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Scott Hall, an Atlanta bail bondsman who is one of former President Donald Trump’s 18 co-defendants in the Georgia 2020 election interference case, pleaded guilty Friday.

He is the first defendant to take a plea deal. 

Hall, 59, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of conspiracy to commit intentional interference with performing election duties. Prosecutors had accused him of trying to steal sensitive information from Coffee County, Georgia. He pled down from felony charges of racketeering and six conspiracy counts.

Under the agreement reached with prosecutors, Hall will receive five years probation and must testify in further proceedings. He was given a $5,000 fine, ordered to complete 200 hours of community service and is prohibited from administering elections again. 

GEORGIA INDICTMENT: FIRST TRUMP CO-DEFENDANT PLEADS ‘NOT GUILTY’

Hall must also write a letter of apology to the citizens of the state of Georgia and is under a gag order prohibiting him from speaking to the press.

He is a minor figure in the grand plot that District Attorney Fani Willis alleges Trump orchestrated to overturn Democrat Joe Biden’s victory and stay in power. Still, the plea deal is a win for Willis as she advances her racketeering case against Trump. 

Hall’s attorney Jeff Weiner, who was in court with him Friday, said that under the deal, his client’s record will be wiped clean after he completes probation. The agreement allows Hall to avoid the stress of “living under a serious felony indictment” without knowing when he might go to trial, the attorney told the Associated Press.

“This way, it’s over,” Weiner said. “He can sleep well and get on with his life.”

TRUMP DEMANDS COURT IGNORE DOJ REQUEST FOR GAG ORDER

Weiner told the Associated Press that his client does not know much about the alleged conspiracy and said he would be surprised if prosecutors were to call him to testify. 

The 98-page Fulton County indictment describes Hall as an associate of longtime Trump adviser David Bossie.

Hall is accused of conspiring to unlawfully access voter data and ballot counting machines at the Coffee County Election office on January 7, 2021. Trump allies had sought access to voting systems to support their claims that voting systems had been tampered with to steal the election. 

Authorities say that Hall and co-defendants conspired to allow others to “unlawfully access secure voting equipment and voter data.” This included ballot images, voting equipment software and personal vote information that was later made available to people in other states, according to the indictment.

SIDNEY POWELL AND KENNETH CHESEBRO TO BE TRIED SEPARATELY FROM TRUMP, 16 OTHER DEFENDANTS IN GEORGIA CASE

The District Attorney’s office has not commented on the plea deal. 

Trump spokesman Steven Cheung did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

At another hearing Friday, prosecutor Nathan Wade revealed that the district attorney’s office planned to offer plea deals to lawyers Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro. The pair are due to be tried in court on October 23, even though their lawyers have argued that they do not know each other and are not accused of participating in the same acts, the Associated Press reported.

Powell faces charges related to a breach of election equipment in rural Coffee County. She allegedly hired a computer forensics team that copied data and software from the election equipment without authorization.

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Chesebro was indicted in connection to a plan to have 16 Georgia Republicans falsely declare themselves “duly elected and qualified” electors and name Trump the winner of the state’s 2020 presidential election.  

Finally, on Friday, U.S. District Judge Steve Jones rejected requests by four other defendants, including former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, to move the charges against them from state court to federal court. 

Clark is charged with one count of racketeering and one count of criminal attempt to commit false statements.

Fox News’ Timothy H.J. Nerozzi and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

LONG BEACH, Calif. – EXCLUSIVE – As he runs for the Republican presidential nomination, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis likes to target one of his favorite foils – Gov. Gavin Newsom.

But DeSantis, in an exclusive interview with Fox News, said that his war of words with California’s two-term Democratic governor isn’t personal.

“To me this is all business. I understand how this game is played,” DeSantis emphasized. “For him, it may be a little bit different.” 

DeSantis was interviewed on Friday, minutes before holding a campaign event at the LA Grain Harbor Facility at the Port of Long Beach — to take aim at Newsom and President Biden over electric vehicle mandates in the Golden State.

DESANTIS VOWS TO DEPORT THOSE WHO CAME TO U.S. ‘ILLEGALLY’ DURING BIDEN ADMINISTRATION

“California and Florida just have two very different models, and we’ve seen the results of those models. People have fled California since he’s been governor. That’s never happened before. California used to be the state everyone aspired to go to. A lot of them have moved to Florida, which we never had before when I was growing up,” DeSantis reiterated.

DeSantis argued “that’s just a difference in leadership and policy” and that “I think it’s also a window into the country’s future because what they’re doing in California – this is just a few years ahead of what Democrats in Washington typically want to do. California is kind of the leading indicator.”

NEWSOM’S POTENTIAL PRESIDENITAL AMBITIONS FRONT AND CENTER AS HE TOUTS BIDEN AT SECOND GOP DEBATE

“So all the policies they’re pursing here that are not working, you can bet your bottom dollar in a Biden second term or if [Vice President Kamala] Harris or Newsom are the candidate, that’s what they would want to do. So the choice is really – our country’s going in the wrong direction. The California model will simply accelerate our country’s decline. The Florida model provides us a model for American revival and reversing the country’s decline.”

DeSantis’ reference to a potential Newsom 2024 presidential run is the latest rampant speculation from Republicans that Newsom’s secretly mulling a White House run in 2024 should something happen to Biden — but Newsom has repeatedly denied eyeing a presidential run next year.

The comments were the latest verbal fireworks in an increasingly bitter battle between DeSantis and Newsom — two governors with outsized national profiles who run the nation’s first and third most populous states.

The war of words between DeSantis and Newsom — which has been flaring for more than a year and a half — shows no signs of letting up.

Newsom went up with an ad on Florida airwaves last year that targeted DeSantis’ culture wars fueled politics and polices. “Freedom, it’s under attack in your state. Republican leaders, they’re banning books, making it harder to vote, restricting speech in classrooms, even criminalizing women and doctors,” Newsom argued in his spot.

Earlier this year, in taking aim at Newsom, DeSantis called San Francisco — the city Newsom served two terms as mayor — a “dumpster fire.”

The governors — who’ve long battled on social media over their very different COVID policies and restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic — this year have traded fire over the move by DeSantis to fly undocumented migrants from to California. The Florida governor has made border security a top issue in recent years and has repeatedly highlighted his efforts on the 2024 Republican presidential campaign trail.

“They’re perfect foils for one another. They both lead some of the biggest states in the country. They both have very prominent roles in their respective parties, and they both love attention,” longtime Republican strategist and communicator Ryan Williams told Fox News.

Williams, a veteran of numerous presidential and statewide campaigns, noted that “it’s in their best interests to attack one another. It gets both of their bases riled up. And it gives them a national platform to fight with each other.”

Newsom, speaking with Fox News Digital in the spin room at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library following Wednesday’s second GOP presidential nomination debate, took a jab at DeSantis as he critiqued the Florida governor’s debate performance.

“Nikki Haley laid him out,” Newsom argued. “He had a bad night.”

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The two will debate each other in November.

Newsom, in an interview in June on Fox News “Hannity,” quickly welcomed a live showdown with DeSantis that was proposed by host Sean Hannity. When asked by Hannity if he’d agree to a two-hour debate with his rival from California, Newsom quickly responded “I’d make it three.”

After some cross-fire between the two camps, an agreement was recently struck to move ahead with the prime-time face-off.

Asked about the debate, DeSantis told Fox News Digital on Friday that “I think for me – he’s the one – you know Sean asked him to debate. He said yes. So then they asked me. I’m like ‘I’ll do it. Let’s do it.” And now he’s acting like ‘why do you want to debate me.’ Well I’m debating you because you asked to do it so let’s go and get it done.”

But DeSantis also emphasized “I do think it will be good, it will be instructive. These are the types of debates America really needs to have.”

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

LOS ANGELES – The road to the 2024 Republican presidential nomination run through deep blue California this week – and not just because of Wednesday’s second GOP primary debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

Former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina all addressed the California GOP’s Fall 2023 Convention in Anaheim on Friday with multi-millionaire biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy set to speak on Saturday.

Behind the scenes at what’s being billed as the Golden State Republican Party’s largest convention ever is a brewing battle between allies of DeSantis and Trump over a recent state party rules change that could allow the former president to sweep all the state’s 169 delegates when California holds its presidential primary on March 5. California is the biggest prize among the dozen states holding Super Tuesday Republican presidential nominating contests.

While Trump — the commanding front-runner for months in the race to be the Republican Party’s 2024 standard-bearer — skipped the first two presidential debates, he made sure to show up at the convention, which will attract the state’s top conservative leaders and activists, some of whom will serve as delegates next year.

GRIZZLY TRANSFORMATION: HOW CALIFORNIA SWITCHED FROM ONE-TIME RED STATE TO BLUE BASTION

While Democratic dominated California will likely once again be an afterthought in the presidential election, the state’s GOP primary could potentially give Trump a decisive victory in the party’s nomination race. And DeSantis allies are crying foul.

“The Trump team came in to rig the rules in their favor,” said Ken Cuccinelli, a former Virginia attorney general and deputy secretary of Homeland Security in the Trump administration who earlier this year founded the DeSantis aligned super PAC Never Back Down.

Last month Never Baack Down spokesperson Erin Perrine argued the rules change in California was a “Trump-inspired rigging”

FIRST ON FOX: THE RNC RAISES THE BAR FOR THE CANDIDATES TO MAKE THE STAGE AT THE THIRD PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE

The Trump campaign did support the new rules, which state that a GOP presidential candidate who wins more than 50% of the primary vote will be awarded all 169 delegates up for grabs. If no candidate reaches that mark, the delegates will be divided proportionally.

That’s a dramatic switch from past California GOP primaries, where presidential candidates battled for delegates in each of the state’s congressional districts, as well as for the statewide vote. The winner in each congressional district secured three delegates, with the candidate who won the largest number of statewide votes landing roughly a dozen more delegates.

Asked in an exclusive interview Friday with Fox News about the rules change, DeSantis took aim at Trump’s allies, arguing that they are trying to “basically rig it for him. To me, I think it should just be an open fair process and let the best person win.”

California GOP chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson told Fox News Digital that “our goal in our rules change was, number one to get compliant with the RNC [Republican National Committee] rules. Our previous rules did not allow for us to have our full delegation. We would be struck down half of our delegation. So we had to change the rules.”

While plenty of California Republicans have railed against the new rules, Patterson predicts that they’ll motivate presidential candidates to come to California to campaign and drive turnout, to help make the Golden State a key player in choosing the 2024 Republican Party presidential nominee.

“We wanted to make sure the rules were fair for everyone,” Patterson emphasized. “We think this gives the best opportunity for an even playing field for the presidential primary.”

 Delegate rules will be finalized this weekend, on the final day of the convention. But changing the current rules won’t be easy and efforts by DeSantis supporters face very high hurdles.

DeSantis, in his Fox News interview, once again took aim at Trump for not taking the stage at the first two GOP presidential nomination debates.

“You’ve got to earn the nomination. Nobody is entitled to anything. I know voters in Iowa and New Hampshire. They expect to hear from the candidates. They expect you to stand up in these forums and make your case, answer questions, even spar with the other candidates. So I think it’s a big mistake that he’s ducking debates. I think it’s a big mistake that he’s sending the signals that really the voters don’t matter,” DeSantis said. 

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Trump, at the convention, once again touted his enormous polling lead over DeSantis and the rest of the GOP field.

“Have I done a number on that guy,” Trump said to the crowd. “Have we done a number on him.”

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

FIRST ON FOX: The NRA slammed President Biden’s launch of the first-ever federal office to address “gun violence prevention,” while criticizing the office’s director, who has repeatedly vowed on social media to help “defeat” the Second Amendment group.  

“The Biden administration’s new White House Office of so-called ‘Gun Violence Prevention’ might as well be renamed the ‘Federal Office to Disarm Law-Abiding Americans and Defeat the NRA.’ One doesn’t have to look far into Stefanie Feldman’s social media to see biases and agenda: a barrage of over 20 posts aggressively targeting the NRA, combined with promises of ‘big, bold’ executive action on gun control, paints a clear picture,” NRA spokesman Billy McLaughlin told Fox News Digital. 

Biden announced the creation of the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention last week, with Vice President Kamala Harris leading the office and Stefanie Feldman serving as the office’s director. Feldman is a longtime Biden aide. 

“Every time I’ve met with families impacted by gun violence as they mourn their loved ones, and I’ve met with so many throughout the country, they all have the same message for their elected officials: ‘do something,’” Biden said in a statement leading up to the announcement. 

NRA DIGS UP HISTORY TO PUSH BACK ON KAMALA HARRIS’ CLAIM ON ‘ASSAULT’ BAN

Biden said the establishment of the office will “send a clear message about how important this issue is to me and to the country” and will “centralize, accelerate, and intensify our work to save more lives more quickly.”

A review of Feldman’s X account shows a handful of messages, going back to at least 2019, vowing to defeat the NRA, former President Trump and gun manufacturers, while others praised gun control activist groups that pledged support to Biden during the 2020 election. 

“Vote Biden. Defeat the NRA,” Stefanie Feldman posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, in 2020, adding that, “The stakes are high.”

“Brady is officially on Team Joe! Together, we’ll defeat Donald Trump. Then we’ll defeat gun manufacturers and the NRA,” Feldman posted in March of 2020, referring to a gun control nonprofit supporting Biden’s presidential campaign. 

“Biden will be the gun safety president. He’s beaten the NRA before,” she wrote in another post in January 2020. 

“Joe Biden isn’t afraid of the NRA & gun manufacturers. He’s defeated them twice before (background checks & assault weapons/high-cap mag bans). As president, he’ll defeat them again. And, he’ll repeal the non-sensical liability protection for gun manufacturers,” she wrote in another post in 2019. 

BIDEN DOUBLES DOWN ON ‘ASSAULT WEAPONS’ BAN, SAYS HE’LL SEE THROUGH THE PROCESS LIKE ‘IN 1994’

Harris has issued similar posts, including a post last month saying, “@JoeBiden has taken on the @NRA and won. He can do it again,” which was accompanied by a campaign ad celebrating Biden’s determination to “ban assault weapons.” 

The post refers to Biden voting to ban semiautomatic firearms in 1994 as part of a major crime bill when he served as a Delaware Senator. The bill was passed by Congress, signed into law by former President Clinton and enacted a 10-year ban on the manufacture, transfer or possession of “semiautomatic assault weapons” and “large capacity ammunition feeding devices.”

BIDEN TAKING HEAT AFTER CALLING FOR ‘ASSAULT WEAPONS’ BAN: ‘IT’S TIME FOR YOUR NAP’

The law expired in 2004, when George W. Bush was president and Republicans controlled both chambers of Congress. 

A Department of Justice study, published in 1999 that examined the short-term effects of the ban, found it “failed to reduce the average number of victims per gun murder incident or multiple gunshot wound victims.” Another DOJ study published in 2004 determined the ban’s “effects on gun violence are likely to be small at best and perhaps too small for reliable measurement.”

Democrats, however, have continued championing the bill as one that curbed mass shootings. 

BIDEN ANNOUNCES EXECUTIVE ORDER TO EXPAND GUN BACKGROUND CHECKS, CALLS ON LAWMAKERS TO GO FARTHER 

A White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital in response to the NRA’s comment on the office and Feldman’s posts that the president “believes American kids shouldn’t have to learn to duck and cover before they learn to read and write.”

“President Biden believes we can’t have law enforcement officers being confronted with weapons of war on our streets. President Biden believes you can’t be tough on crime and soft on guns. And President Biden will continue to be unequivocal and relentless in working to make our communities safer and urging Congress to act on commonsense gun safety legislation that will save lives,” the spokesperson continued. 

McLaughlin argued in his comment to Fox News Digital this month that the Biden White House is “using gun control to divert attention from the Biden Crime Wave.”

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“This administration is using gun control to divert attention from the Biden Crime Wave and their soft-on-criminal policies, destroying communities across America. Rather than spending his time on vacation and cozying up to the deep pockets of the gun control lobby, perhaps it’s time for Joe Biden to tackle the real issues and focus on the rising crime rates,” he said.

Former President Trump said he would use “federal law enforcement assets” to prevent shoplifting and theft during a California GOP speech on Friday.

Trump addressed the California GOP during a Friday luncheon where he discussed ideas to restore law and order in Golden State cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Trump said that if elected, he would do everything in his power — “including sending as many federal assets as required to restore safety and peace” — for cities that have seen what he called a breakdown of law and order.

“We will immediately stop all of the pillaging and theft,” Trump said. “Very simply, if you rob a store, you can fully expect to be shot as you are leaving that store. Shot!”

TRUMP WEIGHS IN ON TAYLOR SWIFT RELATIONSHIP WITH NFL STAR TRAVIS KELCE, PREDICTS IF RELATIONSHIP WILL LAST

The former president also said “we have the greatest law enforcement in the world” and that they “know what to do, but they aren’t allowed to do anything because of incompetent politicians.”

“The word that ‘they shoot you’ will get out within minutes, and our nation within one day will be an entirely different place,” Trump said.

“There must be retribution for theft, and destruction, and the ruination of our country,” he added.

Trump’s comments come as the former president runs to take the Republican presidential nomination in a robust field of candidates. Trump holds a commanding lead in early GOP primary polls.

The former president’s speech in California came after the second GOP presidential primary debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. 

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Trump did not participate in Wednesday’s second debate while seven of his challengers took the stage looking to close the gap on the former president.

Trump remains the frontrunner in the GOP primary, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley trailing in most early GOP primary polls.

Fox News Digital’s Thomas Phippen contributed reporting.

Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is teasing a “major announcement,” fueling speculation that he will be running as an independent. 

“I’m going to be in Philadelphia on October 9 to make a major announcement at the very birthplace of our nation,” Kennedy said in a video announcement released Friday. 

“I’m not going to tell you right now exactly what that announcement will be. I can say, though, that if you’ve been waiting to come to one of my public events, this will be the one to come to,” he teased.

While the video stopped short of saying he would no longer be running as a Democrat, Kennedy did call out the “corruption” that has overtaken “the leadership of both political parties” in addition to the executive branch and Congress. 

ROBERT F KENNEDY JR ATTACKS BIDEN’S ‘DISASTER’ BORDER POLICY, CALLS IT UNSUSTAINABLE

“So how are we gonna win against the established Washington interests? It’s not through playing the game by the corrupt rules that the corrupt powers, the vested interests have rigged to keep us all in their thrall. Instead, we’re gonna have to rewrite the assumptions and change the habits of American politics” Kennedy said. 

“We’re gonna tap into a mighty surge of people power and reclaim an honest, peaceful, just and prosperous America. So I am inviting you to join me in Philadelphia on October 9. There I’ll share with you our path to the White House and how we can all participate in healing our nation.”

When asked for comment, Kennedy’s campaign sent the campaign video to Fox News Digital and added “Save the Date, Save the Country.”

JOE ROGAN SAYS HE’D VOTE FOR RFK JR. BUT DEMS WILL HAVE ‘RASCALLY TRICKS UP THEIR SLEEVES’ TO PREVENT IT

The campaign teaser comes as some media reports suggest Kennedy will use the Oct. 9 event to announce the launch of an independent bid. 

According to the report, his campaign will release “attack ads” against the Democratic National Committee that will “pave the way” towards his relaunched candidacy. 

“Bobby feels that the DNC is changing the rules to exclude his candidacy so an independent run is the only way to go,” a campaign insider told Mediaite.

RFK JR URGES BIDEN TO DEBATE, PROVE TO VOTERS THAT ‘UNELECTED PEOPLE’ AREN’T RUNNING THE WHITE HOUSE

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Kennedy has been vocal with his criticism towards the DNC, especially over its refusal to host primary debates as he and spiritual guru and former 2020 candidate Marianne Williamson have formally challenged President Biden.

The RealClearPolitics average of polls show Kennedy at roughly 15% against Biden’s 65%, though polls continue showing that many Democratic voters would prefer see someone other than the 80-year-old incumbent at the top of the ticket. 

However, Kennedy’s potential entry as an independent candidate will fuel questions whether his presence in the 2024 race will hurt President Biden more or former President Trump. Recent polls indicate that Kennedy has a much higher favorable rating among GOP voters than Democrats due to various positions that oppose the Democrat establishment. 

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

President Biden on Friday warned the House of Representatives that it would be committing an “absolute dereliction of duty” to American troops if they cannot figure out a way to avoid a government shutdown. 

Biden made the blistering remark during a farewell tribute to outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, whose role today has now been taken over by Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr. Congress has until 12:01 a.m. Sunday to pass a short-term funding bill. 

“If the House fails to fulfill its most basic function, if it fails to fund government by tomorrow, we will have failed all our troops,” Biden said. “Our service members will keep upholding their oath. Showing up for work. Standing sentinel around the world. Keeping our country secure. But they won’t get paid. It’s a disgrace.  

“Thousands of Defense Department civilian and civilian servants will be sent home. And the longer the shutdown lasts, the harder it will become military families to pay their bills,” Biden continued. “We can’t be playing politics while our troops stand in the breach. It’s an absolute dereliction of duty. As leaders, we must never lose sight of the direct impacts of the decisions we make and the impact they have on the lives and families around the world.” 

TRUMP COMMENT ABOUT PUNISHING GEN. MILLEY WITH ‘DEATH’ CAUSES MAJOR OUTCRY FROM GOP RIVALS 

Biden, during a speech paying tribute to Milley at Joint Base Myer-Henderson in Arlington, Virginia, described him as a “patriot, uncompromising in his duty, unflinching in the face of danger and unwavering in his service to the country.” 

“During his tenure as chairman, Mark has been a steady hand guiding our military as we navigate what I would argue is one of the most complex security environments our world has faced in a long time. He’s been critical to strengthen America’s existing alliances from NATO to the Indo-Pacific, to building, to new strategic partnerships like AUKUS keeping our force at a cutting edge in the fields of cyber and space,” Biden said. “Ending America’s longest war and continuing to take terrorists off the battlefield. Standing with the brave people of Ukraine, making sure they have the equipment, the support they need when they need it, to defend their freedom.” 

Biden also said he has been “damn proud” to serve with Milley. 

Milley, prior to being the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, served as the 39th Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army. 

US SOLDIER TRAVIS KING BACK ON AMERICAN SOIL AFTER BEING FREED BY NORTH KOREA 

The Massachusetts native graduated from Princeton University in 1980, receiving his commission from Army ROTC, before going on to hold “multiple command and staff positions in six divisions and a Special Forces Group throughout the last 44 years,” a biography by the Department of Defense says. 

“General Milley’s operational deployments include the Multi-National Force and Observers Task Force, Sinai, Egypt; Operation JUST CAUSE, Panama; Operation UPHOLD DEMOCRACY, Haiti; Operation JOINT FORGE, Bosnia-Herzegovina; Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, Iraq; and three tours during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, Afghanistan. GEN Milley also deployed to Colombia, Somalia and served two years on the DMZ in the Republic of Korea,” it adds. 

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Milley and his wife Hollyanne have two children and have been married for more than 38 years. 

FIRST ON FOX — Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is doubling down on his forceful policies regarding the southern border after the Mexican president urged American voters not to support him in the 2024 election. 

Ramaswamy has been vocal about wanting to send the military to the border in order to crack down on the surge of migrants coming into the U.S. and go after the drug cartels.  

During a press conference earlier this week, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador lashed out at the 38-year-old political outsider after he was asked by a reporter about the candidate’s so-called “threat” to the country.

“That candidate from the Republican Party who says he is going to invade Mexico, no American of Mexican origin should vote for him,” Obrador said, “because he who does not love his homeland does not love his mother.”

RAMASWAMY UNVEILS PLAN TO ‘DECLARE ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE FROM CHINA’ IN UPCOMING POLICY SPEECH

In a statement first made to Fox News Digital, Ramaswamy knocked Obrador — suggesting the drug cartels are his “sugar daddy” and insisting that things will change if the GOP hopeful makes it to the White House.

“It’s not just illegal migrants, human trafficking, and fentanyl pouring through our Swiss cheese, open border anymore,” Ramaswamy said. “Now, we have armed cartel gunmen directly invading our homeland.”

“The U.S. military has one job: to protect American citizens on our own soil. The cartels may be AMLO’s sugar daddy now, but soon there will be a new daddy in town. As President, I will call Mexico’s president in January 2025 to deliver a clear message that we will support you in decimating the cartels. Military force is both legally and morally justified. Time to end the crisis,” he added. 

WWII GOES VIRAL AT RAMASWAMY NH TOWN HALL: WHAT YOU’RE SAYING IS ‘EXACTLY WHAT MY GENERATION GREW UP IN’

At Wednesday’s second GOP debate, Ramaswamy reiterated his tough border stance, suggesting the drug cartels are guilty of “bioterrorism” for the fentanyl deaths that occur in the U.S. 

“We have to seal that southern border. Building the wall is not enough. They’re building cartel-financed tunnels,” Ramaswamy said. “We have to use our own military to seal the Swiss cheese of a southern border.”

RAMASWAMY CALLS HUNTER BIDEN GUN CHARGES A ‘SMOKESCREEN’: THE ‘REAL PROBLEM’ IS BIDEN FAMILY’S FINANCES

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According to the RealClearPolitics average of national polls, Ramaswamy is placing fourth in the GOP field with 5.3%, narrowly behind former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley with 5.8%. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was center stage at Wednesday’s debate, averaging 14% in national polls while former President Trump continues to maintain a commanding lead over his Republican challengers, averaging a whopping 57%. However, Trump’s averages in early primary contests like in Iowa and New Hampshire are currently below 50%, giving a potential roadmap for his rivals to overtake him as the campaign unfolds. 

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

The Biden administration proposed its highly-anticipated offshore oil and gas leasing program for the next five years on Friday morning, laying out just three Gulf of Mexico lease sales through 2029.

The Department of the Interior (DOI) published the plan in a federal filing early Friday, laying out plans to lease oil and gas drilling rights across the Gulf of Mexico in 2025, 2027 and 2029. The plan, which is slated to be finalized by the end of the year, represents the lowest number of offshore lease sales ever proposed by the federal government and blocks leasing off the Alaskan coast, and in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

“The release of the U.S. offshore leasing program, mandated by law and long overdue, is an utter failure for the country,” Erik Milito, the president of the National Ocean Industries Association, which represents both traditional and renewable offshore energy producers, said in a statement Friday. 

“President Biden’s approach significantly curtails access to a critical national asset at a time when energy inflation is rampant, the likelihood of a national recession looms, and global efforts are intensifying to curb greenhouse gas emissions,” Milito said. “The White House simply ignores our energy realities in once again limiting U.S. energy production opportunities.”

MANCHIN, OTHERS TORCH BIDEN FOR BANNING OIL DRILLING ACROSS MILLIONS OF ACRES: ‘ASSAULT ON OUR ECONOMY’

Under the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, the federal government is required to issue plans every five years laying out prospective offshore oil and gas lease sales. The most recent plan, which was implemented in 2017, expired in June 2022.

On July 1, 2022, the DOI published the draft proposal for its replacement five-year plan, which laid out multiple options for leasing between 2024 and 2029. The plan included an option with no lease sales during the time span and a maximum option of 11 lease sales. Friday’s proposal represents a middle ground option that will likely receive pushback from both environmentalists and fossil fuel proponents.

The 2022 draft proposal also ruled out any lease sales in the Atlantic or Pacific, solely opening up the possibility of future Gulf of Mexico sales and one potential offshore Alaska sale, though that sale was ultimately axed from the proposal Friday.

BIDEN ADMIN UNVEILS SWEEPING NEW ACTIONS INCREASING COSTS FOR OIL, GAS LEASING

“With global demand at record levels and continuing to rise, regressive policies like this serve to harm Americans of all walks of life,” Milito continued. “The dramatically low number of lease sales puts upward pressure on prices at the pump, destroys good-paying jobs that form the fabric of Gulf Coast communities, and relinquishes geopolitical advantages of energy production to countries like Russia, Iran, and China.”

The persistent  delay in issuing a proposed plan represents a departure from precedent set by both Republican and Democratic administrations, which have historically finalized replacements immediately after previous plans expired. The option to hold no lease sales over the course of five years also represented an unprecedented departure. 

The most recent two plans, both formulated under the Obama administration, included more than 10 offshore oil and gas lease sales each. The Trump administration sought to hold a total of 47 lease sales across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf of Mexico and off Alaska’s coasts between 2022 and 2027.

“At a time when inflation runs rampant across the country, the Biden administration is choosing failed energy policies that are adding to the pain Americans are feeling at the pump,” American Petroleum Institute President and CEO Mike Sommers said in a statement.

“This restrictive offshore leasing program is the latest tactic in a coordinated strategy to reduce energy production, ultimately weakening America’s energy dominance, limiting consumers access to affordable reliable energy and compromising our ability to lead on the global stage. For decades, we’ve strived for energy security and this administration keeps trying to give it away.”

WHITE HOUSE REFUSES TO REVEAL HOW COSTLY POTENTIAL BILLION-DOLLAR CLIMATE PROGRAM COULD BE FOR TAXPAYERS

While the proposed number of lease sales is far lower than the possible 11 sales, it is still more than climate activist organizations had called for. Groups led Center for Biological Diversity had argued the administration was legally able to move ahead with zero lease sales in the five-year plan.

“President Biden campaigned on climate leadership, but he seems poised to let us down at the worst possible moment,” Brady Bradshaw, the senior oceans campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity, said after the DOI issued its July 2022 draft proposal. The reckless approval of yet more offshore drilling would mean more oil spills, more dead wildlife and more polluted communities. We need a five-year plan with no new leases.”

In May 2022, the DOI canceled the three remaining lease sales scheduled under the current plan, one of which spanned more than a million acres in the Cook Inlet off the coast of Alaska. However, the Inflation Reduction Act passed months later mandated that the administration reverse that decision and hold the sales.

The Inflation Reduction Act further tethers new offshore wind energy leases to new oil and gas leases, meaning the former could be threatened without consistent fossil fuel leasing. That provision likely forced the Biden administration to ultimately move forward with some lease sales in the proposal Friday.

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The only remaining sale, Lease Sale 261, was set for this week, but was delayed due to ongoing litigation which was initiated after the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management attempted to issue restrictions on leases purchased and reduce the amount of acreage available for lease. The sale is expected to span millions of acres in the Gulf of Mexico.

In addition, the Biden administration issued a proposal earlier this month blocking off 2.8 million of acres in the Beaufort Sea off the northern coast of Alaska, from oil and gas leasing.

“With climate change warming the Arctic more than twice as fast as the rest of the planet, we must do everything within our control to meet the highest standards of care to protect this fragile ecosystem,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said on Sept. 6. “President Biden is delivering on the most ambitious climate and conservation agenda in history.”

Conservative pundits reacted to Wednesday night’s GOP presidential debate by calling for the field to narrow while also concluding, along with a poll following the debate, that Gov. Ron DeSantis is the candidate in the best position to go up against former President Trump.

“Honestly, nothing personal, but I felt Nikki Haley won the obnoxious title in this debate,” conservative commentator Mark Levin posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.  “Lots of personal attacks. Her record as governor is also quite weak. Scott began to address it. Pence, Burgham, Christie need to go. DeSantis was very solid. Actually got a bit more time. But time to thin the herd.”

“The DeSantis strategy is do well in Iowa, the bottom three or four candidates should drop out at this point, they have no hope,” Fox News contributor Jason Chaffetz said on FOX Business.

“It’s a two-man race at this point,” political commentator Rob Smith posted on X. “I believe DeSantis will surprise in Iowa and New Hampshire, and it will completely reset the conversation. I am not paid to promote anyone, I call it as I see it.”

DESANTIS SUGGESTS ONE-ON-ONE DEBATE WITH TRUMP: ‘YOU OWE IT TO THE VOTERS’

Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts posted on X that the debate between Trump and DeSantis is “the debate Americans want regardless of who their preferred candidate is.”

“Tonight’s debate, which was a sideshow, emphasized the need for this idea. America deserves it.”

DESANTIS FIRES BACK AT ‘OUT OF TOUCH’ HOSTS OF ‘THE VIEW’: ‘WON’T BE PAYING FOR THEIR 9TH BOOSTER’

A 538/Washington Post/Ipsos poll after the debate found that a plurality of voters, 33%, felt DeSantis performed the best, and 54% ranked his performance as excellent or good, the highest of any candidate.

“DeSantis is the only candidate whose favorability rating competes with Donald Trump’s, though more primary voters are considering voting for Trump over DeSantis,” the poll stated. 

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“Even as Trump and DeSantis command the GOP primary field among self-identified Republicans, likely Republican primary voters who identify as independents are split between Trump, DeSantis, and Haley.”

Former President Donald Trump is facing backlash from within the Republican Party after suggesting that outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley committed crimes worthy of the death penalty.

Trump wrote the fiery accusations on his social media platform Truth Social, taking umbrage with Milley’s reported phone call with China following the Jan. 6, 2021, protests.

Trump wrote that Milley “turned out to be a Woke train wreck who, if the Fake News reporting is correct, was actually dealing with China to give them a heads-up on the thinking of the President of the United States.”

Milley spoke with Chinese counterparts in the aftermath of the capitol protests to assure them that the United States was not under threat — the general later told Congress that members of the administration were aware of the call.

COURT REJECTS TRUMP’S REQUEST TO DELAY CIVIL TRIAL OUT OF NEW YORK AG JAMES’ INVESTIGATION

“This is an act so egregious that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH!” the former president continued.

Several of  Trump’s fellow Republican 2024 presidential hopefuls spoke out against his comments, including former Vice President Mike Pence.

“There is no call for that kind of language directed toward someone who’s worn the uniform of the United States and served with such distinction,” Pence said.

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson told Politico that Trump’s rhetoric created genuine danger for Milley and disrespected the military.

“To suggest that Gen. Milley should be executed is inexcusable and dangerous,” Hutchinson told the outlet. “While some will excuse this latest outrage as Trump just being Trump, the fact is that his statement endangers people and is an insult to those who serve in the military.”

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie called Trump an “absolute child” for his comments during an interview with MSNBC.

TRUMP CLAIMS HE WOULDN’T PICK ANY GOP RIVALS AS HYPOTHETICAL VP

Milley, meanwhile, said the rhetoric endangers his family.

“I wish those comments had not been made, and I’ll take appropriate measures to ensure my safety and the safety of my family,” Milley told CBS News on Wednesday night.

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The former general said he has taken “adequate safety precautions” following Trump’s post.

“As much as these comments are directed at me, it’s also directed at the institution of the military. And there is 2.1 million of us in uniform,” Milley continued. “And the American people can take it to the bank, that all of us, every single one of us, from private to general, are loyal to that Constitution and will never turn our back on it no matter what. No matter what the threats, no matter what the humiliation, no matter what.”

House Democrats are now claiming that President Joe Biden actually is guilty – of loving his son Hunter.

The House Oversight Committee held an impeachment inquiry hearing Thursday that delved into the relation to between President Biden and his involvement in his son Hunter’s foreign business dealings.

Democrat Reps. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., and Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas., fumed at House Republicans during their 5-minute remarks, attempting to argue that the president is innocent on the basis that he is just “a father.”

DEMOCRATS SEEK TO SWITCH BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY HEARING FOCUS TO TRUMP

“This entire fake impeachment inquiry isn’t about the United States; it’s about Hunter Biden. And the only thing the president can be guilty of here is being a father,” Bowman said during the hearing.

After using up most of her time shifting the focus from Biden to former President Donald Trump, Crockett also claimed that Biden is nothing but “guilty of loving his child unconditionally.”

“Tell you what the president has been guilty of. He has unfortunately been guilty of loving his child unconditionally, and that is the only evidence that they have brought forward. And honestly, I hope and pray that my parents love me half as much as he loves his child.”

HUNTER BIDEN’S $250K WIRE FROM CHINA LABELED AS A ‘PERSONAL INVESTMENT’

House Republicans launched the inquiry pledging to provide “accountability” as they investigate Biden family finances and business dealings. 

Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer alleges they have a “mountain of evidence” indicating that President Biden had previously leveraged his public office for personal gain for his family.

“The bottom line is that the committee has shown the Bidens alone brought in over $15 million in their foreign influence peddling, over $24 million if you account for their associate’s earnings from the schemes,” Comer said.

“We have established in the first phase of this investigation where this money has come from Ukraine, Romania, Russia, Kazakhstan, China; it didn’t come from selling anything legitimate,” he continued. “It largely went unreported to the IRS. It was funneled through shell companies and third parties to hide the Biden’s fingerprints.”

“This deserves investigation,” he added. “This deserves accountability. The American people expect this committee to investigate public corruption.”

Comer then outlined the committee’s next steps in the inquiry.

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“Now we know much of the money goes — Hunter Biden, Haley Biden, James Biden, Sarah Biden, other Biden family members and their business entities,” Comer said. “What we need to understand is where it goes next. That is the question this committee has to answer. And the evidence supports that next step.”

Comer said he would subpoena the bank records of Hunter Biden, James Biden and their affiliated companies.

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

Welcome to the Fox News politics newsletter! We’ve put together a recap of the top moments from the GOP presidential primary debate. In case you missed it: The showdown was hosted on September 27 by FOX Business and Univision at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

MISSED THE DEBATE? See all the tense exchanges and memorable moments right here.

Here’s what you need to know: 

1. ‘Missing in action’

Former President Donald Trump was not at the second GOP debate, but his name was invoked multiple times. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hit Trump for being “missing in action.” …Read more

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie floated a Disney-themed nickname for the insulter-in-chief that didn’t seem to land. …Read more

Trump himself clapped back at Christie in comments to FOX Business: “Anybody that would come up with that nickname shouldn’t be running for president.” …Read more

2. Big fights

GOP candidates were more aggressive than in the first debate, and multiple moments descended into interruptions and shouting. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott brought the heat against DeSantis for the dispute about whether Florida’s curriculum was soft on slavery (DeSantis called the whole issue a “hoax”). …Read more

Even North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, the least-well known on the stage, scored some hits and conservative pundits generally viewed him as having a good night. …Read more

3. Big fails

Several jokes and one-liners flew a little too close to the sun. Former Vice President Mike Pence made a comment about sleeping with a teacher. Pence also delivered a line about the president visiting the autoworkers strike: “Joe Biden doesn’t belong on a picket line, he belongs on the unemployment line,” Pence said. …Read more

4. Vivek-shaped punching bag

Like the first debate, Vivek Ramaswamy took criticism from all sides, but the strongest came from former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley: “honestly, every time I hear you, I feel a little bit dumber for what you say,” Haley said during a spat over TikTok. Ramaswamy replied that he thinks social media is damaging to teens. …Read more

5. Did Bidenomics win the debate?

The economy and inflation one of the major topics leading up to the debate. While candidates did discuss kitchen table issues and slam Bidenomics, the president’s economic policies “came out mostly unscathed” according to former Clinton strategist Mark Penn.

Similarly, FOX Business host Larry Kudlow was uncertain that the candidates landed any fatal hits on the economy. “I still don’t think Bidenomics was buried today on that stage,” Kudlow said. …Read more

LOOKING AHEAD: A third GOP debate is scheduled for November 8 in Miami, Florida. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has sparked much speculation about a potential White House bid of his own, claimed Wednesday that Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis took the “bait” in agreeing to debate him, a “guy who isn’t even running for president.” 

Newsom attended the second GOP debate of the 20204 cycle in Simi Valley, California, Wednesday on behalf of President Biden’s re-election campaign. Fox News host Sean Hannity is moderating the upcoming 90-minute debate that the Florida governor will be having with Newsom on November 30. 

“Why is he doing it? That’s the right question. He’s running – I think, I’m not sure after tonight, but currently he’s running for president of the United States,” Newsom told FOX 11 Los Angeles anchor Elex Michaelson during a sit-down interview Wednesday. 

Michaelson asked Newsom whether he thinks DeSantis will still be a candidate by November 30. 

DESANTIS SUGGESTS ONE-ON-ONE DEBATE WITH TRUMP: ‘YOU OWE IT TO THE VOTERS’

“That’s an open-ended question. Part of me wonders,” Newsom said. “The fact that he took this debate. The fact that he took the bait in relation to this debate shows that he’s completely unqualified to be president of the United States. That’s my humble, first, personal opinion.” 

“You’re baiting him with the debate offer?” Michaelson asked. 

“Of course. I mean why is he debating a guy who’s not even running for president when he’s running for president?” Newsom asked. “He’s showing up at the Reagan Library, hallowed ground, and he puts out an ad today not for his presidential campaign, to promote a debate against the governor of California. I mean this guy’s distracted, so I don’t know that he has it in his heart. I think – here’s my personal opinion about Ron DeSantis – he regrets running for president.” 

“He made a huge mistake. He listened to his consultants. He bought his own hype. He had this little God complex,” the California governor added of DeSantis. “I mean, look at the ads themselves . . . literally, God created  . . . I mean he bought into all this stuff, and he quickly regretted it, but he’s stuck. And here’s the problem, you get one chance at first impressions – he’s belly flopped. He’s down 30-plus points from where he started. So it’s a terrible situation for him.” 

Fox News Digital reached out to DeSantis’ campaign Thursday for comment about Newsom’s “bait” remark, but they did not immediately respond.

Newsom faced some criticism online over the running-for-president remark, as many doubted that he wouldn’t enter the 2024 race if 80-year-old Biden were to opt out for some reason. 

“This is Gavin Newsom walking back that he stabbed Kamala Harris in the back. Gosh, golly, why would he debate little old me who is totally super not running for president, swear,” Fox News contributor Karol Markowicz posted on X.

Writing to his more than 732,000 followers, Craft Ventures general partner David Sacks mocked, “‘Who’d want to debate an idiot like Gavin Newsom?’ — Gavin Newsom.”

“So — just to clarify — according to Newsom, assuming good faith, taking someone at their word, and being willing to engage in meaningful debate with fellow leaders renders one unqualified for office. Yeah, that tracks,” writer AJ Kay wrote on X to her nearly 60,000 followers. 

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In the spin room after Wednesday’s debate, Hannity also pressed Newsom on whether the California governor would accept the Democratic nomination to run for president in 2024. 

“Of course not,” Newsom finally said. “It’s a hypothetical. It’s ridiculous. Joe Biden’s our president.” 

Democrats vehemently decried the first House Oversight Committee’s impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden on Thursday as a “waste of time” and “illegitimate” as Congress simultaneously raced against the clock to pass a Continuing Resolution (CR) deal and prevent a looming government shutdown before Saturday’s deadline.

“Republican extremism is rearing its ugly head,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told reporters Thursday morning. “They are wasting time and taxpayer dollars on an illegitimate Impeachment Inquiry when we’re about 48 hours away or so from an extreme MAGA, Republican government shutdown — and this is what they’re focused on, an illegitimate impeachment inquiry as opposed to doing the business of the American people.”

Other Democrats followed suit on X, formerly known as Twitter, and joined in on the criticisms of the hearing.

“The government shuts down in TWO DAYS, and House Republicans are… wasting time today holding a sham impeachment hearing??? Stop playing political games. Do your jobs. Fund the government,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., posted to X. The congresswoman previously voted to impeach former President Donald Trump in 2021. 

MACE CALLS DEM CLAIMS ON IMPEACHMENT PUSH ‘COMPLETE AND TOTAL BULLS—‘

California Democrat Robert Garcia said on X: “We are going to hit back on every lie and conspiracy theory.

“We are ready to push back on a sham impeachment inquiry,” Garcia posted Wednesday evening.

Greg Casar, a Democrat running for Congress with the backing of the progressive PAC Justice Democrats, called the impeachment hearing “baseless.”

“My job is to defend the truth, while extremist Republicans try to defend Trump through their fact-free inquiry against President Biden,” Cesar posted to X.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., posted a snarky photo with a thumbs up and holding a box of Bud Light with a sign saying: “TO: REP. COMER & HIS SQUAD A PROFILE IN COURAGE CAN MAKE A GUY THIRSTY. CONGRATULATIONS, THIS BUD’S FOR YOU.
HUGS & KISSES: JOHN FETTERMAN.” 

New Mexico Democrat Rep. Melanie Stansbury said in a video posted to X that the hearing was essentially “continued peddling of conspiracy theories” and shifted the blame to the “continued efforts of Donald Trump to undermine our institutions and our democracy.”

“And then to distract from his own 91 counts of criminal indictment and his own twice impeachment, which is, of course never happened of any president ever before, because of his attempts to overthrow a fair and free election and his attempts, and his attempts to bribe a foreign official, which is part of the matter at hand,” she said.

HOUSE GOP TO PRESENT EVIDENCE AGAINST BIDEN IN FIRST IMPEACHMENT HEARING 

House Republicans on Thursday morning presented evidence uncovered to date as part of their investigation into the Biden family’s business dealings while examining “the value” of an impeachment inquiry.

“The House Oversight and Accountability Committee has uncovered a mountain of evidence revealing how Joe Biden abused his public office for his family’s financial gain,” Comer said in his opening statement. “For years, President Biden has lied to the American people about his knowledge of and participation in his family’s corrupt business schemes.”

“Evidence reveals that then-Vice President Joe Biden spoke, dined, and developed relationships with his family’s foreign business targets. These business targets include foreign oligarchs who sent millions of dollars to his family,” Comer said. “It also includes a Chinese national who wired a quarter of a million dollars to his son.”

Comer was referring to subpoenaed Hunter Biden financial records, which revealed he received two wires originating from Beijing and linked to BHR Partners in 2019.

Fox News Digital first reported that Hunter Biden received the wire payments, which originated in Beijing, for more than $250,000 from Chinese business partners during the summer of 2019 — wires that listed the Delaware home of Joe Biden as the beneficiary address for the funds.

HUNTER BIDEN RECEIVED $250K WIRES ORIGINATING IN BEIJING WITH BENEFICIARY ADDRESS LISTED AS JOE BIDEN’S HOME

The White House did not respond to Fox News’ Digital request for comment.

“Today the House Oversight Committee has uncovered how the Biden’s and their associates created over 20 shell companies, most of which were created when Joe Biden was vice president and raked in over $20 million between 2014 and 2019,” Comer said. “We’ve also identified nine Biden family members who have participated in or benefited from these shady business schemes.”

“And what were the Biden’s selling to make all this money? Joe Biden himself,” Comer continued. “Joe Biden is the brand, and Joe Biden showed up at least two dozen times with business targets and associates sending signals of access, influence and power to those prepared to pay for it.”

Committee Democrats repeatedly accused Republicans of taking cues from Trump in launching the inquiry and used the opportunity to highlight the former president’s myriad legal issues.

“President Trump has gone on his social media account and said we should be impeaching President Biden,” Ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said in his opening statement. “Kevin McCarthy said we have an impeachment inquiry. You draw the conclusion. Directly or indirectly, this impeachment inquiry was a result of President Trump’s pressure.”

Fox News’ Brooke Singman and Jessica Chasmar contributed to this report.

Long-shot Republican presidential candidate Perry Johnson isn’t ruling out a run for the open Senate seat in battleground Michigan.

“Obviously, it’s no secret that I’ve had a lot of calls to run for this seat because they do want to win this seat. But at this point in time, my focus is right on the presidential [race], and, believe me, that’s taking all my time and energy at this point,” Johnson said Thursday in a Fox News Digital interview.

The Michigan businessman and quality control industry expert failed to qualify for the first two Republican presidential nomination debates, including Wednesday’s second showdown, a FOX Business co-hosted event at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

Johnson now faces an even steeper climb to make the stage at the third showdown in early November in Miami, Florida, because the Republican National Committee continues to raise polling and donor thresholds the candidates need to reach to qualify for the upcoming debates.

PERRY JOHNSON DESCRIBES HIMSELF AS ‘TRUMP WITHOUT THE BAGGAGE’

Pointing to the polling threshold for the third GOP debate, Johnson said “4% is a big bar.”

“When you’re an outsider, it’s very hard to get on the debate stage because, not only do you have to hit the poll numbers, then you have to have them [the RNC] say these polls are OK.” He criticized the national party committee for not recognizing certain polls that don’t meet its standards.

Johnson emphasized that, when it comes to his White House campaign, “right now, I think the plan is to go all in, in an individual state. If you’re not on the debate stage, that has to be the approach you take. …. The issue is to get to 4% nationally. 

“You can really only focus on one thing at a time, and when you’re running for president, it’s a full time for job.”

POLITICAL PUNDITS PICK WINNERS AND LOSERS FROM SECOND GOP PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE

Johnson ran last year for the 2022 GOP gubernatorial nomination in Michigan and was considered a top contender before he and four other Republican hopefuls were disqualified because of invalid signatures. He has poured millions of his own money into his 2024 presidential campaign.

As Republicans aim to win back the Senate majority in 2024, they’re eyeing Michigan, where longtime Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow is retiring rather than seeking another term.

“As you can imagine, I get inundated with calls because of the fact that Michigan has an open seat,” Johnson said. “It’s literally a seat that Republicans have not had in Michigan in a long time.”

Former longtime Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan, who served as House Intelligence Committee chair during his last four years in office, launched a GOP Senate campaign earlier this month. Former Rep. Peter Meijer, who backed the impeachment of President Donald Trump, has formed an exploratory committee.

And Michigan State Board of Education member Nikki Snyder, businessperson Michael Hoover and attorney Alexandria Taylor have filed to run for the GOP Senate nomination.

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Rep. Elissa Slotkin is the front-runner for the Democratic Senate nomination in a field that also includes actor and businessman Hill Harper, state Board of Education President Pamela Pugh and former state Rep. Leslie Love. 

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