidate who will carry Trump’s agenda forward.

An Emerson College poll released in January showed all three candidates essentially tied in a race to defeat incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown. Internal polling from the Moreno campaign showed him up by 10 points, with 27% of voters still undecided with less than two weeks to go before the primary.

The Cook Political Report ranks the Ohio Senate race in November as a “toss up.”
 

Former President Bill Clinton specifically addressed two major issues during his State of the Union address back in 1995: the economy and immigration.

While his remarks on the economy — namely encouraging lawmakers to “cut more spending” and to “empower the American people to succeed in the global economy” — have been regularly repeated by his modern Democrats, his remarks on immigration and securing the border are a stunning contrast.

“All Americans, not only in the States most heavily affected but in every place in this country, are rightly disturbed by the large numbers of illegal aliens entering our country,” then-President Clinton said from the floor of the House of Representatives.

He added: “The jobs they hold might otherwise be held by citizens or legal immigrants. The public service they use impose burdens on our taxpayers. That’s why our administration has moved aggressively to secure our borders more by hiring a record number of new border guards, by deporting twice as many criminal aliens as ever before, by cracking down on illegal hiring, by barring welfare benefits to illegal aliens.”

BORDER OFFICIALS SEE MASSIVE NEW SURGE AT SOUTHERN BORDER

During Thursday night’s State of the Union address, Biden is expected to address immigration as his presidency has witnessed historic crossing at the U.S.-Mexico border — nearly 7.3 million under his presidency, according to data from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

DEMOCRATS URGE BIDEN TO SEE ‘WARNING SIGN’ AFTER VOTERS ABANDON HIM: ‘NOT SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE IGNORED’

That figure is larger than the population of 36 U.S. states and does not include an estimated additional 1.8 million known “gotaways,” who evaded law enforcement.

In various public remarks, Biden has contended the border is secure and that crossing levels reflect a seasonal surge.

In the 1995 speech, Clinton said he would crack down on illegal crossings and would increase deportations of those migrants who commit crimes.

“In the budget I will present to you, we will try to do more to speed the deportation of illegal aliens who are arrested for crimes, to better identify illegal aliens in the workplace as recommended by the commission headed by former [Democratic] Congresswoman Barbara Jordan. We are a nation of immigrants. But we are also a nation of laws,” the former president said. “It is wrong and ultimately self-defeating for a nation of immigrants to permit the kind of abuse of our immigration laws we have seen in recent years, and we must do more to stop it.”

MSNBC’S PSAKI, MADDOW LAUGH AT AND MOCK VIRGINIA VOTERS FOR CARING ABOUT BORDER CRISIS

Immigration and border security have risen to be top concerns among voters ahead of November’s general election, and the leading presidential candidates, Biden and former President Trump, could not be more opposed.

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The issue has returned to the forefront of mainstream media headlines in the wake of the murder of University of Georgia student Laken Riley.

Potential voters in November’s general election will undoubtedly be listening to Biden’s words Thursday night and whether he mentions Riley, the border or Trump.

North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt lost Tuesday’s Republican primary to Michele Morrow, a home-schooling parent critical of public schools’ “radical agendas” on race and gender ideology. 

Morrow, a nurse and former Christian missionary who ran unsuccessfully for the Wake County school board in 2022, garnered 52% of the vote Tuesday, while the incumbent Truitt tallied 48%, WTVD reported. 

The Super Tuesday upset came despite Truitt’s sizable fundraising advantages and GOP establishment support. 

Morrow, a supporter of former President Trump who accused Truitt of not being conservative enough, collected backing from rural education leaders and will now take on Democrat Maurice “Mo” Green in November.

MARK ROBINSON WINS GOP NOMINATION FOR NC GOVERNOR, SAYS ‘UNDERDOG’ STORY ‘JUST LIKE NORTH CAROLINA HERSELF’

Morrow also criticized Truitt for seeking to briefly delay the implementation of a new “Parents’ Bill of Rights” so that districts would have more time to create new policies, and for continued low reading and math proficiency rates. 

In her first term as schools’ chief, Truitt led the Department of Public Instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery, and implemented a new legislature-backed plan to improve reading skills in early grades. She had re-election support from dozens of General Assembly members, as well as North Carolina Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis.

Morrow insisted in a statement Wednesday that Republican and unaffiliated voters who voted for her over Truitt “are tired of their taxpayer funds going to push radical agendas in the classroom instead of proven pedagogies.” She said that if elected, she would focus on scholastics over diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and “work to make our schools the safest buildings in our state.” 

NORTH CAROLINA US HOUSE SEATS EXPECTED TO FLIP REPUBLICAN UNDER NEW DISTRICT MAP, ELECTION DATA SHOWS

Morrow participated in the march on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, but she said she left the area when ordered by authorities and did not enter the building, The News & Observer of Raleigh reported.

Truitt, whose committee outspent Morrow, was Gov. Pat McCrory’s education adviser and chancellor of Western Governors University in North Carolina. Truitt’s campaign collected more than $150,000 in donations since 2023, while Morrow’s campaign had raised just $8,000, according to WRAL. 

While the election “did not go the way I had hoped, I’m deeply proud of what we accomplished and I am gratified by the support of educators, parents, school and legislative leaders and so many others from across the state,” Truitt wrote on Facebook on Wednesday. Her term ends at the end of the year.

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The Democrat Green, a former Guilford County schools superintendent and previous head of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, won his party’s primary over two rivals – Katie Eddings, a Lee County personal finance teacher, and Kenon Crumble, a Wake County high school principal – after garnering 66% of the vote, according to NC News Line. 

While the state superintendent is head of the Department of Public Instruction, statewide school policy is left to the State Board of Education, for which the governor makes the most appointments.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

First lady Jill Biden’s guests for the State of the Union (SOTU) address on Thursday night include an Alabama woman who is seeking in vitro fertilization (IVF), Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain. 

President Biden will deliver his last SOTU address before voters cast their ballots in the general election come November. The first lady’s choice of guests for her viewing box provides a glimpse into several issues Biden may focus on in his remarks: wider abortion access, immigration, foreign affairs, support for union workers and stricter gun control, to name a few. 

“Each of these individuals were invited by the White House because they personify issues or themes to be addressed by the President in his speech, or they embody the Biden-Harris Administration’s policies at work for the American people. The Second Gentleman, Mr. Douglas Emhoff, will also join the First Lady in the viewing box,” her office said in a statement. 

WHAT PRESIDENT BIDEN NEEDS TO SAY ABOUT HIS AGE AND TRUMP IN HIS STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS

Latorya Beasley, a mother from Alabama, was seeking to expand her family through IVF “when her embryo transfer was abruptly canceled as a result of the recent Alabama Supreme Court decision,” according to the White House. 

Kate Cox, a Texas mother of two, will also be in attendance. Cox fought in a high profile legal battle with the Lone Star state after being denied abortion access. She subsequently crossed state lines to get the procedure done. 

Maria Shriver, an abortion advocate and journalist, is another guest of the first lady. She helped develop the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research and is the cousin of independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

President Biden is also likely to discuss crises abroad, focusing on the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. The first lady will host Shelby Nikitin, a U.S. Navy officer who protected the Navy’s maritime shipping vessel from threats by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, earning her the Bronze Star. 

BIDEN’S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS: BRET BAIER, MARTHA MACCALLUM TO LEAD FOX NEWS CHANNEL’S SPECIAL COVERAGE

Several lawmakers will host the families of victims still held hostage by Hamas terrorists. 

Sweden will officially become the 32nd NATO ally on Thursday. To mark the occasion, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will be another guest in the first lady’s viewing box. 

“Sweden is a strong democracy with a highly capable military that shares our values and vision for the world. Having Sweden as a NATO Ally will make the United States and our Allies even safer,” the White House wrote. 

ALABAMA SEN KATIE BRITT TO DELIVER REPUBLICAN RESPONSE TO BIDEN STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS: ‘TRULY HONORED’

Biden has repeatedly touted himself as the most pro-union president in recent history. The first lady will also host United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain alongside UAW Local 126 member Dawn Simms. Simms worked at an auto plant in Belvidere, Illinois, when it closed. It reopened in February 2023 after Fain helped negotiate the UAW-Big Three contract. Simms joined Biden to mark the plant’s reopening. 

Biden has called on Congress to do more to curtail gun violence, even after the passage of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention program. Another guest of Jill Biden, Jazmin Cazares, is likely to highlight this. Cazares, a resident of Uvalde, Texas, began advocacy for stricter gun control after her sister was killed in the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in May 2022. 

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A statement from the White House reads: “Cazares spent her senior year of high school traveling across the country and sharing Jackie’s story. She spoke alongside March for Our Lives leaders at the Texas State Capitol and testified before lawmakers to advocate for tighter background checks and extreme risk protection order laws.”

Democratic donors are urging President Biden to see recent presidential primary results, like in Michigan where more than 100,000 voters abandoned him and marked “uncommitted” on their ballots, as a “warning sign” and a “wake-up call.”

“Regardless of how you dissect the specific math and historical comparisons (2012, 2016) of what happened in Michigan, 100,000 uncommitted Democratic voters must be seen as a wake-up call,” wrote Way to Win, a national hub of progressive donors, in a memo to its members and supporters. “We can tell you that the energy behind ‘uncommitted’ is not something that should be ignored, taken lightly, or dismissed.”

It added: “We should not try to argue ourselves out of the fact that Michigan is a major warning signal that something needs to change.”

In the Democratic presidential primary in Michigan, the state’s Arab American population urged voters to “Abandon Biden” and vote “uncommitted” on primary ballots in protest of Biden’s support of Israel’s war in Gaza. Biden won 81% of the state, losing approximately 101,000 to the protest vote.

‘UNCOMMITTED’ PROTEST VOTE AGAINST BIDEN DRAWS TENS OF THOUSANDS ON SUPER TUESDAY

In the memo, Way to Win cautioned that 2024 was lining up to be a repeat of 2016, when then-candidate Hillary Clinton lost the Democratic primary to Bernie Sanders but felt the state would still vote blue in the general election. It didn’t and Trump went on to win Michigan by just under 11,000 votes.

“Michigan 2024 is not an anomaly, just as Michigan 2016 was not,” the group wrote, adding that potential voters are hesitant to support Biden because they feel “disenchanted, disaffected and demobilized.”

MICHIGAN DEMOCRATS, COMMUNITY LEADERS SOUND ALARM BELLS AFTER THOUSANDS OF VOTERS PROTEST BIDEN IN SWING STATE

The protest extended to Super Tuesday as well.

Despite nearly sweeping every contest on Super Tuesday, Biden again saw a chunk of Democratic voters refuse to put his name down in states like Alabama, Colorado, Iowa, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina and Tennessee.

In North Carolina, the Biden campaign saw a whopping 88,000 voters, or nearly 13% of the total, back “No Preference.”

In Massachusetts, a sizable 54,000 voters, or just under 10%, marked “No Preference.”

In Colorado, just over 43,000 voters, or roughly 8% of the vote, marked “Noncommitted Delegate” on the ballot, instead of putting down the president’s name.

In Tennessee, Alabama and Iowa, Biden lost approximately 8%, 6% and 4%, respectively, to “uncommitted.”

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In these states, the non-declared option was usually the second most chosen.

Way to Win added: “And beyond our volunteers and activists, there is a real and present danger that too many voters in close swing states who are fed up with the system will choose to either not vote at all, vote but skip the presidential ballot, or vote for third-party presidential candidates. We are seeing this everywhere in the data.”

The memo suggests Biden should directly address the concerns of those protesting him and “change course on Gaza,” elevate Vice President Kamala Harris on the campaign trail, and emphasize the need for Democrats to go out and vote.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sharply criticized former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley for not endorsing former President Trump’s bid for the presidency after suspending her campaign.

DeSantis made the remarks during an appearance on Newsmax’s “The Balance,” citing the pledge signed by Republican primary candidates promising to endorse the party’s eventual nominee.

“I signed the pledge, and you signed the pledge saying that you’re gonna not take your ball and go home,” DeSantis told Newsmax’s Eric Bolling in an interview. “And so I honored the pledge, and she’s gonna have to make a decision about whether she wants to or not.”

NIKKI HALEY DROPS OUT OF 2024 RACE, DOESN’T ENDORSE TRUMP FOR GOP PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION

The governor continued, “But the idea that somehow circumstances have changed… I think we all knew what we were doing when we did that, and you’ve got to make a judgment about whether that’s meaningful to you. And so for me, I tell people, you know, if I say I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it.”

Haley ended her White House bid Wednesday morning after losing almost every state on Super Tuesday, rendering a victory nearly impossible for the former South Carolina governor.

“I said I wanted Americans to have their voices heard. I have done it. I have no regrets. And although I will no longer be a candidate, I will not stop using my voice for the things I believe in,” Haley said as she spoke at her presidential campaign headquarters on Daniel Island, in her hometown of Charleston, South Carolina.

TRUMP INVITES NIKKI HALEY SUPPORTERS TO JOIN MAGA MOVEMENT, CELEBRATES SUPER TUESDAY VICTORIES

However, Haley did not immediately endorse Trump, who is on course to clinch the GOP presidential nomination in the next week or two.

“It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him. And I hope he does that,” Haley said as she pointed to those who supported her during her White House run. “This is now his time for choosing.”

The former president on Tuesday swept 14 of the 15 states from coast to coast that held Republican presidential primaries and caucuses on Super Tuesday, moving Trump much closer to locking up the GOP nomination and into a general election rematch with President Biden.

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While Haley did not endorse Trump, top Haley surrogate Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina told Fox News on Wednesday morning that “if not today, she will” support the former president.

Norman, who endorsed Haley a year ago, added in a “Fox and Friends” interview that “at the end of the day, she will come on board.”

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

As independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fights for nationwide ballot access, the chief of the Libertarian Party said it would be wise for him to run on their ticket.

Angela McArdle, the chair of the Libertarian National Committee, made clear that no decision has been made about RFK Jr. joining the Libertarian Party’s 2024 ticket. But she did say such a move could be “mutually beneficial” as the party seeks a candidate who could seal ballot access in all 50 states.

“I’m not allowed to actively recruit anyone for the presidential nomination,” McArdle said in an interview on “The Hill on NewsNation.” “I’m certainly friendly with his campaign, just like I am with all the other candidates’ campaigns.” 

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Kennedy has recently floated the idea of running for president as a Libertarian. His long-shot independent campaign against President Biden and former President Trump has only garnered enough signatures for ballot access in four states, and the Libertarian Party has a demonstrated track record of getting on the ballot in all 50 states in 2016 and 2020. 

In an interview on CNN in January, Kennedy said he was “looking at” the option of running as a Libertarian, adding that he has a good relationship with the party. He spoke at the California Libertarian Party Convention last month, though he has not committed to joining the Libertarian presidential primary.

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McArdle said it would be wise for Kennedy to seek the Libertarian nomination, noting that the party has “the experience and the ground game” to get ballot access in all 50 states.

She said there is no current favorite for the Libertarian nomination “and that’s not a knock against him. You know, we have a very ornery group of delegates. They’re interested in finding the best, most principled messenger, someone who represents us ideologically. And, we also have a group of people who are very focused on ballot access. And of course, having Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as our candidate would absolutely seal ballot access for us. But it’s not decided yet.”

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McArdle acknowledged that RFK Jr. would not be a perfect ideological fit for the Libertarian Party, but said both sides have something to gain from his potential candidacy as a Libertarian. 

“I think that if he became our nominee, there would be an understanding with us that he doesn’t 100% represent us ideologically. He is getting ballot access by using our name and branding. And in return, we are securing ballot access for the future,” she said.

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“And, you know, whether or not it’s for better or worse, we would also be potentially unlocking some federal funding,” McArdle continued. “If that happens, it’s going to have to be a conscious decision of the delegates and a mutually beneficial relationship.” 

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