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When it comes to Gallup’s “Most Admired Man list,” Jimmy Carter is number three in the top 10 finishes, behind only Rev. Billy Graham and Ronald Reagan. 

From 1946 to 2020, Carter made the list 29 times, according to Gallup.  

Carter, the nation’s 39th president, died Sunday, Dec. 29, at the age of 100. He served a single term as president, and will also be remembered for his decades of humanitarian work.

“When Gallup asked Americans to retrospectively evaluate Carter’s presidency in June 2023, 57% said they approved of the job he did, and 36% disapproved,” a Gallup blog reads. “His retrospective approval ranks in the bottom half of presidents, better than Nixon and Trump, but similar to George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.”

JIMMY CARTER, 39TH PRESIDENT, REMEMBERED FOR HIS INTEGRITY AND DEVOTION TO HUMANITY

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter passed away on Dec. 29, 2024. (Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Carter earned a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development,” its website states. 

The Plains, Georgia, native undertook peace negotiations, campaigned for human rights and worked for social welfare while President George W. Bush was planning war on Iraq in the fall of 2002.

BIDEN TAKES JAB AT TRUMP WHILE APPLAUDING JIMMY CARTER’S DECENCY, SHARES FONDEST MEMORY WITH LATE PRESIDENT

Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, left, President Jimmy Carter, center, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin clasp hands on the North Lawn of the White House after signing the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel in Washington on March, 26, 1979.  (AP Photo/Bob Daugherty, File)

“According to the Chairman of the Nobel Committee, Carter ought to have been awarded the Prize as early as in 1978, when he successfully mediated a peace agreement between Egypt and Israel,” the Nobel Prize website says. “As ex-President, Carter conducted an active peace and mediation campaign which sometimes seemed to run counter to official US policy.”

The Carter Center, which Carter opened with his wife, Rosalynn, in 1982, has been a pioneer of election observation, monitoring at least 113 elections in Africa, Latin America, and Asia since 1989. In perhaps its most widely hailed public health effort, the organization recently announced that only 14 human cases of Guinea worm disease were reported in all of 2021, the result of years of public health campaigns to improve access to safe drinking water in Africa.

Former President Jimmy Carter is seen here at the starting day of the 24th Jimmy Carter Work Project in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 29, 2007. (Mario Anzuoni/File Photo)

For his humanitarian work, Craig Shirley, a Reagan biographer and historian, said Carter will be remembered as “one of the best ex-presidents of the 20th century.” 

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“We’re going to remember him kindly. He was a terrific former president with what he did with the Carter Center and the various initiatives around the country. His book writing stands out [as does] his charitable works. So, he goes down in his history as an extraordinarily good former president.”  

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

President-elect Donald Trump took aim at former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, describing the debt ceiling suspension approved in 2023 as “one of the dumbest political decisions made in years.”

But while targeting the former top House GOP lawmaker, Trump tempered the criticism by describing McCarthy as a friend and a good person.

“The extension of the Debt Ceiling by a previous Speaker of the House, a good man and a friend of mine, from this past September of the Biden Administration, to June of the Trump Administration, will go down as one of the dumbest political decisions made in years. There was no reason to do it – NOTHING WAS GAINED, and we got nothing for it – A major reason why that Speakership was lost. It was Biden’s problem, not ours. Now it becomes ours,” Trump declared in the post. 

DEBT CEILING IS ‘LAST TOOL’ IN DEMOCRATS’ TOOLBOX TO OBSTRUCT TRUMP AGENDA: KAROLINE LEAVITT

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and U.S. President Donald Trump attend a legislation signing rally with local farmers on Feb. 19, 2020, in Bakersfield, California. ( David McNew/Getty Images)

“I call it ‘1929’ because the Democrats don’t care what our Country may be forced into. In fact, they would prefer ‘Depression’ as long as it hurt the Republican Party. The Democrats must be forced to take a vote on this treacherous issue NOW, during the Biden Administration, and not in June. They should be blamed for this potential disaster, not the Republicans!” he added.

A deal passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden last year suspended the debt limit through Jan. 1, 2025, but Trump has been calling for the ceiling to be increased before he takes office. 

“In June 2023, the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 was enacted, suspending the debt limit through January 1, 2025.  On January 2, 2025, the new debt limit will be established at the amount of outstanding debt subject to the statutory limit at the end of the previous day,” Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen wrote in a recent letter to congressional leaders. “Treasury currently expects to reach the new limit between January 14 and January 23, at which time it will be necessary for Treasury to start taking extraordinary measures. I respectfully urge Congress to act to protect the full faith and credit of the United States.”

PRESIDENT BIDEN SIGNS STOPGAP FUNDING BILL INTO LAW, NARROWLY AVERTING SHUTDOWN

Earlier this month, Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance pressed for the limit to be raised as part of a stopgap government spending proposal.

“The most foolish and inept thing ever done by Congressional Republicans was allowing our country to hit the debt ceiling in 2025. It was a mistake and is now something that must be addressed,” the two men said in a statement. “Increasing the debt ceiling is not great but we’d rather do it on Biden’s watch. If Democrats won’t cooperate on the debt ceiling now, what makes anyone think they would do it in June during our administration?”

But the measure that eventually passed did not raise the ceiling.

Responding to Trump’s post about McCarthy, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, wrote in a post on X, “Sadly, this bad debt ceiling extension was opposed by only 71 House Republicans 18 months ago (notably opposed by virtually the entire @freedomcaucus).”

TRUMP-BACKED SPENDING BILL TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN FAILS HOUSE VOTE

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, walks through a hallway during a Republican House Conference meeting at the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 20, 2024, in Washington, D.C.  (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

“Democrats did vote on the recent debt ceiling increase proposal on 12/19: 197-2 against it (their price to support is very high – more spending/taxes),” Roy added. “Yes, we can & should address the debt ceiling – thru reconciliation in January with mostly GOP votes – but with real, meaningful spending cuts.”

As Democrats aim to rebound following stunning setbacks in the 2024 elections, the race for Democratic National Committee chair is very publicly heating up.

Getting less attention, but also starting to quietly commence, are moves by Democratic politicians who may have national ambitions in the next White House race.

And while 2028 may seem like a long way away, recent history shows that the early moves in the next White House race start, well, very early.

The unofficial starting gun for the 2024 race was fired by then-former President Donald Trump less than two months after leaving the White House, with a CPAC speech that teased his eventual 2024 presidential campaign.

BUTTIGIEG FUELS 2028 SPECULATION BY DOING THIS

The sign outside the New Hampshire capitol in Concord honors the state’s cherished century-old tradition of holding the nation’s first presidential primary in the race for the White House. (Fox News — Paul Steinhauser)

A few weeks later, the first visits to the key early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire by potential GOP presidential contenders were also underway.

Fast-forward four years, and expect similar actions by Democratic politicians who may harbor national ambitions. With the soon-to-be 82-year-old President Biden exiting the national stage, and Vice President Kamala Harris, in the wake of her defeat by Trump, in no immediate rush to decide her political future, the road to the 2028 nomination may be wide open.

VANCE IN ‘CATBIRD SEAT,’ BUT HERE ARE THE OTHER REPUBLICANS WHO MAY ALSO RUN IN 2028 

“The jockeying for 2028 took a brief pause when Harris became the nominee and looked to be in a strong position, which would have meant shutting out potential candidates for the next four to eight years. Now, though, it’s wide open, and it won’t be long before we see clear maneuvering from a litany of candidates,” seasoned Democratic political strategist Chris Moyer told Fox News.

Moyer, a veteran of a handful of presidential campaigns, noted that “this will include travel to states like New Hampshire and South Carolina and Nevada, presumably under the auspices of helping candidates in the midterms. Democratic voters in the early states will soon want to find someone they can get excited about and a future to look forward to in the midst of the misery of another four years of Trump in the White House. These potential candidates will be more than happy to oblige.”

The results of the 2026 midterm elections will have a major impact on the shape of the next White House race.

For now, however, here is an initial look at Democratic Party politicians considered to be potential 2028 presidential contenders.

Vice President Kamala Harris

Vice President Harris gave a speech on Dec. 17, 2024 during a visit to Prince George’s Community College in Maryland.  (Fox 5 Washington DC YouTube channel)

As the 60-year-old Harris finishes up her final weeks as the nation’s vice president, early polling in the 2028 Democratic nomination race indicates that she would be a front-runner, thanks in part to her name recognition within her party.

While any decisions on her next political steps are months away, sources in the vice president’s orbit confirm to Fox News that top aides are divided on whether Harris should run again for the White House in 2028, or instead launch a 2026 gubernatorial campaign in her home state of California, which would likely prevent her from seeking the presidency two years later.

While there are plenty of voices within the party who would like to move on from the Biden/Harris era following Trump’s sweeping victory, and there is little history of Democrats yearning for past defeated presidential nominees, Trump has re-written the rules when it comes to defeated White House contenders making another run. 

And potential buyers’ remorse of a second Trump administration could boost Harris in the years to come.

Gov. Gavin Newsom of California 

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, a top surrogate for President Biden, speaks with voters during a stop at a highway rest area in Hooksett, New Hampshire, on July 8, 2024. (Fox News — Paul Steinhauser)

California Gov. Gavin Newsom was a top surrogate for President Biden during the president’s re-election bid. With the blessing of the White House, the two-term California governor debated then-Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last year on Fox News. 

Newsom’s travels on behalf of Biden brought him to New Hampshire and South Carolina, two crucial early voting states on the Democratic Party’s nominating calendar.

After the vice president, his friend and fellow Californian, replaced Biden atop the Democrats’ 2024 ticket, the governor continued — after a pause — his efforts to keep Trump from returning to the White House.

With Trump’s election victory last week, Newsom became one of the Democratic Party leaders getting ready to lead the opposition. The governor announced that California state lawmakers would meet to quickly take legislative action to counter Trump’s likely upcoming agenda.

The 57-year-old Newsom’s second term in Sacramento will finish at the end of next year, right around the time the 2028 presidential election will start to heat up.

Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is interviewed by Fox News Digital at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (Fox News — Paul Steinhauser)

Illinois Gov JB Pritzker, similar to Newsom, is already taking steps to Trump-proof his state.

“You come for my people, you come through me,” Pritzker told reporters of his efforts to protect Illinois.

Pritzker was also a high-profile surrogate on behalf of Biden and then Harris during the 2024 cycle. Those efforts brought Pritzker to Nevada, a general election battleground state and an early-voting Democratic presidential primary state, and New Hampshire.

However, before he makes any decision about 2028, the 59-year-old governor must decide whether he will run in 2026 for a third term steering Illinois.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer campaigns on behalf of then-presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris at a house party in Durham, New Hampshire, on July 25, 2024. (Fox News — Paul Steinhauser)

Two-term Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer grabbed plenty of attention and became a Democratic Party rising star in 2020 when she feuded with then-President Trump over COVID pandemic federal assistance and survived a foiled kidnapping attempt.

Trump, at the time, called her “that woman from Michigan.”

Along with Newsom and Pritzker, Whitmer’s name was floated as a possible replacement for Biden following his disastrous debate performance against Trump in late June, before the president endorsed Harris and the party instantly coalesced around the vice president.

Whitmer was a leading surrogate for Biden and then for Harris and made a big impression on Democratic activists during a stop this summer in New Hampshire on behalf of Harris.

The governor is term-limited and will leave office after the end of next year.

Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks before Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, during a campaign event in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Joe Lamberti)

Gov. Josh Shapiro, the 51-year-old first-term governor of Pennsylvania, was on Harris’ short-list for vice presidential nominee.

Even though the vice president named Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, Shapiro remained a top surrogate on behalf of his party’s 2024 national ticket. 

However, his two-day swing in New Hampshire during the final full week ahead of Election Day did raise some eyebrows and 2028 speculation.

After Harris lost battleground Pennsylvania to Trump, there was plenty of talk within the party that Harris had made the wrong choice for her running mate.

Shapiro, who has a track record of taking on the first Trump administration as Pennsylvania attorney general, is expected to play a similar role with the former president returning to the White House.

The governor will be up for re-election in 2026.

Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland

Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland speaks with the New Hampshire delegation at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 22, 2024. (Fox News — Paul Steinhauser)

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is considered by many to be another Democratic Party rising star.

The 46-year-old Army veteran, Rhodes Scholar and CEO of the charitable organization the Robin Hood Foundation during the coronavirus pandemic was elected two years ago.

Moore will be up for re-election in 2026.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg speaks on day three of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on Aug. 21, 2024. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who surpassed expectations during his 2020 Democratic presidential nomination run, was a very active surrogate on behalf of Biden and later Harris, during the 2024 cycle.

He helped raise a lot of money for the Democratic Party ticket, including heading a top-dollar fundraiser in New Hampshire.

The 42-year-old former South Bend, Indiana, mayor and former naval officer who served in the war in Afghanistan, is considered one of the party’s biggest and brightest stars. He was known as a top communicator for the administration, including making frequent appearances on Fox News.

Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear speaks during the 2024 Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

The 46-year-old Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who was elected governor in 2019 and then re-elected in 2023 in red-state Kentucky, was also on Harris’ larger list for running mate.

Beshear made plenty of new friends and contacts as he ventured to New Hampshire last month to headline the state Democratic Party’s annual fall fundraising gala.

Beshear served as Kentucky’s attorney general before running for governor.

Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia

Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., speaks with Fox News Digital following a campaign rally in Tifton, Georgia, on Nov. 29, 2022. (Brandon Gillespie/Fox News)

Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock, 55, will likely be a major player in Washington as the Democratic minority in the Senate fights back against the second Trump administration.

Warnock, who won Senate elections in 2020 and 2022 in battleground Georgia, served as senior pastor at the famed Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where Martin Luther King Jr. once preached.

He is up for re-election in the Senate in 2028.

Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey

Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey speaks at a Biden campaign/DNC news conference in Milwaukee near the Republican National Convention on July 16, 2024. (Fox News — Paul Steinhauser)

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, who ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, is considered one of the party’s most talented orators.

Thanks to his 2020 run, Booker made plenty of friends and allies in such early states as New Hampshire and South Carolina.

The senator is up for re-election in 2026.

Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut

FILE — Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut speaks at the National Safer Communities Summit at the University of Hartford in West Hartford, Conn., Friday, June 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

Since the November election, Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut has been very vocal about the steps Democrats need to make to win back working-class voters.

First elected to the House in 2006 and to the Senate in 2012, Murphy cruised to re-election this year by nearly 20 points, which means he won’t have to decide between a re-election bid and a White House run in 2028.

Rep. Ro Khanna of California

Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California speaks with voters after taking part in a debate with GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics on Nov. 1, 2023, in Manchester, New Hampshire. (Fox News — Paul Steinhauser )

Rep. Ro Khanna, 48, was a tireless surrogate on behalf of Biden and then Harris. 

He has been a regular visitor to New Hampshire in the past couple of years, including a high-profile debate last year against then-GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York

U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) speaks on day one of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois, on August 19, 2024.  (REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz)

The progressive rock star and best-known lawmaker among the so-called Squad of diverse House Democrats in October turned 35, the minimum age to run for president.

Some Democrats argue that a riveting messenger with star power is needed as the party’s next nominee, and Ocasio-Cortez is guaranteed to grab plenty of attention if she ultimately decides to run.

Mark Cuban

Mark Cuban spoke at a campaign rally for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse, in La Crosse, Wis., Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Another potential contender with plenty of star power is Mark Cuban.

The billionaire business mogul and part-owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks’ was a high-profile surrogate for Harris during her presidential election campaign.

Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper speaks in support of Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris at the Hendrick Center For Automotive Excellence on August 16, 2024, in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Baldwin/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, 67, who is finishing up his eighth and final year as governor, took his name out of the Harris running mate speculation early in the process this summer.

Cooper served 16 years as North Carolina’s attorney general before winning election as governor.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico

Democratic New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham speaks on Aug. 9, 2023, in Belen, New Mexico. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, 65, is halfway through her second term steering New Mexico.

The governor, a former member of Congress, was a high-profile and busy surrogate on behalf of Harris during the final weeks of the 2024 campaign.

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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a campaign rally at Tucson High Magnet School on Nov. 2, 2024, in Tucson, Arizona. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

The 60-year-old Minnesota governor, who served as Harris’ running mate, has two years remaining in his second term in office.

While the vice presidential nominee’s energy and enthusiasm on the campaign trail this year impressed plenty of Democratic strategists, the final results of the election will make any potential future national run for Walz difficult.

Two other names keep coming up — Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey and former Chicago mayor, former congressman, former White House chief of staff and current ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel.

The returning head of the House Republican campaign committee says that “the battlefield is really playing out to our advantage” as he works to defend the GOP’s razor-thin majority in the chamber in the 2026 midterm elections.

While House Republicans held on to control of the House in November’s elections, the Democrats made gains, and the GOP will hold a fragile 220-215 majority when at full strength.

The party in power traditionally loses House seats in the ensuing midterm elections.

But thanks to President-elect Trump’s popular vote victory and sweep of all seven key battleground states as he won back the White House, National Republican Congressional Committee chair Rep. Richard Hudson looks forward to some home-field advantage on the campaign trail.

VANCE TO LIKELY BE 2028 GOP PRESIDENTIAL FRONT-RUNNER, BUT RNC CHAIR ALSO LIKES PARTY’S ‘BENCH’

President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP/Evan Vucci)

“There are 14 Democrats who won seats also carried by Donald Trump. There are only three Republicans in seats that were carried by Kamala Harris. So that tells me we’re going to be on offense,” Hudson emphasized in a recent Fox News Digital interview.

Eight years ago, when Trump first won the White House, and the GOP held onto their House majority, Democrats targeted roughly two-dozen Republicans in the 2018 midterms in districts that Trump lost in the 2016 election.

The Democrats, in a blue-wave election, were successful in flipping the House majority. 

SENATE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE CHAIR SPELLS OUT HIS 2026 MISSION

Fast-forward eight years, and it’s a different story, as this time Republicans will be defending seats on friendly turf in districts that the president-elect carried. And Hudson argues that home-field advantage will help the GOP cut through the traditional midterm headwinds.

“There’s a whole lot more opportunity for us to go on offense,” Hudson, who’s represented a congressional district in central North Carolina for a dozen years, touted.

Hudson also made the case that House Republicans who will once again be targeted by the Democrats in the upcoming election cycle are “really battle-tested. I mean, they’re folks who’ve been through the fire before. They’ve gone through several cycles now with millions of dollars spent against them.”

Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, is interviewed by Fox News Digital, on Dec. 11, 2024 in Washington, D.C.  (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

“They’ve been able to succeed because they work very hard in their districts. They’ve established very strong brands, as you know, people who know how to get things done and how to deliver for their community,” he emphasized. “The Republicans who are in tough seats are our best candidates.”

The three House Republicans who are in districts that Harris carried last month are Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Mike Lawler of New York.

But there will be a big difference in 2026: Trump, who helped drive low-propensity voters to the polls this year, won’t be on the ballot in the 2026 midterms. 

“I certainly would rather have him on the ballot, because he turns out voters that don’t come out for other candidates,” Hudson acknowledged.

But he argued, “If you look at the way this race is shaping up, we campaigned on a key set of issues of things that we promised we would deliver. If we deliver those things and have Donald Trump there with us campaigning with our candidates, I believe we can drive out a higher percentage of those voters than we have in midterms in the past.”

Hudson said that Trump “was a great partner” with House Republicans this year and will be again in the upcoming election cycle.

“[Trump] cares deeply about having a House majority, because he understands that a Democrat House majority means his agenda comes to a grinding halt. And so he’s been very engaged, was a very good partner for us this last election, and I anticipate that continuing.”

Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington State, chair of the rival Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, says she wants “to build on” the “things we did right” as she aims to win back the House majority Democrats lost in the 2022 midterms.

“We won in tough districts, outperformed across the country,” DelBene emphasized in a recent Fox News Digital interview.

DelBene, who is also sticking around for a second straight tour of duty steering her party’s House campaign committee, said that the 2024 successes are “a good example of what we need to continue to follow, heading into 2026.”

“Number one, have great candidates who are independent-minded, focused on the needs of their communities,” DelBene said as she listed her to-do list. “Those candidates and their voices were critically important in this election.”

DelBene said that “making sure that they [the candidates] have the resources they need to get information out to voters and to continue to address, head-on, the issues that are most important to their communities, lowering costs, making sure there’s economic opportunity” are also top priorities.

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With Trump returning to the White House and the GOP in control of both chambers of Congress, DelBene said Republicans are “going to be accountable for what they do in this country and the impact that has on working families.”

“We’re going to hold them accountable for their votes and the actions they take, especially if they aren’t supporting working families,” she emphasized. “I think people want to see governance work. So, if Republicans aren’t willing to work in a bipartisan way to get things done, that’s going to be a key part of the 2026 election as well.”

Looking to the 2026 map, DelBene touted that Democrats will have “opportunities across the country.”

And she said it’s the DCCC’s job to “reach voters where they are and make sure they’re getting accurate information about where our candidates stand.”

Fox News’ Emma Woodhead contributed to this report.

Former President Jimmy Carter, who died Sunday at 100, is expected to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda in January, Fox News has learned.

Though the specific dates have not yet been released, President Biden said in a White House statement Sunday night that Carter’s funeral at the Washington National Cathedral is scheduled for Jan. 9, deeming the day a National Day of Mourning.

“I call on the American people to assemble on that day in their respective places of worship, there to pay homage to the memory of President James Earl Carter, Jr. I invite the people of the world who share our grief to join us in this solemn observance,” the president said.

Biden also ordered that all American flags fly at half-staff for the next 30 days.

JIMMY CARTER, 39TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, DEAD AT 100

Former President Jimmy Carter discusses his cancer diagnosis during a press conference at the Carter Center on Aug. 20, 2015, in Atlanta. (Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)

The 39th president is expected to lie in state in both the Georgia State Capitol and the U.S. Capitol before the state funeral in Washington, D.C., The New York Times reported.

Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was the most recent statesman to lie in state in January 2022. Twelve U.S. presidents have lain in state, beginning with former President Abraham Lincoln and most recently with former President George H.W. Bush, who died in November 2018.

LIVING US PRESIDENTS REACT TO DEATH OF FORMER PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER

Multiple observances of Carter’s death are expected in coming days in Atlanta, Georgia, and Washington, D.C., the Carter Center said.

“The final arrangements for President Carter’s state funeral, including all public events and motorcade routes, are still pending,” the center noted.

The former president will be interred privately in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, to which he returned after serving as president from 1977 to 1981. His death came after years of health problems, including cancer that spread to his liver and brain. He entered hospice care in February 2023. 

Carter outlived his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn Carter, who died in November 2023 at the age of 96. His death inspired an outpouring of sympathy from both sides of the political aisle, with President-elect Trump writing that Americans “owe [Carter] a debt of gratitude.”

JIMMY, ROSALYNN CARTER’S HABITAT FOR HUMANITY LEGACY WILL CONTINUE, ORGANIZATION SAYS

Carter served two terms as a Georgia state senator from 1963 to 1967, one term as governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975 and one term as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. (Archive Photos)

“Those of us who have been fortunate to have served as President understand this is a very exclusive club, and only we can relate to the enormous responsibility of leading the Greatest Nation in History,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Sunday. “The challenges Jimmy faced as President came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans.”

In a statement released on Sunday, the late president’s son, Chip Carter, called his father a “hero.”

“My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love,” the statement read. “My brothers, sister, and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs.”

“The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honoring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs.”

Former President Jimmy Carter speaks to the congregation at Maranatha Baptist Church before teaching Sunday school in his hometown of Plains, Ga., on April 28, 2019. (Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

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More information about the funeral and ceremony plans for Carter is expected to emerge in the coming days.

Former President Jimmy Carter, who died Sunday at 100, is expected to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda in January, Fox News has learned.

Officials have not yet released the specific dates when Carter’s body will be in the Rotunda. The New York Times reported that the 39th president is expected to lie in state in both the Georgia State Capitol and the U.S. Capitol before a state funeral takes place at Washington National Cathedral.

Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in January 2022 was the most recent statesman to lie in state. Twelve U.S. presidents have lain in state, beginning with former President Abraham Lincoln. The last U.S. president to lie in state was former President George H.W. Bush, who died in November 2018.

Multiple observances of Carter’s death are expected in coming days. The Carter Center said on Sunday that events are expected in Atlanta and Washington, D.C. Carter was from Plains, Georgia.

JIMMY CARTER, 39TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, DEAD AT 100

Former President Jimmy Carter discusses his cancer diagnosis during a press conference at the Carter Center on Aug. 20, 2015, in Atlanta. (Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)

“The final arrangements for President Carter’s state funeral, including all public events and motorcade routes, are still pending,” the center noted.

The former president will be interred privately in his hometown, to which he returned after serving as president from 1977 to 1981. His death came after years of health problems, including cancer that spread to his liver and brain. He entered hospice care in February 2023. 

Carter outlived his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn Carter, who died in November 2023 at the age of 96. His death inspired an outpouring of sympathy from both sides of the political aisle, with President-elect Trump writing that Americans “owe [Carter] a debt of gratitude.”

JIMMY, ROSALYNN CARTER’S HABITAT FOR HUMANITY LEGACY WILL CONTINUE, ORGANIZATION SAYS

Carter served two terms as a Georgia state senator from 1963 to 1967, one term as governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975 and one term as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. (Archive Photos)

“Those of us who have been fortunate to have served as President understand this is a very exclusive club, and only we can relate to the enormous responsibility of leading the Greatest Nation in History,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Sunday. “The challenges Jimmy faced as President came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans.”

In a statement released on Sunday, the late president’s son, Chip Carter, called his father a “hero.”

“My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love,” the statement read. “My brothers, sister, and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs.”

“The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honoring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs.”

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Former President Jimmy Carter speaks to the congregation at Maranatha Baptist Church before teaching Sunday school in his hometown of Plains, Ga., on April 28, 2019. (Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

More information about the funeral and ceremony plans for Carter is expected to emerge in the coming days.

President Biden addressed the nation on Sunday in the wake of former President Jimmy Carter’s death, commending the late statesman while also taking a swipe at the current president-elect during his speech.

Biden, who sounded hoarse during the speech, said he “lost a dear friend” on Sunday, noting that he had known Carter for more than 50 years. Carter passed away in Plains, Georgia, at the age of 100, after nearly two years of being in hospice care.

During his remarks, Biden said Carter is a model “of what it means to live a life of meaning and purpose, a life of principle, faith and humility.”

“Some look at Jimmy Carter and see a man of a bygone era with honesty and character. Faith and humility mattered, but I don’t believe it’s a bygone era,” Biden said. “We’d all do well to try to be more like Jimmy Carter.”

JIMMY CARTER, 39TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, DEAD AT 100

Biden criticized Donald Trump during a speech about Jimmy Carter’s legacy on Sunday. (Getty Images)

Biden said his fondest memory of Carter happened in the 1970s when the then-Georgia governor asked Biden for help with his presidential campaign.

“He grabbed me by the arm and said, ‘I need you to help with my campaign,'” Biden recalled. “I said, ‘I’ve only been around a couple of years, Mr. Governor.’ He said, ‘No, it’ll make a difference.'”

“I said, ‘I’m not sure it will,” Biden added. “When I endorsed him for president, I told him why [I] was endorsing him and that it was not only his policies but his character, his decency, the honor he communicated to everyone.”

JIMMY, ROSALYNN CARTER’S HABITAT FOR HUMANITY LEGACY WILL CONTINUE, ORGANIZATION SAYS

Jimmy Carter, Rosalynn Carter and their children are shown during the 1980 Democratic National Convention in New York City. (Ron Galella)

When a reporter asked Biden what President-elect Trump should take from Carter’s legacy, Biden replied, “Decency.”

“Decency, decency, decency. … Can you imagine Jimmy Carter walking by someone who needed something and just keep walking? Can you imagine Jimmy Carter referring to someone by the way they look or the way they talk?”

Biden’s speech came after Trump issued his own statement about Carter’s death.

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Former President Jimmy Carter (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

“Those of us who have been fortunate to have served as President understand this is a very exclusive club, and only we can relate to the enormous responsibility of leading the Greatest Nation in History,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The challenges Jimmy faced as President came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans. For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude.”

Trump later wrote that although he “strongly” disagreed with Carter philosophically and politically, he realized that the former president “truly loved and respected” the U.S. and all it stands for.

“He worked hard to make America a better place, and for that I give him my highest respect,” Trump said. “He was truly a good man and, of course, will be greatly missed. He was also very consequential, far more than most Presidents, after he left the Oval Office.”

Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

Tributes, including those from all five living presidents, poured in on Sunday after news broke that former President Jimmy Carter died at his home in Plains, Georgia, at the age of 100.

Carter served as the 39th president of the United States, but he was also a peanut farmer with a vision of a “competent and compassionate” government, which propelled him into the White House.

Former President Bill Clinton said in a statement on Sunday that he and his wife, Hillary, met Carter in 1975 as “proud, early supporters” of his presidential campaign.

“Hillary and I mourn the passing of President Jimmy Carter and give thanks for his long, good life,” Clinton wrote. “Guided by his faith, President Carter lived to serve others – until the very end.”

JIMMY CARTER, 39TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, DEAD AT 100

Clinton continued by praising his presidential colleague for his commitment to civil rights while serving as a state senator and the governor of Georgia, as well as his efforts as president to protect natural resources in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, returning the Panama Canal to Panama and securing peace between Egypt and Israel at Camp David.

Carter’s devotions after serving as president also gained accolades from Clinton, including efforts from the Carter Center to support honest elections, advancing peace and combating disease.

“I will always be proud to have presented the Medal of Freedom to him and Rosalynn in 1999, and to have worked with him in the years after he left the White House,” Clinton wrote. “Our prayers are with Jack, Chip, Jeff, Amy, and their families.”

FORMER PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER TO SPEND ‘REMAINING TIME’ AT HOME RECEIVING HOSPICE CARE

Former President George W. Bush said Carter was “a man of deeply held convictions” who was loyal to his family, his community and his country.

“President Carter dignified the office. And his efforts to leave behind a better world didn’t end with the presidency,” Bush said. “His work with Habitat for Humanity and the Carter Center set an example of service that will inspire Americans for generations.”

Carter, according to former President Obama, promised voters he would always tell the truth, which Obama said “he did.”

JIMMY CARTER CELEBRATES 98TH BIRTHDAY WITH FAMILY, FRIENDS, BASEBALL

From left: Former Presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter (HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

“He believed some things were more important than reelection – things like integrity, respect, and compassion. Because Jimmy Carter believed, as deeply as he believed anything, that we are all created in God’s image,” he added. “Whenever I had a chance to spend time with President Carter, it was clear that he didn’t just profess these values. He embodied them. And in doing so, he taught all of us what it means to live a life of grace, dignity, justice, and service.”

Obama highlighted a quote that Carter said when he accepted his Nobel Peace Prize: “God gives us the capacity for choice. We can choose to alleviate suffering. We can choose to work together for peace.”

“He made that choice again and again over the course of his 100 years, and the world is better for it,” Obama said.

JIMMY CARTER, WIFE ROSALYNN CELEBRATE 75 YEARS OF MARRIAGE

In another post on X, Obama said, “President Carter taught all of us what it means to live a life of grace, dignity, justice, and service. Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to the Carter family, and everyone who loved and learned from this remarkable man.”

President Biden referred to Carter as a man of great character and courage, hope and optimism.

He also said he and his wife will cherish seeing Carter and his late wife, Rosalynn, together, noting that the love between the two is the “definition of partnership,” while their leadership is the definition of “patriotism.”

“We will miss them both dearly, but take solace knowing they are reunited once again and will remain forever in our hearts,” Biden said. “To the entire Carter family, we send our gratitude for sharing them with America and the world. To their staff – from the earliest days to the final ones – we have no doubt that you will continue to do the good works that carry on their legacy.”

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President-elect Trump also reacted to Carter’s death on Truth Social.

“The challenges Jimmy faced as President came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans. For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude,” Trump wrote. “Melania and I are thinking warmly of the Carter Family and their loved ones during this difficult time. We urge everyone to keep them in their hearts and prayers.”

President-elect Trump and President Biden reacted to the death of former President Jimmy Carter on Sunday, with Trump saying, “we all owe him a debt of gratitude,” and Biden honoring his “dear friend.”

Carter, who was the 39th president of the United States and a peanut farmer whose vision of a “competent and compassionate” government propelled him into the White House, died at his home in Plains, Georgia, on Sunday at the age of 100.

“I just heard of the news about the passing of President Jimmy Carter. Those of us who have been fortunate to have served as President understand this is a very exclusive club, and only we can relate to the enormous responsibility of leading the Greatest Nation in History,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The challenges Jimmy faced as President came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans. For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude.

“Melania and I are thinking warmly of the Carter Family and their loved ones during this difficult time. We urge everyone to keep them in their hearts and prayers,” the incoming president added.

JIMMY CARTER, 39TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, DEAD AT 100

 Former President Jimmy Carter discusses his cancer diagnosis during a press conference at the Carter Center on August 20, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. Carter confirmed that he has melanoma that has spread to his liver and brain and will start treatment today.   (Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)

Also weighing in was President Biden, who said, “the world lost an extraordinary leader, statesman, and humanitarian.”

“Over six decades, we had the honor of calling Jimmy Carter a dear friend. But, what’s extraordinary about Jimmy Carter, though, is that millions of people throughout America and the world who never met him thought of him as a dear friend as well,” Biden wrote. “With his compassion and moral clarity, he worked to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil rights and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless, and always advocate for the least among us. He saved, lifted, and changed the lives of people all across the globe.”

Biden referred to Carter as a man of great character and courage, hope and optimism.

FORMER PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER TO SPEND ‘REMAINING TIME’ AT HOME RECEIVING HOSPICE CARE

U.S. President Jimmy Carter announces new sanctions against Iran in retaliation for taking U.S. Hostages, Washington, D.C., USA, photograph by Marion S. Trikosko, April 7, 1980.  (Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

He also said he and his wife will cherish seeing Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, together, noting that the love between the two is the “definition of partnership,” while their leadership is the definition of “patriotism.”

“We will miss them both dearly, but take solace knowing they are reunited once again and will remain forever in our hearts,” Biden said. “To the entire Carter family, we send our gratitude for sharing them with America and the world. To their staff – from the earliest days to the final ones – we have no doubt that you will continue to do the good works that carry on their legacy.

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“And to all of the young people in this nation and for anyone in search of what it means to live a life of purpose and meaning – the good life – study Jimmy Carter, a man of principle, faith, and humility. He showed that we are great nation because we are a good people – decent and honorable, courageous and compassionate, humble and strong,” Biden added.

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., says H1-B visas are being “abused” in the U.S. and argues that many American workers are being forced to “train their replacements.”

Schmitt made the comments on Fox News Sunday with host Shannon Bream, cutting against a push for more migrant workers from Elon Musk.

“I think there’s an important, thoughtful debate that’s happening. But the context that we need to, I think, keep in mind here is that American workers have been left behind by this economy. Many factory jobs have been sent overseas,” Schmittt said. 

“I think the abuses of the H-1B program have been evident, where you have sort of the sons and daughters of those factory workers who lost their jobs, got white collar jobs as accountants, and they’re, you know, training their replacements, the foreign workers who are undercutting their wages,” he continued.

GOP SENATORS ‘VERY IMPRESSED’ WITH MUSK, RAMASWAMY DOGE FRAMEWORK AMID MEETINGS ON CAPITOL HILL

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., is skeptical of the H-1B visa program.

“So I think the solution here President Trump has actually articulated in 2020 is to reform that system and, you know, get rid of the abuses, make it merit-based and make sure that we’re not undercutting wages and having, you know, Americans train their foreign replacements,” he added.

‘WE’RE GOING TO GUT THE FISH’: REPUBLICANS GIVE DETAILS FROM CLOSED-DOOR MEETINGS WITH DOGE’S MUSK, RAMASWAMY

Schmitt went on to argue that the U.S. needs to “invest” more in Americans workers, as well as defend President Trump’s plans for deportations.

Elon Musk defended the H-1B visa program that allows “skilled” foreign workers to be hired for jobs in the U.S. (Nathan Laine/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“The idea of deporting people who are here illegally is not a new concept. In fact, the policy in the law of the United States of America, since, you know, for 200 years, is if you come here illegally, you are detained. If you don’t have a valid reason, like asylum. And by the way, nine out of ten asylum claims are bogus. Then you are deported,” Schmitt said.

He stated that it has “only been in the last four years” that Democrats in control of the federal government have refused to enforce existing laws.

Musk and DOGE counterpart Vivek Ramaswamy ignited an intra-MAGA battle with their proposals to increase immigration visas for high-skill workers last week.

Ramaswamy argued on social media that American culture has glorified “mediocrity” for decades and that importing skilled labor from other countries is the solution.

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Trump restricted access to foreign worker visas during his first administration and has critiqued the H-1B visas program, which allows U.S. companies to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations.  

Choose your Most Memorable Election Moment of 2024. 

Choose between President Joe Biden dropping out of the 2024 race for the White House, Vice President Kamala Harris on Special Report with Bret Baier, and Donald Trump surprising McDonald’s customers at a drive-through.

Then see how your choice ranks and share the results with your friends.

Check back each day this week to pick your Most Memorable Moments of 2024. 

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Companies that previously feuded with President-elect Trump are now making seven-figure donations to his 2025 inauguration.

Trump has butted heads with several Fortune 500 company executives over the years, but following his presidential election victory in November, some of those same big-business leaders are dropping major cash on the incoming president’s exclusive inaugural festivities. 

“In the first term, everyone was fighting me. This time, everyone wants to be my friend,” Trump recently said at Mar-a-Lago, according to The Washington Post.

Meta, the world’s largest social media network headed by Mark Zuckerberg, suspended Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts in 2021 after the events of Jan. 6 — which Trump called an “insult” to his voters. In his new book, titled “Save America,” Trump accused Zuckerberg of “plotting” against him in 2020. 

DOJ SEEKS TO BLOCK JAN. 6 DEFENDANTS FROM ATTENDING TRUMP INAUGURATION

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms Inc., arrives following a break during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 31. (Kent Nishimura)

“He told me there was nobody like Trump on Facebook. But at the same time, and for whatever reason, steered it against me,” Trump wrote. “We are watching him closely, and if he does anything illegal this time he will spend the rest of his life in prison — as will others who cheat in the 2024 Presidential Election.”

Trump, in his book, also accused Zuckerberg of “always plotting to install shameful Lock Boxes in a true PLOT AGAINST THE PRESIDENT.”

However, the relationship appeared to change course as the election drew nearer. After Trump’s Butler, Pennsylvania, assassination attempt in July, Zuckerberg said Trump’s fist pump in the air after suffering a bullet wound to the ear was “one of the most bada– things I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Shortly after Trump won the election in November, Zuckerberg met with the incoming president at Mar-a-Lago. Just weeks later, Meta donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund. 

JOHNSON ALLIES URGE TRUMP TO INTERVENE AS MESSY SPEAKER BATTLE THREATENS TO DELAY 2024 CERTIFICATION

“Mark Zuckerberg has been very clear about his desire to be a supporter of and a participant in this change that we’re seeing all around America, all around the world with this reform movement that Donald Trump is leading,” Trump adviser Stephen Miller said during an appearance on “The Ingraham Angle.”

Amazon, founded by Jeff Bezos, is donating $1 million to Trump’s 2025 inauguration. (AP Images)

Despite a yearlong clash between Amazon’s billionaire founder, Jeff Bezos — who also owns The Washington Post — and the incoming president, the e-commerce company recently pledged to donate $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund.

After Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity in 2016 that Amazon was “getting away with murder, tax-wise,” Bezos fired back at the then-presidential candidate.

Bezos, appearing at a technology conference, said that Trump’s comments were “not an appropriate way for a presidential candidate to behave.”

“Washington Post employees want to go on strike because Bezos isn’t paying them enough. I think a really long strike would be a great idea,” Trump wrote in another hit at the billionaire on X, then Twitter, in June 2018. “Employees would get more money and we would get rid of Fake News for an extended period of time! Is @WaPo a registered lobbyist?”

The mood appeared to have shifted following the 2024 election, when Bezos said he was “very optimistic” about Trump’s regulatory agenda.

President-elect Trump smiles during Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix on Sunday. (Rebecca Noble)

“I’m very hopeful — he seems to have a lot of energy around reducing regulation,” Bezos said at the New York Times DealBook Summit. “My point of view is, if I can help him do that, I’m going to help him.”

When Ford agreed to make a deal to meet California’s efficiency standards, the company defied then-President Trump’s plans to push back on the state setting its own green energy standards for automakers. 

Trump voiced his opposition to the auto giant’s decision, saying that Henry Ford, the company’s founder, would be “very disappointed if he saw his modern-day descendants wanting to build a much more expensive car that is far less safe and doesn’t work as well, because execs don’t want to fight California regulators.”  

The blue oval logo of Ford Motor Company sits on the cross-hatched grille of a 2008 F-150 pickup truck at a Ford dealership in Centennial, Colorado, on Nov. 2, 2008. (David Zalubowski)

Ford, one of the world’s largest automakers, recently announced it will be making a seven-figure donation to Trump’s inauguration in January. 

Other major automakers, such as GM and Toyota, will also make individual donations of $1 million to Trump.

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Trump will also receive a $1 million inauguration donation from Intuit, whose stock recently dropped in November after it was reported that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was considering creating a free tax-filing app.

As NATO member states struggle to meet their defense spending goals and war rages on Europe’s eastern front, officials are struggling to agree on a plan to shore up hundreds of billions of dollars to bolster defenses. 

Eight NATO countries did not meet their 2% target for defense spending in 2024. And as many member states struggle with chronically stressed budgets, calls to meet those goals are not being heeded quickly. 

The European Commission estimates about 500 billion euros, the equivalent of $524 billion in investments, are needed in the coming decade to defend Europe against evolving threats. 

NATO LEADERS PREDICT ERA OF 2% DEFENSE SPENDING ‘PROBABLY HISTORY’ AS TRUMP REPORTEDLY FLOATS HIGHER TARGET

The EU’s budget cannot be used to fund defense directly, and some European officials and NATO experts are proposing a global defense bank to dole out funds for military modernization. 

A defense, security and resilience (DSR) bank would issue bonds backed by AAA ratings for financially strapped countries to upgrade their defenses and would provide guarantees for commercial banks to offer credit to defense suppliers. 

European officials are struggling to agree on a plan to shore up hundreds of billions of dollars to bolster defenses. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ryan Parr)

“This is not a substitute to raising defense spending in each of these countries. I think it should be a supplemental tool,” Giedrimas Jeglinskas, chairman of the national security committee in the Lithuanian parliament and a former NATO official, told Fox News Digital. 

His remarks echo those of incoming President Trump, who has long threatened to pull the U.S. out of NATO due to the number of nations missing the mark on the 2% goal for defense spending. 

“I think we have to look at it also as an opportunity for the U.S. as well,” Jeglinskas added. “I understand the skepticism by Donald Trump of the World Bank and then the IMF [International Monetary Fund] and IFC [International Finance Corporation] and other institutions. I think there’s been a lot of capital deployed and a lot of investments that these banks or institutions do. The real impact is, at best, questionable. So, I think we have to have very clear KPIs [key performance indicators]. We need to build defense.” 

The United States’ $824 billion defense budget in 2023 equaled half of total defense spending by all NATO member states combined at $1.47 trillion.

PUTIN SAYS RUSSIA READY TO COMPROMISE WITH TRUMP ON UKRAINE WAR

The return of Trump to the White House, coupled with a U.S. push to refocus on China, has left Europeans wondering whether the U.S. will have less of an appetite to defend Europe in years to come. 

More EU defense chiefs and foreign ministers have pitched the idea of issuing joint debt through bonds to finance military projects. 

But some countries like Germany have voiced concerns about maintaining their own sovereignty and a disproportionate financial burden on some countries. 

The DSR bank idea is explained at length in a new Atlantic Council report by defense fellow Rob Murray.

The EU’s budget cannot be used to fund defense directly. (Ukrainian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP, File)

“For allies across both the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions, the bank could go beyond offering low-interest loans for defense modernization to facilitating equipment leasing, currency hedging, and supporting critical infrastructure and rebuilding efforts in conflict zones like Ukraine,” Murray wrote. 

“An additional critical function of the DSR bank would be to underwrite the risk for commercial banks, enabling them to extend financing to defense companies across the supply chain.”

The goal would be to offer financing to small and medium-sized defense companies that often struggle with access to funds. 

“By providing loans with extended maturities, the bank would offer predictable and sustainable funding for defence modernisation. Its governance structures would align funding with collective security goals, such as upgrading arsenals and investing in emerging technologies,” Jeglinskas wrote in a recent op-ed for the Financial Times.

A defense, security and resilience (DSR) bank would issue bonds backed by AAA ratings for financially strapped countries to upgrade their defenses. (Alexandra Beier/Getty Images)

Asked how the DSR bank would get countries to agree on defense funding priorities, Jeglinskas likened the idea to the U.K.-led Joint Expeditionary Force, a military alliance that includes Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.

Jeglinskas noted the 33 trillion euros in European assets under management across the continent. 

“There’s really no political will, no risk appetite to move them anywhere besides the kind of bond markets where they rest now,” he said. “But several nations need to build that initial capital, and then, by using the sovereign rating to get to hopefully AAA in capital markets, raise that money from bond markets and to start funding defense programs.”

The European Investment Bank has doled out long-term loans and guarantees to European nations’ projects that align with EU policy goals. 

“But even they are struggling with kind of shifting their mandate towards more dual-use technologies is still not allowed in their funding package,” said Jeglinskas. 

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“Of course, every other bank in Europe is looking at EIB for their signals. That signaling hasn’t been there yet. So, that’s the point. We need to create some sort of mechanism, and that kind of global defense bank would be one of the tools that we could use to rally the capital and really direct it toward defense. So, it’s really creating another multilateral lending institution.”

President Biden still regrets dropping out of the 2024 presidential race last summer after mounting pressure from Democrats to step aside, according to a report. 

The president recently told people that he still believes he could have beaten Trump in the November election, despite his rough debate performance in June and his low approval numbers that forced him to leave the race, according to the Washington Post, citing people familiar with the conversations. 

Following the June 27 debate, more and more Democrats began to call for him to drop out every day, so another person could run in his place. 

The president also saw much of his funding dry up last summer as donors began to doubt his chances of beating Trump. 

DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN WHO RAN AGAINST BIDEN CITING ‘PHYSICAL DECLINE’ DEFENDS HIS DECISION: ‘VINDICATION’

President Biden speaks at the 2024 White House Tribal Nations Summit at the Department of the Interior, Dec. 9, in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

Biden left the race on July 21, and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who had just over three months to campaign before the election. 

Trump beat Harris by 2.2 million votes. 

Biden has been careful not to blame Harris while insisting to aides that he could have won, the Post reported. 

TRUMP TEASES DAY ONE ORDERS TO CANCEL ‘INSANE’ BIDEN POLICIES

President-elect Trump beat Vice President Kamala Harris by 2.2 million votes.  (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Even when he dropped out, Biden still believed he could beat Trump – whom he defeated for his first term in 2020, according to the New York Times in September.

Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., may disagree. 

Clyburn, who met with Biden earlier this year, told the Post that he had told the president, “Your style does not lend itself well to the environment we’re currently in,” while speaking of style versus substance. 

Biden national security advisor Jake Sullivan told the Post: “How to govern at this moment to set the U.S. up for long-term success has one answer, and how to govern to deal with midterm and presidential elections in the very short-term might have a different answer. The president went with doing the things that really put America in a strong position.”

Biden has been careful not to blame Harris while insisting to aides that he could have won.  (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Among acknowledgments of other mistakes – including his debate performance – Biden has also said that he regrets picking Merrick Garland as attorney general, the Post reported. 

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Convinced to do so by aides who said that Garland would be a consensus pick, Biden has privately said that he feels Garland moved too slowly on prosecuting Trump, while also claiming his son Hunter had been prosecuted too aggressively.

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

The Republican attorneys general of Virginia and Montana recently filed an amicus brief asking the Supreme Court to require TikTok to sever its ties with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as the fate of the social media platform in the U.S. remains uncertain.

The amicus brief, filed Friday, came the same day President-elect Trump filed an amicus brief of his own, asking the Supreme Court to pause the TikTok ban and allow him to make executive decisions about TikTok once he is inaugurated.

In an announcement, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares said he, along with Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen and other state legal officials, had recently petitioned the Supreme Court to uphold the divest-or-ban law against TikTok.

The social media company has been intensely scrutinized over its parent company, ByteDance, which is connected to the CCP. In his brief, Miyares argued whistleblower reports prove ByteDance has shared sensitive information with the CCP, including Americans’ browsing habits and facial recognition data.

TRUMP NOMINATES PAIR TO HELP LEAD DOJ, ANNOUNCES FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION PICK

Jason Miyares and Donald Trump made separate pleas to the Supreme Court Friday. (Getty Images/AP Images)

“Allowing TikTok to operate in the United States without severing its ties to the Chinese Communist Party exposes Americans to the undeniable risks of having their data accessed and exploited by the Chinese Communist Party,” Miyares said in a statement. “Virginians deserve a government that stands firm in protecting their privacy and security.

“The Supreme Court now has the chance to affirm Congress’s authority to protect Americans from foreign threats while ensuring that the First Amendment doesn’t become a tool to defend foreign adversaries’ exploitative practices.”

GET TO KNOW DONALD TRUMP’S CABINET: WHO HAS THE PRESIDENT-ELECT PICKED SO FAR?

President-elect Trump smiles during Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest at the Phoenix Convention Center Dec. 22 in Phoenix.  (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)

Trump’s brief said it was “supporting neither party” and argued the future president has the right to make decisions about TikTok’s fate. Steven Cheung, Trump’s spokesman and the incoming White House communications director, told Fox News Digital Trump’s decision-making would “preserve American national security.”

“[The brief asked] the court to extend the deadline that would cause TikTok’s imminent shutdown and allow President Trump the opportunity to resolve the issue in a way that saves TikTok and preserves American national security once he resumes office as president of the United States on Jan. 20, 2025,” Cheung said.

Trump’s brief notes he “has a unique interest in the First Amendment issues raised in this case” and that the case “presents an unprecedented, novel, and difficult tension between free-speech rights on one side, and foreign policy and national-security concerns on the other.”

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TikTok Inc. offices in Culver City, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

“As the incoming Chief Executive, President Trump has a particularly powerful interest in and responsibility for those national-security and foreign-policy questions, and he is the right constitutional actor to resolve the dispute through political means,” Trump’s brief said.

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

President-elect Trump appeared to agree with Elon Musk in support of H-1B visas for skilled workers in the U.S., as the right spars on the ongoing immigration debate.

“I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them,” Trump told the New York Post Saturday.

Trump said that he recognizes the visas on his properties, saying, “I’ve been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great program.”

MUSK INFLAMES X WITH PROFANE MOVIE QUOTE IN DEFENSE OF H1-B VISA

President-elect Donald Trump smiles during Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest at the Phoenix Convention Center, Dec. 22, in Phoenix.  (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)

Trump’s comments come as the right clashes over immigration and the place of foreign workers in the U.S. labor market.

Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who have been tapped by Trump to lead his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), argued earlier this week that American culture has not prioritized education enough, and therefore that foreign workers are needed for tech companies like Musk’s SpaceX and Tesla. 

Many tech companies have embraced the H-1B visa program, which allows U.S. companies to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations, but critics of the program say H-1B holders are often chosen over U.S. citizens for jobs. 

Conservative pundit Laura Loomer speaks to the media in New York City.  (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

One such critic, Laura Loomer, set off a firestorm on X when criticizing Trump’s selection of Sriram Krishnan, an Indian American venture capitalist, to be an adviser on artificial intelligence policy.

MUSK AND RAMASWAMY IGNITE MAGA WAR OVER SKILLED IMMIGRATION AND AMERICAN ‘MEDIOCRITY’

In a post, she said she was concerned that Krishnan, a U.S. citizen, would have an influence on the Trump administration’s immigration policies.

“It’s alarming to see the number of career leftists who are now being appointed to serve in Trump’s admin when they share views that are in direct opposition to Trump’s America First agenda,” she wrote.

Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk. (Getty Images/AP Images)

Musk has doubled-down on his position, taking to X on Friday to blast a user who showed a video of him discussing SpaceX processes to go after the billionaire’s stance on the visa program.  

“The reason I’m in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H1B,” Musk wrote on X.

He then went on to quote the 2008 action-comedy movie, “Tropic Thunder,” which was a box office hit. 

“Take a big step back and F— YOURSELF in the face,” Musk railed. 

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket with a NASA spacecraft bound for Jupiter lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, Oct. 14, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

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Ramaswamy has similarly been pro-H-1B visa, writing: “American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Trump Transition Team for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.

Michelle Obama provoked a wave of online criticism Friday after she shared a New Year’s message with her followers on Instagram.

The former first lady posted a video wishing her followers “Happy Holidays” and highlighting the work of the Obama Presidential Center as 2024 comes to a close. But critics noted with disapproval that her video begins on a sour note. 

“Happy holidays, everyone. I know it’s been a difficult few months for so many of us, and that folks are feeling a little bit anxious and uncertain,” Obama says in the video.

“But even during these tough times, there are plenty of reasons to stay hopeful,” she adds, before mentioning programs operated by the Obama Foundation.

‘GREATER RECKONING’: OBAMA’S SPOT IN THE DEMOCRATIC SUN FADING AFTER HARRIS LOSS

Former first lady Michelle Obama speaks ahead of the arrival of Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris during a campaign rally at the Wings Event Center on Oct. 26, 2024, in Kalamazoo, (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Hundreds of Instagram users commented on Obama’s video within hours after it went live. While many thanked her for the message and showed support for the Obama Foundation, several supporters of President-elect Trump read into Obama’s comments. Their takeaway was that she had Trump’s victory in mind when she spoke about “a difficult few months,” and they made their objections known.  

“Michelle, America is excited about what’s to come: a new horizon and prosperity for the nation. 2025-2029! No anxiety here,” one user replied.

“A difficult few years from the damage the Biden administration has caused!” wrote another commenter. “Things have never looked better since Trum won the election! The people have the power! Not even all those celebrities could change that!”

“We are certain it won’t be worse than your husband’s administration or the Biden administration,” said a third. “That we are CERTAIN.”

STEPHEN A SMITH BLASTS OPRAH WINFREY, MICHELLE OBAMA FOR ‘ALIENATING’ VOTERS

Michelle Obama wished her Instagram followers “Happy Holidays” in a post-election message that mentioned it’s been “a difficult few months.”  (Fox News)

Obama’s supporters, on the other hand, expressed gratitude for her video and shared heart emojis and other positive comments.

“Thank you for your message of hope,” one user replied. “It is so much needed.” 

The Obamas were top surrogates for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 campaign. Michelle Obama spoke at several rallies for Harris and delivered a speech in Pennsylvania three days before the election, alluding to Trump as a “skilled con man” who has poured gasoline “on other people’s genuine pain and anger and fear.” 

TRUMP HAS MESSAGE OF UNITY FOR ‘GREAT DIVIDER’ OBAMA

The Obamas were top surrogates for Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential campaign.  (AP)

“We don’t always get it right, but here in America, we rise more than we fall,” Obama said in Norristown, Penn., on Nov. 2.

In dark and difficult times, she said the country needs leaders who will “connect with people’s pain and address the systemic issues at their root, not leaders who stoke our fears and focus our fury on one another.” 

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But after the election, the Obamas released a joint statement that congratulated Trump on his victory while acknowledging, “this is obviously not the outcome we hoped for.” 

“In a country as big and diverse as ours, we won’t always see eye-to-eye on everything,” the Obamas said. “But progress requires us to extend good faith and grace – even to people with whom we deeply disagree.”

New York State Sen. Dan Stec, a Republican and Navy veteran, is running for Congress.

Stec has tossed his hat in the ring to succeed Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who will vacate her seat in the House of Representatives to become the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. A special election for New York’s 21st Congressional District will take place once Stefanik officially leaves Congress.

“At the end of the day, it’s about representing the district, and for the last 12 years in Albany, I know what it means to represent the district and if I can do that in Albany I am certain I can do that in Washington,” Stec told WWNY in an interview on Dec. 24. 

BLUE STATE CEO WHO PUT UP 100-FOOT PRO-TRUMP SIGN TO SPEND $2.6 MILLION ON CAMPAIGN FOR CONGRESS

New York State Sen. Dan Stec, a Republican from North Country, is running for Congress in New York’s 21st Congressional District. (Dan Stec via Facebook)

The North Country native, whose state senate district lies within Stefanik’s congressional district, argued he is the best candidate to win the seat for Republicans because he has the highest name recognition there. 

“My argument is that I am the most electable. If we are concerned about holding this seat and the Republican majority in the House of Representatives, you want to put your most likely-to-win candidate forward and no one can compare the numbers like I do with how much of the district I already represent,” Stec told the outlet.

PRO-TRUMP TECH CEO MULLING CONGRESSIONAL RUN TO FILL STEFANIK’S SEAT IDENTIFIES NEW YORK’S ‘BIGGEST PROBLEM’

Representative Elise Stefanik, a Republican from New York, during a House Education and the Workforce Committee hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023. President-elect Trump tapped Stefanik to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.  (Haiyun Jiang/Bloomberg)

He pointed to his record in the New York legislature and the 104,000 votes he won in the previous election for state senate, which is nearly half of the total Stefanik won in her bid for re-election, in support of his argument that he’s best positioned to defeat the Democratic candidate in the special election.

“I am proud of my track record, my resume, and my principles. I don’t have any votes that I am embarrassed that I would have to explain like maybe someone from the other side of the aisle I have worked with would have to explain,” Stec said.

WHO COULD RUN TO REPLACE STEFANIK IN THE HOUSE?

Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino is also running for the GOP nomination to succeed Stefanik.  (Paul Antonelli)

Stefanik won a sixth term to represent the district which encompasses North County, New York, but President-elect Donald Trump chose her in November to fill the U.N. ambassadorship in his new cabinet. 

In the campaign to be the Republican nominee to succeed Stefanik, Stec joins Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino, a political outsider whose claim to fame is a 100 ft. “Vote for Trump” sign he installed in upstate New York. Constantino is self-funding his campaign and has pledged $2.6 million to the effort. 

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Other Republicans mentioned as possible candidates include state Assemblymen Robert Smullen and Christopher Tague; and Rensselaer County Executive Steven McLaughlin, according to WWNY. Possible Democratic candidates include Assemblyman Billy Jones, whose state district falls just east of St. Lawrence County, as well as past unsuccessful challengers to Stefanik such as Matt Castelli and Paula Collins.

There will not be a traditional Republican primary for the special election. Instead, both the GOP and Democratic nominees will be chosen by party chairs in the district. 

Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.

RYE, N.H. – EXCLUSIVE – Scott Brown is on the move.

The former senator from neighboring Massachusetts and 2014 Republican Senate nominee in New Hampshire, who later served four years as U.S. ambassador to New Zealand in President-elect Trump’s first administration, is seriously considering a 2026 run to return to Congress.

If Brown moves ahead and launches a campaign in the months ahead, it would potentially set up a high-profile rematch with Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, in what would likely be a competitive and expensive Senate clash in a key swing state.

The 65-year-old Brown, who competed in nine triathlons this year and who on average performs around 40–50 gigs a year as lead singer and guitarist with the rock band Scott Brown and the Diplomats, is doing more than just thinking about running to return to the Senate.

TIM SCOTT AIMS TO EXPAND THE GOP SENATE MAJORITY IN THE 2026 MIDTERMS

Former senator and former ambassador Scott Brown, who’s considering a 2026 run for the Senate in New Hampshire, competed in 9 triathlons in 2024.  (Scott Brown)

He’s been meeting in recent weeks with various Republican and conservative groups in New Hampshire.

Brown, in a national exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, said he’s doing his “due diligence, meeting with anybody and everybody. So you’ll be seeing me a lot around, whether it’s parades, triathlons, my rock band, meeting and getting out and really learning.”

DEMOCRATS’ HOUSE CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE CHAIR REVEALS PLAN TO WIN BACK MAJORITY IN 2026

And Brown is taking aim at New Hampshire’s all-Democrat congressional delegation.

“The thing that really ticks me off is how they’ve basically covered up for [President] Joe Biden for the last four years, what they’ve done or not done on the border, what they’ve done and not done in inflation, and they’re just completely out of touch with what we want here in New Hampshire. And the more I think about it, I think we can do better,” Brown argued.

Brown made headlines in 2010 as the then-state senator in blue-state Massachusetts won a special U.S. Senate election to serve the remainder of the term of the late longtime Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy. 

Former ambassador and former Sen. Scott Brown speaks with Fox News Digital, at one of his ‘Backyard BBQ’ political events, in August 2023 in Rye, New Hampshire  (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

After losing re-election in 2012 to now-Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Brown eventually moved to New Hampshire, the state where he had spent the first years of his childhood and where his family had roots dating back to the colonial era. He launched a Senate campaign months later and narrowly lost to Shaheen in the 2014 election.

After hosting nearly all the Republican presidential candidates in the 2016 cycle at speaking events he termed “No BS backyard BBQs,” Brown eventually endorsed Trump in the weeks ahead of New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary. After Trump was elected president, he nominated Brown as U.S. ambassador to New Zealand, where the former senator served for four years.

HOUSE GOP CAMPAIGN CHAIR TOUTS HOMEFIELD ADVANTAGE

Returning to New Hampshire at the end of the first Trump administration, Brown supported his wife Gail, a former television news reporter and anchor, as she ran for Congress in 2022. 

And the Browns also stayed politically active in other ways, once again hosting many of the Republican presidential candidates, as well as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., at their “Backyard BBQs” during the 2024 presidential cycle.

Former ambassador and former Sen. Scott Brown (left), is joined by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, as DeSantis ran for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, in Rye, New Hampshire on July 30, 2023 (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Asked in May 2023 if he’d consider another Senate run, Brown told Fox News Digital “of course.”

Now, as Brown considers another Senate run, time isn’t working against him.

Brown jumped in late in the 2014 campaign, just seven months before Election Day.

BROWN HOSTS 2024 GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES 

This time around, he emphasized, “I have a long runway. I didn’t have that obviously the first time, and I’m going to do what I have been doing for almost a decade now, going around, meeting with people participating in the process.”

During his first Senate run, which came months after he changed his residency to New Hampshire, he repeatedly faced carpetbagger accusations.

Last week, a progressive group in New Hampshire took aim at Brown.

Amplify NH claimed in a release that “the gentleman from Massachusetts is clawing for another chance at power, framing himself once again as a Senate candidate for New Hampshire.”

Brown says he’s not concerned.

“We’ve had a house here for over three decades, and we’ve been fully engaged full-time here for over a decade. So now I think that’s old news.”

And he argued that New Hampshire’s congressional delegation “votes 100% with Massachusetts.”

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., speaks before President Joe Biden arrives to deliver remarks on lowering the cost of prescription drugs, at NHTI Concord Community College, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, in Concord, N.H. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) (AP)

While Shaheen cruised to re-election in 2020, winning by roughly 16 points, and Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan won re-election in 2022 by nearly nine points, Senate Republicans are eyeing New Hampshire in 2026 as they aim to expand their incoming 53-47 majority in the chamber. New Hampshire, along with Georgia and Michigan, will likely be heavily targeted by Senate Republicans.

Trump lost New Hampshire last month, but he cut his deficit to just three points in his face-off with Vice President Kamala Harris, down from a seven-point loss to President Biden in the Granite State in 2020.

VANCE TO LIKELY BE 2028 GOP PRESIDENTIAL FRONT-RUNNER, BUT RNC CHAIR ALSO LIKES PARTY’S ‘BENCH’

And the GOP kept an open gubernatorial seat in party hands – former Sen. Kelly Ayotte succeeded longtime Gov. Chris Sununu – while expanding their majorities in the New Hampshire state House and Senate.

Asked if he’d like Trump to join him on the Granite State campaign trail if he decides to run, Brown said “if he’s got the time, of course.”

And pointing to Trump, Brown said “not only did he help obviously, nationally, he helped here in New Hampshire.”

Former ambassador and former Sen. Scott Brown performs with his rock band Scott Brown and the Diplomats (Scott Brown and the Diplomats)

Shaheen has yet to announce if she’ll seek another term in the Senate. That decision will likely come early in the new year.

But Shaheen, in a fundraising email to supporters on Friday, didn’t sound like she was getting ready to retire.

“Democrats need to be ready to fight back” against the incoming Trump administration, she wrote. The senator added that last month’s election setbacks for Democrats highlight that “early preparation has never been more important.”

And Shaheen, a former three-term New Hampshire governor, is taking over next month as the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the first woman to hold one of the top two positions on the powerful panel.

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Shaheen also turns 78 next month.

Asked if age would be a factor in a potential Shaheen-Brown rematch, Brown said he likes Shaheen and really appreciated her support during his confirmation as ambassador to New Zealand, but added that “that’s certainly up to her.”

“I’m 65. I can’t believe it. I feel like I’m 40. My wife says I act like I’m like 12, he added.

The White House said Friday that a ninth U.S. telecommunications company has been hacked as part of a Chinese espionage campaign that gave the country’s officials access to private texts and phone conversations of Americans.

The Biden administration said earlier this month that at least eight telecommunications companies and dozens of nations had been impacted by the Chinese hacking operation known as Salt Typhoon.

On Friday, deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger told reporters that a ninth victim had been identified after the administration released guidance to companies about how to locate Chinese hackers in their networks.

The hackers compromised the networks of telecommunications companies to gather customer call records and access the private communications of a limited number of people, officials said.

CHINA WARNS US TO STOP ARMING TAIWAN AFTER BIDEN APPROVES $571M IN MILITARY AID

Anne Neuberger, Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology, speaks during a press briefing at the White House, March 21, 2022, in Washington. (AP)

The FBI has not publicly identified any of the victims, but officials believe senior U.S. government officials and prominent political figures are among the victims whose communications were accessed.

Neuberger said officials did not yet have a precise sense of how many Americans overall were targeted by Salt Typhoon, in part because the hackers were careful about their methods, but she said that a “large number” of the victims were in Washington, D.C., and Virginia.

TRUMP SAYS FATE OF TIKTOK SHOULD BE IN HIS HANDS WHEN HE RETURNS TO WHITE HOUSE

Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology Anne Neuberger speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House on February 17, 2021, in Washington. (Getty Images)

Officials said they believe the hackers wanted to identify who owned the devices and spy on their texts and phone calls if they were “government targets of interest,” Neuberger said.

Most of the victims are “primarily involved in government or political activity,” the FBI said.

Neuberger said the hacking showed the need for required cybersecurity practices in the telecommunications industry, which the Federal Communications Commission is set to look at during a meeting next month.

U.S. and Chinese flags are set up before a meeting between U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China, Saturday, July 8, 2023.  (Mark Schiefelbein/Pool via REUTERS)

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She also said, without offering details, that the government was planning further action in the coming weeks in response to the hacking campaign, though she did not say what they were.

“We know that voluntary cybersecurity practices are inadequate to protect against China, Russia and Iran hacking of our critical infrastructure,” she said.

The Chinese government has denied responsibility for the hacking campaign.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.