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President Donald Trump announced plans to chop down a tree that was said to have been planted by former President Andrew Jackson.

In a Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump said that he was working with “the wonderful people at the National Park Service” to make “tremendous enhancements to the White House, thereby preserving and protecting History!”

“One of the interesting dilemmas is a tree planted many years ago by the Legendary President and General, Andrew Jackson,” Trump described. “It is a Southern Magnolia, that came from his home, The Hermitage, in Tennessee. That’s the good news!”

“The bad news is that everything must come to an end, and this tree is in terrible condition, a very dangerous safety hazard, at the White House Entrance, no less, and must now be removed,” he continued. 

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President Donald Trump plans to cut down a southern magnolia tree believed to have been planted by former President Andrew Jackson. (Getty Images)

The historic tree will be chopped down in coming days, and Trump wrote that it will be replaced “by another, very beautiful tree.”

“The Historic wood from the tree will be preserved by the White House Staff, and may be used for other high and noble purposes!!!” the president added.

Jackson, who served as president from 1829 to 1837, reportedly planted two magnolia trees near the White House in honor of his wife Rachel, who died in 1828. But according to the National Park Service’s (NPS) website, the trees’ connection to Old Hickory is debatable.

“Historical photographic documentation shows that magnolias first appeared at this location near the South Portico in the 1860s, still the trees are attributed to President Jackson,” the agency explained.

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The magnolia tree (left of center, with a silver trunk) dates between the late 1820s and the 1860s. (NPS / Kelsey Graczyk)

“In 2006, the trees were designated as Witness Trees by the National Park Service, having borne witness to many ‘significant historic and cultural events,’” the NPS described. “The base of the trees also took the brunt of a Cessna airplane crash which targeted the White House in September 1994 and were subject to significant branch removal and pruning in December 2017.”

Initial reactions to Trump’s announcement were mixed on social media, though supporters of the president largely supported the decision.

“I am a tree expert by trade, I’ve worked with trees for three decades now… these [magnolia] trees have notoriously soft wood that can become dry and brittle with age,” one X user wrote. “I wouldn’t be anywhere near that thing.”

“Be prepared for the left to treat this like WW3,” another joked.

The magnolia tree’s wood will be repurposed, according to President Trump. (iStock)

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“He is trying to lie his head off and rewrite or destroy history!” a Trump critic wrote. “The tree is much more important than Trump will EVER be!”

President Donald Trump teased he might run for a third term, explaining to NBC News that he enjoys working and is “not joking” about making another run for the Oval Office. 

“A lot of people want me to do it,” Trump told NBC News in a phone interview on Sunday. “But, I mean, I basically tell them we have a long way to go, you know, it’s very early in the administration.”

For now, he’s “focused on the current” term, but told the outlet he was “not joking” about making a run for a third term. 

“It is far too early to think about it,” he added. 

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President Donald Trump smiles during a Hispanic roundtable at Beauty Society on Oct. 12, 2024, in North Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

The 22nd Amendment of the Constitution, which was ratified in 1951, prevents individuals from serving more than two terms as president. The amendment was ratified after President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected as president for four terms. 

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Roosevelt died during his fourth term and Vice President Harry Truman assumed the presidency. FDR is the only president in the nation’s history who has been elected and served more than two terms, which was largely due to the political and economic climate at home and abroad, with his presidency unfolding amid the Great Depression and the beginning of World War II. 

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivers one of his Fireside Chat radio broadcast in this 1930s photo. (Stock Montage/Getty Images)

“There are methods which you could do it,” Trump said when asked about how he could go about running for a third term. The outlet floated a possible method where Vice President JD Vance could run for the presidency, win and pass the torch to Trump. The president said such a scenario is one of the methods he could use to serve a third term. 

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“But there are others too,” Trump added, without elaborating. 

“I like working,” he told the outlet when asked if he wants to serve another term. 

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

Trump has previously teased running for a third term, asking Republican lawmakers in January during a retreat, “Am I allowed to run again?”

While Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., a top Trump congressional ally, introduced a resolution just days after Trump’s inauguration in January to allow a president three terms in office, but no more than two consecutive four-year stints.

The amendment would read, “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than three times, nor be elected to any additional term after being elected to two consecutive terms, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”

Ogles told Fox Digital in January that Trump “has proven himself to be the only figure in modern history capable of reversing our nation’s decay and restoring America to greatness, and he must be given the time necessary to accomplish that goal.”

“To that end, I am proposing an amendment to the Constitution to revise the limitations imposed by the 22nd Amendment on presidential terms,” Ogles said. “This amendment would allow President Trump to serve three terms, ensuring that we can sustain the bold leadership our nation so desperately needs.”

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Fox Digital reached out to the White House for additional comment on Sunday afternoon, but did not immediately receive a reply. 

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report. 

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner is reinvigorating the private sector’s role in aiding economically distressed areas of the nation that have been neglected for growth across the decades – including touring areas of Philadelphia that have seen massive developments since he served in the first Trump administration. 

“The last five years have brought $84 billion of private investment. One million people have gotten lifted off the poverty rolls. Home values and Opportunity Zones have risen, while rents did not go up. And so the Opportunity Zones initiative is not only about economic development, but it’s about community development. Families are able to build brand-new foundations for their lives,” Turner told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview from Philadelphia. 

Turner traveled to the City of Brotherly Love on Thursday to meet with local community and business leaders to discuss and tour recently revitalized areas of the city and Opportunity Zone projects, which are defined as economically distressed areas across the nation that incentivize investment and economic development through federal tax benefits to investors. Opportunity Zones were created under the first Trump administration through the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. 

Turner served as the executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during the first Trump administration, as well as led the Opportunity Zones Initiative. 

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Secretary Scott Turner tours The Battery in Philadelphia. (Fox Digital )

Now that Turner is serving as the secretary of HUD in the second Trump administration, he previewed his excitement over “Opportunity Zones 2.0” that will make the program “even better than before.” 

“I’m very excited about the extension, the continuation of Opportunity Zones. And Opportunity Zones 2.0, if you will, and my estimation will be even better. So I’m looking forward to working with Sen. Tim Scott, Congress, the White House, and our private partners to make this even better than before,” he said. 

Turner spent Thursday meeting with local leaders at the Philadelphia Housing Authority, before touring a grocery store built in a North Philadelphia neighborhood, Sharswood-Blumberg, that has historically been rocked by crime and economic struggles. 

The grocery store, called Grocery Outlet, is part of a mixed-use development project that came about after HUD announced a $30 million Choice Neighborhoods Grant in 2020 that attracted an additional $517 million in private and public investments. The development includes a community center that houses the Philadelphia Housing Authority, a health clinic and additional housing. 

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Secretary Turner tours a grocery store in an area of Philadelphia that used to be a food desert. (Fox Digital )

Turner also toured a newly completed building in Philadelphia’s Fishtown neighborhood, called The Battery, which is an Opportunity Zone Development that has provided nearly 200 apartment units nestled along the Delaware River with views of Philadelphia’s skyline. The building is also home to a luxury boutique hotel called Riversuites at The Battery. 

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The building previously served as a power plant that was built just after World War I, before it was shuttered and sat vacant for decades with no hope of revitalization due to its lofty costs and work to rehab, according to investors and local development leaders who joined Turner on his tour of the building. The building’s prospects turned around in 2020, as the area’s Opportunity Zone designation and tax incentives to preserve historic properties attracted $154 million in investments. 

Secretary Turner visits Philadelphia. (Turner/X)

Now, the building showcases modern living spaces, while preserving its turn-of-the-century architecture in an area of Philadelphia that had previously been neglected for housing and economic opportunities. 

“I’m very excited. We’re here at the Battery in Philadelphia, which is an Opportunity Zone project. It’s a mixed-use development. This is an old factory that they repurposed this building to bring mixed-use, economic development and community development using the Opportunity Zone initiative. I’m so excited to see,” Turner told Fox News Digital from The Battery’s rooftop, which boasts the energy plant’s old smokestacks that have been transformed into private terraces. 

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“There’s living space here. There’s commercial space here. And people in this area now can utilize this… 50 years this place was dilapidated and closed. And now, through the investment of Opportunity Zones… this is a thriving place that Philadelphians can once use again,” he added. 

Entrance to The Battery in Philadelphia. (Fox Digital )

Turner explained to Fox Digital that developments in Opportunity Zones impact families and entire communities, while also rallying economic opportunities for private investors. 

“Philadelphia has done a great job as it pertains to Opportunity Zones… And I would say, and I will say, there’s a lot of excitement from our private development people, and partners around the country about the extenuation of Opportunity Zones. Families are impacted. We’re mission-minded at HUD. It’s economic development, it’s community development. Our mission is to be a blessing to the people that we serve. Having public-private partnerships allows us and helps us to do this for the people of America, and Opportunity Zones is a major factor in that,” he said. 

The Battery sits right on the Delaware River and preserves its history as a power plant. (Fox Digital )

Philadelphia has been rocked by crime, fentanyl addiction and homelessness in recent years, which were three issues that spiraled nationwide amid and following the coronavirus pandemic. Turner highlighted to Fox News Digital that “government is not the answer” to issues related to America’s housing crisis, homelessness, drug addiction and crime, but instead must operate as a “partner” to the private sector, faith-based programs and nonprofits. 

“Homelessness is a big deal in our country,” he said. “It went up 18% in the last year – over 770,000 people on one single night in January of 2024 were homeless, and that’s unacceptable. With record funding coming from HUD, we still have a homelessness crisis in our country.” 

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Secretary Turner tours The Battery in Philadelphia. (Fox Digital )

“Public-private partnerships are vital to eradicating homelessness,” he continued. “Faith-based institutions, nonprofit institutions that are doing the work on a daily basis, we have to partner. The federal government is not the answer. The federal government is a great partner, a great facilitator. But it’s the private sector, it’s faith-based, it’s the nonprofits that really have their hands to the plow and their feet on the ground, that are doing the everyday work.” 

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The HUD secretary has been on an immigration blitz, including joining forces with Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem last week to form a new interagency initiative aimed at ensuring that federal housing funds do not go to illegal immigrants. The pair of Trump officials signed a Memorandum of Understanding Monday that solidified the partnership in its effort to end “wasteful misappropriation” of taxpayer-funded public housing resources that previously benefited illegal immigrants who flooded the nation under the Biden administration. 

HUD Secretary Scott Turner traveled to Philadelphia on Thursday. (Visions of America/Joseph Sohm/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Turner said illegal immigrants taking advantage of government-funded housing are “on notice” that he and HUD are prioritizing only Americans for housing. 

“Those that are here illegally, that are living in HUD-funded public housing, we’re putting (them) on notice this is not acceptable,” Turner said. “We will not have it anymore.”

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“At HUD, we only serve one out of four Americans that we should be serving, and that has to come to an end,” Turner continued. “And so we’re not only making it a priority, but we are making that our only priority, that American citizens will benefit from hard-working American taxpayer dollars.” 

As the spate of violent attacks, vandalism and doxxings against Tesla owners and workers continues, some Democrats continue to invest in the company despite their party villainizing Elon Musk as corrupt and a “Nazi.”

In the last several weeks, a Tesla dealership in Las Vegas was firebombed, a man rammed a four-wheeler into multiple Teslas in Texarkana, Tesla vehicles across the country have been keyed, and a website called “DOGEQUEST” has been set up to dox Tesla owners, seeming to encourage violence against everyday Americans.

Democrats have largely ignored these attacks and continued to hit Musk with personal attacks such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, D-N.Y., calling him “sympathetic to Nazis” and “one of the most unintelligent billionaires I have ever met.”  

Despite their rhetoric, some Democrats are investors in the company currently bearing the brunt of the Musk hatred. Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, Gil Cisneros, D-Calif., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., have all purchased Tesla shares since President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

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Democrats continue to invest in Tesla despite their party villainizing Elon Musk as corrupt and a “Nazi.” (AP/Hal Sparks via Storyful/Ian Forsyth/Getty Images)

As of March 2025, several other House Democrats, including Reps. Pat Ryan, D-N.Y., Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., Adam Smith, D-Wash., and Dwight Evans, D-Pa., also remain invested in Tesla.

One month into the new Trump administration, Cisneros went on Forbes Breaking News to slam Musk and President Donald Trump, calling the first month of the administration “atrocious” and saying that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is “causing destruction.”

He also slammed Musk personally, saying, “He basically bought himself the presidency of the United States” and “I have no doubt he is the one calling the shots.”

Just days later, however, Cisneros purchased between $1,001 and $15,000 worth of Tesla stock as the company faced a protracted decline in value, likely due to Musk’s sudden wane in popularity.

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On Feb. 11, Gottheimer issued a statement saying, “the risks to Americans’ privacy and financial security from Musk’s unchecked access are not only unacceptable, but also outright dangerous.” (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

On Feb. 11, Gottheimer issued a statement in which he went full scorched earth on Musk, saying, “the risks to Americans’ privacy and financial security from Musk’s unchecked access are not only unacceptable, but also outright dangerous.”

“My constituents are deeply concerned about Elon Musk having unrestricted access to their Social Security numbers, tax refunds, health, and bank account information,” said Gottheimer, adding, “To be clear: No one elected Elon Musk or entrusted him with keeping sensitive data from falling into the hands of our adversaries.”

Around the same time, however, Gottheimer disclosed he purchased up to $45,000 in Tesla stock.

This month, as anti-Musk rhetoric and attacks began bursting into literal flames, Gonzalez, who said “DOGE’s action is incredibly concerning,” purchased between $65,000 and $150,000 worth of Tesla stock.

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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said last week that “the Democrats used to be the greatest cheerleaders for electric vehicles and for Tesla the company until Elon Musk decided to support and vote for Donald Trump.” (AP Newsroom)

As Musk and his brands continue to take hits, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt came to his defense, saying last week that “the Democrats used to be the greatest cheerleaders for electric vehicles and for Tesla the company until Elon Musk decided to support and vote for Donald Trump.”

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“It is getting dangerous, and the White House wholeheartedly condemns it, and we applaud Attorney General Pam Bondi for investigating these acts as domestic terrorism because that is what they are,” said Leavitt. “It’s very clear that the Democrat Party no longer stands for anything; they only stand against Donald Trump, even if it means contradicting themselves.” 

The Trump administration’s Signal chat leak represents the “profound” risk of “uncontrolled communication,” which could have implications on future operations, a former national intelligence official said Sunday.

Sue Gordon, the former principal deputy national intelligence director during President Donald Trump’s first term, reacted to the leak during an appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

“I’m glad the operation was successful,” Gordon said, referring to the U.S. military strikes on Houthi terrorist targets. “Now we need to deal with the fact that this should not have happened, there is consequence when it does and you can’t be sure that there’s no persistent risk that follows it.”

Gordon said that while there have been errors in the past concerning the protection of a partner’s information, this leak is different due to the Trump administration’s reaction of “there was nothing to see here.”

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Former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Sue Gordon on Sunday said that Trump administration officials should never have been communicating about military operations on the Signal app. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“I don’t think we should rest on the fact that nothing bad happened this time,” Gordon said. “We don’t know whether that communications path has been penetrated, so we don’t know whether state actors that have lots of resources are just sitting and lurking now knowing we do important things on [Signal].”

Signal, an encrypted messaging app, is now under the spotlight after it was revealed that top national security leaders had been in a group chat discussing plans to strike terrorists in Yemen, which also included The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg. The chat was made public by a first-hand account of the group chat published by Goldberg in an article Monday. 

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The Trump administration has maintained that no classified information was shared in the chat, doubling down on Wednesday that The Atlantic’s story was a “hoax” after Goldberg published specific texts from the chat. 

The messages included Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth outlining that combat aircraft were set to take off and strike drones were ready for the operation, which were accompanied by timestamps. 

Ret. Gen. Frank McKenzie, former CENTCOM commander, also appeared on the program Sunday, saying that while he was “surprised” at the communications leak, he believed the “larger story” was how the U.S. had “finally begun to strike the Houthis hard,” at a speed “that, frankly, eluded the previous administration.”

McKenzie said he “wouldn’t take anything off the table” about how the U.S. would confront the Iranian-backed terror group.

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“I think we have the capability — actually, right now, in Iran’s weakened state — to threaten them very strongly,” the retired general said.

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump is “pissed off” at Russian President Vladimir Putin for lashing out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this weekend, he told NBC News in an interview.

Trump told the outlet that he was frustrated with Putin for not moving in the right direction toward a peace agreement with Ukraine. Putin disparaged Zelenskyy’s leadership on Friday, arguing that a trans-national government may be necessary for Ukraine.

“If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia’s fault — which it might not be — but if I think it was Russia’s fault, I am going to put secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil coming out of Russia,” Trump told the outlet.

“That would be that if you buy oil from Russia, you can’t do business in the United States,” he continued. “There will be a 25% tariff on all oil, a 25- to 50-point tariff on all oil.”

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Trump will be speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin about a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire this Tuesday.

Trump nevertheless clarified that his anger will “dissipate quickly” if Putin “does the right thing.”

Trump last spoke to Putin last week, and the pair plan to have another conversation this week.

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Putin’s latest aggression has gone beyond words as well, with his forces engaging in multiple attacks on Ukrainian targets over the weekend.

Four people were killed and 24 were injured Friday evening after Russian drones struck Dnipro in the country’s east, according to regional Gov. Serhii Lysak and Ukraine’s emergency service. At least eight more people were injured when a Russian ballistic missile struck nearby Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskyy’s hometown, Gov. Lysak reported.

A car, destroyed by a Russian drone, in the center of Kharkiv, Ukraine on March 29, 2025. Two people were killed in a massive attack on the city at night. (Photo by Sofiia Bobok/Anadolu via Getty Images)

A drone attack in Kharkiv on Saturday night also killed two people and injured 35 more.

Putin himself praised the “strategic initiative” of his forces on Thursday.

“Our troops, our guys are moving forward and liberating one territory after another, one settlement after another, every day,” he said at a public forum.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Putin of ramping up aggression ahead of peace talks. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File)

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy has urged the U.S. to force Moscow to reign in its aggression.

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On Thursday, Zelenskyy met with French President Emmanuel Macron ahead of a summit in Paris of some 30 nations about how to strengthen Kyiv’s hand and its military as it pushes for a ceasefire with Russia. Proposals to deploy European troops in the country in tandem with any peace deal are also being discussed.

Fox News’ Michael Dorgan and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

EXCLUSIVE: Wyoming’s Republican secretary of state celebrated after the state became the first in the country to pass legislation requiring proof of citizenship in order to vote. He called it a “wonderful” development for election integrity during an interview with Fox News Digital. 

“This bill requires proof of citizenship for registering to vote and also proof of residency for registering to vote, and it’s a landmark bill that was the number one priority of our conservative election integrity reform agenda, which we brought to the 2025 general session and really is the first state in the nation to have an ironclad proof of citizenship requirement in state law,” Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray told Fox News Digital. 

“Because Wyoming has an exemption from the National Voter Registration Act, which means that we can apply that proof of citizenship requirement to all races, it also is pretty strong in that it doesn’t have some carveout that the election judges’ judgment can override the requirement, and it creates this requirement for proof of citizenship for registering to vote.”

The measure, which mandates voters show one of nine different options proving citizenship and residency, will become law on July 1 after Wyoming’s Republican Gov. Mark Gordon allowed the bill to become his law without his signature last Friday.

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Fox News Digital spoke to Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray this week.

In a letter to Gray, Gordon said he could not sign the bill because of several concerns he documented, including possible legal issues, but conceded that it ultimately offers some “useful improvements” that he would allow to become law without his signature.

Gray told Fox News Digital he is confident the law will stand up to any legal challenges and called the development a “huge moment for election integrity for us to be the first state with really this ironclad proof of citizenship requirement.”

“This is a huge priority of President Trump and we support President Trump 100%,” Gray said. “The people of Wyoming are the huge winners here, and I think it will have a huge effect nationally in terms of bringing this through at the state level, and I’m very hopeful that it’s also going to be brought through in the coming weeks on the floor of the House of Representatives in Washington.”

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Gray told Fox News Digital the law a “huge moment for election integrity.” (Getty Images)

Gray told Fox News Digital, “It’s in line with what President Trump is working on at the federal level with the SAVE Act, which hopefully is going to come to the floor of the Congress very soon, and to be the first state in the nation that has that ironclad proof of citizenship requirement. I think it’s a wonderful moment for election integrity, for our state and for our nation, and hopefully helps in passage of the SAVE Act in the Congress, because this is a huge priority of the Trump administration.”

Trump has been a vocal advocate of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which looks to ensure that noncitizens cannot vote in federal elections. Republican lawmakers recently renewed a push to move that bill through Congress. 

On Tuesday, Trump signed an executive order requiring people to provide proof of American citizenship when they register to vote and demanding that all ballots be reviewed by Election Day.

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President Donald Trump (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

The order requires government-issued proof of U.S. citizenship on its voter registration forms, directs the attorney general to enter into information-sharing agreements with state election officials to identify cases of election fraud or other election law violations, and conditions federal election-related funds on states complying with the federal election integrity measures.

“There are other steps that we will be taking in the coming weeks,” Trump said just before signing the order. “We think we’ll be able to end up getting fair elections.”

Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report

With longtime Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas announcing his re-election this past week, the expensive and potentially competitive 2026 Senate showdown in the nation’s second most populous state kicked into gear.

Among the big questions regarding the race – will Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a major ally of President Donald Trump and a MAGA favorite, primary challenge Cornyn?

But also being asked is whether the Democrats will once again dish out tens of millions of dollars in hopes of trying to flip a Senate seat blue in red Texas?

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Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (Fox News Digital)

“I’m looking at it and seriously considering it,” former Rep. Colin Allred said last week in an interview with the Dallas Morning News, when asked if he would run a second straight time for the Senate. “This is a time for everybody to realize just what’s at stake and how important it is that we all stay involved.”

Allred, a former Baylor University football player and NFL linebacker who later represented Texas’ 32nd Congressional District (which includes parts of Dallas and surrounding suburbs), was last year’s Democratic challenger in the race against conservative firebrand Sen. Ted Cruz. 

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Allred, who said he would decide by this summer if he’ll mount a 2026 Senate campaign, was the latest Democrat to spend big bucks to try and oust a sitting Republican in Texas.

Rep. Colin Allred, the 2024 Democratic Party Senate nominee in Texas, at a campaign rally in Houston on Oct. 25, 2024. (Reuters/Marco Bello)

He hauled in nearly $93 million and outpaced Cruz in fundraising during the 2024 cycle, although the GOP incumbent brought in slightly more campaign cash overall, thanks to a fundraising head start soon after his 2018 re-election.

Cruz ended up winning re-election last November by roughly nine points, which was much more comfortable than his 3.5 point victory in 2018 over former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, who hauled in $80 million – a staggering amount at the time – and outraised Cruz by a two-to-one margin.

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While the 2018 battle between Cruz and O’Rourke grabbed tons of national attention, it was far from the first time Democrats had spent big bucks on an unsuccessful ballot box effort in Texas.

Sen. Ted Cruz speaks during a watch party on election night, Nov. 5, 2024, at the Marriott Marquis in Houston. (LM Otero/AP)

“The Democrats have been chasing the ghost of a blue Texas since at least 2006, when Tony Sanchez ran for governor against Rick Perry… and all they’ve really done is make a lot of consultants wealthy,” Matt Mackowiak, a veteran Republican strategist and communications consultant based in Texas and Washington, D.C., told Fox News Digital.

Mackowiak emphasized that Democrats in Texas “haven’t come close, with the only exception being Beto O’Rourke in 2018.”

“Money is not enough for Democrats to turn Texas blue. It is necessary but not sufficient,” he argued. “What they have to have is something that they don’t have, which is an electable, mainstream, moderate, pro-business Democrat. That category almost doesn’t exist in Texas.”

Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke holds a town hall in Waco, Texas, on Aug. 6, 2022, during his gubernatorial campaign. (Fox News )

Asked if the Democrats are pouring money down the drain, Ed Espinoza, a Texas-based communications professional and political analyst who once served at the Democratic National Committee, said, “Every time I was asked that question the past few cycles, I’d say, ‘No, absolutely not.’”

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Pausing for a moment, Espinoza then emphasized, “I think 2026 is an important year for Texas Democrats because it’s an opportunity to demonstrate that they’re still in this fight.”

“In 2018, we saw strong Democratic gains in Texas. In 2020, we saw those gains hold. There was slippage in 2022 and 2024 and a lot of that was due to redistricting,” he argued. “But 2026 is the year that Texas Democrats can and must demonstrate they’re still in this fight.”

Far-left Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, has just undergone a week full of flubs and controversies that have her facing a possible censure in the House of Representatives and scathing criticism from the president and White House.

Crockett, who is known as one of the leading young, Progressive Democrats in the House, did not have a good week.

It started with Crockett being warned on Sunday to “tread carefully” by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi for her comments saying “all I want to see happen on my birthday is for Elon to be taken down” amid a spate of violent attacks and threats against Tesla owners and workers.

Seemingly not heeding that warning, Crockett stepped into another controversy when a video interview of her was released in which she appeared to call for conservative Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to be “knocked over the head.” 

DEMOCRATS ARE THE PARTY OF ‘RAGE AND HATRED’: TED CRUZ

Far-left Rep. Jasmine Crockett is facing a possible censure in the House and scathing criticism from the president and White House. (Getty/Justin Sullivan/AP/Fox News Photo)

In response to a question about how Democrats can win elections in the red state of Texas, Crockett said, “I think that you punch, I think you punch, I think you OK with punching.”

“It’s Ted Cruz,” she went on. “I mean, like this dude has to be knocked over the head, like hard, right? Like there is no niceties with him, like at all. Like you go clean off on him.”

These comments earned her a significant amount of outrage by conservatives, with the White House’s “rapid response” X account calling her “another unhinged Democrat inciting violence.”

The main controversy of the week, however, came when Crockett appeared to laughingly mock wheelchair-bound Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, by calling him “Governor Hot Wheels” during a pro-LGBTQ benefit dinner.

The comment sparked national outrage, with commentators on both sides of the political aisle condemning the mockery of disabled people, even if they happen to be governors.

THE LOUDEST SILENCE: TOP DEMOCRATS REMAIN MUM AMID VIOLENT ATTACKS ON TESLA

Rep. Jasmine Crockett claims her “Governor Hot Wheels” comment was misinterpreted. (Fox News Photo/Joshua Comins | Allison Bailey/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

“We in these hot a– Texas streets, honey. Y’all know we got Governor Hot Wheels down there, come on now! And the only thing hot about him is that he is a hot a– mess, honey!” she said, laughing.

Abbott, who is an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump and a staunch border hawk, has been wheelchair-bound since he was struck by a falling tree while on a jog at age 26.

After the Abbott comment surfaced, Trump weighed in during a Wednesday interview, calling Crockett “a lowlife” and “a very low-IQ person.”

“I don’t imagine the Democrats are going to have a person like that running their party,” the president said.

SOCIAL MEDIA ERUPTS OVER JASMINE CROCKETT ‘GASLIGHTING’ ABOUT CALLING ABBOTT ‘GOVERNOR HOT WHEELS’

President Donald Trump sits down with Fox News anchor Bret Baier for an interview. (Fox News/Special Report)

Rep. Randy Weber, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital he would soon be introducing a resolution to censure Crockett because of her statements.

Despite this, Crockett refused to apologize multiple times in an interview with FOX Business before growing frustrated and ending the conversation. Instead, the lawmaker pointed to a statement she put out on social media in which she denied the “hot wheels” comment was meant to make fun of Abbott’s condition.

“Why would I apologize when I put out a statement? My statement was clear,” Crockett said when confronted on the matter.

In her online statement, Crockett claimed: “I wasn’t thinking about the governor’s condition – I was thinking about the planes, trains, and automobiles he used to transfer migrants into communities led by Black mayors, deliberately stoking tension and fear among the most vulnerable.”

“Literally, the next line I said was that he was a ‘Hot A– Mess,’ referencing his terrible policies. At no point did I mention or allude to his condition,” she wrote.

REP JASMINE CROCKETT CLAIMS ‘HOT WHEELS’ COMMENT WAS MISINTERPRETED, HER PAST COMMENTS SAY OTHERWISE

Rep. Jasmine Crockett speaks during a House hearing in the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 26, 2025. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Kimberly McClain, Crockett’s chief of staff, responded to a request for comment by Fox News, saying, “Please be assured that the Congresswoman, in no way, meant any harm toward the Governor OR meant to take lightly any medical conditions that he may have.”

Despite her statements, Crockett seems to have a pattern of making comments about Abbott “rolling” places, seeming to mock Abbott’s condition.

Just last week, the congresswoman reposted a post featuring Abbott in the White House, which read, “Rolling up to the White House to cheer on the president destroying the agency that makes sure kids in wheelchairs have equal access to education is wild.”

During his re-election campaign against former Democratic Rep. Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke, Crockett again slammed Abbott on X, saying, “The new nickname I have for Beto O’Rourke is the king of the clap backs! Beto is rolling around the state… Where is Abbott rolling to?”  

JASMINE CROCKETT’S ‘CLEAN-UP’ OF ‘GOVERNOR HOT WHEELS’ COMMENT RIPPED AS ‘THE WORST’ 

“The View” urged Rep. Jasmine Crockett to apologize for remarks about Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. (The View/screengrab | Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Human Rights Campaign)

Amid all this, another video of Crockett, this time speaking with The 19th last week, surfaced of Crockett dismissing the topic of trans inclusion in women’s and girls’ sports as a “distraction,” while minimizing the potential impact they’ve had on the lives of women and families.

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“In this election, we allowed ourselves to be divided. We allowed them to distract us, and we allowed them to talk about the trans folk,” Crockett said. “According to them, the trans kids, they want to play sports. That is the biggest issue that we’ve had. Since when? Since when? Find the little trans child that is ruining your life. I mean, I’m just like, what are we doing? Like, what are we doing?”

The scrutiny this week created renewed criticism on Crockett’s past remarks about Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., being in an interracial marriage.

“The fact that you’re sitting around talking about ‘life was better under Jim Crow,’ like, is this because you don’t understand history? Or literally it’s because you married a White woman and so you think that whitewashed you?” Crockett told The Breakfast Club in June, as reported by the Washington Free Beacon. 

Fox News Digital’s Gabriel Hays, Liz Elkind, Jackson Thompson and Anders Hagstrom and Fox News Business’ Hillary Vaughn contributed to this report. 

Democratic lawmakers are claiming a D.C. circuit court judge’s ruling blocking the Trump administration’s deportation of suspected Tren de Aragua gang members is a rightful part of “separation of powers.” Republicans, however, say the judge overstepped his bounds and that they are moving to ensure such an occurrence does not happen again.

This comes as the Trump administration has faced more than a dozen injunctions from various district court judges across the country on a range of policy decisions. 

On Wednesday, a federal appellate court declined to issue a stay on a ruling by Obama-appointed D.C. Federal District Judge James Boasberg, who issued a temporary restraining order last weekend blocking the Trump administration from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan nationals.

In light of these developments, the House Judiciary Committee is expected to hold a hearing early next week looking into the issue of “activist judges.”

Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital that in addition to the hearing, House GOP members are also considering a bill to address the issue.

ALLOWING JUDGES TO IMPEDE TRUMP ON IMMIGRATION POSES NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT: EXPERT

Democratic lawmakers are claiming a D.C. circuit court judge’s ruling blocking the Trump administration’s deportation of suspected Tren de Aragua gang members is a rightful part of “separation of powers.” Republicans, however, say the judge overstepped his bounds and that they’re moving to ensure such an occurrence does not happen again. (Getty Images/Reuters)

“I think the administration’s doing the right thing by fighting it legally,” he said. “There’s a good bill that we’re considering. So, we’ll be looking at that next week.”

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., confirmed the GOP plans to take action, saying, “We’ll do everything that we can with our legislative toolkit to ensure that they are doing what’s right by the American people and then also following through on our constitutional obligations.”

“Right before President Trump took office, the Democrats actually knowingly made admissions that they were appointing obstructionist justices in order to undermine what the president’s agenda was,” Luna told Fox News Digital.

“Those judges are not elected to office to interpret or set foreign policy perspective. That is the entire job of the administration,” she said.

TRUMP SOUNDS OFF AFTER ‘HIGHLY CONFLICTED’ OBAMA-NOMINATED JUDGE ASSIGNED SIGNAL CHAT LAWSUIT: ‘DISGRACEFUL’

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna said, “We’ll do everything that we can with our legislative toolkit to ensure that they are doing what’s right by the American people and then also following through on our constitutional obligations.” (Getty Images)

Asked how a lone circuit court judge can overrule the president on foreign policy, Democrats responded by invoking the need for separation of powers and “due process.”

“The issue before the court is due process, and one that I think the courts are going to chime in strongly on this as they have already, in many instances,” said Rep. Jesús García, D-Ill.

“I believe in the separation of powers and the federal courts are an equal branch of government,” answered Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz. “I support the right to make a decision, and all branches of government, both executive and Congress, need to abide by federal court decisions.“

Meanwhile, Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., bashed President Donald Trump as “insane” for calling Boasberg a “radical left lunatic of a judge” who should be impeached.  

LAWSUIT TRACKER: NEW RESISTANCE BATTLING TRUMP’S SECOND TERM THROUGH ONSLAUGHT OF LAWSUITS TAKING AIM AT EOS

Rep. Eric Swalwell departs from the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 30, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“The judiciary has to be independent whether it goes for you or against you,” said Swalwell. “We can’t let politics invade judicial decisions, and wanting to impeach a judge is just insane.”

Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., asserted that Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act could be unwarranted because there has not been any war declared.

“The Alien Enemies Act is a law. It’s a law that has to be followed. So, they’re not dictating foreign policy, they’re saying you have to actually follow the law, which is kind of a judge’s job if they are following the law,” said Smith. “But it’s a question to be asked and the Alien Enemies Act is pursuant to a declaration of war. There has not been a declaration of war. So, the law does need to be followed, and I think it’s appropriate to analyze that question.”

GROUP OF DEI WORKERS SUE TO STOP TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDERS

A prison guard transfers deportees from the U.S. to the Terrorism Confinement Center in Tecoluca, El Salvador. (El Salvador presidential press office via AP)

Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers are asking a very different question.

“Who the hell do they think they are?” asked Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas.

“A district in the east, or whatever, to be able to do an injunction and apply it to the whole country, they shouldn’t have the ability to do that. They shouldn’t do it,” he said.

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Speaking with Fox News Digital on the steps of the Capitol, Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Ohio, pointed to an inscription on the Supreme Court building, saying, “It says equal justice under the law. So, when you have jurists that are acting in an unconstitutional manner… they need to go, period.“

“We’re coequal branches of government,” he went on, adding, “That dude, he’s not a king.”

BLUE STATE SANCTUARY LAWS ENABLED ILLEGAL ‘ABOLISH ICE’ ACTIVIST TO EVADE CAPTURE, SAYS LOCAL DA

President Donald Trump and U.S. District Judge James Boasberg (Getty)

Rep. Michael Rulli, R-Ohio, called the use of activist judges to override foreign policy “really scary.”

“As far as the low-lying judges, it’s a little bit scary to think that they could actually stop the progression of a federal movement where you have the executive branch which should be the final say as far as that,” he said.

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“My party needs to be very methodical about how we fix it, and we have to codify law to make sure that we can prevent this from happening again,” he went on. 

“It’s probably not going to be the fastest movement,” he predicted. “But we’re going to try to do better with the laws, so this doesn’t happen again.” 

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

Amid a wave of violence against Tesla vehicles, showrooms and charging stations, anti-Musk protesters could see their biggest show of force yet as the decentralized movement known as Tesla Takedown is planning a “Global Day of Protest” targeting more than 500 Tesla locations worldwide. 

The protests slated for Saturday have been promoted by actors, filmmakers, congressional legislators, academics and activists who led a “mass mobilizing call” last week to drum up support. More than 275 Tesla locations in the U.S. and over 500 worldwide will be targeted as part of the effort. 

While the protests against Elon Musk and Tesla have lately involved destructive tactics, leaders who have been promoting Saturday’s event, such as progressive Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, have said the protests will be “nonviolent.”

VANDAL STRIKES CYBERTRUCK, TESLA OWNER HITS BACK

“We are fighting for our country,” Crockett said during the mass mobilization call last week. “We’re fighting for democracy. We’re fighting for our freedoms. And when I say fighting, I’m saying that figuratively. Obviously, everything that I am promoting is nonviolent.”

Tesla founder Elon Musk addresses the wave of violent protests against the automaker’s dealerships and vehicles. (Getty Images/Fox News)

The FBI announced the formation of a new task force Monday, established to “crack down on violent Tesla attacks” that the president and other members of the Trump administration have described as “domestic terrorism.”

Violent incidents targeting Musk and Tesla have ranged from alleged Molotov cocktail attacks on Tesla properties in several states to attacks on individual citizens who own Teslas. 

A Las Vegas-area resident was arrested Wednesday for his alleged part in a Molotov cocktail attack on a Tesla property. The suspect is facing multiple felony charges, including three counts of arson, three counts of possession of an explosive device, five counts of shooting into a car and four counts of destroying personal property, according to local police.

THE LOUDEST SILENCE: TOP DEMOCRATS REMAIN MUM AMID VIOLENT ATTACKS ON TESLA

Five Tesla vehicles were set on fire and shot at in what police are investigating as a “targeted attack” at a local repair center in Las Vegas March 18, 2025. (Hal Sparks via Storyful)

While there is no centralized group leading this mass protest event, local and national advocacy groups, such as Indivisible, a progressive anti-Trump advocacy group, are helping with organization efforts. 

“Indivisible groups are the folks holding peaceful protests on the sidewalk, not damaging cars, and they’re speaking up because they’re concerned for our country,” an Indivisible spokesperson told Fox News Digital. The group confirmed it was not directly involved with any funding or organization efforts but did confirm that local chapters were engaging with the event.

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In response to the planned protests, pro-Trump supporters have reportedly begun mobilizing to counter the anti-Musk message. 

In New Jersey, Terry Beck, a pro-Trump organizer, is trying to rally a caravan of Trump supporters to counter one of the anti-Musk protests planned near Trenton on Saturday, according to NBC News. Posts on social media show others across the country are also attempting to mobilize counter-protesters.

A U.S. Court of Appeals ruled the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) can no longer consider race, ethnicity or sex in admissions to the Annapolis, Maryland, service institution, following orders from President Donald Trump.

Vice Adm. Yvette Davids made the policy change Feb. 14, noting “neither race, ethnicity nor sex can be considered as a factor for admission at any point during the admissions process, including qualification and acceptance,” according to a court filing by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which was made public Friday.

Trump’s Jan. 27 executive order stated “every element of the Armed Forces should operate free from any preference based on race or sex” and directed the secretary of defense to conduct an internal review of the country’s service academies.

The decision followed a December ruling in federal court allowing the Naval Academy to continue considering race in its admissions process. 

Midshipmen on the campus of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.  (John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images)

NAVAL ACADEMY CLOSING DEI OFFICES TO ALIGN WITH TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDERS: MEMO

Academy attorneys in September argued that prioritizing diversity in the military “makes it stronger, more effective and more widely respected,” according to a report from The Associated Press.

Judges in December found “military cohesion and other national security factors” meant the school should not be subjected to the same standards as civilian universities, according to the report.

The appeal was brought by the group Students for Fair Admissions.

The DOJ on Friday requested a suspension of the case as it looked over the change in USNA’s policy.

The U.S. Naval Academy campus in Annapolis, Md. (Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

“The parties require a reasonable amount of time to discuss the details of the Academy’s new policy and to consider the appropriate next steps for this litigation, including whether this litigation is now moot and, if so, whether the district court judgment should be vacated,” the DOJ wrote in the filing.

Edward Blum, president of Students for Fair Admissions, called the affirmative action policies “unfair and illegal” in a statement to the AP.

TRIAL ON USING RACE-BASED ADMISSIONS IN THE NAVAL ACADEMY KICKS OFF IN CRUSADE AGAINST AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

“Racial discrimination is wrong and racial classifications have no place at our nation’s military academies,” Blum wrote.

Maryland Rep. Sarah Elfreth, a Democrat serving on USNA’s Board of Visitors, told the AP the decision was “disastrous” and “will have negative implications on our military’s recruitment and retention for decades to come.”

Midshipmen salute during the commissioning and graduation ceremony at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., May 24, 2024. (Reuters/Michael A. McCoy/File Photo)

“A Navy and Marine Corps that reflect the diversity of our country is our strongest Navy and Marine Corps,” Elfreth said. “Diversity and inclusion allow our academies to not just reflect how our country looks but are critical to mission readiness and strong national security.”

In February, the academy said the school was taking steps to close all agency diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) offices and ending DEIA-related contracts in accordance with Trump’s executive orders.

WEST POINT DISBANDS GENDER-BASED, RACE CLUBS IN TRUMP’S DEI SWEEP 

Though its DEI and DEIA offices were closed since at least the summer of 2024, Davids noted “concerns have been raised that some of these programs may have been modified in a way that obscures their DEIA objectives.”

She said if any staff members were aware of changes to obscure the connection between a contract and DEIA or similar ideologies, they should report it to the Office of Personnel Management.

Incoming plebes (freshmen) march into Bancroft Hall after taking part in their oath of office ceremony during Induction Day at the U.S. Naval Academy June 29, 2023, in Annapolis, Md.  (Kevin Dietsch)

“The U.S. Naval Academy did not have a DEI or DEIA office prior to the President’s executive order that mandated closure of all agency DEIA offices and the end of all DEIA-related contracts,” Cmdr. Tim Hawkins, a Navy spokesperson, told Fox News. 

“The U.S. Naval Academy sent the Jan. 23 email internally to staff simply to inform its personnel that the executive order was issued and USNA would fully comply. 

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“The Navy is executing and implementing all directives issued by the president with professionalism, efficiency and in full alignment with national security objectives.”

Human resources officials also told staff USNA emails should not include gender-identifying pronouns on signature lines.

Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump drew laughs from the press when one reporter asked him to define what a woman is. Trump was speaking at a news conference after Alina Habba, a longtime member of his team, was sworn-in as the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey. 

The reporter who asked the question first said that Trump had done “so much for women” before listing women who have powerful roles in the Trump administration, including Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and Attorney General Pam Bondi. He then asked, “Since Democrats seemed to struggle answering this question, I want to ask you, what is a woman and why is it important that we understand the difference between men and women?”

The room quickly erupted in laughter as Trump said that the question was “easy” to answer.

“A woman is somebody, they can have a baby under certain circumstances. She has equality. A woman is a person who is much smarter than a man, I’ve always found. A woman is a person that doesn’t give a man even a chance of success,” Trump said.

While the reporters in the room chuckled, Trump took the opportunity to take the question in a serious direction and addressed the issue of transgender athletes playing in women’s sports.

U.S. President Donald Trump gestures during a swearing-in ceremony for Alina Habba as interim U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., March 28, 2025.  (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)

TRUMP SAYS HE’S ‘PROUD TO BE THE PRESIDENT TO SAVE WOMEN’S SPORTS’ AFTER NCAA CHANGES TRANS ATHLETE POLICY

“And a woman is a person that in many cases has been treated very badly. Because I think that what happens with this crazy, this crazy issue of men being able to play in women’s sports is just ridiculous and very unfair to women, and very demeaning to women,” Trump said, shifting the tone of the news conference. 

Trump referenced a Democrat lawmaker, without naming who it was, fighting to keep transgender athletes in women’s sports. The president joked that he hopes Democrats keep arguing for the inclusion of trans athletes in women’s sports “because they’ll never win another election.”

U.S. President Donald Trump joined by women athletes signs the “No Men in Women’s Sports” executive order in the East Room at the White House on Feb. 5, 2025 in Washington, D.C.  (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

TRUMP SIGNS ‘NO MEN IN WOMEN’S SPORTS’ EXECUTIVE ORDER

The Trump administration has taken swift action in combating gender ideology. Trump signed an order specifically addressing the issue of trans athletes in women’s sports. The order, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” prohibits educational institutions that receive federal funds from allowing trans athletes to compete against women.

Additionally, Trump signed an executive order titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.” This order made it official policy that the U.S. government only recognizes two genders: male and female.

Demonstrators listen to the speaking program during an “Our Bodies, Our Sports” rally for the 50th anniversary of Title IX at Freedom Plaza on June 23, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

CALIFORNIA UNDER INVESTIGATION BY TRUMP ADMIN FOR ALLEGEDLY HIDING ‘GENDER IDENTITY’ OF KIDS

The U.S. Department of Education recently took action on this issue and launched an investigation of the California Department of Education over alleged violations of the Family Educational Rights Privacy Act (FERPA) after a new California law went into effect that bars schools from disclosing a child’s “gender identity” to their parents. 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom spokesperson Elana Ross told Fox News Digital in a statement Thursday, “Parents continue to have full, guaranteed access to their student’s education records, as required by federal law.”

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As Trump concluded his answer to the question, he said, “Women are, basically, incredible people, do so much for our country. And we love our women and we’re going to take care of our women.”

Fox News Digital’s Jamie Joseph contributed to this article.

The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) top vaccine official, who was part of the first Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed, has reportedly been forced out of his position, according to a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report. 

A Health and Human Services (HHS) allegedly gave Dr. Peter Marks a choice between resigning or being fired, the WSJ reported, citing people familiar with the matter.  

Dr. Peter Marks, Director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research within the Food and Drug Administration answers a question during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing to discuss the on-going federal response to COVID-19, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., May 11, 2021.  (Greg Nash/Pool via REUTERS)

SENIOR MAHA ADVISOR SAYS FDA IS ‘ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL,’ HAS NO CLUE WHAT’S IN AMERICA’S FOOD

“It has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the secretary, but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies,” Marks allegedly wrote in his resignation letter. WSJ reports his resignation will go into effect on April 5.

WSJ reported that people familiar with the matter said Marks’ stance on vaccines conflicted with that of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Kennedy, an outspoken vaccine skeptic, was asked about the issue of immunizations during his confirmation hearing. However, he stressed that he was not “anti-vaccine” and defined himself as “pro-safety.” He also revealed during his hearing that “all of my kids are vaccinated, and I believe vaccines have a critical role in healthcare.”

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appears before the Senate.  (Getty Images)

ANYONE OVER 50 SHOULD BE GETTING THESE 5 VACCINES, DOCTORS SAY

Recently, Kennedy’s stance on vaccines was put to the test as measles spread in Texas. He told Fox News’ senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel earlier this month that he was recommending measles vaccines to promote “community immunity.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the FDA and HHS, but did not immediately receive responses, as the requests were sent outside business hours.

Female nurse or doctor in a medical face mask giving a young girl an injection. (iStock)

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In August 2020, Marks reportedly confirmed to Reuters that he threatened to resign if the COVID-19 vaccine was released before it was proven to be safe and effective.

“You have to decide where your red line is, and that’s my red line,” Marks told Reuters in 2020. “I would feel obligated [to resign] because in doing so, I would indicate to the American public that there’s something wrong.”

On the same day Vice President JD Vance visited Greenland, President Donald Trump posted a compelling video highlighting the strong historical bonds between the Arctic nation and the United States.

The 90-second video touts past U.S. military efforts to defend and protect Greenland during World War II when the U.S. suffered hundreds of casualties after a Nazi U-boat torpedoed and sank the U.S. Army Transport Dorchester.

The U-boat struck in the dead of night on Feb. 3, 1943, killing dozens instantly while hundreds more succumbed to the icy waters of the Atlantic, according to the Defense Department. The incident is remembered four Army chaplains giving up their lives to save others.

President Donald Trump posted a powerful video Friday highlighting the strong historical bonds between Greenland and the United States amid ongoing efforts to annex the nation. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images, left, and @realDonaldTrump via Securing American Greatness, right and inset.)

TRUMP REMAINS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT ODDS OF ACQUIRING GREENLAND: ‘I THINK IT’LL HAPPEN’ 

“In the cold silence of the tundra, a bond was born. Not from treaties or trade, but from blood and bravery,” the narrator of the clip says. “While Germany controlled Europe, the Nazis set their sights on the Arctic. Greenland became an unwitting combatant and the United States stepped in, not to conquer but to protect.”

The video notes that nearly 1,000 service members, civilians and crew carried with them “hope, duty and a quiet fear” in a voyage they knew was rife with danger. But after the attack, the frigid waters of the North Atlantic “became a grave.”

“Those four chaplains gave up their life vests, giving their lives so that others might live to protect America and Greenland,” the narrator says. “Their sacrifices helped win our freedom and we will never forget. Together, Americans and Greenlanders stood as sentinels at the top of the world.”

The chaplains who died in the attack were George L. Fox, a Methodist minister, John P. Washington, a Catholic priest, Clark V. Poling, a Dutch Reformed minister, and Alexander D. Goode, a rabbi.    (Defense Department)

In total, 672 people died during the deadly attack, according to the Defense Department.  

The video was created by Securing American Greatness a non-profit created during the 2024 presidential election to support then-candidate Trump. 

It also shows several clips from the war and landscape images of Greenland before going on to make the case why the U.S. needs to join forces with Greenland, arguing that Greenland faces new threats from Russia’s “aggression” and China’s “expansion.” 

PUTIN SAYS TRUMP PLANS FOR GREENLAND ‘HAS NOTHING TO DO’ WITH RUSSIA

Houses are seen on the coastline in Nuuk, Greenland. (Marli Miller/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

“Our shared legacy lives on in every joint mission, every Arctic patrol, every partnership forged in the shadow of melting ice and rising tensions, this is not just history,” the narrator says. “It is destiny. Now is the time to stand together again, for peace, for security, for the future. America stands with Greenland.” 

Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also shared the video on X.

The video was posted by Trump as he doubled down Friday on his efforts to acquire Greenland as part of the U.S. for international security purposes Friday,

Although the Danish territory has said it is seeking independence from Copenhagen and isn’t interested in becoming part of the U.S., Trump has repeatedly offered, dating back to his first administration, a desire to secure Greenland for the U.S. as Russian and Chinese presence grows in the Arctic. 

Images from the Trump Greenland video. (@realDonaldTrump via Securing American Greatness,)

“If you look at Greenland right now, if you look at the waterways, you have Chinese and Russian ships all over the place, and we’re not going to be able to do that,” Trump told reporters Friday. “We’re not relying on Denmark or anybody to take care of that situation. And we’re not talking about peace for the United States, we’re talking about world peace, we’re talking about international security.” 

Vance echoed the commander and chief’s goals for Greenland on Friday during his visit to Pituffik Space Base, the Defense Department’s northernmost military installation.

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He said that Denmark has not done a good job at keeping Greenland safe.

“What we think is going to happen is that the Greenlanders are going to choose, through self-determination, to become independent of Denmark,” Vance explained in a more toned-down approach from Trump’s previous statements. “And then we’re going to have conversations with the people of Greenland from there.”

Vice President JD Vance in Pituffik, Greenland Friday. He said Denmark has not done a good job at keeping Greenland safe. (Photo by Jim Watson – Pool / Getty Images)

The chaplains who died in the attack were George L. Fox, a Methodist minister, John P. Washington, a Catholic priest, Clark V. Poling, a Dutch Reformed minister, and Alexander D. Goode, a rabbi. They were all awarded Purple Hearts and Distinguished Service Crosses for their actions that day. Congress additionally created a “Four Chaplains’ Medal,” which was presented to their survivors in 1961, according to the Defense Department.  

Fox News’ Diana Stancy Caitlin McFall contributed to this report. 

President Donald Trump appointed Sara Carter as the next Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). He made the announcement on Friday in a post on social media platform Truth Social.

“As our next Drug Czar, Sara will lead the charge to protect our nation, and save our children from the scourge of drugs,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

President Donald Trump tapped Sara Carter to serve as drug czar.

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Carter re-posted Trump’s Truth Social post on X with a message thanking the president and expressing her excitement about joining the administration.

“It is truly an honor to serve President Donald J. Trump and be part of an administration committed to putting America first,” Carter wrote. “America’s greatest resource is our people and it will be up to each and every one of us to do our part – I promise you I will never stop fighting.”

As a journalist, Carter, who was a Fox News contributor, did extensive reporting on the border, particularly during the Biden administration when immigration policies were more lax. She called for stronger border policies due to the massive amount of drug and human trafficking occurring.

Sara Carter speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) annual meeting in National Harbor, Maryland, U.S., Feb. 22, 2024. (REUTERS/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades)

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Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., congratulated Carter in a post on X. Blackburn praised Carter’s work on the border, saying the new drug czar would “fight tirelessly” to keep Americans safe.

Bundles of blue pills containing fentanyl were intercepted at the border. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection )

Texas Department of Public Safety Spokesperson Lt. Chris Olivarez also congratulated Carter and praised her appointment, saying it was “GREAT for the country.”

“This is an excellent opportunity for you to effect change and help so many families who have lost loved ones due to deadly illicit drugs,” Olivarez wrote.

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Fox News Digital reached out to Carter for comment.

As federal judges exceed records with an onslaught of nationwide orders blocking President Donald Trump’s orders, some have revisited how each was confirmed, and whether Republicans could have foreseen their rulings or done anything more to block them. 

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., a member of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee, told Fox News Digital in an interview, “This is why I think I voted against every Biden judge.”

He acknowledged that many of the judges in question were confirmed before his time, given he was first elected in 2018. 

SCOOP: TOP REPUBLICAN CHUCK GRASSLEY SETS PROMPT HEARING ON JUDGES BLOCKING TRUMP

Donald Trump and Judges James Boasberg, Amir Ali and Ana Reyes (Valerie Plesch/District of Columbia/ SenatorDurbin via YouTube/Bill Pugliano via Getty Images)

“People said to me, ‘Why don’t you ever vote for any of Biden’s judges?‘” he said. “This is why.”

“Because if they’re not faithful to the rule of law, then you can bet they’ll just be looking for opportunities to intervene politically.”

Since Trump entered office, he has faced a slew of nationwide injunctions to halt actions of his administration, which exponentially outweighs the number his predecessors saw. So far in his new term, the courts have hit him with roughly 15 wide-ranging orders, more than former Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden received during their entire tenures. 

Some of those who have ordered the Trump administration to halt certain actions are U.S. District Judges James Boasberg, Amir Ali, Loren AliKhan, William Alsup, Deborah Boardman, John Coughenour, Paul A. Engelmayer, Amy Berman Jackson, Angel Kelley, Brendan A. Hurson, Royce Lamberth, Joseph Laplante, John McConnell and Leo Sorokin. There are 94 districts in the U.S. and at least one district court in each state. These courts are where cases are first heard before potentially being appealed to higher courts. 

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President Donald Trump and U.S. District Judge James Boasberg (Getty)

Several of these judges were confirmed in the Senate in a bipartisan manner, and some even prevailed with no opposition. There were others who were opposed by every Republican senator. 

One of the most controversial judges, Boasberg, known for blocking a key immigration action by the Trump administration, was confirmed by a roll call vote after being nominated by Obama in 2011. The vote was 96-0 and no Republicans opposed him. 

Former Trump attorney Jim Trusty told Fox News Digital, “I don’t think the Republicans ever expected quite the onslaught of lawfare that we’ve seen when President Trump is in office.”

“The activist nature of some federal district court judges – issuing nationwide injunctions against the Executive Branch on a minute’s notice – is unfortunate and puts pressure on appellate courts, including SCOTUS, to fix these problems,” he explained.

However, he said the real problem is “an army of lawyers” who he said are trying to “bend and twist legal principles.”

“They are spending their days devoted to stopping President Trump’s agenda even if it means siding with Venezuelan gang members who illegally entered the US,” Trusty claimed. 

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Venezuelan migrants arrive in Caracas, Venezuela, after being deported from the United States, March 24, 2025. (Reuters/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria)

Andy McCarthy, a former assistant U.S. attorney and a Fox News contributor, told Fox News Digital, “Republicans could have done a much better job blocking Biden’s judicial appointments.”

He pointed to Biden’s recent time as a lame-duck president, specifically referring to nominees that “squeaked by” due to Republican absences. 

“Biden’s nominees were very radical and should have been opposed as vigorously as possible,” he said. “These are lifetime appointments and the progressives filling these slots will be a thorn in the nation’s side for decades.”

However, former Deputy Assistant Attorney General John Yoo, made a point of saying, “There was no way to know how they would rule in future cases like these.” 

He argued that senators can conduct their due diligence to the best of their abilities, but they can’t see into the future. 

“The Senate has the right to reject nominees whom it thinks will interpret the Constitution incorrectly, but nominees also have an obligation not to promise how they might rule on cases once they join the bench,” Yoo said. 

Thomas Jipping, senior legal fellow with the Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at the Heritage Foundation, noted to Fox News Digital that senators “can’t use the filibuster to defeat the judge,” which makes blocking controversial nominees even more difficult. 

“The only way to actually defeat someone’s confirmation is to have the majority of the votes,” he explained. “If Republicans are in the minority, there has to be at least a few Democrats voting against the Democratic nominee to defeat someone.”

Fox News Digital reached out to former Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, to comment on how these judges were able to get confirmed. 

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McConnell’s office didn’t address questions regarding the judges who were confirmed unanimously or without opposition. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The senators were asked if they were still happy with how the judges were confirmed and their individual votes. They were also asked whether there was anything alarming in the judges’ records and if Republicans did enough to block certain confirmations. 

McConnell’s office pointed Fox News Digital to comments he made over the legislative recess at a press conference in Kentucky. 

“The way to look at all of these reorganization efforts by the Administration is what’s legal and what isn’t… they’ll be defined in the courts,” he told reporters in response to the legality of potentially shutting down the Department of Education. “I can understand the desire to reduce government spending. Every Administration – some not quite as bold as this one – have tried to do that in one way or another. This is a different approach… and the courts will ultimately decide whether the president has the authority to take these various steps. Some may have different outcomes, I’m just going to wait – like all of us in effect are going to wait, and see whether this is permissible or not.”

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Grassley’s office pointed to a previous statement from the senator’s spokesperson, Clare Slattery. 

“The recent surge of sweeping decisions by district judges merits serious scrutiny. The Senate Judiciary Committee will be closely examining this topic in a hearing and exploring potential legislative solutions in the weeks ahead,” she said. 

The committee has notably slated a hearing on nationwide injunctions for next week. 

Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., had a quick response when someone attempted a “gotcha” question.

In a viral video, a young man is seen running up to the congressman with a phone, presumably filming, before asking about the Signal chat leak that has rocked Washington, D.C., for the last week. The unidentified man asked the congressman whether he could “trust Trump’s national security team to keep our war plans top secret?”

Rather than ignore the man or try to answer his question, the congressman hit him with a snappy response.

“Do you trust your mother every night to fix your Hot Pockets and make sure your Game Boy is turned on?” he fired back.

A man confronts Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., on Capitol Hill. (@TimBurchett/X)

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Burchett’s retort seemed to shock the man, who stopped walking as the insult was hurled, while the congressman continued on.

The Tennessee congressman posted a video of the exchange on X and got several responses supporting him and cheering on his response. Texas congressman Wesley Hunt, R, simply replied, “Savage brother.”

Man asks Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., about the Signal chat leak.

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The video posted on Friday does not appear to be the congressman’s only interaction with the man behind the camera. On March 25, Burchett posted another video featuring a man who appeared to be the same person in Friday’s video.

In Monday’s exchange, the man behind the phone camera asked the same question that he would later repeat on Friday: “Do you trust Trump’s national security team to keep our war plans secret?”

The congressman replied, “I do — but I do not trust your wardrobe adviser.”

Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., speaks to reporters upon arrival at a House Republican Conference meeting on November 14, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)

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There are a number of videos on Burchett’s X account that feature someone who appears to be the same man who asked the congressman a question on Friday. Fox News Digital reached out to Burchett’s office to confirm if the videos feature the same person, but did not receive an immediate response, as it was outside office hours.

Top voices in the Democratic Party, as well as average Democratic voters, have struggled to answer who the party’s leader is when asked during interviews.

A video from the conservative opposition research organization, America Rising, highlighted comments from Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elissa Slotkin on the matter, including average Americans, almost all of whom struggled to give a clear answer.

“People know me, I’m pretty straightforward. I don’t think it’s a secret that Democrats have been on their heels since Trump won the election. I don’t think that’s something hidden. And I think it’s on us to be clear about not only leadership, and there’s lot of leaders in both parties, but also a strategy, right?” Slotkin said in a “Meet the Press” interview earlier this month, which is in the clip.

SEN. ELISSA SLOTKIN TELLS ‘THE VIEW’ DEMOCRATS NEED TO ADMIT THEY HAVE A PROBLEM

Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) speaks on stage during the final day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 22, 2024, in Chicago, Illinois. (Chip Somodevilla)

At the time, she added that the party is still “finding their footing.” Slotkin, who won her competitive Michigan seat in November, came into the national spotlight after responding to President Trump’s Joint Address to Congress on March 4.

“I think there’s a lot of discontent with the Democratic leadership, and I think with the entire Democratic Party,” Sanders said in an interview with CNN.

Others asked in the video struggled to answer the question, except for one woman who said that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is the current leader of the party.  

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The New York Post editorial board slammed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., for creating the policies that have led to New York City becoming too expensive for residents.  (Tom Williams/Getty Images)

“Nobody. There isn’t one,” another person said in the video.

The progressive “Squad” leader recently held numerous “Fighting Oligarchy” events in Colorado, Arizona and Nevada with Sanders in opposition to the Trump administration. However, the jury is still out as to who, if anyone, can emerge as a uniting voice for progressives and moderates in the party while still maintaining staunch opposition to the Trump White House.

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U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) gestures onstage during Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 20, 2024.  (Reuters/Mike Segar)

Meanwhile, some in the clip outright objected to the notion that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who’s technically the highest-ranking Democrat in the United States, is the actual leader. Schumer has faced some calls to step down from his position after voting in favor of a continuing resolution backed by the Trump administration to avert a government shutdown – a move that many Democrats in his own caucus disagreed with. 

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A recent CNN poll of 504 Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents muddies the water even more, with Ocasio-Cortez getting the highest percentage of being considered the leader at 10%, with former Vice President Kamala Harris at 9% and Sanders at 8%. The same poll showed a 29% favorability for the Democrats, compared with 54% viewing them unfavorably. 

It’s morning again in the border community of Yuma, Arizona, but there’s still work to be done to ensure long-term security and to clean up leftover challenges.

Yuma County Supervisor Jonathan Lines explained the challenges faced in the wake of a high influx of migrants into the community at times throughout the Biden administration.

“Chaos first, and abandoned second,” Lines, a Republican, said of the border under former President Joe Biden, but said it is “controlled” under President Donald Trump.

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A U.S. Border Patrol agent checks for identification of immigrants as they wait to be processed after crossing the border from Mexico in Yuma, Arizona, on Dec. 30, 2022. (Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images)

In the Yuma sector alone, there were hundreds of thousands of migrant encounters during the Biden administration. In February, there were 8,326 illegal border crossings marked down by United States Customs and Border Protection. The number of people placed a strain on local resources in the area, including the local hospital.

“The message is that we’d like our not-for-profit hospital to be reimbursed to the tune of about $32 million. That’s auditable costs… it caused undue burdens here in our local communities,” Lines said.

Fox News Digital reported in 2023 that the Yuma Regional Medical Center had to deal with millions in unpaid medical costs given the number of illegal immigrants that came in for care.

HUD ENDS FHA MORTGAGES FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS: ‘SHOULD BENEFIT AMERICANS WHO PLAY BY THE RULES’

Construction begins to fill gaps in the border wall in Yuma, Arizona, on Aug 12, 2022. (Office of Gov. Doug Ducey)

“Our food bank was impacted, as well as kind of the medical community as a whole, just because of fentanyl,” Lines said.

“We’ve seen a significant impact of fentanyl here in the community. One of my best friends just lost his oldest nephew two weeks ago. The pills are being sold for about $2.50. There needs to be serious consequences for the Chinese and for the cartels that are dealing and pushing this product into the United States,” he added.

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In 2022, former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey placed metal storage containers along some of the gaps in Yuma, which were eventually taken down because of legal action from the federal government. Now, construction of permanent border wall panels in gaps along the border in the area is underway, following a reversal of Biden’s policies once Trump retook office.

COLOMBIA AGREES TO SHARE MIGRANT DATA WITH US AFTER ‘CANDID’ TALKS WITH KRISTI NOEM

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem joins an ICE raid in New York City on Tuesday. Noem said communities will be safer because of targeted raids that go after criminal illegal immigrants. (Department of Homeland Security)

“As of today, we’re starting seven new miles of construction, we’re going to continue to make America safe again,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a video posted to X on March 16.

The region became a key focal point for politicians on the 2024 campaign trail, with many stopping for visits despite not running in geographical border states themselves — a key indicator that border security and immigration were a top issue for American voters.

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“Every state has been impacted by the human trafficking as well as the trafficking of narcotics. For the last four years, as I’ve traveled throughout the United States, every single community leader or member of a community has approached me saying that they have never seen such an impact from narcotics and from illegal immigration in their communities, and that their resources to provide for the individuals in their community have been exhausted,” Lines said.