All eyes on California as House majority still hinges on tight races


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Congressional leaders are anxiously watching several outstanding races in the West as the battle for the majority in the House of Representatives continues.

Most of those races are in California, where Republican incumbents are fighting to hold on to several seats, including districts around the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

The Democratic stronghold was pivotal to House Republicans clinching the majority in 2022, and their leaders are looking for it to deliver again.

“California’s got a lot of the outstanding races, and I’ve talked to each one of our incumbents who are in those 50/50 races — they’re all leading, by the way — but they feel like what is outstanding … are good areas for them,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., told “Fox & Friends” Friday.

JOHNSON BLASTS DEM ACCUSATIONS HE VOWED TO END OBAMACARE AS ‘DISHONEST’

Speaker Johnson, left; Minority Leader Jeffries, right

Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries are battling over the House majority (Getty Images)

It’s a different story in New York, the other deep blue coastal state critical to the House GOP’s midterm success.

Of the four sitting House Republicans projected to lose their seats, three were first-term GOP lawmakers from New York who got elected as part of a suburban backlash against big cities’ progressive crime policies.

They were also expected to be some of the more vulnerable incumbents in Congress.

SHUTDOWN STANDOFF LOOMS IN CONGRESS’ FINAL WEEKS BEFORE TRUMP’S RETURN TO WHITE HOUSE

New York Republican Rep. Brandon Williams

Rep. Brandon Williams, R-N.Y., is among the New York incumbents to lose his seat (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel, File)

Scalise said he anticipated a four- to six-seat majority for Republicans when all the races were over, not a dissimilar scenario to the one the House GOP has grappled with for much of the 118th Congress.

Ballots are being counted in other close races in Arizona, Oregon, Alaska, Nebraska and Iowa.

House Democrats, who privately expressed dismay over their narrowing path to victory earlier this week, are also closely watching the western states for the final results. 

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., pointed out that the election is still undecided.

HOUSE LEADERS MOVE QUICKLY TO CONSOLIDATE POWER IN SHOW OF CONFIDENCE FOR REPUBLICAN MAJORITY

Donald Trump at NYC rally, closeup shot

Republicans are fighting for a GOP government trifecta after President-elect Trump won back the White House. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

“It has yet to be decided who will control the House of Representatives in the 119th Congress. We must count every vote and wait until the results in Oregon, Arizona and California are clear,” Jeffries said Thursday.

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“I am proud that the Democratic Party does not believe in election denial. Our democracy is precious, and it involves elevating public trust in our system of free and fair elections, not undermining it.”

The first party to reach 218 seats will claim the House majority.



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‘Misery and chaos’: GOP congressman-elect unleashes on Democrats for bringing ‘destruction’ to their cities


Newly elected GOP congressman-elect Abe Hamadeh revealed what went right for Republicans and what went wrong for Democrats in Tuesday’s election during a post-election victory interview with Fox News Digital.

The left always, this is why they hate me so much too, they literally called me a white supremacist, even though I’m the son of Syrian immigrants and I’ve got family who are all from everywhere and all type of colors,” Hamadeh told Fox News Digital, in his first interview since being elected, in response to Democrats on cable news post-election blaming Trump’s victory on “racism” and misogyny” rather than discussing specific policy issues.

“They don’t know how to because they can’t accept the fact that their policies have failed the American people everywhere. It’s been implemented, like California and San Francisco, like in Chicago, like in New York City, name a successful Democrat-run city. You can’t because all they do is bring destruction, misery and chaos, and they’re trying to transform our country into something that it is not, something that looks like where some of my family comes from in Venezuela and we are not going to go to socialism or communism.”

Democrats along with pundits in the media have repeatedly blamed racism and sexism as driving factors behind Trump’s victory despite Trump making historic gains with several minority groups.

TRUMP CLINCHED A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF MUSLIM VOTERS COMPARED TO JEWISH VOTERS IN RECENT ELECTION

Newly elected GOP Rep Abe Hamadeh from Arizona's 8th Congressional District, left, and President Donald Trump, right (Getty) 

Newly elected GOP Rep Abe Hamadeh from Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, left, and President Donald Trump, right (Getty)  (Getty)

Hamadeh pointed to Trump’s success in bringing in more minority votes than other Republican candidates, despite the media narrative about racism. 

“President Trump was the one who was able to capture the most amount of minorities, Arab-Americans in Michigan. If you look at Jewish Americans and Black Americans, Hispanic voters, it was just truly remarkable and historical.”

“Here in Arizona, you know, we’re still counting the votes, but I think President Trump’s margin is only going to grow and what a great American comeback. In regard to my race, it ties so much into my race, too, because, you know, I didn’t want to go to Washington, D.C. with Kamala Harris. So I’m proud that President Trump was able to secure this historic victory that we’re going to have, hopefully a united Republican government and we are going to pass that America First agenda that works for all Americans.

NEW YORK DEM WARNS ‘VILIFYING VOTERS OF COLOR AS WHITE SUPREMACISTS’ PUSHES ‘THEM FURTHER INTO TRUMP’S CAMP’

Abe Hamadeh

Former President Trump endorsed Republican Abe Hamadeh to represent Arizona’s 8th Congressional District. (Abe for Arizona)

Hamadeh told Fox News Digital that he knew going into Tuesday that he would win in his district and that Trump would win as well because they listened to the concerns of Arizona voters.

Nobody was happy with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and this wide open border and the economy with the inflation crisis that we’re in. So, you know, I truly believed that we were going to win and it was a resounding victory for President Trump, winning the popular vote, winning the Electoral College, uniting so many different factions within the Republican Party.”

Immigration and the economy, Hamadeh said, were the main drivers of voter turnout in Arizona.

“It gives a combination of both, I think it was the open border chaos because for how many years has Joe Biden and Kamala Harris tried to gaslight the American people that they’re doing everything they can to secure our border, which was obviously a lie?”” Hamadeh said. 

“I mean, they literally have an open invitation to illegal immigrants coming across where fentanyl is being trafficked, sex trafficking. So I think people understood that inherently that President Trump did have a secure border and Kamala and Joe Biden, you see how quickly they destroyed it. It causes you to think that maybe having a president who actually wants to secure the border is pretty important.”

On inflation, Hamadeh said that Arizona voters simply had to look at their grocery bill.

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Hamade, Lake

Republican Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake and Republican Arizona House candidate Abe Hamadeh. (Abe for Arizona)

“Arizona’s hit really hard with the inflation crisis and I know I know that money talks in many ways and they understand that President Trump had a booming economy,” Hamadeh said. “When you go to the grocery store now, it is so expensive, when you go to the checkout lane. So I do think it was a combination of the economy and the border.”

“But also truly, I do think it was many people, if you look at what Elon Musk and so many other people who voted for Joe Biden in 2020 now came around to President Trump. I think they understood that the weaponization of the rule of law and attacking the First Amendment and our Constitution was a threat to our very foundation as a republic. So I do think people did understand that this moment required us to go back to some common sense sanity and to restore the America we love.”



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Incumbent Dem Jacky Rosen holds onto Senate seat in battleground Nevada


Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., has been re-elected to the Senate in Nevada, according to Friday night’s race call by the Associated Press.

The Democrat senator successfully fended off a challenge from veteran Sam Brown, a Republican endorsed by President-elect Donald Trump.

Rosen was first elected to the Senate in 2018 and this was her first re-election.

Prior to the election, Fox News Power Rankings in September considered the November Senate match to be one of two “toss-ups,” alongside Ohio. 

JACKY ROSEN HAS BEEN SUPPORTING BIDEN-HARRIS ADMIN AGENDA THAT HAS LEFT MANY NEVADANS HURT: SAM BROWN

Sam Brown, Jacky Rosen

Sam Brown, left, and Jacky Rosen, right, each ran for Senate in Nevada. (Reuters)

A top political handicapper, the Cook Political Report, had similarly rated it a “toss up” earlier in the year but more recently shifted the race back to “Lean Democrat.”

Cook cited polling in the summer months that showed Rosen outpacing Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris by a significant margin.

Also in the category were Senate races in Arizona and Pennsylvania.

HISPANIC VOTERS RAIL AGAINST ‘DISHONEST’ BIDEN-HARRIS BORDER RECORD AS POLL SHOWS TRUMP GAINING IN KEY STATES

Jacky Rosen

Incumbent Sen. Jacky Rosen first won the Senate seat in 2018. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Nevada was a critical swing state for elections down-ballot, including the presidential and Senate races. While the Nevada Senate battle wasn’t thought of as necessary for Republicans to gain the majority in the upper chamber, it was being eyed to expand a likely majority in the new Congress. 

There were also several close House races in the state, which were similarly expected to determine which party would lead the lower chamber. 

CBS REPORTER FINDS ONLY 3 HARRIS SUPPORTERS IN 3 NEVADA RESTAURANTS: ‘PEOPLE ARE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT TRUMP’

Sam Brown

Former U.S. Army Captain and Republican Nevada Senate candidate Sam Brown. (Sam Brown for Nevada)

Rosen handily won the Democrat nomination for Senate earlier in the year, defeating both Troy Walker and Mike Schaefer, who were not prominent challengers.

Brown faced a much more difficult primary race, with former U.S. Ambassador to Iceland Jeffrey Gunter taking him on for the GOP nod. 

Gunter spent significant money on attack ads against Brown, depicting him as a tool of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

The primary was made more uncertain by President-elect Donald Trump’s decision not to weigh in until the last minute. 

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Trump ultimately threw his support behind Brown at a rally in Nevada ahead of the primary, allowing him to win the election by a healthy margin.

The Trump-backed Senate candidate failed to close the polling gap with Rosen in the same fashion that other Republican candidates across the country had with their incumbent opponents.

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





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More than half of Harris voters want to relocate following Trump win: survey


More than 50% of voters for Vice President Kamala Harris say they want to move following Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election, according to a survey commissioned by StorageUnits.com.

Storage Units surveyed 1,837 Harris voters on Nov. 6 to determine how many would like to relocate – and who actually plans to – and the top concerns of those who voted against Trump.

Of those surveyed, 44% would like to move, but probably won’t, while 5% said they will definitely move and another 5% said they probably will. Those who would like to move, but probably won’t, cited personal finances, family and community ties as reasons they will stay in place.

Of the 10% planning to move or seriously considering it, 90% are looking into moving to another country, with the top choices being Canada, the United Kingdom and Mexico. California, New York and Colorado were the top three choices for those considering moving to another state.

5 MISTAKES THAT DOOMED KAMALA HARRIS’ CAMPAIGN AGAINST TRUMP

Nearly 54% of Vice President Kamala Harris' voters want to move to a different state or country following Trump's win on Tuesday, according to a survey commissioned by StorageUnits.com.

Nearly 54% of Vice President Kamala Harris’ voters want to move to a different state or country following Trump’s win on Tuesday, according to a survey commissioned by StorageUnits.com. (AP/Jacquelyn Martin)

According to the survey, the top three reasons Harris voters want to relocate are concerns that a federal abortion ban will be enacted, an increase in racial inequality and progressive rights will be overturned.

Abortion access at the federal level, which was one of the Democrats’ top campaign issues, has been an area of concern for many Dem voters despite Trump stating he would not enact a federal abortion ban and reiterating that he agrees with the decision being left in the states’ hands after Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court on June 24, 2022.

Donald Trump

Though President-elect Donald Trump has stated multiple times he would not enact a nationwide abortion ban, many Democrat voters listed abortion access as a top concern under a Trump presidency. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Other top areas of concern include: reduction in healthcare access, increased social inequality, lack of gun regulation and the weakening of public education.

“​Some Harris voters who are ​​experiencing fear, anxiety, and concern ​following the election results may elect to​ shift from a red to a blue state with friendlier LGBTQ+ and/or less restrictive abortion laws. However, there are a number of factors influencing any potential moves, such as cost of living, job availability, and housing prices,” Realtor Jo Ann Bauer told Storage Units.

FOX NEWS VOTER ANALYSIS: IS THIS A CHANGE ELECTION? TOP ISSUES AND MOOD OF THE NATION AS VOTERS WEIGH IN

Of all the generations surveyed, Gen Z had the highest number of Harris voters saying they will definitely or probably move (nearly 20%) when compared to Millennials, Gen Xers and Boomers. 

Gen Z also had the least number of participants say they have “no interest in moving” at about 30%.

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A flag is left at the event held by Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris during Election Night at Howard University

President-elect Trump beat Vice President Harris by a landslide, winning the electoral college and the popular vote by 5 million. (REUTERS/Daniel Cole)

Trump won the 2024 election decisively, garnering at least 301 electoral votes over Harris’ 226 and beating Harris by more than 5 million in the popular vote.



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Donald Trump wins Nevada, pushing his victory margin over Kamala Harris


Former President Trump has flipped the swing state of Nevada after falling just short in 2020.

The six electoral votes for Nevada add to Trump’s victory in the 2024 race.

Fox News Decision Desk called the presidential race in the Silver State for Trump, handing Vice President Harris a loss in a state where both candidates held several campaign events.

Biden won Nevada in 2020 by 2.4%, which continued a trend of Democrat presidential candidates winning the state. 

The state has voted for every Democrat who has run for president since 1992, except the two elections with President George W. Bush on the ballot. However, the average margin across those eight elections is just 4.1 points.

DEMOCRATS HAVE AN ENORMOUS DILEMMA IF KAMALA HARRIS LOSES

Republicans surprised many by beating Democrats in early in-person voting and also virtually erased the gap with registered voters heading into Election Day. 

The Democratic turnout advantage in the state in years past has been driven by what is known as the “Reid Machine” that late Democratic Sen. Harry Reid, the U.S. Senate majority leader from 2007 to 2015, established to help pool resources to maximize support for candidates up and down the ballot. 

SAN JOSE STATE REQUESTS LOST REVENUE DAMAGES AFTER OPPONENTS FORFEIT AMID TRANSGENDER CONTROVERSY

Trump and Harris in Pennsylvania split image

Former President Trump and VP Kamala Harris (Getty Images)

His approach tapped into networks that extended well beyond the traditional party structure. He leaned especially on the heavily immigrant Culinary Union, which represents about 60,000 casino workers and leads efforts to register voters, make phone calls and knock on doors.

Both Harris and Trump, along with their surrogates, made numerous trips to Nevada in recent weeks.

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Nevada, I am here asking for your vote,” Harris told a crowd in Reno in the last days before the election. “I am asking for your vote. And here is my pledge to you, and I got your back, as president, I pledge to you to seek common ground and common sense solutions to the challenges you face. I am not looking to score political points.”

“I am looking to make progress. And I pledge to listen to experts, to listen to those who will be impacted by the decisions I make and to listen to people who disagree with me. Because that’s what real leaders do.”

Nevada was also home to a key Senate race between Republican Sam Brown and Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen.



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‘Act of war’: Biden faces pressure on Iran’s plot against Trump


On Friday, U.S. Department of Justice unsealed new charges detailing a thwarted murder-for-hire plot that the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ordered against Donald Trump in the weeks leading up to the election, adding new pressure for the Biden administration to act.

According to a newly unsealed criminal complaint filed in the Southern District of New York, the IRGC ordered an Iranian asset in September to focus on “surveilling” and putting together a plan to assassinate Trump before the Nov. 5 elections. 

Trump was briefed by U.S intelligence officials in September about threats from Iran to assassinate him, campaign officials confirmed.

Both President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Fox News in October that they considered any Iranian threats against Trump to be a “top-tier” national security issue, and said any attempt by the IRGC to actually harm Trump would be met with kinetic military action equal to “an act of war.”

SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH MOVES TO DROP TRUMP ELECTION INTERFERENCE CASE

Iranian General Qasem Soleimani

Late Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani attends Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s meeting with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps in Tehran in 2016. Trump has been a target of the IRGC since 2020, when he ordered a strike to take out Soleimani. (Press Office of Iranian Supreme Leader/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Neither the White House nor the State Department immediately responded to Fox News’s request for comment on the nature of the threat from the IRGC, or how they planned to respond.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps., or IRGC, is a military and counterintelligence agency that was designated as a terrorist organization during Trump’s first term. 

Trump has been a target of the IRGC since January 2020, when as president he ordered the drone strike that killed the commander of the Iranian Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani.

News of the thwarted attack on Trump comes after he survived two earlier and unrelated assassination attempts earlier this year while campaigning for a second term as president: The first, in July at a Pennsylvania campaign rally, and then in September, while golfing at one of his properties in Florida. 

Iran's ayatollah

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is shown here at center in black turban. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/West Asia News Agency/Reuters)

The threats from Iran, detailed in the now-public criminal filings, prompted the Secret Service to beef up their security presence around the Trump campaign in recent months.

It is unclear whether, or how, Trump plans to further clamp down on security at his residences in the months before his inauguration.

IRAN ‘TERRIFIED’ OF TRUMP PRESIDENCY AS IRANIAN CURRENCY FALLS TO AN ALL-TIME LOW

AG Merrick Garland at DOJ press conference

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks at the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. The DOJ is preparing charges against Iran over its efforts to influence the 2024 election cycle.  (Photographer: Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement Friday that there “are few actors in the world that pose as grave a threat to the national security of the United States as does Iran.”

“We will not stand for the Iranian regime’s attempts to endanger the American people and America’s national security,” he added.

In the criminal complaint, U.S. prosecutors said an unnamed official in the IRGC had asked the asset, Farhad Shakeri, to “focus on surveilling, and, ultimately, assassinating, former President of the United States, Donald J. Trump.”

The Department of Justice said that Shakeri, who remains at large and is believed to be living in Iran, “immigrated to the United States as a child and was deported in or about 2008 after serving 14 years in prison for a robbery conviction.” Trump is referred to the filings as “Victim-4.”

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“According to Shakeri, during his meeting with IRGC Official-I on or about October 7, 2024, IRGC Official-I directed Shakeri to provide a plan within seven days to kill Victim-4. If Shakeri was unable to put forth a plan within that timeframe, IRGC Official-I continued, the IRGC would pause its plan to kill Victim-4 until after the U.S. Presidential elections, because IRGC Official-I assessed that Victim-4 would lose the election and, afterward, it would be easier to assassinate Victim-4,” the documents said.

Federal prosecutors have also charged and arrested Carlisle Rivera, 49, of Brooklyn, New York, and Jonathon Loadholt, 36, of Staten Island, New York, “in connection with their alleged involvement” in a plot to murder a U.S. citizen of Iranian origin in New York. 

The Department of Justice declined to respond to comment on the threats or the investigation. 



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Dem governors, AGs vow resistance to incoming Trump administration


Democratic governors and attorneys general alike have vowed resistance to the incoming Trump administration’s policies, just days after the election was called for the former president.

President-elect Trump has already begun his transition back into the White House, with one of his first major moves being the announcement of Susie Wiles as his chief of staff. 

Just recently, Trump also signaled to NBC News that mass deportations are not out of the question as one of his top priorities upon starting his term in January. 

In response, governors and attorneys general in Democratic states have also voiced their priorities in being on defense during Trump’s second term.

NEW YORK DEM WARNS ‘VILIFYING VOTERS OF COLOR AS WHITE SUPREMACISTS’ PUSHES THEM ‘FURTHER INTO TRUMP’S CAMP’

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James — who has notably been vocal about her attempts to prosecute Trump — said Wednesday during a press conference that while they would honor the election results and would “work with anyone who wants to be a partner in achieving the goals of our administration in our state, that does not mean we’ll accept an agenda from Washington that strips away the rights that New Yorkers have long enjoyed.”

“The safety and wellbeing of New Yorkers are my top priorities,” Hochul said in a statement released shortly after. “I’m committed to working with anyone on policies that make our state stronger, safer and more livable — but my administration will also be prepared to protect New Yorkers’ fundamental freedoms from any potential threats.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James

New York Attorney General Letitia James said she and her team had “been preparing for a potential second Trump Administration, and I am ready to do everything in my power to ensure our state and nation do not go backwards.” (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

James echoed those same sentiments in the statement, saying she and her team had “been preparing for a potential second Trump Administration, and I am ready to do everything in my power to ensure our state and nation do not go backwards.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Hochul and James’ offices for comment. 

HOUSE DEMOCRAT SAYS THE PARTY NEEDS TO GET PAST ‘TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME’

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement released Wednesday that “our most vulnerable communities woke up to new uncertainty about their future, scared that their rights will no longer be protected.” Pritzker said he would continue to uphold Illinois’ values, stating, “When that means working with the next presidential administration that is what I will do, and when that means standing up to it, I believe my record is clear on where I’ll be.”

Pritzker reiterated these same points during a press conference on Thursday, where he said that anyone who comes “for my people, you come through me.” 

Fox News Digital reached out to Pritzker’s office for comment. 

Washington state Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson

Washington State Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson said during a press conference that his team had reviewed Trump’s policies and the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025. (Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

Washington State Attorney General and incoming Gov. Bob Ferguson held a press conference on Thursday alongside incoming Attorney General Nick Brown, where Ferguson said his team had been preparing for a potential Trump presidency for months in advance. Ferguson said during the press conference that his team had reviewed Trump’s policies and the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, the latest iteration of a longstanding Heritage Foundation initiative to establish a conservative governing blueprint. 

DEMOCRATS LOOKING TO POINT FINGERS AFTER ‘HUMILIATING’ ELECTION DEFEAT SHOULD START WITH MEDIA: WSJ COLUMNIST

Trump has repeatedly denied any involvement with the agenda, saying, “I disagree with some of the things they’re saying, and some of the things they’re saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal.”

“The president has significant authority. That is the way our system works,” Brionna Aho, Ferguson Communications Director, told Fox News Digital. “However, no one is above the law. Our office has successfully litigated against the Obama, Trump and Biden administrations. When a president exceeds his authority and harms Washingtonians, the Washington State Attorney General’s Office is prepared to hold him accountable to the rule of law.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, pointing

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, right, and Attorney General Rob Bonta, center, on Thursday announced the state legislature would convene a special session “to safeguard California values and fundamental rights in the face of an incoming Trump administration.” (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta on Thursday announced the state legislature would convene a special session “to safeguard California values and fundamental rights in the face of an incoming Trump administration.” The session is expected to focus on “bolstering California legal resources to protect civil rights, reproductive freedom, climate action, and immigrant families” ahead of Trump taking office, the statement read. 

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“We’ve been through this before, and we stand ready to defend your rights and protect California values,” Bonta said in the statement. “We’re working closely with the Governor and the Legislature to shore up our defenses and ensure we have the resources we need to take on each fight as it comes.”

“We will uphold the rights of all Californians. Between Project 2025 and President Elect Trump’s own statements, we know what to expect from a second Trump Administration,” Bonta’s office told Fox News Digital Friday evening in a follow-up statement. “What happens next is up to the President Elect. If he doesn’t violate the law, and we hope he won’t, we won’t need to take action. But based on our experience with the first Trump Administration and the President Elect’s own words, we expect that won’t be the case and we will be prepared to respond.”

“The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail,” Karoline Leavitt, Trump-Vance Transition spokeswoman, told Fox News Digital in a statement. “He will deliver.”



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FEMA official directed hurricane relief workers to avoid homes with Trump signage


A Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) official has been removed from a role after directing disaster relief workers to skip homes “advertising” support for President-elect Trump after the devastating hurricanes in Florida.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a FEMA spokesperson said the agency is “deeply disturbed” after the incident,” noting the official who gave the instruction “was given no direction to tell teams to avoid these homes.”

“While we believe this is an isolated incident, we have taken measures to remove the employee from their role and are investigating the matter to prevent this from happening ever again,” the spokesperson said. 

“The employee who issued this guidance had no authority and was given no direction to tell teams to avoid these homes, and we are reaching out to the people who may have not been reached as a result of this incident.”

FLORIDA RESIDENTS FEEL ‘BEATEN DOWN’ BY HURRICANE SEASON: REP. BYRON DONALDS

FEMA SIGN

FEMA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

The Daily Wire first obtained internal messages about the incident.

In messages obtained by the outlet, a FEMA official instructs workers to “avoid homes advertising Trump.”

The outlet noted the aid workers would enter into a system tracking applications that they made no contact with the residents, blaming the directive — “Trump sign, no contact per leadership.”

Hurricane Helene aftermath in Florida

Hurricane Helene aftermath in Florida. (Office of Congresswoman Kat Cammack)

The agency said it is investigating the incident and is taking it “extremely seriously.”

FEMA noted after hurricanes Helene and Milton the agency has helped over 365,000 households and provided over $898 million in direct assistance.

FEMA DOESN’T HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO THIS: ADAM SMITH

“We are horrified that this took place and therefore have taken extreme actions to correct this situation and have ensured that the matter was addressed at all levels,” the agency said. “Helping people is what we do best, and our workforce across the agency will continue to serve survivors for as long as it takes.”

President Joe Biden talks with FEMA Director Deanne Criswell

President Biden talks with Deanne Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as he arrives at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport in Greer, S.C., Oct. 2, 2024, to survey damage from Hurricane Helene.  (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

In a statement on X, the U.S. House Oversight Committee and Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., said the person responsible for sending out guidance to employees has not been fired.

“FEMA hasn’t fired this person…But the IRS has been trying to force IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley out for blowing the whistle! We must hold these unelected bureaucrats accountable,” Comer wrote on X.

“FEMA admits this happened but doesn’t say if the bureaucrat responsible has been fired,” the House Oversight Committee wrote on X. “Democrats relentlessly defend the rules that insulate unelected bureaucrats from accountability and make it nearly impossible to fire bad employees. This is why we need President Trump’s reforms to make bureaucrats accountable.”

Ron DeSantis speaks

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a storm preparation news conference. (Office of the Florida Governor)

In a statement on X, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his administration is launching an investigation into FEMA.

“The blatant weaponization of government by partisan activists in the federal bureaucracy is yet another reason why the Biden-Harris administration is in its final days,” DeSantis said. “At my direction, the Division of Emergency Management is launching an investigation into the federal government’s targeted discrimination of Floridians who support Donald Trump.

FOLLOW THE MONEY: UNDERSTANDING FEMA’S DISASTER BUDGET IN HURRICANE MILTON AFTERMATH

“New leadership is on the way to D.C. and I’m optimistic that these partisan bureaucrats will be fired.”

WATCH:

The discovery of mismanagement came after the Biden administration lectured people about spreading “disinformation” about FEMA. 

During a White House address on the government’s response to hurricanes Milton and Helene, President Biden denounced the “reckless, irresponsible and relentless disinformation and outright lies that continue to flow.”

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“That $750 that they’re talking about? Mr. Trump and all those other people know it’s a lie to suggest that’s all they’re going to get,” Biden said during an address in October. “It’s just bizarre. They got to stop this. They’re being so damn un-American with the way they’re talking about this stuff.”





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Texas AG Ken Paxton demands records from special counsel investigation of Trump


Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Biden administration’s Justice Department (DOJ) on Friday, demanding that it provide records relating to Special Counsel Jack Smith’s corruption investigation into President-elect Trump.

In a release, the Republican AG alleged that former Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who led a team investigating Trump regarding a false Trump-Russia election collaboration, “destroyed records.”

“Past Special Counsels, including — notoriously — Robert Mueller, destroyed records at the end of their investigations to avoid accountability,” Paxton said in a release.

“It is not clear why nobody was prosecuted for doing so,” he added. “This request is part of my Office’s efforts to ensure that Americans are not cheated out of accountability or information again. This pattern of weaponizing the justice system for partisan retribution must end.”

JORDAN DEMANDS SMITH RETAIN ALL RECORDS RELATED TO TRUMP PROSECUTIONS AS SPECIAL COUNSEL’S OFFICE WINDS DOWN

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at a news conference in Dallas.  (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)

In Paxton’s request, he argued that past special counselors “appear to have intentionally destroyed documents” during their tenure.

“Our office would consider any destruction of the documents requested herein to be a crime under 18 U.S.C. § 1361, and would refer the matter for prosecution in the event destruction occurs,” the letter said.

PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP ALREADY MEETING WITH TRANSITION TEAM, STRATEGIZING HOW TO FILL ADMINISTRATION

According to the DOJ, 18 U.S.C. § 1361 “protects “any property” of the United States or an agency or department thereof.”

Special Counsel Jack Smith at podium

Special Counsel Jack Smith delivers remarks on a recently unsealed indictment including four felony counts against former President Trump at the Justice Department in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 1, 2023. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The FOIA request from Paxton follows the House Judiciary Committee sharing its concern that Smith and prosecutors involved in the Trump investigations will “purge” records to skirt oversight.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., penned a letter to Smith on Friday, demanding that he produce to Congress all documents related to the probes before the end of the month.

“The Committee on the Judiciary is continuing its oversight of the Department of Justice and the Office of Special Counsel. According to recent public reports, prosecutors in your office have been ‘gaming out legal options’ in the event that President Donald Trump won the election,” they wrote. “With President Trump’s decisive victory this week, we are concerned that the Office of Special Counsel may attempt to purge relevant records, communications, and documents responsive to our numerous requests for information.” 

Donald Trump

President-elect Trump celebrates beating Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race early Wednesday morning. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Following Trump’s decisive victory, the DOJ is looking to wind down two federal criminal cases against Trump as he prepares to be sworn in for a second term in the White House.

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Its decision to do so upholds a long-standing policy that prevents DOJ attorneys from prosecuting a sitting president.

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report.





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Rep. Mike Rogers being considered for Secretary of Defense role


House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., is being considered to serve as secretary of defense in a second Trump administration

A source familiar with discussions told Fox News Digital Rogers has been contacted by the Trump transition team. 

Fox News Digital reached out to a spokesperson for comment.

INSIDE THE REPUBLICAN VICTORIES IN SUBURBAN NEW YORK: ‘FED UP WITH ONE PARTY DEMOCRATIC RULE’

Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala.

U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., speaks during a hearing in Washington, D.C., Sept. 29, 2021.  (Getty Images)

Rogers was re-elected to a third term Tuesday after running unopposed. 

Another potential candidate for defense secretary is Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., a retired Green Beret. In addition to serving in the military before joining Congress, Waltz was an adviser to defense secretaries Robert Gates and Donald Rumsfeld and spent time in the private sector as CEO of defense contractor Metis Solutions.

He sits on the House Armed Services and Intelligence committees, in addition to the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

NEW YORK DEM WARNS ‘VILIFYING VOTERS OF COLOR AS WHITE SUPREMACISTS’ PUSHES THEM ‘FURTHER INTO TRUMP’S CAMP’

Donald Trump at NYC rally

Former President Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, speaks during a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York Oct. 27, 2024. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

Republicans are bullish about keeping the House majority after victories in the Senate and the White House on election night. 

Replacing a House member, even one from a district that heavily favors one party or the other, generally takes at least several weeks. Republican leaders have already signaled they would not want to waste any time in using their majorities in Congress to forward Trump’s agenda.

Susie Wiles

President-elect Donald Trump brings Susie Wiles to the podium at an election night watch party in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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On Thursday, Trump announced his campaign manager, Susie Wiles, will serve as his White House chief of staff. 

House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., is being discussed as a potential candidate for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, two people familiar with such discussions told Fox News Digital.



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Moderate Republican Don Bacon projected to win re-election for Nebraska swing seat


Moderate Republican Rep. Don Bacon is projected to survive a close re-election race in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District.

The Associated Press projected on Friday that Bacon, a retired military general, who ran against Democratic state lawmaker Tony Vargas, won. 

The race was one of the most closely watched races of the 2024 election cycle. It was a key win for House GOP leaders fighting to keep the chamber majority.

CLUB FOR GROWTH POURS $5M INTO TIGHT HOUSE RACES AS GOP BRACES FOR TOUGH ELECTION

Don Bacon and Tony Vargas

Rep. Don Bacon, left, faced off against Democrat Tony Vargas. (Getty Images)

In a testament to the district’s battleground status, both Bacon and Vargas emphasized their bipartisan work in the closing days of the campaign.

Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District is the least red House seat in the state. It includes all of Omaha, the state’s largest city, as well as the city of Papillion. 

Bacon was one of 16 House Republicans who won seats in 2022 in areas that had voted for President Biden in 2020, making it one of the most competitive races from the get-go.

SPEAKER JOHNSON RIPS ‘LACK OF LEADERSHIP’ IN BIDEN ADMIN’S HELENE RESPONSE: ‘ALARMED AND DISAPPOINTED’

Joe Biden

Bacon is one of 16 Republicans serving in areas President Biden won in 2020. (Getty Images)

The moderate GOP lawmaker made a name for himself for speaking his mind, even when it came to criticizing plans and measures levied by fellow Republicans and House Republican leadership.

He retired from the Air Force as a brigadier general in 2014.

Bacon won the seat in 2016 by defeating incumbent Democratic Rep. Brad Ashford by roughly 1%.

FORMER REPUBLICAN US SENATOR ENDORSES KAMALA HARRIS, SAYS ELECTION OFFERS ‘STARK CHOICE’

Speaker Johnson and Leader Jeffries

House Speaker Mike Johnson, left, and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries are fighting to win the House majority. (Getty Images)

His three subsequent elections saw him narrowly hold on to power by roughly 2% or less.

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Vargas had previously challenged Bacon in the 2022 midterms and lost by about 2.2%.

A former teacher and Omaha Public Schools Board member, Vargas joined the Nebraska Legislature in 2017. Like Bacon, he defeated an incumbent of the opposite party to win his seat.



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Fox News Politics: Democrat governor vows Mass. resistance to Trump


Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump transition, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.

Here’s what’s happening…

-Where do Trump’s legal cases stand after massive election win?

-Shutdown standoff looms in Congress’ final weeks before Trump’s return to White House

– Special Counsel Jack Smith moves to drop Trump election interference case

– What does President-elect Trump’s win mean for US regarding the Israel-Hamas war?

Sanctuary Commonwealth

Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Maura Healey says that her state police will “absolutely not” be cooperating with the expected mass deportation effort by the incoming Trump administration, warning that she will use “every tool in the toolbox” to “protect” residents in the blue state.

Healey was asked on MSNBC on Wednesday whether the Massachusetts State Police would assist the federal government in the mass deportation of illegal immigrants. President-elect Trump has pledged to launch the “largest domestic deportation operation in American history” to deport millions of illegal immigrants.

“Following the Eisenhower Model, we will carry out the largest domestic deportation operation in American history,” Trump said during the campaign…Read more

Gov. Healey, inset; migrants at border, main photo

This split shows Mass. Gov. Maura Healey and a group of migrants at the southern border. ((Photo by Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images and Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images))

White House

‘CREATED A CRISIS’: Federal judge throws out Biden admin program to legalize illegal immigrant spouses of US citizens…Read more

‘NOT MESSING AROUND’: Trump ally floated as possible AG has harsh warning for Letitia James: ‘We will put your fat a– in prison’…Read more

ANSWER STANDS: White House says President Biden still has no plans to pardon Hunter Biden…Read more

TRUMP TRANSITION: Trump’s former Education Secretary says she is ‘very open’ to discussion about returning to previous post…Read more

‘NOT STAYING HERE’: Trump says mass deportations ‘not a question of a price tag’…Read more

‘GARBAGE’: 4 key times Biden undermined Harris’ campaign against Trump…Read more

split image: Biden center with Harris, left, and Trump, right

Vice President Kamala Harris and President Biden are traveling to areas in the Southeast hit by Hurricane Helene, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. Former President Donald Trump visited Valdosta, Georgia, this week.  (The Associated Press)

TRUMP’S FIX-IT WOMAN: Who is Susie Wiles, Trump’s White House chief of staff? 5 things to know…Read more

LAWFARE: Former White House lawyer says Trump will not use DOJ ‘for political purposes,’ but to implement ‘his agenda’…Read more

ROUND ONE: Highlights from President-elect Donald Trump’s first term as President of the United States…Read more

‘RAPID PACE’: Former Trump official makes prediction about incoming admin’s aggressive border plan…Read more

Capitol Hill

PLAYING THE COURT: Justice Sonia Sotomayor faces pressure to retire ahead of Trump taking office: report…Read more

CLOSE CALL: Toss-up Maine House race moves to ranked-choice tabulation…Read more

SEEING RED: Trio of longtime Dem senators elected same year were voted out in 2024…Read more

‘HISTORIC MANDATE’: Newly elected swing state GOP rep previews first 100 day plan under Trump’s ‘historic mandate’…Read more

Trump, left; Rep.-elect Abe Hamedeh

Newly elected GOP Rep Abe Hamedeh from Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, left, and President Donald Trump, right (Getty)  (Getty)

‘UNPRECEDENTED’: Cornyn touts lifetime fundraising prowess for GOP in final case to succeed McConnell…Read more

KEYSTONE ‘GRATITUDE’: PA Sen-elect McCormick thanks Casey family for decades of service, as Democrat declines to concede…Read more

NO MERCY: Republican senator says Trump should not pardon Hunter Biden…Read more

Trail Dust

‘LET’S DO THIS!’: Tim Scott launches NRSC chair bid as GOP seeks to capitalize on new minority gains…Read more

THE FATAL 5: 5 mistakes that doomed Kamala Harris’ campaign against Trump…Read more

FIRST ON FOX: Jordan demands Smith retain all records related to Trump prosecutions as special counsel’s office winds down…Read more

TRIM THE FAT: Trump administration could lead to budget cuts, leadership shakeup at the United Nations…Read more

MOVING ON UP?: Stefanik in contention for Trump administration role…Read more

Stefanik speaking at Trump MSG rally

US Representative Eloise Stefanik, Republican of New York, speaks during a campaign rally for former US president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden in New York on October 27, 2024.  (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

VOTER BREAKDOWN: Trump clinched a higher percentage of Muslim voters compared to Jewish voters in recent election…Read more

RED THREAT: Chinese spies hacked Trump attorney Todd Blanche’s phone: source…Read more

US VS. ‘THEY/THEM’: Trump’s ‘they/them’ ads combined culture war, economic worries to make effective pitch: expert…Read more

Across America

‘READY FOR CHANGE’: Incumbent San Francisco mayor concedes to opponent amid concerns over homeless, drug overdoses…Read more

WANTED: Masked attackers who attacked Jewish students near Chicago’s DePaul University seen in new photo…Read more

‘POWERFUL REPELLANT’: New York Dem warns ‘vilifying voters of color as white supremacists’ pushes ‘them further into Trump’s camp’…Read more

WARRIOR’ WARNING: Dem governor issues stark warning to Trump: ‘You come for my people, you come through me’…Read more

NO MORE: NYC ends taxpayer-funded prepaid debit card program for illegal immigrants…Read more

I heart NY gift shop in Times Square shown

Tourists in the Times Square neighborhood of New York, US, on Friday, May 24, 2024. New York City will see a record influx of travelers this Memorial Day weekend, with a crush at the regions three major airports in particular creating traffic and parking problems. Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

‘WARRIOR’ WARNING: Dem governor issues stark warning to Trump: ‘You come for my people, you come through me’…Read more

‘FAILED EXPERIMENT’: Experts reveal why Soros-backed policies took beating in deep blue state…Read more

OPEN BORDER CONSEQUENCES: Illegal migrant charged with killing mother of 4 in AOC’s district…Read more

BLUE STATE RESISTANCE: Dem governor threatens to use ‘every tool’ to fight back against Trump-era deportations…Read more

CLIMATE ON THE BALLOT: Voters decide on climate measures, reject initiative to tax natural gas powered buildings in California city…Read more

DEM MAYOR INDICTED: Capital city Democratic mayor, prosecutor indicted in undercover bribery sting…Read more

Get the latest updates on the Trump presidential transition, incoming Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.



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Republicans inch closer to ending China’s favored trade status


Fresh off Tuesday’s red sweep, House Republicans have begun to renew the idea of ending China’s preferential trade status. 

They have begun to promote the idea of ending China’s Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR). With Republicans seizing control of the White House and Senate, and being on track for a likely win in the House, the idea that was once considered a longshot now now become a likelihood. 

“For too long, the Chinese Communist Party has taken advantage of America’s open hand with predatory economic practices that target the American economy, our workers, businesses, and our national security. We believe in free trade with free nations, but as the Committee recommended on a bipartisan basis, it is now time to reset our relationship with China by moving past PNTR to a trade relationship that reflects the threat we face from the CCP,” a spokesperson for the House China Committee told Fox News Digital. 

In 2000, Congress voted to grant China permanent normal trade relations. The designation fundamentally changed China-U.S. trade relations: U.S. consumers gained access to low-priced Chinese imports, and between 2001 and 2021, the value of goods imported from China quadrupled to $500 billion.

Critics of PNTR say it allowed companies to outsource their manufacturing to China – and that renewed tensions with Beijing could lead to supply chain issues. 

Fresh off Tuesday’s red sweep, House Republicans have begun to renew the idea of ending China’s preferential trade status.

Fresh off Tuesday’s red sweep, House Republicans have begun to renew the idea of ending China’s preferential trade status. (Photo by Wang Gang/VCG via Getty Images)

REPUBLICANS PROPOSE BILL THAT WOULD DOUBLE TARIFFS ON CHINESE IMPORTS AND END FAVORED TRADE STATUS

Proponents of PNTR say that removing that status would cause inflation, allowing further tariffs on billions’ worth of Chinese goods. 

President-elect Donald Trump has already proposed an across-the-board 60% tariff on all Chinese goods and end China’s favored trade status. 

Repealing PNTR would automatically reset the tariffs on Chinese goods to higher levels. 

Trump could enact much of his trade agenda on goods he deems to be an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to national security or the U.S. economy. 

The GOP’s platform unveiled in July called for an ending of PNTR. In September, Fox News Digital first reported that a group of Republican senators put forth a bill to end China’s PNTR and increase tariffs on many of its goods up to 100%. 

China has enjoyed preferential trade status in the U.S. since 2024. Biden did not move to end that status.

China has enjoyed preferential trade status in the U.S. since 2024. Biden did not move to end that status. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump talks to Maria Bartiromo on trade

Trump has promised to increase tariffs on Chinese goods to 60%.  (Fox News Channel)

GOP SENATORS EYE COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY TO CURB CCP INFLUENCE 

Over five years, the bill would increase tariffs by 100% on imports deemed “strategic” to national security by the Biden administration in an effort to force the growth of the domestic market for national security-related goods. 

It would boost tariffs on non-strategic goods by a minimum of 35%. 

China is widely expected to respond with tariffs on U.S.-imported goods. China buys tens of billions of dollars’ worth of agricultural products, primarily soybeans, each year. 

The bill, led by Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and cosponsored by Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Josh Hawley, R-Mo., would also grant the president the authority to institute further tariffs, quotas and bans on specific Chinese goods. It would end “de minimis treatment” for China, or the value threshold below which imports are not subject to customs duties. 

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The revenue generated, according to the bill, would go toward farmers and manufacturers injured by potential Chinese retaliation, the purchase of key munitions important to a Pacific conflict, and paying down the debt.

Fox News’ Liz Elkind contributed to this report. 



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Somber Walz spotted on daughter’s Instagram after election loss: ‘Live to fight another day’


Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was spotted on his daughter’s Instagram page this week shortly after he and Vice President Kamala Harris were defeated by President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance in Tuesday’s election.

“The Earth keeps spinning and we live to fight another day,’ Walz’s daughter Hope posted on her Instagram story along with a photo of a somber Walz, wearing a sweatshirt and cargo pants, holding and petting his cat.

The video is the first sighting of Walz since he appeared at Harris’ concession speech on Wednesday at Howard University in Washington, D.C.

“Thank you Vice President @KamalaHarris for putting your faith in me, and selecting me as your running mate,” Walz posted on X this week. “Campaigning at your side was the honor and privilege of my life.”

‘SHOULD HAVE BEEN JOSH SHAPIRO’: HARRIS’ VP CONTENDERS PASSED OVER FOR WALZ DODGE MASSIVE CAMPAIGN LOSS

Tim Walz is comforted by second gentleman Doug Emhoff

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is comforted by second gentleman Doug Emhoff as Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks conceding the 2024 presidential election at Howard University in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. (Reuters/Mike Blake)

Harris faced scrutiny even from some in her own party over her decision to name Walz, who many view as further to the left than she is, rather than a more moderate choice. Prominent Democrat Josh Shapiro, governor of the crucial swing state of Pennsylvania that Trump carried on Tuesday night, was viewed by some as a more practical choice.

“One of the things that are top of mind is the choice of Tim Walz as vice presidential candidate,” Harris-Walz surrogate Lindy Li told Fox News senior White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich at Howard University. “A lot of people are saying tonight that it should have been Josh Shapiro. Frankly, people have been saying that for months.”

Rob Bluey, president and executive editor of The Daily Signal, told Fox News Digital that Walz being added to the ticket was a significant error in judgment.

“Historically, vice presidents have little impact on a presidential candidate’s fate,” Bluey said. “But in the case of Tim Walz, it proved to be a disastrous decision that doomed Kamala Harris from the moment she made it. Not only was Walz ill-prepared for the national spotlight and media scrutiny, but Harris passed over several better options. Given how little Americans knew about Harris or her policy positions, they were right to question her judgment on this big decision.”

HARRIS WORLD BLAME GAME BEGINS AFTER CRUSHING LOSS TO TRUMP

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz with cat

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s daughter posted a picture of her father on Instagram this week. (Hope Walz/Instagram)

Walz was heavily criticized on the campaign trail over questions about his honesty regarding his military service, ties to China, response to the George Floyd riots in 2020, and policy agenda as governor that several Minnesotans who spoke to Fox News Digital described as radical.

“The choice of Walz was only one of many disastrous mistakes but symptomatic of one larger problem — the Democratic Party leadership is too scared to say no to the hard-left progressive wing of the party,” Julian Epstein, longtime Democratic operative and former chief counsel to the House Judiciary Committee, told Fox News Digital.

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Harris Supporters

Supporters react as Vice President Kamala Harris concedes the presidential election during a speech at Howard University in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

This hard left opposes commonsense solutions that Gov. Shapiro supports — charter schools, for example. Or defeating terrorists rather than aping their talking points and positions, which allow them to stay in power and rearm for the next genocidal attack,” Epstein continued. “It’s the hard-left progressive wing that looks first to welfare and redistribution rather than economic growth, and to cultural extremism on migration and gender deeply out of touch with the American electorate. Walz was a really bad choice for sure, but their choice was part of a deeper problem.”



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‘Rapid pace’: Former Trump official makes prediction about incoming admin’s aggressive border plan


The Trump administration’s border security efforts will hit the ground running in 2025, having defeated “lawfare” in the courts and Republican opposition in Trump’s first term, a former top official predicts while telling Fox News Digital that he is “willing and ready” to be part of the effort to secure the border.

Mark Morgan was the acting Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner in the Trump administration and was a critical official in the construction of hundreds of miles of border wall and the implementation of policies like “Remain-in-Mexico.”

He said that the Trump administration would likely repeat the same strategies at the border that pushed a combination of consequences for illegal entry and deterrence from entering.

‘LIBERATION DAY’: WHAT TO EXPECT FROM PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP ON BORDER SECURITY, IMMIGRATION

Donald and Melania Trump greet guests at Mar-a-Lago

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, Melania Trump and Barron Trump, arrive at an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla.  (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

“More importantly, we’re not going to be just reactive. We want to actually try to prevent the flow of illegal immigration, we want to go after the cartels to prevent the drugs from, you know, making it to our border. The border should be our last line of defense. That’s the same methodology, same strategy that we used in the first Trump administration that led to the most secure border in our lifetime,” he said.

But Morgan believes that this time, it will be more efficient. Trump struggled in his first term to overcome opposition in Congress to border wall construction, and he had to put structures and procedures in place. His policies saw a number of lawsuits in the courts. 

“We already had a series, really a network of tools, authorities and policies in place that were already tested. We knew they worked,” Morgan said. “And equally important is they’d already gone through the continuum of lawfare.”

He pointed to Safe Third Country agreements and the Remain-in-Mexico policy as examples. He also noted that mass deportations had been conducted under the Trump administration, as well as administrations before that.

Migrants in line at border wall

Migrants wait in line to be processed by the Border Patrol along the border wall after crossing the Rio Grande into El Paso, Texas. (HERIKA MARTINEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

“So the statutory authority is already there. The foundation is already there. We’re just going to have to use it with a kind of a a good dose of whole-of-government steroids and just increase the magnitude of those operations,” he said.

Similarly, on border wall construction, there were over 450 miles built during the administration, and the foundations are there for more construction.

HOW HARRIS WAS DOGGED BY ‘BORDER CZAR’ LABEL, PAST RADICAL IMMIGRATION VIEWS DURING FAILED CAMPAIGN

“I’m hoping that there will be a national emergency declared, so that’s going to give and open up the opportunity to get funding from other resources that will help us get that started right away. We won’t have to wait for Congress. But in addition to that, we’ve already been there, right?” he said. “So we’ve already had the contracts before. We already have the design. We’ve already had the systems in place . . . the materials already sitting in there. Everything is going to be put in place at a much more exponentially rapid pace.”

He also said that he believes that with the strong victory of Trump in the election, and control of both chambers of Congress, that there will be more action in D.C.

“I think with the overwhelming victory and the degree of chaos, the lawlessness at our border that we’ve had over the past four years, I think those Republicans that have been resistant to strong border security action that have remained in the shadows, I think they’re going to be forced from those shadows,” he said. “And I think we have a really good shot at a permanent legislative reform and not just having to rely on executive orders.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

He said that legislation in Congress could look like the House border security bill, known as HR2, but it could end up packaged differently to avoid Democratic resistance.

As for whether Morgan will be returning to government, he said that it would be inappropriate to speculate, but he said that “if the president calls, there’s only one answer.”

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“There’s only one person that’s going to select his cabinet and that’s going to be President Trump. So to presume that any of us know exactly what those names are going to be, I think is misleading, we don’t. But look, if he asks, I’m able, willing and ready, and I’d be absolutely thrilled to be part of the next administration to get this country back on track and specifically secure our borders.”





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Republican senator says Trump should not pardon Hunter Biden


Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., says President-elect Trump should not offer Hunter Biden a pardon after Biden pleaded guilty to federal tax charges in September. 

“I don’t think he should pardon Hunter,” Johnson said in an interview on NewsNation’s “Dan Abrams Live.”

“I think we need to be very careful about having a dual system of justice where the powerful, or the sons and daughters of the powerful get off scot-free,” he said.

Johnson and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, have spearheaded the Senate GOP’s investigations into President Biden’s son and allegations of corruption surrounding the Biden family. He has often criticized the Biden administration’s Justice Department for purportedly treating Hunter Biden’s alleged crimes with kid gloves, all the while calling the various criminal investigations into Trump politically motivated.

KJP SAYS PRESIDENT BIDEN STILL HAS NO PLANS TO PARDON HUNTER BIDEN FOR TAX FRAUD, GUN CHARGES

Ron Johnson

Senator Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin, during a campaign event with former US President Donald Trump, not pictured, at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US, on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. Trump and his allies are telling supporters that they’re on pace for a runaway victory barring fraud, setting the stage for outrage and legal challenges if the election doesn’t break in favor of Republicans.

While Johnson is opposed to letting Biden off the hook, he did suggest that Trump might commute or otherwise reduce the first son’s sentence as a show of good will and effort to unify the country.

“I could see possibly commuting the sentence, reducing it, and it wouldn’t surprise me if President Trump would do that,” he said. “I would not pardon Hunter. I would certainly not. I wouldn’t scream about commuting his sentence or reducing it in some way, shape or form.”

Hunter Biden was indicted on three felonies and six misdemeanor counts alleging he evaded paying at least $1.4 million in taxes while simultaneously spending money on “drugs, escorts and girlfriends, luxury hotels and rental properties, exotic cars, clothing, and other items of a personal nature, in short, everything but his taxes,” according to the December 2023 indictment.

POLL COMPARES WHETHER TRUMP, HUNTER BIDEN SHOULD GET PRISON SENTENCES, ACCORDING TO US ADULTS

Joe Biden and hunter biden

President Biden and his son Hunter Biden hug on stage at the conclusion of the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, on Aug. 19, 2024. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Prosecutors also allege the tax returns Hunter ultimately did file falsely claimed that things like prostitutes, strip club visits, porn website subscriptions and other personal expenses were actually deductible business expenses.

The aim, according to the indictment, was to “evade assessment of taxes to reduce the substantial tax liabilities” that Hunter faced.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has been repeatedly asked whether President Biden might pardon his son before leaving office. Asked again on Thursday, Jean-Pierre said the president still had no intention of doing so.

BIDEN COMMITTED ‘IMPEACHABLE CONDUCT,’ DEFRAUDED UNITED STATES TO ENRICH HIS FAMILY’: HOUSE GOP REPORT

Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, arrives at the federal court with his wife Melissa Cohen Biden on the opening day of his trial

Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, arrives at the federal court with his wife Melissa Cohen Biden on the opening day of his trial on criminal gun charges in Wilmington, Delaware on June 3, 2024.  (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

“We’ve been asked that question multiple times. Our answer stands, which is no,” she said.

Trump himself floated the idea of a pardon or commuted sentence for Biden in a radio interview with Hugh Hewitt in October.

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“Will you pardon Hunter Biden,” Hewitt asked the former and future president on Oct. 24. 

“I wouldn’t take it off the books,” Trump replied. “See, unlike Joe Biden, despite what they’ve done to me, where they’ve gone after me so viciously, despite what, and Hunter’s a bad boy. There’s no question about it. He’s been a bad boy. All you had to do is see the laptop from hell. But I happen to think it’s very bad for our country.” 

Fox News’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report.



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GOP congressman-elect reveals ambitious 100-day plan for Trump admin: ‘Not going to get fooled again’


FIRST ON FOX: In his first interview since being elected to the House of Representatives, Arizona Republican Abe Hamadeh spoke to Fox News Digital about what the first 100 days in a Republican-controlled Congress and White House will look like.

“Speaker Mike Johnson and the entire Republican leadership team has actually been ahead of its time. They were preparing for this moment, so I know they’re going to hit the ground running with something very historic in the first hundred days,” Hamadeh, elected to represent Arizona’s 8th Congressional district in the House on Tuesday, told Fox News Digital. 

That includes beefing up border security and making it permanent. I know election integrity is the top of my list as well, because without secure elections, we can’t have a republic, and so I know that’s going to be top priorities, election integrity, border security, as well as making sure we increase our energy independence, because that’s going to help reduce inflation rather quickly once we start growing the economy.”

Hamadeh told Fox News Digital he believes that the Republican House majority, if Republicans indeed hold onto control of the chamber, as many expect they will, is “much better prepared” to move through Trump’s agenda than it was in 2017.

TRUMP FLIPS BORDER COUNTY THAT HASN’T VOTED FOR REPUBLICAN IN OVER 100 YEARS WITH MASSIVE 76-POINT SWING

Newly elected GOP Rep Abe Hamedeh from Arizona's 8th Congressional District, left, and President Donald Trump, right (Getty) 

Newly elected GOP Rep Abe Hamedeh from Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, left, and President Donald Trump, right (Getty)  (Getty)

Hamadeh added that he expects Democrats, who labeled Trump a “fascist” on the presidential campaign trail, aren’t being honest when they say they will work with Trump and do what they can to help his transition.

They said the same thing in 2016, 2017, after President Trump won and what did they do?” Hamadeh said. “They opened up multiple impeachment inquiries. They tried to derail his presidency with distractions. They had the media, the corporate media, so many of them like the left wing MSNBC and CNN, drive home so many false narratives. So that’s what they’re going to do.”

Fool me once, shame on you, Fool me twice, shame on me. And we’re not going to get fooled again.”

TRUMP NAMES SUSIE WILES AS FIRST FEMALE WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF IN HISTORY

Abe Hamadeh

Former President Trump endorsed Republican Abe Hamadeh to represent Arizona’s 8th Congressional District. (Abe for Arizona)

Regardless of what actions Democrats take, Hamadeh told Fox News Digital it is clear that Republicans “absolutely” have a mandate from the American people after Trump’s popular vote victory to go along with an Electoral College landslide.

He does have a mandate from the American people,” Hamadeh said. “The last time the Republican won the popular vote and Electoral College was 2004 with an incumbent president, President George W Bush. You know, the last time it was a non-incumbent, I believe, was 1988 under George H.W. Bush. And he was still at least the VP at the time. So this was a historic mandate. And President Trump, I’m going to support him all the way in Congress and make sure that we’re going to change our country around very quickly.”

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Donald Trump standing in front of American flags

 Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to speak during an election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Center on November 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Hamadeh added that the Republicans “also have to go in there knowing that President Trump has one term.”

“You know, it’s pretty liberating feeling, I’m sure, for President Trump. He’s got one term to get the job done. And I intend to be working every single day as the newest member of Congress to make sure we get the America-first agenda passed.”

The majority in the House of Representatives appears within reach for Republicans, who have already won control of the Senate and the White House.

“We’re almost certainly going to lose the House by a narrow margin,” a senior House Democratic aide told Fox News Digital. “We got our a–es kicked.”

Fox News Digital’s Liz Elkind contributed to this report



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Trump’s former Education secretary says she is ‘very open’ to discussion about returning to previous post


Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos revealed she is open to the prospect of returning to her former post in 2025 under the new Trump administration. 

After being elected to a second, non-consecutive term in the White House, President-elect Donald Trump is tasked with filling his administration with people who will help shape his agenda over the next four years – including who will lead the Education Department.

“I have been really clear about what I think needs to be the agenda, which is to get the federal tax credit passed and to de-power the Department of Education. If President-elect Trump wanted to talk to me, I would be very open to talking,” DeVos told Education Week newspaper on Thursday. DeVos was appointed by Trump as education secretary in 2017. 

“But I think there’s also a lot of folks [who could do the job well],” she added, detailing what an ideal candidate for the position might look like. 

HERE ARE THE MOST TALKED-ABOUT CANDIDATES FOR TOP POSTS IN TRUMP’S ADMINISTRATION

Then-President Trump speaks with then-Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos at a roundtable with family members of victims, state and local officials, and Cabinet members to discuss recommendations in the Federal Commission on School Safety Report in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018 in Washington, D.C.

Then-President Trump speaks with then-Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos at a roundtable with family members of victims, state and local officials, and Cabinet members to discuss recommendations in the Federal Commission on School Safety Report in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018 in Washington, D.C. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

“I think about an ideal secretary of education, what their experience might be. A governor who’s led in their state on education reform issues. That would be a very good profile. Someone who could do the things that need to be done, could come in and hit the ground running,” she said. “The federal Department of Education is a labyrinth, a maze, and I think someone who has accomplished real reforms on a state level would be really fit and suitable for that position.”

UNIVERSITIES COME UNDER FIRE FOR CANCELING CLASSES, PROVIDING SAFE SPACES TO STUDENTS UPSET BY TRUMP’S VICTORY

DeVos served as Education secretary for nearly Trump’s entire term, but she resigned the day after Jan. 6.

“I think President Trump in his second term is going to do a great service and great things to focus on families and students,” DeVos said when asked about her sudden resignation. “If you recall, my resignation was specifically out of concern for putting myself in the seat of young kids and families.”

Then-President Trump, then-Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and then-Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue in the press briefing room of the White House on March 27, 2020 in Washington, D.C.

Then-President Trump, then-Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and then-Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue in the press briefing room of the White House on March 27, 2020 in Washington, D.C. (Drew Angerer)

In April, the Department of Education finalized its changes to Title IX aimed to prohibit discrimination based on sex and gender identity in federally funded institutions. Republican critics have slammed the rule change, saying it will enable biological male athletes in schools to compete on women’s sports teams.

“The second Trump administration needs to clarify these issues promptly and put an end to allowing this invasion into women’s sports,” DeVos said.

Trump has suggested that he is going to close the Department of Education when he takes office, but DeVos said it would not be that simple.

“Let’s just say, four decades of data show us that all this federal intervention does not work, has not worked,” she said. “I think more and more folks today are realizing that than they did [when Trump took office], and I think it’s ripe for discussion about how that happens and how the Department of Education is de-powered.”

Then-Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos speaks during the daily briefing on COVID-19 in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House on March 27, 2020 in Washington, D.C.

Then-Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos speaks during the daily briefing on COVID-19 in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House on March 27, 2020 in Washington, D.C. (Jim Watson)

“The federal Department of Education has not worked for students. It’s worked for political interests, but it has not worked for students,” DeVos added.

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While on the campaign trail, Trump suggested former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy or former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin could be contenders for the top education position.

Fox News’ Kristine Parks contributed to this report.



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4 key times Biden undermined Harris’ campaign against Trump


President Biden made a series of gaffes, mistakes and surprising comments while Vice President Kamala Harris rallied national support for her run for the Oval Office. 

Biden campaigned for and endorsed Harris this cycle, but amid the roughly 100-day Harris-Walz campaign, he also made a series of mistakes that likely hurt her chances of winning the election. Biden initially ran for re-election this year before dropping out in July as concerns mounted over his mental acuity and age. 

Fox News Digital examined the last roughly 100 days of the campaign cycle and compiled the top missteps and surprising comments that became fodder for the Trump campaign before the 45th president sailed to re-election on Tuesday. 

BIDEN CONGRATULATES TRUMP, PLEDGES ‘PEACEFUL AND ORDERLY’ TRANSFER OF POWER

Biden calls Trump supporters ‘garbage’ 

“Donald Trump has no character. He doesn’t give a damn about the Latino community,” Biden said during a campaign call at the White House. “Just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a floating island of garbage.

“The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American.” 

WHITE HOUSE ALTERED BIDEN’S ‘GARBAGE’ TRANSCRIPT DESPITE CONCERNS FROM STENOGRAPHERS

Biden’s comments set off a lightning storm of criticism from Republicans nationwide, with some comparing it to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s “basket of deplorables” comment during a fundraiser during her failed 2016 campaign, which was viewed as likely undermining her campaign.

The White House attempted to backtrack on Biden’s comment, saying it was in reference specifically to remarks made during Trump’s massive Madison Square Garden rally. Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, host of the popular podcast “Kill Tony,” sparked backlash after he cracked a joke hours ahead of Trump taking the stage at Madison Square Garden that Puerto Rico is a “floating island of garbage.” 

“Earlier today I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump’s supporters at his Madison Square Garden rally as garbage — which is the only word I can think of to describe it,” Biden wrote in a post on X. “His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable. That’s all I meant to say. The comments at that rally don’t reflect who we are as a nation.”

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris laughing with US flag behind them

President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Despite efforts to walk the comments back, Trump and his campaign leaned into the derogatory comment, with Trump donning a bright orange sanitization vest and climbing into a “MAGA”-decorated trash truck during a Wisconsin campaign event. 

Biden wears a Trump hat while speaking to voters 

Biden went viral on social media in September, when he visited Pennsylvania voters at the Shanksville Fire Station on the anniversary of 9/11, after participating in a wreath-laying ceremony at the town’s memorial site for United Airlines Flight 93. 

BIDEN SHOCKS THE INTERNET BY DONNING TRUMP 2024 HAT: ‘THIS ISN’T AI’

While in the firehouse, he spoke with a Trump supporter and decided to put the man’s pro-Trump hat on his head. 

“BREAKING: Kamala did so bad in last night’s debate, Joe Biden just put on a Trump hat,” the Trump war room said on X of the footage. 

“At this point even Joe Biden is voting for President Trump,” State of Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis quipped online. 

“Joe Biden just put on a Trump 2024 campaign cap. This is not a joke… he really did,” broadcaster Piers Morgan wrote, with an emoji of a monkey covering its eyes.

The White House also confirmed the footage was real and defended the bizarre scene as Biden spreading a message of unity to voters. 

Kamala Harris on October 13

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally at the Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum on the campus of East Carolina University on Oct. 13, 2024 in Greenville, North Carolina. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

“At the Shanksville Fire Station, @POTUS spoke about the country’s bipartisan unity after 9/11 and said we needed to get back to that. As a gesture, he gave a hat to a Trump supporter who then said that in the same spirit, POTUS should put on his Trump cap. He briefly wore it,” White House spokesman Andrew Bates wrote on X.

In another unexpected wardrobe choice, first lady Jill Biden set social media ablaze earlier this week when she wore red-colored pantsuit to vote on Tuesday. Red is the color of the Republican Party, sparking commenters to joke that perhaps Jill Biden voted for Trump as a protest to Democrats calling on President Biden to exit the presidential race over the summer. 

Biden’s surprising remarks on a Republican governor’s handling of hurricane

As two hurricanes ripped through the southeast U.S. in October, Harris slammed Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ response to the natural disasters, with her campaign claiming his office denied phone calls from the Harris team. 

“People are in desperate need of support right now and playing political games with this moment, in these crisis situations, these are the height of emergency situations, it’s just utterly irresponsible, and it is selfish,” Harris told reporters of DeSantis. 

BIDEN UNDERMINES HARRIS CLAIM THAT RON DESANTIS IS POLITICIZING HURRICANE RESPONSE: ‘DOING A GREAT JOB’

Biden declared a day after Harris’ remarks that the GOP governor was doing a “great job” and thanked him for his efforts to assist Floridians. 

“The governor of Florida has been cooperative. He said he’s gotten all that he needs. I talked to him again yesterday, and I said – no – you’re doing a great job, it’s all being done well, and we thank you for it,” Biden said. “There was a rough start in some places, but every governor, every governor – from Florida to North Carolina – has been fully cooperative and supportive.”

DeSantis later shot back at Harris’ claims that he was playing politics with the storm, accusing her of being the actual culprit of engaging in political gamesmanship.  

“I’ve worked on these hurricanes under both President Trump and President Biden. Neither of them ever tried to politicize it. She has never called on any of the storms we’ve had since she’s been vice president until apparently now,” DeSantis said. “Why, all of the sudden, is she trying to parachute in and inject herself when she’s never shown any interest in the past? We know it’s because of politics, we know it’s because of her campaign.”

“Harris is not even in the chain of command. She has no role in this,” DeSantis added. “The idea that I should be, like, worrying about her when I’m focused on the task at hand is just quite frankly absurd.”

Biden bites a baby at a Halloween party 

In another surprising incident during the election cycle, Biden was caught on camera playfully biting babies dressed in Halloween costumes at a trick-or-treat event last month. Biden playfully biting the babies unfolded as Trump campaigned in Wisconsin while dressed in the sanitization vest in rebuke of Biden’s “garbage” comment. 

BIDEN SEEN BITING BABIES IN-COSTUME AT WHITE HOUSE HALLOWEEN EVENT

TRUMP VOWS TO LEAD ‘GOLDEN AGE OF AMERICA’ IN VICTORY SPEECH: ‘FIX EVERYTHING’

Donald Trump

Former President Donald Trump arrives to speak during an election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Center on Nov. 6, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Trump secured the massive election win early Wednesday morning, after key battleground states such as Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia voted in his favor. 

“Every citizen, I will fight for you, for your family and your future. Every single day, I will be fighting for you. And with every breath in my body, I will not rest until we have delivered the strong, safe and prosperous America that our children deserve and that you deserve. This will truly be the golden age of America. That’s what we have to have. This is a magnificent victory for the American people that will allow us to make America great again,” Trump said during his victory speech in the dead of night. 

President Biden giving thumbs up

President Biden departs the Rose Garden after speaking on the 2024 election in the Rose Garden on Nov. 7, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

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Harris held an election watch party at her alma mater, Howard University, in Washington, D.C., but did not publicly join her supporters as the election results began trending in Trump’s direction. Biden spent the night of the election at the White House, skipping the party. 

Fox News Digital’s Alec Schemmel and Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report. 

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



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Trump administration could lead to budget cuts, leadership shakeup at UN


A Donald Trump presidency is sure to have reverberations at the United Nations (U.N.), and first on the chopping block could be its funding. 

The U.N. currently relies on the U.S. for about a third of its budget. President Biden increased U.S. financial contributions to the U.N., boosting it from $11.6 billion in 2020 to $18.1 billion in 2022. This gives a new administration wiggle room to withhold funds to the U.N. if its global interests do not align with the U.S.’, a notion some Republicans have already pushed for. 

The U.S. gave about three times as much that year as the next-highest contributors, Germany at $6.8 billion and Japan at $2.7 billion. 

“They will have to recalibrate now very much again in the Trump administration that will, I believe, be much more attentive, engaged and monitoring of the U.N.,” predicted Hugh Dugan, a longtime member of the U.S. delegation to the U.N. 

“There are teams there that have been sleepwalking the last few years without U.S. pressure on accountability, efficiency and effectiveness.”

Trump will be in office when the international body elects its next secretary general in 2026, and the U.S. will have veto power over any candidate. 

“Over the next year and a half, it’s going to make an effort to look more managerially competent to avoid some of the stern green eyes seated across here – attention that Elon Musk and the Trump team will want to bring to the consideration of the secretary general selection.”

TOPSHOT - US President Donald Trump salutes during the presidential inaugural parade on January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC.

A Donald Trump presidency is sure to have reverberations at the United Nations, and first on the chopping block could be its funding. ( Nicholas Kamm / AFP)

ISRAEL’S UN AMBASSADOR: RESPONSE TO IRAN WILL BE ‘VERY PAINFUL’

Trump would also likely once again withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accords and the U.N. Global Compact on Migration. 

The U.N. particularly relies on the U.S. for global aid programs. In 2022, it provided half of all contributions to the World Food Programme, and about a third of all contributions to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and the International Organization for Migration.

“There’s no doubt the U.N. is frightened and horrified,” of Trump taking office, said Hillel Neuer, executive director of U.N. Watch. 

“We’re going to see budget cuts,” he said. “The most memorable being UNRWA.” 

UN General Assembly

President Biden addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City on Sept. 24, 2024. (REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs)

Trump cut funding to the organization that distributes aid to Palestinians in Gaza. Biden led the U.S. in reinstating that aid and earmarking $1 billion for UNRWA – before freezing that aid when it was revealed that some employees had links to Hamas. 

“I would say the Human Rights Office, which is based in Geneva, the U.N. Human Rights Council, America gives voluntary funds to that bureaucracy. I could see that being cut,” Neuer said. 

Some wonder whether Trump and a Republican-led Congress might try to withdraw the U.S. from the U.N. entirely. The GOP-controlled House passed a spending bill in June that would eliminate funding for the U.N.’s regular budget.

However, despite an adversarial tone toward global institutions, Trump is not expected to stop dealing with the U.N. altogether. In his first administration, he enjoyed a good relationship with Secretary General António Guterres, inviting him to the White House, and seemed to enjoy his yearly address to the General Assembly and the pageantry of world leaders traipsing through the New York City headquarters. 

“He engaged personally up there quite a lot. And during the opening of the General Assembly, he brought the White House up there, frankly, and lived up there for that week every year and operated. He recognizes the value of the organization, if just as a meeting place,” said Dugan.

UN Secretary General Guterres

The race to replace United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres will take place in 2026. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

UN REMOVES QUILT PANEL ARTWORK CALLING FOR ISRAEL’S EXTERMINATION AFTER FACING BACKLASH

Trump could also seek to push candidates for leadership over agencies like UNICEF and the World Food Programme that challenge U.N. orthodoxy and encourage American employment across the agency to counter China’s growing influence. 

China doubled the number of its nationals employed at the U.N. to nearly 15,000 from 2009 to 2021. 

“This was very much in the mind of the Trump administration when I worked in the White House that China’s growing its influence in subtle and not so subtle ways throughout the organization, affording it a globalized platform of legitimacy that they’re ready and willing to exploit to their national ends,” said Dugan. 

“The U.S. has to study the terrain of the organization better and identify, in particular, the key posts and influential offices that we should show up with our best talent and make sure that we are effective. The Chinese have been doing that really well.”

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Additionally, though the Biden administration did buck a number of U.N. resolutions that targeted Israel, he was naturally more supportive of international organizations as a whole. 



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