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The campaign for former President Donald Trump said it is giving “maximum attention and resources” to its ground game in battleground states, and it’s working.

In key battleground states where voters register by party, and where the margins in 2020 were razor-thin, Republicans have cut into Democrats’ voter registration advantage — in some cases by hundreds of thousands of registered voters. 

During the 2020 election cycle in Pennsylvania, there were approximately 685,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans. But going into Election Day 2024, that gap has been cut down significantly, with approximately 343,000 more Democratic voters than Republicans, according to the Trump campaign, which said it compiled the data from secretaries of state offices in Pennsylvania, Nevada, North Carolina and Arizona.

TRUMP CAMPAIGN TOUTS ‘TRUMP FORCE 47’ GRASSROOTS RECRUITMENT EFFORT 100 DAYS OUT FROM ELECTION DAY

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

Similarly, in Nevada, there were 87,000 more Democratic voters in 2020 than Republicans. But going into Election Day 2024, there are just 19,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans. 

North Carolina shows a similar shrinking gap for 2024, with just 126,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans, down from the 391,000 Democratic voters last cycle. 

And in Arizona, by the end of July, there were 259,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats, doubling the GOP advantage since 2020.

“Everyone who will vote in this election has lived through both administrations, and President Trump wins the comparison easily over Kamala Harris,” Trump campaign senior adviser Tim Murtaugh told Fox News Digital. “The election will be won by those who show up, and that’s where the ground game comes in, which has been a combined effort of the Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee, and many Republican allies.” 

Murtaugh told Fox News Digital that the “Democrats’ massive lead in voter registration in key states is gone.” 

“And in states where the winner will be decided by mere percentage points, it could make all the difference,” Murtaugh said. 

Neither the Harris campaign nor the Democratic National Committee (DNC) immediately responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

The Trump campaign’s joint-ground game efforts are continuing to expand, but it is focusing its “Get Out the Vote” efforts on low propensity voters and encouraging voters to vote early. 

Across battleground states, the Trump campaign and RNC have hundreds of paid staff, with more than 300 Trump/GOP offices. 

In July, the Trump campaign launched its “Trump Force 47” grassroots effort to recruit new voters. 

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

The program, which the campaign says is focused on mobilizing “highly-targeted voters in critical precincts across the battleground states and districts,” has already engaged tens of thousands of volunteers. 

TRUMP’S NEW BOOK ‘SAVE AMERICA’ CHRONICLES FIRST-TERM TRIUMPHS, OUTLINES BLUEPRINT FOR A WINNING SECOND

Trump campaign officials told Fox News Digital they already have more than 27,000 trained Trump Force 47 captains and continue to train daily, adding thousands per week. 

The efforts stretch beyond the Trump Force 47 leaders, with hundreds of thousands more volunteers for phone banking, canvassing, postcard writing, community organizing and poll watching. 

The joint effort and the Trump Force 47 model are focused on spending “maximum attention and resources” on turning out infrequent or “sometimes voters,” the campaign said.

“We put a high premium on personal contacts with voters that are less likely to participate in the election and are more disconnected from politics than high propensity or persistent voters,” a campaign official told Fox News Digital. 

Campaign officials also said they are focused on “meeting voters where they are” more than ever before. 

“From traditional voter canvassing like calls, doors, post cards, mail, to TikTok, to outside groups, our efforts to reach voters have never been more modern or efficient,” the official said. 

Fox News Digital has learned that the Trump campaign’s allied efforts will knock on approximately 15 million doors in the voting window across battleground states. 

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Wilmington International Airport in Wilmington, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024.  (AP Photo/Chris Seward)

The Trump campaign’s field efforts have been focused on volume, where its in-house program is focused on reaching voters that were previously missed or less politically engaged. 

“We have to get our voters to do what they always do — show up at the polls and vote,” the official said. 

Meanwhile, specifically in Pennsylvania, Team Trump is registering voters at doors, campaign rallies, grocery stores, sporting stores, places of worship, college tailgates and more. 

Officials told Fox News Digital that the team is reaching out to voters of all backgrounds through a wide variety of communities, including Hispanic voters, Jewish voters, Black voters, young voters and senior voters. 

“President Trump is well positioned to win in November thanks to our robust ground efforts and vast coalition of supporters and endorsers,” an official said. 

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New polls published by The New York Times and Siena College on Monday showed Trump has gained a lead over Vice President Kamala Harris in Arizona, putting the former president at 50 and Harris at 45. Trump is also ahead in Georgia, 49 to 45, and North Carolina, 49-45. 

A RealClearPolitics Average shows Harris leading Trump by less than a point in Pennsylvania, and it shows Trump and Harris are tied in Nevada. 

Hamtramck, Michigan, Mayor Amer Ghalib made headlines over the weekend by endorsing former President Donald Trump’s latest bid for president, putting the U.S.’ only Muslim-majority town in the national spotlight.

Ghalib, who became Hamtramck’s first Muslim mayor after being elected in 2021, was born in Yemen and immigrated to the U.S. as a teenager in 1997, according to a profile of the mayor posted by Henry Ford College.

He attended Hamtramck High School and worked at a factory, eventually going on to attend then-Henry Ford Community College and Wayne State University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in biology and pre-med. He later attended the Ross University School of Medicine in Dominica, where he completed four years but did not complete his residency.

Ghalib spent most of his career as a medical professional in Hamtramck, an enclave of Detroit with about 28,000 residents. The town was known as a mostly Polish settlement until recent decades, with a large influx of Middle Eastern immigrants eventually making it the nation’s first Muslim-majority city.

MAYOR OF MUSLIM-MAJORITY MICHIGAN CITY ENDORSES TRUMP: ‘RIGHT CHOICE FOR THIS CRITICAL TIME’

Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib, 43, is photographed in his office at City Hall in Hamtramck, Michigan, on Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

He made history when he defeated former Hamtramck Mayor Karen Majewski, breaking an over 100-year streak of the city being represented by a Polish-American mayor. The city also became the first in the nation with an all-Muslim elected leadership that same year, with Hamtramck’s six city council seats being won by Muslim candidates.

However, Ghalib has also attracted controversy during his time as mayor, including his support of a 2023 resolution that banned the display of LGBTQ+ flags on city property.

“You do not know our city more than we do, and you will not know the consequences of opening the door for every group to fly their flag on city properties,” Ghalib said in a statement to critics of the move in a Detroit Free Press report. “Our residents are all equally important to us, and we will continue to serve them equally without discrimination, favoritism or preferential treatment to any group. The city government will stay NEUTRAL and IMPARTIAL toward its residents.”

Later the same year, he attracted more controversy when he failed to condemn one of his political appointees who was accused of making antisemitic comments. 

According to a report on the controversy from the Hamtramck Review, Hamtramck Plan Commission member Nasr Hussain came under fire for questioning whether Jewish people were being punished by God during the Holocaust for actions Israel is now taking in Gaza.

TRUMP VOWS TOUGH APPROACH TO SANCTUARY POLICIES

“Was the Holocaust God’s advance punishment of the ‘Chosen People’ for the savagery they’re committing today against the innocent Palestinians children and civilians,” Hussain posted on the popular local Facebook page, “Hamtramck Square.”

HAMTRAMCK, MI – APRIL 16, 2017: Lindsay Tukes, 25, whose Muslim name is Amiraldeen Alghazali, rides home from her class on the Quran in Hamtramck, Michigan, on April 16, 2017. Hamtramck, a city surrounded by Detroit, became the first city in the United States with a Muslim-majority population. (Photo by Lynsey Addario/Getty Images)

“A heinous act proving that they’re as savage and cruel as the Nazis themselves, or even worse.(Take into consideration that God isn’t confined by space or time and that they believe in reincarnation.),” he added.

“You can ask Nasr about that. What do I have to do with his posts! I don’t have to comment on every resident’s opinion, otherwise I would have commented on some posts that insult Islam and other religions, which are posted frequently by some residents on that same Facebook group,” Ghalib responded when asked by the Hamtramck Review to respond to the post.

Ghalib and the Hamtramck City Council entered the spotlight again earlier this year, when the city voted unanimously to approve a resolution that required the city to avoid investing in Israeli companies or those supporting “Israeli apartheid,” according to a report from the Detroit Free Press, a sweeping show of support for the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement that has targeted Israeli companies.

“For now, the city will do its best to refrain from buying, investing or contracting with companies that support the Israeli genocide,” Ghalib said after the vote.

KAMALA HARRIS HIT FOR BEING VAGUE, DODGING QUESTIONS IN RECENT INTERVIEWS: ‘SHE OWES US THESE ANSWERS’

Nevertheless, Trump lobbied hard for Ghalib’s endorsement, according to a report in the Detroit News, holding a private 20-minute meeting with the Hamtramck mayor prior to his event in Flint, Michigan, last Tuesday.

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump lobbied hard for Mayor Amer Ghalib’s endorsement. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

“He asked me if I can endorse him and ask people to vote for him? I told him: ‘I’m here to talk about that and how we can make it happen,'” Ghalib told the Detroit News. “I then handed him an official letter with some details about our concerns and to invite him to come to Hamtramck if possible.”

Ghalib would eventually come through with that endorsement, taking to Facebook to praise Trump as “a man of principles.”

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“Though it’s looking good, he may or may not win the election and be the 47th president of the United States, but I believe he is the right choice for this critical time,” Ghalib wrote in Arabic on his Facebook page. “I’ll not regret my decision no matter what the outcome would be, and I’m ready to face the consequences. For this, and for many other reasons, I announce my support and endorsement for the former, and hopefully, the next president of the United States, Donald Trump.”

Neither Ghalib’s office nor the Trump campaign immediately responded to Fox News Digital requests for comment.

In another push to distance himself from his state’s more progressive initiatives, California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have allowed illegal immigrant public university students such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients to have on-campus jobs. 

This is the second time this month Newsom has nixed a bill that would have greatly expanded aid to illegal immigrants. Earlier this month, the blue-state governor vetoed a controversial bill that would have given noncitizens housing loans for first-time buyers.

“California has a proud history of being at the forefront of expanding opportunities for undocumented students who seek to realize their higher education dreams,” Newsom’s veto letter of AB 2586 read. “While I am proud of these efforts, I am unfortunately unable to sign this legislation at this time. Given the gravity of the potential consequences of this bill, which include potential criminal and civil liability for state employees, it is critical that the courts address the legality of such a policy and the novel legal theory behind this legislation before proceeding.”

NEWSOM’S DEEPFAKE ELECTION LAWS ARE ALREADY BEING CHALLENGED IN FEDERAL COURT

California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill allowing illegal immigrant students to work campus jobs, citing legal concerns as he distances himself from progressive initiatives. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

College students in the UC system can receive financial aid, but a federal judge closed applications for the DACA program in 2021. The program allowed certain noncitizens who were brought to the country as children and meet specific criteria to receive temporary protection from deportation. As such, many are unable to be employed on campus.

Newsom, who campaigned for President Biden before he dropped his re-election campaign, has previously supported other forms of aid to noncitizens, including health care coverage for all Californians regardless of proof of citizenship. 

University leaders and lobbyists also warned Democratic lawmakers about AB 2486 due to its tricky legal outlines that could land workers in a criminal prosecution.

NEWSOM VETOES CONTROVERSIAL BILL THAT WOULD HAVE GIVEN HOUSING LOANS TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

The University of California, Los Angeles is located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. (iStock)

“Unfortunately, AB 2586 does not protect our undocumented students or employees from prosecution, nor does it protect the University from the risk of potentially losing billions in federal dollars,” UC Legislative Director Mario Guerrero wrote in a letter to the state’s Senate appropriations committee.

“We would welcome working with the author and Legislature on other legal options to support these students,” the letter, sent in July, read.

UC leadership considered seeking declaratory relief to clarify if they could hire students before proceeding. Activists reportedly opposed this, fearing it would hinder student hiring. Still, Newsom suggested in his veto message that the UC system has that legal option. 

CALIFORNIA CLOSE TO APPROVING $150K LOANS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO HELP PURCHASE HOMES

This is the second time this month Gov. Gavin Newsom has nixed a bill that would have greatly expanded aid to illegal immigrants. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

“Seeking declaratory relief in court – an option available to the University of California – would provide such clarity,” the veto read.

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Illegal immigration is one of the top issues in the 2024 race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. 

The Biden-Harris administration has been blamed for the crisis at the southern border over their weaker border policies and pro-illegal immigrant rhetoric. 

Gun rights, medical marijuana use, regulation of e-cigarettes and gender transition medical procedures for minors are just a few of the issues awaiting the Supreme Court when it comes back to work from its summer recess two weeks from today.

Last term, the court decided a series of politically charged cases like former President Trump’s presidential immunity case, a challenge to the government’s regulation of the abortion pill and free speech in the digital age.

The high court will kick off the 2024 term on Oct. 7 as it also navigates pressure from Democratic lawmakers for Congress to impose a new code of ethics and term limits. 

Here are some cases to watch: 

LEGAL EXPERTS WARN THAT LATEST SUPREME COURT LEAKS ARE ‘ENORMOUSLY DESTRUCTIVE’

A view of the U.S. Supreme Court building at sunrise on Sept. 5, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Garland v. VanDerStok

In a challenge to the Biden administration’s regulation on so-called “ghost guns,” the Supreme Court will decide whether the federal rule is constitutional.

The rule in question was issued in 2022 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to regulate “buy build shoot” kits that are available online or in stores that allow any individual to assemble a working firearm without a background check or the usual serial numbers required by the federal government.

The Biden administration argued the rule is necessary to respond to rising numbers of untraceable guns. The Justice Department had argued in court that local law enforcement agencies seized more than 19,000 ghost guns at crime scenes in 2021, a more than tenfold increase in just five years.

However, gun rights groups say the rule is “unconstitutional and abusive.” 

Medical Marijuana v. Horn

In this case, a truck driver, Douglas Horn is suing a medical marijuana company after he took one of its CBD products for chronic pain. 

But after he failed a drug test and lost his job, he sued the company using the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) – a federal statute used to fight organized crime. The justices will decide whether Horn can continue his suit.  

ALASKA MAN ARRESTED FOR THREATS AGAINST 6 SUPREME COURT JUSTICES

The Supreme Court on July 29, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Bufkin v. McDonough

In this case, two veterans sued after they were repeatedly denied medical care for post-traumatic stress disorder after the Department of Veteran’s Affairs said they did not qualify for care. The case could expand benefits for thousands of veterans.

Food and Drug Administration v. Wages and White Lion Investments, LLC

This case will decide whether to allow the FDA to deny approval for fruit-flavored e-cigarettes. The FDA asked the high court to overturn a ruling that overruled the agency’s denial, warning that the decision has “far-reaching consequences for public health.” 

The agency has authorized the marketing of four e-cigarette products in the U.S., including the first menthol-flavored vaping product. But the FDA has routinely denied applications for fruit-flavored products, claiming the risks of addicting children outweigh any benefits for the rest of the population. 

U.S. v. Skrmetti 

This case will review the Biden administration’s “equal protection” challenge to Tennessee’s ban on puberty blockers and transgender surgeries for minors. 

APACHE TRIBE TAKES FIGHT WITH FEDS OVER SACRED LAND TO SUPREME COURT

Members of the Supreme Court, seated from left, Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts, Justices Samuel Alito and Elena Kagan, and, standing from left, Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Ketanji Brown Jackson pose for their official portrait at the East Conference Room of the Supreme Court building on Oct. 7, 2022. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

It is the first time the high court will consider restrictions on puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgery for minors. Tennessee is one of 22 states that has measures banning such medical intervention for minors.

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Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton

This challenge, launched by a trade association for adult-only content, asks the high court to decide whether a Texas law’s age verification requirement for accessing online sexual content violates the First Amendment. 

The law passed in 2023 sets requirements for any commercial website where more than one-third of its content is “sexual material harmful to minors.” 

FIRST ON FOX: House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is putting the U.S. intelligence community on the spot after Iranian hackers tried to disseminate private information from former President Donald Trump’s campaign.

“Congress is outraged by the Biden-Harris Administration’s inaction and unwillingness to hold Iran accountable for its cyberattacks on the Trump campaign,” Johnson wrote in letters to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

“As you have shared, Iran hacked into the Trump campaign and distributed private information directly to the Biden campaign and to American media, which, like Iran, favors Kamala Harris.”

In his letter, he also claimed Harris was Iran’s “preferred candidate” in the race.

TOP RUSSIAN OFFICIAL LANDS IN IRAN AMID US, UK CONCERNS OVER ALLEGED NUCLEAR DEAL

House Speaker Mike Johnson, right, is claiming Vice President Kamala Harris is Iran’s “preferred candidate” in her race against former President Donald Trump. (Getty Images)

Last week, the three agencies released a rare joint statement, revealing that “Iranian malicious cyber actors” sent stolen Trump campaign materials to people linked to President Biden’s since-defunct re-election campaign, beginning in June. They also sent non-public materials to U.S. media organizations, the agencies said.

However, Johnson told their directors that “several unanswered questions remain.”

“The American people must be informed of how the cyberattacks and distribution of information happened, the timeline indicating when the attacks occurred and were verified, and the concrete steps your agencies have taken to deter future attacks,” Johnson wrote.

He accused the Biden administration of failing to deter election interference efforts by Iran or other hostile foreign powers and pointed out that Iran has also recently been accused of trying to kill the former president.

ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER TELLS US ONLY ‘MILITARY ACTION’ CAN RETURN PEOPLE TO HOMES AMID HEZBOLLAH THREAT

“Congress is outraged by the Biden-Harris Administration’s inaction and unwillingness to hold Iran accountable for its cyberattacks on the Trump campaign,” House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote. (Iranian Leader Press Office / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“To date, the Biden-Harris Administration has not offered or executed any meaningful action to show our enemies such interference will not be tolerated, nor shared what steps, if any, it has taken to deter future attacks on Donald Trump or his campaign,” Johnson wrote.

“With less than 45 days until the election, much more needs to be done to protect our nation’s sovereignty and stop Iran from tipping the election in favor of its preferred candidate.”

He gave the agencies a deadline of Oct. 4, roughly a month before Election Day.

Multiple outlets reported earlier this month that the Justice Department and FBI are planning to file criminal charges against those involved with the Trump campaign hack.

SHUTDOWN FEARS MOVE HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO PROTECT MILITARY PAYCHECKS

FBI Director Christopher Wray warned in February that foreign adversaries posed a threat to the U.S. having “free and fair elections.”

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“The U.S. has confronted foreign malign influence threats in the past, but this election cycle, the U.S. will face more adversaries, moving at a faster pace, and enabled by new technology,” he said during a national security forum.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign, as well as the FBI, CISA and the DNI, for comment.

Former President Donald Trump leads Vice President Kamala Harris in three crucial swing states, according to a Monday poll from the New York Times.

Trump is leading Harris in Arizona by five points in a 50%-45% spread, and he holds a similar 49%-45% lead in Georgia. Harris is closer to the former president in North Carolina, however, where the race sits at 49%-47%, according to the poll.

The Times conducted its poll from Sept. 17-21, surveying 2,077 likely voters across all three states.

Arizona and Georgia would be major victories for Trump in the general election, as both are states that President Biden won in 2020. Arizona in particular represents a major swing toward Trump, where a Times poll in August found Harris leading by five points.

RAPPER 50 CENT SAYS ‘MAYBE TRUMP IS THE ANSWER’ AFTER SEEING NYC GIVE PREPAID CREDIT CARDS TO MIGRANTS

Former President Trump enjoys polling leads in three key swing states, two of which were held by President Biden in 2020. (Jeff Blake-USA Today Sports)

The Times survey comes days after a Fox News national poll found Harris leading Trump by two points in a 50%-48% matchup.

The new Fox News national survey found a 3 percentage-point shift among registered voters in the 2024 presidential contest since mid-August. Trump had a 1-point advantage in August.

FOX NEWS POLL: HARRIS CLOSES GAP WITH TRUMP IN SUN BELT STATES

Since the August survey, many events have occurred that could affect voter opinion: the Democratic National Convention was held; Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump; former Vice President Dick Cheney and former Congresswoman Liz Cheney endorsed Harris; and the candidates faced off in a debate. A second assassination attempt on Trump happened about three-quarters of the way into the new survey.

Vice President Kamala Harris leads Trump by two points in a Fox News national poll. (Jemal Countess/Getty Images)

Many Republican pollsters are confident in Trump’s chances given the national polling. Hillary Clinton beat Trump by two percent in the national vote in 2016, but lost in the Electoral College.

FOX NEWS POLL: 87% CONSIDER SITUATION AT SOUTHERN BORDER A PROBLEM

Trump and Harris remain in a deeply competitive race across the country. (AP)

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“Our best estimates are that if Trump is within 2 points of Harris nationally then he will likely win in the Electoral College,” said Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who conducts Fox News surveys with Democrat Chris Anderson. “These data showing a Trump edge in the key counties and battleground states suggest that’s probably right.”

Fox News’ Dana Blanton contributed to this report.

At least four top staffers in North Carolina Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson’s campaign for governor have resigned in the wake of a report about posts he allegedly made on a porn website more than a decade ago. 

Just three days after CNN published a report that Robinson had allegedly previously made salacious comments, including referring to himself as a “black Nazi,” on pornographic websites dating back to the late 2000s, his campaign released a statement on Sunday confirming that staff in various senior roles had stepped down. 

Conrad Pogorzelski III, who served as a general consultant and senior advisor; Chris Rodriguez, the campaign manager; Heather Whillier, the finance director; and Jason Rizk, who served as deputy campaign manager, have all resigned. The campaign promised new staffing announcements would be made soon. 

“I appreciate the efforts of these team members who have made the difficult choice to step away from the campaign, and I wish them well in their future endeavors. I look forward to announcing new staff roles in the coming days,” Robinson said in a statement. “My campaign will continue to focus on the substantive issues at stake in this election: building an economy that grows from Murphy to Manteo; cutting taxes and eliminating unnecessary red-tape; removing politics out of our classrooms; and cracking down on violent crime and dangerous drugs.” 

BATTLEGROUND STATE REPUBLICAN DENIES INVOLVEMENT IN PORN SCANDAL, DISMISSES IT AS ‘TABLOID TRASH’

FILE – North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Asheville, N.C., Aug. 14, 2024.  (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Robinson still expressed optimism that he could win in November over Democratic gubernatorial nominee Josh Stein, the sitting state attorney general. 

“Polls have consistently underestimated Republican support in North Carolina for several cycles now and with a large portion of the electorate still undecided as we continue to ramp up our efforts across the state, I am confident our campaign remains in a strong position to make our case to the voters and win on November 5,” Robinson said. 

According to his campaign website, Robinson is scheduled to appear for an event on Monday morning in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. 

The CNN report on Thursday unearthed past posts it said Robinson left on a porn site’s message boards in which he allegedly referred to himself as a “black NAZI;” said he enjoyed transgender pornography; said in 2012 he preferred Hitler to then-President Obama; and slammed the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as “worse than a maggot.”

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump kisses his granddaughter Carolina Trump as he speaks at a campaign event at Wilmington International Airport in Wilmington, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024.  (AP Photo/Chris Seward)

Robinson denied writing the posts and said Thursday that he would not be forced out of the race by “salacious tabloid lies.” 

“You all have seen the half-truths and outright lies of Josh Stein on these ads over and over again – and now a story leaked by him to CNN is appearing now. Let me reassure you, the things that you will see in that story, those are not the words of Mark Robinson. You know my words, you know my character, and you know that I have been completely transparent in this race and before,” Robinson said in a video message. “Clarence Thomas famously once said he was the victim of a high-tech lynching. Well, it looks like Mark Robinson is too by a man who refuses to stand on stage and debate me about real issues that face you.” 

Robinson avoided directly discussing the controversy during a gubernatorial campaign event on Saturday evening at a racetrack in Fayetteville, the Associated Press reported. 

NC GOP GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE MARK ROBINSON FACING CALLS TO DROP OUT AMID RUMORS OF LOOMING BOMBSHELL

The event happened after former President Trump did not mention Robinson at a rally about 90 miles away in Wilmington earlier in the day. Before Saturday, Robinson had been a frequent presence at Trump’s North Carolina campaign stops. The Republican presidential nominee endorsed Robinson, who would be North Carolina’s first Black governor if elected, in the primary. 

Stein said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Robinson is “utterly unqualified, unfit to be the governor of North Carolina, and we’re going to do everything in our power to keep that from happening.”

On Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Robinson deserves a chance to defend himself against the allegations, which Graham described as “unnerving.” He said Robinson is “a political zombie if he does not offer a defense to this that’s credible,” while arguing that either way, this would not cost Trump the battleground state. 

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Wilmington International Airport in Wilmington, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024.  (AP Photo/Chris Seward)

“If they’re true, he’s unfit to serve for office,” Graham said of the allegations. “If they’re not true, he has the best lawsuit in the history of the country for libel.”

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Polls show Trump and Vice President Harris locked in a close race in North Carolina and nationally. Democrats have seized on the opportunity to highlight Trump’s ties to Robinson, with billboards showing the two together and a new ad from Harris’ campaign highlighting the Republican candidates’ ties.

Fox News’ Matthew Reidy and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

A conservative super PAC backed by Tesla CEO Elon Musk launched a website over the weekend, enabling supporters to canvass in support of Republican presidential nominee former President Trump and other GOP candidates. 

America PAC operates in key battleground states like Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and North Carolina. The PAC also operates in more than a dozen competitive districts within normally Democratic strongholds like California and New York. 

Elon Musk is seen during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to a joint meeting of Congress in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol, July 24.  (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

According to its website, America PAC aims to “promote free speech, free markets, and a merit-based society.” 

MAYOR OF MUSLIM-MAJORITY MICHIGAN CITY ENDORSES TRUMP: ‘RIGHT CHOICE FOR THIS CRITICAL TIME’

Trump speaks at a rally Sept. 18, 2024, in Uniondale, N.Y.  (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

“Together, we’ll ensure that every vote counts towards a stronger, more vibrant America,” reads America PAC’s website. 

The new website enables anyone in the U.S. to sign up and be deployed to one of these key states or districts for canvassing.   

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Supporters arrive before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event at Wilmington International Airport, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Wilmington, N.C. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Now the largest “get out the vote” outside group in the U.S., America PAC was formed early in the summer and has, according to sources, amassed hundreds of canvassers. The super PAC believes the new website will help scale operations going into the November election, which is just over six weeks away. 

TRUMP-MUSK INTERVIEW: 5 BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS FROM THE 2024 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION TO THE US BORDER CRISIS

Filings with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) show America has already invested at least $2.4 million in more than a dozen key congressional races. 

Maryland and Mississippi join the large and growing list of states to begin early and absentee voting Monday.

Key downballot races in today’s early voting states

Voting is underway in nearly 20 states, including Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Virginia. 

States starting their early voting today are not competitive at the presidential level, but the Senate race in Maryland will be one of the most closely watched races on election night.

FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS THINK HARRIS DID BETTER THAN TRUMP IN DEBATE

Maryland and Mississippi begin early voting on Monday, Sept. 23. (REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz)

The last time the state voted for a Republican senator was 1980, but former Gov. Larry Hogan tied Democratic challenger Angela Alsobrooks in a recent poll, and has put forth a set of moderate policy proposals without raising the ire of former President Donald Trump. 

Hogan, though a Republican, has been a vocal critic of Trump.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ON VOTER ROLLS SPURS WATCHDOG GROUP TO SUE MARICOPA COUNTY

Alsobrooks is leaning on her experience as a county executive and prosecutor, and the state’s heavily blue tilt gives her an edge. This race is ranked Leans D on the Fox News Power Rankings.

Maryland and Mississippi are not expected to play major roles in the 2024 presidential election.

How to vote in Maryland

This is a guide to registration and early voting. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes, and deadlines, please go to Vote.gov and the election website for Maryland.

Voting by mail:

Maryland began absentee voting on Monday. Applicants do not need to provide an excuse to receive a ballot. The state must receive a ballot application by Oct. 29, and that ballot must be delivered to state officials by Nov. 5.

Early in-person voting:

Absentee ballots can be returned in-person through Election Day. Early voting begins Oct. 24 and runs through Oct. 31.

Voter registration:

Maryland residents can register to vote online or by mail through Oct. 15. They can also register in-person during early voting or on election day.

HOUSE GOP DOUBTS GROW AS JOHNSON DIGS IN ON FUNDING FIGHT: ‘PLAYING WITH A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN’

Maryland Democratic Senate candidate Angela Alsobrooks speaks on stage during the second day of the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago, Illinois.

How to vote in Mississippi

This is a guide to registration and early voting. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes, and deadlines, please go to Vote.gov and the election website for Mississippi.

Voting by mail:

Mississippi began absentee voting Monday. Applicants need to provide an excuse to receive a ballot, however. The state must receive a ballot application by Nov. 4, and that ballot must be delivered to state officials by Nov. 5.

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Early in-person voting:

Mississippi does not support early in-person voting.

Voter registration:

Residents can register to vote by mail or in-person through Oct. 7.

Oil and gas industry leaders are skeptical of Vice President Kamala Harris’ stance on critical state issues and are calling for clarity on her positions before Election Day.

Harris said there is “no question” she would be in favor of banning fracking, during her 2020 presidential campaign, but after becoming the 2024 Democratic nominee, the vice president said that she will not ban hydraulic fracturing if elected.

“As a native Pennsylvanian, who understands the importance of oil and gas to local communities and consumers nationwide, I have to be skeptical of the vice president’s pivot on fracking. And we still haven’t seen an energy policy plan,” Jeff Eshelman, Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) President & CEO, told Fox News Digital.

HARRIS DODGING FLIP-FLOP ATTACKS AS FACELESS SURROGATES FLIP KEY POSITIONS: ‘PLAYING POLITICS’

Vice President Kamala Harris during the second presidential debate at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pa., on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024.  (Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg)

Eshelman added that her shift signals that fracking is a winning issue.

HARRIS CLAIMS SHE ‘MADE CLEAR’ HER POSITION ON FRACKING IN 2020 – TRANSCRIPT SHOWS ANOTHER STORY

“If the VP is now endorsing a pro-fracking plan, we are the experts and would encourage a meeting with oil and gas producers. However, Harris’ endorsement of hydraulic fracturing shows how important energy issues are to voters who understand increased oil and natural gas development is key to bringing down gas prices and decreasing reliance on foreign oil,” Eshelman said. “Her shift makes it clear that unleashing abundant and affordable American energy resources through safe and responsible fracking technology is a winning issue.”

The issue remains of top concern to swing state voters in Pennsylvania, as well as on a national level, after a New York Times/Siena College poll released in September found that 43% of voters somewhat or strongly oppose a ban on fracking.

A fracking drill rig in a remote location in the mountains with wispy clouds in the sky at dusk.

The American Petroleum Institute (API) echoed the questions surrounding her position. 

“I think the Vice President should be held to account for what exactly she means. And she has been successful to this point in not having to say a lot. And I would posit the reason why she is all of a sudden talking about fracking is because the path to the presidency runs through Pennsylvania, and they know full well how important the oil and gas sector is to the nearly half a billion people in the state of Pennsylvania that are employed in and around the industry,” said Amanda Eversole, Executive Vice President of API.

API also suggested that swing state voters could be a driving force behind her decision to change face on the issue.

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall on Thursday, in Tucson, Arizona.  (Ross D. Franklin)

“President Trump – we know where he stands on energy. But voters deserve to know what the vice president’s philosophy is, and just articulating support of hydraulic fracturing is not enough. There are a lot of questions that voters deserve to have answers to.”

A spokesperson for the Harris campaign told Fox News Digital that the vice president has been clear on where she stands on the issue.

“Vice President Harris was proud to cast the tie-breaking vote on the largest ever investment to address the climate crisis and under the Biden-Harris administration, America is more energy secure than ever before with the highest domestic energy production on record. The Biden-Harris administration ignited an American manufacturing boom and created 300,000 energy jobs, while Trump lost nearly a million, and his Project 2025 would undo the enormous progress we’ve made the past four years. 

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“Vice President Harris is focused on a future where all Americans have clean air, clean water and affordable, reliable energy, while Trump’s lies are an obvious attempt to distract from his own plans to enrich oil and gas executives at the expense of the middle class,” the campaign told Fox.

House lawmakers are back on Capitol Hill Monday afternoon to begin their final week in session before Election Day – and a possible partial government shutdown.

Congress has just five days to find an agreement on funding the government at the start of the new fiscal year on Oct. 1. If no deal can pass the Republican-held House and Democrat-controlled Senate by then, thousands of federal employees could be furloughed and multiple government programs temporarily shuttered.

Both Republicans and Democrats agree that some sort of short-term extension of this year’s funds, called a continuing resolution (CR), is needed to buy negotiators more time. They differ on how to get there, however.

SHUTDOWN FEARS MOVE HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO PROTECT MILITARY PAYCHECKS

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson is navigating a way forward on government funding. (Getty Images/AP)

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has not given an indication of what his plan might be after his plan of a six-month CR combined with a measure requiring proof of citizenship in the voter registration process failed last week.

Fourteen Republicans joined all but three Democrats in successfully voting down the bill, much to the chagrin of Johnson allies who had hoped it would be a strong opening salvo in his negotiations with the Senate.

Several GOP lawmakers who spoke with Fox News Digital last week said they expected Johnson to hold a vote on a “clean” CR through December – something desired by Democrats and some senior Republicans – which conservatives would see as an unequivocal loss.

JOHNSON’S PLAN TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN GOES DOWN IN FLAMES AS REPUBLICANS REBEL

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was opposed to Johnson’s initial plan, which failed. (Reuters/Mike Segar)

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, policy chair of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, made clear that he blamed his fellow Republicans for leaving the GOP in this position.

“What we were trying to put forward was a provision that would get spending into the next year, allow us to reconstitute government with a new Congress, hopefully with a Republican House, Senate and White House . . . clear the decks so you’re not debating all this crap in December, get rid of the possibility of an omnibus, and, oh, by the way, have a real fight on the [Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act],” Roy said.

“But they wanted to be political Nostradamus and saying, ‘I’m going to tell you what’s going to happen.’ Well, no s— that’s what’s going to happen when you kill it in the cradle.”

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

Rep. Chip Roy criticized Republicans who tanked the conservative plan.

There’s no guarantee, however, that Johnson’s CR would be just a “clean” straightforward extension. 

Several GOP lawmakers have suggested they would back adding additional Secret Service or disaster relief funding to such a measure.

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And with Johnson’s razor-thin four-seat majority in general, it is all but certain that he will need help from Democrats to get any CR across the finish line. 

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

A federal judge temporarily blocked Tennessee’s law that prohibits adults from aiding minors in obtaining abortions without parental approval.

U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger said in a Friday ruling that the state cannot “make it a crime to communicate freely” about legal abortion options even in a state that bans abortion at all stages of pregnancy, with some exceptions.

The law will now be placed on hold as the case moves through court.

“The Tennessee General Assembly apparently determined that, when the topic at hand is ‘abortion trafficking,’ the best interests of the pregnant child are not merely a secondary consideration, but unworthy of particularized consideration at all,” Trauger wrote.

TENNESSEE SUED OVER LAW BANNING ADULTS FROM HELPING MINORS GET ABORTIONS WITHOUT PARENTAL CONSENT

A pro-abortion access demonstrator holds a sign during a rally, May 14, 2022, in Chattanooga, Tenn. (AP)

Earlier this year, lawmakers in Tennessee’s Republican-controlled Legislature passed legislation that was then signed by GOP Gov. Bill Lee making it illegal for an adult who “intentionally recruits, harbors, or transports” a pregnant minor within the state to obtain an abortion without consent from the child’s parents.

Anyone convicted of breaking the law would be charged with a Class A misdemeanor, which requires nearly one year in jail. The law does not include exemptions for minors who may have been raped by their parents, but a biological father who raped his daughter and caused her pregnancy cannot pursue civil action.

The Tennessee law, which took effect July 1, mimicked Idaho’s “abortion trafficking” law that was enacted last year, the first state to enact such legislation. But a federal judge has since temporarily blocked Idaho’s law as the case moves through court.

Shortly before Tennessee’s law was set to take effect, Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn and Nashville attorney Rachel Welty filed a lawsuit challenging the statute on the second anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 24, 2022, decision overturning Roe v. Wade, returning the power to make laws regarding abortion back to the states.

TRUMP MAKES PLAY FOR WOMEN’S VOTE, VOWS TO ENSURE ‘POWERFUL EXCEPTIONS’ FOR ABORTION

Rep. Aftyn Behn, D-Nashville, talks on a bill brought to the House floor April 15, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP)

Trauger’s ruling sided with the argument from Welty and Behn that the law was “unconstitutionally vague,” particularly pointing out that the word “recruits” is undefined in the law.

The judge also raised concerns about the First Amendment restrictions that she argues the law would impose.

“The freedom of speech guaranteed by the First Amendment is not simply a special protection that the Constitution grants to a few, high-profile speakers so that those speakers can hear themselves talk; it is a protection available to everyone, for the interconnected benefit of everyone, because messages do not gain their fullest power by being uttered, but by being spread,” Trauger wrote.

Behn called Friday’s ruling a “monumental victory” for free speech and the fight for abortion access.

The law will now be placed on hold as the case moves through court. (Getty Images )

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“This ruling doesn’t just protect Tennesseans — it safeguards the freedom to discuss abortion care across state lines, ensuring that we can continue to offer support, share accurate information, and stand up for the rights of those seeking essential health care everywhere,” she told The Associated Press.

Abortions are banned in Tennessee at all stages of pregnancy, with exemptions in cases of molar pregnancies, ectopic pregnancies or to save the life of the mother. Doctors must use their “reasonable medical” judgment in determining whether performing an abortion can save the life of the mother or prevent major injury.

A group of women is currently suing in a separate case to clarify the state’s abortion ban.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Nine high-ranking former national security and military officials who signed a letter Sunday endorsing Vice President Harris’ run for the Oval Office also signed a letter nearly four years ago dismissing Hunter Biden’s infamous laptop as Russian disinformation ahead of the 2020 election, Fox News Digital found. 

A group called the National Security Leaders for America, which bills itself as a bipartisan group of former senior military and national security leaders, published a letter Sunday endorsing Harris for the White House. A total of 741 former high-ranking national security officials signed the letter. 

Fox News Digital pored through the list of signatories and found nine of the former national security chiefs who endorsed Harris also signed a letter in 2020 discounting Hunter Biden’s laptop as Russian disinformation – before media outlets authenticated the laptop after the 2020 election and the FBI ultimately cited the laptop as legitimate in Hunter Biden’s criminal trial earlier this year. 

The signatories who signed both the 2020 letter and the endorsement of Harris include: former Director of National Intelligence Jim Clapper; former CIA Director Michael V. Hayden; former CIA Director Leon E. Panetta; former CIA Director John Brennan; former Acting CIA Director John E. McLaughlin; former CIA chief of staff Laurence M. Pfeiffer; former Department of Defense chief of staff Jeremy Bash; CIA chief of station John Sipher; and former National Intelligence Council Chair Gregory Frye Treverton. 

TRUMP CIA CHIEF KNEW ABOUT INFAMOUS LETTER DISMISSING BIDEN LAPTOP AS PROPAGANDA BEFORE PUBLICATION: REPORT

Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper (Reuters/Joshua Roberts/File)

Ahead of the 2020 election, the New York Post published a bombshell report on the contents of Hunter Biden’s laptop. 

HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP RE-EMERGES AS MEDIA EMBARRASSMENT AS IT BECOMES KEY EVIDENCE AT GUN TRIAL

Fifty-one former intelligence officials, however, soon after released a statement on Oct. 19, 2020, discounting the laptop as having “all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation” in a bid to discredit the New York Post’s report at the time. 

The laptop came into public view after the first son left it at a Delaware repair shop ahead of the 2020 presidential election. 

President Biden hugs son Hunter during the Democratic National Convention, Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

The former military chiefs’ 2020 letter played a key role in many media outlets turning their backs on reporting on the laptop as legitimate, as well as providing President Biden with political ammunition to downplay the laptop during his debate against former President Trump during the last election cycle. 

Liberal media outlets, however, changed their tune in 2022 after newspapers such as the Washington Post and New York Times authenticated thousands of his emails on the laptop. The laptop also re-emerged this year when the first son faced a criminal trial in Delaware over his purchase of a firearm in 2018 while he was reeling from a crack cocaine addiction. The trial, which found Hunter guilty on all counts, formally entered the laptop into evidence and was confirmed by the FBI as legitimate. 

FLASHBACK: MSNBC, CNN, CBS TOLD VIEWERS HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP STORY WAS RUSSIAN DISINFORMATION

Former CIA Director John Brennan (Reuters/Joshua Roberts/File)

VIDEO GOES VIRAL OF DEMOCRATS, MEDIA MEMBERS DOUBTING HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP

The former chiefs’ 2020 letter made headlines again this year when a joint report released by three House panels alleged that active CIA contractors “coordinated” with the 2020 Biden campaign just weeks ahead of that year’s election “to discredit serious allegations about Biden family influence peddling” connected to Hunter’s laptop when the 51 former intelligence officials released a statement dismissing the laptop. 

President Biden and Vice President Harris (Win McNamee/Getty Images/File)

Fast-forward to Sunday and the 2024 election, the letter endorsing Harris and signed by hundreds of former national security leaders, including nine from the 2020 letter, lauded her as “prepared and strategic” while slamming  Trump as “impulsive and ill-informed.”

5 TAKES ON THE HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP THAT HAVE AGED POORLY

“We are former public servants who swore an oath to the Constitution. Many of us risked our lives for it. We are retired generals, admirals, senior noncommissioned officers, ambassadors, and senior civilian national security leaders. We are Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. We are loyal to the ideals of our nation—like freedom, democracy, and the rule of law—not to any one individual or party,” the letter published Sunday endorsing Harris reads.

Vice President Harris, Hunter Biden and President Biden (Getty Images)

“We do not agree on everything, but we all adhere to two fundamental principles. First, we believe America’s national security requires a serious and capable Commander-in-Chief. Second, we believe American democracy is invaluable. Each generation has a responsibility to defend it. That is why we, the undersigned, proudly endorse Kamala Harris to be the next President of the United States,” it added.

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National Security Leaders for America president Rear Admiral Michael Smith, USN (Ret.) defended the nine signatories in comment to Fox Digital on Sunday evening, arguing the 2020 letter was “well-reasoned but ultimately incorrect.” 

“One well-reasoned but ultimately incorrect assessment does not undermine a lifetime’s worth of public service. Their assertion that former President Trump is uncommitted to democracy and unprepared to be Commander-in-Chief is well-founded, as is their assessment of Vice President Harris as a strategic and knowledgeable leader.”

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo slammed progressive policies and defended law enforcement in an ardent speech against far-left politics on Sunday.

Speaking at Bedford Central Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn, New York, Cuomo began by endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for the upcoming presidential election, calling her “smart and qualified.”

“She is going to unite the Democrats,” the former politician said. “She’s going to bring a new energy. And because the opponent is Donald Trump and we’ve seen that and we’re not going back there again.”

But the Democrat noted that Harris getting into office wouldn’t “solve all our problems” because government “isn’t working for people on a very basic level,” and launched into a six-minute rant against progressive politics.

HOUSE COMMITTEE SUBPOENAS ANDREW CUOMO OVER COVID-19 NURSING HOME POLICIES

Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo slammed progressive policies during a speech in Brooklyn on Sunday. (Getty mages)

“Things are getting worse, not better,” Cuomo continued. “And I think it’s time that we take a fresh look and take a new perspective when we look at what’s going on.”

“Today, we have a great political argument on the Democratic side: Who is more progressive?” he added. “I don’t even think they know what the word means, progressive. You cannot be a progressive if you don’t make progress.”

Cuomo, who served as NYC governor from 2011 to 2021, said that the U.S. was “going backwards” thanks to progressive policies.

“Some people think it’s progressive to say, ‘Defund the police,’” he noted. “Yes, in theory, if everybody had an education and everybody had a job, nobody would need to commit a crime. I get the theory, but it’s not that simple.”

HOCHUL AIDE ACCUSED OF WORKING FOR CCP USED POSITION TO PROMOTE ‘EQUITY’ POLICIES IN RESURFACED VIDEO

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo addressed a church service Sunday in Brooklyn, N.Y. (Photo by Jeenah Moon/Getty Images)

“‘Defund the police’ are the three dumbest words ever uttered in politics,” Cuomo added.

Cuomo also called out the migrant issue in New York City, saying that the government “can’t just have 100,000 migrants coming into New York City and only New York City.”

“Nowhere else in the state of New York, only New York City,” the Democrat stated. “And leave it all up to New York City to pay for hotels, pay for health care, over $10 billion. No plan by the federal government, no real help from the state.”

Cuomo then encouraged the audience to “forget the labels” and remember to vote in November.

A participant holding a Black Lives Matter sign at the protest in 2020. (Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images)

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“Remember the only questions that matter: Who is going to help you and your family and who is going to get the job done?” he concluded. 

Former President Trump indicated during an interview Sunday that he would not make a run for the Oval Office in 2028 if his current bid falls short in November.

Trump was a guest on Sinclair Broadcast Group’s “Full Measure,” hosted by Sharyl Attkisson, which aired Sunday morning.

At the end of the interview, Attkisson asked Trump if he was not successful in his bid for president in November, could he see himself running again in four years?

“No, I don’t. No, I don’t. I think that that will be, that will be it. I don’t see that at all,” the former president answered. “I think that hopefully we’re gonna be successful.”

HARRIS-TRUMP SHOWDOWN: THE EDGE IS CLEAR ON THIS KEY ISSUE

Republican presidential nominee former President Trump speaks during a rally last week in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Trump, 78, is on his third run for president, having beaten Hillary Clinton for the Commander in Chief seat in 2016, and losing to President Biden in 2020. He now faces Vice President Kamala Harris for a second, four-year term in office.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Trump campaign for clarification on the former president’s comments. The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on Trump’s statements.

With over six weeks to go until Election Day on Nov. 5, and early voting and absentee balloting underway in a growing number of states, a number of public opinion polls agree that the race in key battleground states that will decide the 2024 Presidential election is within the margin-of-error.

WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLL SHOWS IN THE HARRIS-TRUMP 2024 SHOWDOWN 

Former President Trump and VP Kamala Harris on the campaign trail.

The polls also show Harris has a healthy advantage among voters when it comes to the issue of abortion, while Trump has an equally large margin in dealing with the border and immigration.

When it comes to the economy, the polls show the issue remains the top issue on the minds of American voters as they prepare to cast their ballot in November.

A Fox News national poll also in the field entirely post-debate spotlighted that 39% of voters surveyed said the economy was their most pressing issue, far ahead of immigration (16%) and abortion (15%). All other issues tested were in single digits. 

HEAD HERE FOR ALL THE MOST RECENT FOX NEWS POLLING IN THE 2024 ELECTION

Immigrants line up after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in Lukeville, Ariz.  (John Moore/Getty Images)

Trump spoke with Attkisson about several issues, including his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which he said he did “an amazing job” handling.

“I never got the credit for it. Remember that more people died under Biden-Harris than died under Trump,” he said. “And they had a much easier time because when it came in here, nobody knew what it was. It came from the Wuhan labs, which I always said. But nobody really knew what it was, where it came from…nothing. They knew nothing, and we got hit.”

Trump also said he got credit with the military and knocking out ISIS, saying, “we rebuilt the military.”

TRUMP VOWS TOUGH APPROACH TO SANCTUARY POLICIES

Former President Trump raises his fist as he departs a campaign event at Nassau Coliseum, Wednesday, in Uniondale, N.Y.  (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

After speaking about his accomplishments, Attkisson asked him what he does to stay healthy.

“I used to play golf a little bit…but it seems to be quite a dangerous sport, in retrospect,” Trump said, referring to a recent incident in which a man hid in the bushes with a gun before being shot at by Secret Service and fleeing. The man was later arrested, and the matter is being handled as an assassination attempt on Trump.

“I try and eat properly,” Trump told Attkisson, getting back to her question.

The host told Trump she though he ate hamburgers and drank soda, which the former president acknowledged he did.

“But proper hamburgers,” he said. “But I like, perhaps, all the wrong food. But then I say, ‘does anybody know what the right food is?”

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He continued, saying people lectured him for years on what to eat, and they’re gone because they passed away.

“And here I am,” Trump said. “So, I’m not sure I wanna make too many changes.”

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

The mayor of a Muslim-majority city in Michigan says he is endorsing Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, calling the former commander-in-chief, “the right choice for this critical time.” 

Amer Ghalib, mayor of the Detroit-area suburb Hamtramck, announced his endorsement of Trump in a Facebook post Sunday. While admitting he and Trump didn’t “agree on everything,” he said he regarded the former commander-in-chief as “a man of principles.” 

Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib, 43, in his City Hall office in Michigan. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

“Though it’s looking good, he may or may not win the election and be the 47th president of the United States, but I believe he is the right choice for this critical time,” Ghalib wrote in Arabic on his Facebook page. “I’ll not regret my decision no matter what the outcome would be, and I’m ready to face the consequences. For this, and for many other reasons, I announce my support and endorsement for the former, and hopefully, the next president of the United States, Donald Trump.”

He added: “Now, let the Caravan begin its journey. This is just the starting point.”

TRUMP VOWS TOUGH APPROACH TO SANCTUARY POLICIES

Trump reposted Ghalib’s message on his Truth Social account.

Republican presidential nominee former President Trump raises his fist as he departs a recent campaign event. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Ghalib’s endorsement of Trump comes after the two met in Flint earlier this week for a private 20-minute conversation. 

Ghalib told The Detroit News that Trump “knew a lot about me before the meeting.” 

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“We talked about various topics including the debates, the polls updates, the statistics of votes in Michigan and Wayne County, the Arab American concerns and the Yemeni Americans in particular. We also talked about the situation in Yemen,” Ghalib said. 

Hamtramck is the only U.S. city governed entirely by Muslims, with more than 40% of the city’s population foreign-born. 

The U.S. government will be funded for another three months, thanks to a bipartisan funding agreement reached on Sunday that avoids a government shutdown.

The agreement maintains funding until Dec. 20, with the House likely to vote on the bill as early as Wednesday.

The development was announced in a press release by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

“Over the past 4 days, bipartisan, bicameral negotiations have been underway to reach an agreement that maintains current funding through December 20 and avoids a government shutdown a month before the election,” Schumer’s statement reads.

HARRIS-TRUMP SHOWDOWN: WHICH CANDIDATE HOLDS THE EDGE ON THIS CRUCIAL ISSUE

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., leaves at a news conference on Capitol Hill. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLL SHOWS IN THE HARRIS-TRUMP 2024 SHOWDOWN

“While I am pleased bipartisan negotiations quickly led to a government funding agreement free of cuts and poison pills, this same agreement could have been done two weeks ago.”

The bill also includes $231 million for the U.S. Secret Service with conditions that the agency cooperates with congressional investigations.

This breaking news story is developing. Check back with us for updates.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is unveiling a new plan for avoiding a partial government shutdown on Sunday after a House GOP rebellion derailed a more conservative measure last week.

House leaders are aiming for a vote this week on a short-term extension of the current year’s government funding levels, called a continuing resolution (CR), to give congressional negotiators more time to hash out federal spending priorities for the new fiscal year beginning Oct. 1.

The new measure, closer in line with what Senate Democrats and the White House had called for than his first plan, is likely to spark fury among the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus and its allies. But most Republicans are wary of the backlash of a potential government shutdown just weeks before Election Day.

Johnson took a swipe at the upper chamber for failing to pass a single one of their 12 appropriations bills, writing to House GOP colleagues on Sunday that because “Senate Democrats failed to pass a single appropriations bill or negotiate with the House on an acceptable topline number for FY 2025, a continuing resolution is the only option that remains.”

JOHNSON’S PLAN TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN GOES DOWN IN FLAMES AS REPUBLICANS REBEL

Speaker Mike Johnson released a new government funding plan that includes additional Secret Service funding after the attempts on former President Trump’s life. (Getty Images)

The plan would keep the government out of a partial shutdown through Dec. 20. House GOP leadership staff told reporters on Sunday that Democratic requests for additional dollars were rebuffed, and extra disaster relief funds that were in Johnson’s initial plan have been removed.

But it would include roughly an additional $230 million for the U.S. Secret Service (USSS), coupled with certain oversight measures, after a bipartisan push for more security following two foiled attempts on former President Trump’s life.

Perhaps the most significant change is the removal of the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, a bill requiring proof of citizenship in the voter registration process.

That legislation, backed by Trump, passed the House earlier this year with all Republicans and five Democrats in favor. Johnson hoped that attaching it to a CR would force the Democratic-controlled Senate and White House – both of which have called it a nonstarter – to consider it, or at least that it would serve as a potent opening salvo in negotiations.

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

But 14 Republicans – most opposed to a CR on principle – tanked the bill last week.

Trump wrote on Truth Social ahead of the vote, “If Republicans don’t get the SAVE Act, and every ounce of it, they should not agree to a Continuing Resolution in any way, shape, or form.”

“Our legislation will be a very narrow, bare-bones CR including only the extensions that are absolutely necessary,” Johnson pledged to colleagues Sunday.

“While this is not the solution any of us prefer, it is the most prudent path forward under the present circumstances. As history has taught and current polling affirms, shutting the government down less than 40 days from a fateful election would be an act of political malpractice.”

Government funding has been one of the most volatile fights in the 118th Congress, pitting even the most conservative House allies against each other.

Johnson’s new plan is not likely to abate those tensions. Critics of a CR through December have argued it would leave them with no choice but to group their 12 annual appropriations bills into a massive “omnibus” spending bill, something nearly all Republican lawmakers oppose.

MCCARTHY’S ‘FINAL STRUGGLES’ THREATEN TO HAUNT JOHNSON’S GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN FIGHT

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized Johnson’s original plan. (Reuters/Mike Segar)

But House GOP leadership staff suggested it was more likely Congress would pass another CR into the new year rather than set new levels for fiscal year 2025 – lining up with Johnson’s original plan.

The speaker’s previous proposal would have funded the government through March, something Democrats and some national security hawks opposed. 

Trump allies, however, wanted to see the government funding fight kicked into the new year in hopes that he would win the White House and usher in a fully Republican Congress.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., did not weigh in directly on the plan but took a swipe at Johnson for trying to pass his conservative CR last week. 

“While I am pleased bipartisan negotiations quickly led to a government funding agreement free of cuts and poison pills, this same agreement could have been done two weeks ago. Instead, Speaker Johnson chose to follow the MAGA way and wasted precious time,” Schumer said in a statement.

“If both sides continue to work in good faith, I am hopeful that we can wrap up work on the CR this week, well before the September 30 deadline. The key to finishing our work this week will be bipartisan cooperation, in both chambers.”

Former President Trump unveiled a new policy proposal, promising to eliminate sanctuary cities throughout the country.

“Today, I am announcing a new plan to end all sanctuary cities in North Carolina and all across our country,” Trump said during a Saturday rally in Wilmington, North Carolina.

The comments come as Trump has continued to hammer Vice President Kamala Harris on border security, noting her role in being appointed the “border czar” before the administration oversaw record-setting illegal crossings during President Biden’s first three years in office.

ELECTION BOARD IN CRUCIAL SWING STATE ISSUES CONTROVERSIAL RULING REQUIRING HAND COUNTING OF BALLOTS

Former President Trump departs a campaign event at the Central Wisconsin Airport on Sept. 7, 2024 in Mosinee, Wisconsin. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

So-called “sanctuary cities,” or jurisdictions that have limited their cooperation with federal immigration authorities, have become controversial in recent years, with critics arguing that the existence of the cities incentivizes illegal border crossings and hampers ICE’s ability to take custody of migrants accused of committing crimes in the U,S.

Trump vowed to tackle that issue during his rally Saturday, telling the crowd that he would “ask Congress to pass a law outlawing sanctuary cities nationwide, and we will bring down the full weight of the federal government on any jurisdiction that refuses to cooperate” with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Former President Trump raises his fist as he departs a campaign event at Nassau Coliseum, Wednesday, Sept.18, 2024, in Uniondale, New York. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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The former president also doubled down on promises to deport all illegal immigrants living in the country, starting with those who pose a danger to public safety.

“As soon as I take office I will surge federal law enforcement to every city that is failing – which is a lot of them – to turn over criminal aliens, and we will hunt down and capture every single gang member, drug dealer, rapist, murderer and migrant criminal that is being illegally harbored,” Trump said. “We will get them out of North Carolina and send them home where they belong.”

Former President Trump speaks during a rally, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Uniondale, New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

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North Carolina is one of seven critical swing states that figure to play an outsized role in this year’s election. Trump, who narrowly won the state in both 2016 and 2020, currently holds only a 0.1 percentage point lead in the state, according to the Real Clear Politics polling average, the narrowest margin of all seven swing states.

A 5-year-old video of Vice President Harris touting her support for a fracking ban resurfaced on social media over the weekend, highlighting an issue that has plagued the vice president in her run for the White House.

“Climate change is the single greatest threat facing our world today. That’s why I am committed to passing a Green New Deal, creating clean jobs and finally putting an end to fracking once and for all,” Harris said during a September 2019 appearance on the “Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon.

Harris, who at the time was a California senator and running for the Democrat nomination for president, had touted her support for such a ban at other points in the campaign, including a CNN town hall earlier in the same month when she said there is “no question” that she was “in favor of banning fracking.”

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Vice President Harris (Montinique Monroe/Getty Images)

During her appearance on the “Tonight Show,” which was unearthed by conservative commentators over the weekend, Harris also expressed support for a Green New Deal, a controversial proposal popularized by progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

But the issue of a fracking ban has been the most sticky for Harris during her presidential campaign, with the vice president reversing her stance and vowing not to pursue a ban on fracking during an interview with CNN last month.

“What I have seen is that we can grow, and we can increase a clean energy economy without banning fracking,” Harris said.

Vice President Harris speaks at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute leadership conference, Sept. 18, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

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The issue of a fracking ban is of even more importance in the vital swing state of Pennsylvania, a state where the method of natural gas extraction is a source of employment and enjoys broad support.

Harris currently holds a narrow lead of less than one point in Pennsylvania, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average, coming in at 48.3% support to former President Trump’s 47.6%.

Republican presidential nominee former President Trump speaks at a rally, Sept. 18, 2024, in Uniondale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

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Trump has seized on Harris’ previous push for a fracking ban in recent weeks, arguing during the debate last week that “fracking in Pennsylvania will end on day one” if she is elected president.