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Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. 

What’s happening…

-Biden-Harris quietly role out new amnesty proposal during the DNC

-Harris toes thin line with Israel-Gaza in DNC speech

-Hamas to receive new peace fire proposals

Multiple Agents on Leave

At least five members of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) have been placed on administrative leave following the July 13 assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump in Butler, Penn., Fox News has confirmed.

One member of Trump’s personal protective team and four members of the Secret Service’s Pittsburgh Field Office, including the special agent in charge, have been sidelined nearly six weeks after the incident. The five are still employed but are teleworking and are no longer allowed in the field. They cannot do any investigative work….Read more

Members of the Secret Service stand watch as former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump holds a campaign rally at the North Carolina Aviation Museum & Hall of Fame in Asheboro, North Carolina, Aug. 21, 2024. (Photo by Peter Zay / AFP) (Photo by PETER ZAY/AFP via Getty Images) (Photo by PETER ZAY/AFP via Getty Images)

White House

BORDER BACKLASH: Biden parole plan faces new challenge in the courts …Read more

THE REAL SURPRISE GUESTS: Biden-Harris admin quietly rolled out new ‘amnesty’ during DNC: critics …Read more

‘ABHORRENT’ RULE: ATF blasted for defining gun parts as firearms …Read more

Capitol Hill

‘NOT SCIENCE FICTION’: AOC declares that Harris will be ‘first woman president’ …Read more

IMMIGRANT MEDICAID TIFF: Grassley demands answers after CA promised to repay feds …Read more

Tales from the Trail

CEASE-FIRE DEAL: Harris toes thin line with Israel-Gaza conflict in DNC speech …Read more

TWO WEEKS TO GO: With 14 days until voting starts, ‘election season’ kicks off sooner than you think …Read more

MEDIA LACKEYS: MSNBC, CNN personalities get speaking roles at Democratic Convention …Read more

FACT-CHECKING KAMALA: 3 Harris DNC attack lines against Trump that were inaccurate or false …Read more

‘UNACCEPTABLE BREACH’: RNC sues Detroit Election Commission over allegations of ‘failure to hire Republican poll workers’ …Read more

Former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines is sworn in during a House Oversight Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services hearing on Capitol Hill Dec. 5, 2023 in Washington, DC.  (Drew Angerer)

Across America

‘PROTECTION OF WOMEN’S SPORTS’: Riley Gaines to testify in Georgia regarding 2022 NCAA matchup against biological male swimmer …Read more

GUN BAN UNDER FIRE: SCOTUS asked to rule on Maryland law …Read more

BE A MAN: Competing visions of being a man in America at center of Trump-Harris matchup …Read more

MOTHER’S PLEA: Family of mom murdered by illegal immigrant suspect has a message in Trump border meeting …Read more

FAILURE TO WARN: Trump team irate over Secret Service failing to warn them about Crooks after spotting him with a range finder …Read more

‘HOW IS THIS JUSTICE?’: Dozens of criminal defendants handed ‘get out of jail free card’ on a technicality …Read more

RAY OF HOPE: Hamas to receive new cease-fire proposal after ‘constructive’ talks in Egypt: report …Read more

BANNING WOMEN: Taliban government issues public ban on women’s voices, bare faces …Read more

TROUBLED WATERS: Civilian contractors to haul back Army boats used in Gaza pier mission …Read more

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Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur appears to be changing her tune when it comes to working with President Biden during her close race for re-election.

Kaptur, one of the vulnerable Democrats who did not attend the Democratic National Convention (DNC), previously said she would be honored to work with Biden but now appears to be distancing herself from his presidency. 

The contrast was highlighted by the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF), a GOP SuperPAC that recently launched a website highlighting Kaptur’s own words from 2020 to now.

“It will be my honor to not just vote for Joe Biden, but to work for him and Sen. Kamala Harris,” Kaptur said in October 2020, a video on CLF’s new site shows.

‘MUST APOLOGIZE’: VULNERABLE HOUSE DEM FACES RENEWED BACKLASH OVER COMPARISON INVOLVING 9/11 TERRORIST

Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, speaks at the VFW Post 2529 Annual Corn Roast in Sandusky, Ohio, Aug. 20, 2022. (Bill Clark)

As she seeks re-election in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District, rated by the Cook Political Report as a “toss-up,” Kaptur recently shifted her rhetoric.

BATTLEGROUND DEMOCRATS LEAVE BIDEN HIGH AND DRY AFTER ‘DISTASTROUS’ DEBATE PERFORMANCE

“I don’t work for Donald Trump or Joe Biden,” Kaptur said in August 2024, just weeks after Biden withdrew from the presidential race.

CLF is also running a five-figure ad, which was streamed during the DNC, highlighting the contrast.

Rep. Marcy Kaptur is seeking re-election in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District. (Getty Images)

“Marcy Kaptur knows the Biden-Harris administration has hurt Ohioans, which is why she’s is trying to have them forget,” CLF spokeswoman Courtney Parella told Fox News Digital in a statement. “But voters know through Kaptur’s own words, she works for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, not Ohioans — period.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to Kaptur’s campaign for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said in a Friday court filing that he will endorse former President Donald Trump, The Associated Press reports.

The Kennedy campaign asked Pennsylvania to remove him from the ballot in the court filing, according to the AP. The filing didn’t say explicitly if he would be suspending his campaign.

The former Democrat is making an announcement in Phoenix a couple of hours before Trump was scheduled to hold a campaign event in nearby Glendale, Arizona. The Trump campaign on Thursday advertised that the former president would be joined by a “special guest,” which further sparked speculation of a Kennedy endorsement of the Republican 2024 presidential nominee.

The announcement is expected to end the presidential run by the longtime environmental activist and high-profile vaccine skeptic, who is the scion of the nation’s most storied political dynasty.

DOES KENNEDY’S DEPARTURE FROM THE 2024 RACE HELP TRUMP MORE THAN HARRIS?

Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., announces an independent White House run, at a campaign event on October 9, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  ((Photo by Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Images))

Kennedy launched his long-shot campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in April of last year, but last October the 70-year-old candidate switched to an independent run for the White House.

HARRIS TAKES AIM AT TRUMP AS SHE VOWS ‘TO BE A PRESIDENT FOR ALL AMERICANS’

While Kennedy had long identified as a Democrat and repeatedly invoked his late father Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and his uncle President John F. Kennedy, who were both assassinated in the 1960s, Kennedy in recent years built relationships with far-right leaders.

President Biden’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee for months repeatedly slammed Kennedy as a potential spoiler whose supporters could hand Trump a presidential election victory in November.

And the DNC battled Kennedy and his supporters at nearly every step as he worked to place his name on the ballot in all 50 states.

RFK JR.’S RUNNING MATE CHARGES DEMOCRATS ‘OBSTRUCTED A FAIR ELECTION,’ ‘FULLY SUPPORTS’ WORKING WITH TRUMP 

But Kennedy remained a thorn in Biden’s side from last year through the president’s announcement last month that he was ending his re-election bid and endorsing Harris.

The Trump campaign, which had cheered on Kennedy when he was running against Biden as a Democrat, also started taking aim at him after he switched to an independent run, labeling him a member of the “radical left,” and criticizing him for his environmental activism.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at the Libertarian National Convention on May 24, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

But the relationship between Kennedy and Trump started warming earlier this year, and the two spoke last month after the assassination attempt against Trump and met in person the following day. 

Earlier this week, Kennedy running mate Nicole Shanahan sparked headlines by saying in a podcast interview that the campaign was considering whether to “join forces” with Trump to prevent the possibility of Vice President Kamala Harris winning the 2024 election.

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“If he endorsed me, I would be honored by it. I would be very honored by it. He really has his heart in the right place,” Trump said on Thursday in an interview on “Fox & Friends.”

And the former president’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, said Wednesday in an interview on “Fox & Friends” that he hoped Kennedy “endorses the president, gets on the team, because this is about saving the country.”

Kennedy’s departure from the race comes as his campaign was cratering.

The last public event put on by his campaign came on July 9, in Freeport, Maine. But even before that, his poll numbers – which once stood in the teens – had faded.

The most recent Fox News national poll, conducted August 9-12, indicated Kennedy at 6% support. 

His fundraising was also in a free fall, with campaign finance reports indicating he had just $3.9 million cash on hand as of the start of July, with nearly $3.5 million in debt.

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

Congress does not return to session until Sept. 9, and the only thing the House and Senate must absolutely do the rest of the year is fund the government.

The problem is that Congress does not have until Dec. 31.

The government’s fiscal year deadline is Oct. 1.

THE HOME STRETCH: VP HARRIS FILLS DEMOCRATS WITH OPTIMISM AS ELECTION DAY NEARS

As per usual, expect a veritable adventure between now and October – if not the end of the year and maybe into 2025 – over how Congress might sidestep a government shutdown.

The House Freedom Caucus issued an ultimatum. The coalition of the House’s most-conservative members wrote to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., demanding a simple renewal of existing funding at current levels – known as a Continuing Resolution (CR) – through “early 2025.” The Freedom Caucus is banking on a return of former President Donald Trump to the White House – to say nothing of the supposition that Republicans will hold the House and flip the Senate. Recent polling is starting to favor Vice President Kamala Harris. The chances of Republicans holding the House are a jump ball at best – and may trend toward Democrats. Political handicappers have long favored Republicans to seize control of the Senate, but that’s not a done deal, either.

The Freedom Caucus chastised House Speaker Mike Johnson for working with Democrats on a funding bill in March and urged their Republican colleagues not to support it. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The Freedom Caucus believes the GOP will seize the major levers of government and can implement the spending package it wants next year. Johnson is certainly entertaining this possibility. And he may be wise to do so, considering the rambunctious nature of the House Republican Conference. More on that in a moment. But many Republicans, especially members of the Appropriations Committee, aren’t on board with the Freedom Caucus strategy. And those same Republicans doubt that Senate Democrats would ever abide such a plan. In short, some Republicans and lots of Democrats would prefer a short-term CR that runs through mid-November or December. Then work out the bills individually and pass everything, en masse, in an omnibus before the end of the calendar year.

Then no one needs to worry about funding the government until next Oct. 1.

Which is precisely the concern in conservative circles.

First, many Freedom Caucus members abhor the concept of any omnibus spending bill. Even a few “minibus” spending bills, with a handful of appropriations measures tucked into each legislative vehicle. Secondly, with President Biden still in the White House and Democrats at the helm of the Senate, conservatives believe a longer CR which stretches into the new year short-circuits how long liberal and progressive spending policies might remain in effect. Republicans can nip these in January with a CR which lasts until then. But if lawmakers adopt a short-term CR through late fall and then mash all of the spending plans together at once before handing over the keys to a new Congress and new President next year, Democratic spending priorities remain in place until the autumn of 2025.

This is counterintuitive, but conservatives believe an elongated CR actually helps them more in the short-term.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson came under fire from other conservatives for working with Democrats on a bipartisan spending plan. Johnson’s future as House speaker is in question pending the results of the presidential election. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

HOUSE LAWMAKERS LEAVE DC UNTIL SEPTEMBER WITH GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN DEADLINE LOOMING

The question is what path Johnson might choose.

Johnson caught flak from conservatives for doing a number of short-term spending bills last fall, through the winter and into the spring to avoid multiple forays into a government shutdown. He also fielded criticism for allowing a bill to aid Ukraine to come to the floor. And don’t forget that simply advancing a short-term spending bill last year cost former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., his gavel. So, Johnson must be mindful of which course he takes.

But the question of how to fund the government might be laced with questions about the future of the House Republican leadership. It’s hard to see how Johnson is able to punt into next year. He’ll need House Democrats and certainly buy-in from the Senate for that. But let’s say Johnson somehow pulls that off and scores a longer-term CR. If that’s the case, the government is funded and Johnson likely protects himself from political challenges on the right.

The House will elect a speaker on Jan. 3, the start of the new Congress. First, Republicans must be in the majority. If former President Trump wins, he might dictate whether Johnson or someone else becomes speaker. However, what happens if Democrats win the House and/or Vice President Harris prevails? Does Johnson become the Minority Leader?

What is past could be prologue. After the McCarthy experience, how Johnson handles the CR might dictate his future. That said, it is tougher to become House speaker than Minority Leader. Johnson or anyone else needs an outright majority of the entire House (Democrats and Republicans casting ballots) to become speaker. That’s a high bar. but the Minority Leader only requires a simple majority of their respective conference or caucus. That race isn’t decided on the floor.

Congress will return to session on Sept. 9. They have until Oct. 1 to agree on a government funding plan. (Aaron Schwartz/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Regardless, even if some conservatives disagree with how Johnson addresses government funding, they don’t have the stomach to go through another protracted leadership battle. Many House Republicans suffer from “PTSD.” Or, as we might call it on Capitol Hill, “Post Traumatic Speaker Disorder.” So while some conservatives might not fully embrace whatever decision Johnson makes, they’re not willing to engage in another donnybrook over who will lead House Republicans.

Moreover, the tactics of the right and the Freedom Caucus exhausted some rank-and-file Republicans and GOP members of the Appropriations Committee. Many Republicans point to the schism in the party over the Freedom Caucus approach. One senior GOP appropriator noted that Freedom Caucus members might not support whatever spending plan Republican leaders concoct – simply because they oppose most everything. So they aren’t willing to kowtow to the right.

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There’s a push by some Republicans to latch an election integrity bill to a stopgap spending bill. The plan would bar noncitizens from voting in federal elections – even though that’s already illegal. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray, D-Wash., characterized the election bill demand as a “political scare tactic” and a “poison pill.”

Like their criticism of McCarthy, conservatives are upset that Johnson “worked with Democrats” or “worked with the Senate.” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., tried to strip Johnson of the speaker’s gavel earlier this year for forging bipartisan spending pacts with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. The outcome of the election will dictate how much sway voices like Greene have.

But before the election, Congress must figure out how to avoid a government shutdown. And lawmakers, incoming lawmakers and even an incoming President will likely litigate the consequences of those decisions later this year and early next.

Two major Second Amendment groups called on the Supreme Court to hear a case challenging Maryland’s stringent “Assault Weapons Ban of 2013,” after a lower court ruled the ban constitutional.

The Firearms Policy Coalition filed a petition to the high bench asking them to hear Snope v. Brown – alternatively Bianchi v. Frosh – which the Richmond, Va.-based Fourth Circuit upheld in a 10-5 decision earlier this month.

That decision, written by Reagan-appointed Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III, said the Old Line State’s ban on certain semi-automatic rifles and pistols “fits comfortably within our nation’s tradition of firearms regulation.” Two residents of Baltimore County, Md., and one from Anne Arundel County first filed suit against Maryland in 2021.

The California-based Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) and Washington State-based Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) filed petitions for certiorari, asking the Supreme Court to make a superseding ruling on the Fourth Circuit’s decision.

SAF founder Alan Gottlieb said the appeals bench is trying to flip the landmark “Heller” decision nixing the District of Columbia’s gun ban “on its head.”

LAWMAKERS INVOKE HUNTER BIDEN, SECOND AMENDMENT WHILE OFFERING VARYING DEFENSES OF GUN LAWS

Semiautomatic rifles now banned for sale in the state of Illinois are displayed at Freddie Bear Sports on Jan. 11, 2023, in Tinley Park, Ill.  (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

“They are essentially arguing the arms protected by the Second Amendment are limited only to certain state-approved firearms, which would make it no right at all, but a government-regulated privilege,” Gottlieb said in a statement.

“This is the third time we have petitioned the high court in this case,” Gottlieb added. 

Meanwhile, in a separate release, FPC President Brandon Combs argued the case is an “ideal vehicle for the Supreme Court to resolve exceptionally important issues.”

Combs said AR-15s and other similar arms prohibited in Maryland are otherwise very commonly owned.

“There is no legitimate basis for the Fourth Circuit to have concluded that the most widely owned semiautomatic rifles in the United States are not arms protected by the Second Amendment,” he said. 

“The Court must provide more guidance on which weapons the Second Amendment covers and they should do so in this case. This immoral and abusive gun control regime must end here.” Proponents also cited the recent Bruen decision overturning New York’s open-carry ban.

OBAMA JUDGE’S RULING ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS OWNING GUNS HELPS THE LEFT BLUR THE LINES OF CITIZENSHIP: RUBIO

In his majority decision, Wilkinson argued the AR-15 and Barrett .50 cal and “gangster-style” guns are not protected by the Constitution due to their “excessively dangerous” nature, according to Maryland Matters.

He then listed mass shootings in Blacksburg, Va., Las Vegas, Nev., Parkland, Fla., Thousand Oaks, Calif., and about a dozen other cities.

Meanwhile, writing in dissent, Trump-appointed Judge Julius Richardson countered that the “Second Amendment is not a second-class right subject to the whimsical discretion of federal judges.”

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, a Democrat, is the named defendant in the suit – which formerly named his Democratic predecessor Brian Frosh. Brown’s office declined to comment on the filings.

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Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown is seen during his tenure as lieutenant governor. (Getty)

Fox News Digital also reached out to Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., who spearheaded the ban while serving in the state Senate at the time.

The Takoma Park lawmaker was listed as the first sponsor of the legislation, which also named Frosh – then a state senator from Potomac – as one of its co-sponsors.

The law’s text orders that “certain firearms” be designated as “assault weapons” and prohibits sale, transfer or purchase of such weaponry. It also called upon an Annapolis board to create a roster of prohibited weapons.

Fox News Digital also reached out to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore for comment but did not hear back by press time.

Former President Donald Trump took the stage in Butler, Pennsylvania, several minutes after the Secret Service first began tracking the former president’s attempted assassin, and Trump’s team was none too happy about it.

Those in Trump’s orbit said the former president’s security detail became enraged after learning they were not told for 30 minutes about a suspicious subject carrying a range finder around the perimeter of Trump’s July 13 rally, according to the Washington Post. That suspicious subject turned out to be Thomas Matthew Crooks, the former president’s 20-year-old attempted assassin.  

Trump took the stage in Butler shortly after 6 p.m., according to reports. Meanwhile, local officers had first spotted Crooks between 5:45 p.m. and 5:55 p.m., the Washington Post’s timeline of events indicates. Once spotted, local law enforcement verbally communicated the threat to Secret Service agents, but the threat was reportedly never shared with Trump’s team. Trump’s team was also reportedly never told that local law enforcement counter-snipers lost track of Crooks at one point.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Secret Service for comment but did not receive a response.

Rooftop security is in position prior to Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a rally, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Asheboro, North Carolina. Wednesday’s event is the first outdoor rally Trump has held since the attempted assassination of the former president. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Anger from Trump’s team about the circumstances surrounding the July 13 Butler rally comes amid years of frustrations over the Secret Service’s failure to heed the Trump team’s repeated requests for additional counter-snipers, bomb-sniffing dogs, magnetometers and other security precautions at the former president’s rallies and residences, the Washington Post reported last week.

ATTEMPTED TRUMP ASSASSIN SEEN WALKING AROUND PENNSYLVANIA RALLY HOURS BEFORE OPENING FIRE

In 2021, Trump’s Secret Service detail created an “Intrusion Detection Plan” to better secure the former president’s Mar-a-Lago golf club in South Florida, where other people seeking to harm Trump have been caught. However, when they asked for funds to implement the plan, the Secret Service only provided about 10% of the money that was requested, the Washington Post reported last week.

“They didn’t see it as their job to protect his club, but to protect him,” a former Trump security official familiar with the request told the Washington Post. “But it could be hard to separate the two.” 

The Secret Service, meanwhile, told the Washington Post that the agency has “continuously invested in security enhancements” at the former president’s residences, but due to their policies on not disclosing operational tactics, would not discuss any specific funding numbers. 

TRUMP SHOOTER HAD MULTIPLE ENCRYPTED ACCOUNTS OVERSEAS, INCLUDING GERMANY: REP. WALTZ

A man who claimed he had information about former President Donald Trump’s recent assassination attempt is now behind bars after trying to get into Mar-a-Lago multiple times, according to the Palm Beach Police Department. (Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office/(Charles Trainor Jr./Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images/File)

Secret Service officials have countered the Trump camp’s complaints about a lack of precautions with claims that the agency has never been asked to provide so much security for a former president, according to reporting from the Washington Post. Officials also appeared to throw some of the blame on Trump himself, reportedly asserting that his team schedules events that are especially challenging to protect. 

In the wake of the July 13 attempted assassination, the Secret Service has reportedly ramped up its security efforts for Trump. According to Trump advisers who spoke with the Washington Post on the condition of anonymity, the former president’s security became as heavy after the assassination attempt as when he was president. 

MULTIPLE SECRET SERVICE AGENTS PUT ON LEAVE FOLLOWING TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

Trump’s outdoor rallies now include bulletproof glass surrounding the former president, a request he demanded following the attempted assassination.

An outdoor stage is set encased with bulletproof glass as supporters arrive to hear Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speak at a rally, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Asheboro, North Carolina. Trump is holding his first outdoor rally since narrowly surviving an attempted assassination when a gunman opened fire in Pennsylvania last month. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

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Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump campaign for comment but did not receive a response by press time.

Vice President Kamala Harris delivered her acceptance speech for the Democratic presidential nomination on Thursday at the conclusion of the Democratic National Convention.

In her pitch to voters, Harris read a laundry list of complaints and accusations about Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Some of the attacks on Trump hinged on inaccurate interpretations about the former president’s platform and policies, while others were outright false.

Trump and Project 2025

“We know what a second Trump term would look like,” Harris told Democrats on Thursday. “It’s all laid out in Project 2025, written by his closest advisers, and its sum total is to pull our country back to the past. But America, we are not going back.”

STEPH CURRY ENDORSES KAMALA HARRIS AT DNC, MONTHS AFTER SUGGESTING HE WILL RUN FOR PRESIDENT SOME DAY

Democratic presidential nominee and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris takes the stage on Day 4 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. (Reuters/Mike Segar)

Portrayed as a blueprint for a future Republican administration to restructure many parts of the U.S. government, Project 2025, also known as the Presidential Transition Project, launched in April 2023 and is not directly associated with Trump’s campaign.

The Trump campaign has never endorsed the policy project, which was compiled by the Heritage Foundation — though several former members of the Trump administration did contribute to the document.

“They know I have nothing to do with it,” Trump told “Fox & Friends” Thursday. “I had no idea what it was. A group of people got together. They drew up some conservative values, very conservative values, and in some case, perhaps they went over the line. Perhaps they didn’t. I have no idea what Project 25 is.”

“Agenda 47 and President Trump’s RNC Platform are the only policies endorsed by President Trump for a second term,” Trump campaign spokesperson Danielle Alvarez told Fox News Digital last month, accusing the Democratic Party of “lying and fear mongering” by tying the platform to the former president.

Social Security and Medicare

“When you read [Project 2025], you will see — Donald Trump intends to cut Social Security and Medicare,” Harris claimed in the DNC address.

The Project 2025 policy plan does not advocate for cuts to Social Security.

33 DAYS: KAMALA HARRIS HAS NOT HELD A PRESS CONFERENCE SINCE EMERGING AS PRESUMPTIVE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE

Former President Donald Trump laughs while responding to a question from a reporter after his remarks at the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office in Howell, Michigan. (Nic Antaya/Getty Images)

Trump himself began his campaign with inconsistent rhetoric about his intentions for Social Security and Medicare, saying he was open to significant reforms of the system and claiming “there is a lot you can do in terms of entitlements, in terms of cutting.” 

His spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, told NBC News earlier this year, “President Trump will continue to strongly protect Social Security and Medicare in his second term.”

Since early 2024, Trump has been consistent about not cutting either program.

His official policy platform now states his intention to “fight for and protect Social Security and Medicare with no cuts, including no changes to the retirement age.”

He has also proposed not taxing Social Security benefits.

Nationwide abortion ban

“[Trump] and his allies would limit access to birth control, ban medication, abortion and enact a nationwide abortion ban with or without Congress,” Harris said in her speech.

The Trump campaign has repeatedly affirmed that a future administration intends to leave abortion policy decisions to the states.

This intention to back off from the abortion issue following the overturn of Roe v. Wade is reflected in the official Republican Party platform published last month.

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A planned parenthood mobile van offers free vasectomies and medicinal abortions alongside a taco truck and an inflatable IUD by the group Americans for Contraception Education Fund, near the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois. (Fox News Digital)

“We believe that the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States guarantees that no person can be denied life or liberty without due process and that the states are, therefore, free to pass laws protecting those rights,” the draft reads.

However, for the first time in 40 years, the document makes no mention of a federal abortion ban, which Trump has emphasized that he opposes.

Instead, the new platform stresses, “We will oppose late-term abortion while supporting mothers and policies that advance prenatal care, access to birth control and IVF (fertility treatments).”

Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller, Paul Steinhauser and Cameron Cawthorne contributed to this report.

CHICAGO – Vice President Kamala Harris touted her foreign policy record and support of veterans during her Democratic National Convention (DNC) acceptance speech, while leaving out the 13 U.S. service members who were killed during the White House’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. 

“I will never hesitate to take whatever action is necessary to defend our forces and our interests against Iran and Iran-backed terrorists. And I will not cozy up to tyrants and dictators like Kim Jong Un, who are rooting for Trump. Because they know he is easy to manipulate with flattery and favors. They know Trump won’t hold autocrats accountable — because he wants to be an autocrat,” Harris touted from the DNC’s stage in Chicago Thursday evening. 

“As president, I will never waver in defense of America’s security and ideals. Because, in the enduring struggle between democracy and tyranny, I know where I stand — and where the United States of America belongs.”

Harris also celebrated her foreign policy record as vice president, including her handling of the yearslong war in Russia. 

GOLD STAR DAD SAYS BIDEN-HARRIS ‘DENIED’ SON’S SERVICE AS FALLEN AFGHANISTAN SOLDIERS HONORED IN CALIFORNIA

Vice President Kamala Harris takes the stage on Day 4 of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on Aug. 22, 2024. (REUTERS/Brendan Mcdermid)

“Five days before Russia attacked Ukraine, I met with President Zelensky to warn him about Russia’s plan to invade. I helped mobilize a global response — over 50 countries — to defend against Putin’s aggression. And as President, I will stand strong with Ukraine and our NATO allies,” she added. 

Harris touting her record on foreign affairs comes years after the Biden administration’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan. 

The chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan led to the deaths of 13 U.S. service members defending the Kabul airport during the operation, while hundreds of Americans and tens of thousands of Afghan allies were left in the country under Taliban rule. Critics such as Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said the withdrawal paved the way for adversaries such as Russia to invade Ukraine. 

The Taliban claimed control of Afghanistan following the withdrawal. 

AMERICA’S VETERANS, HEROES GET SUPPORT THROUGH BOLD MT KILIMANJARO CLIMB FOR CHARITY

During the Republican National Convention last month in Milwaukee, families of those killed during the withdrawal took the stage for 20 minutes in an emotional remembrance of the service members. 

A U.S. Marine grabs an infant over a fence of barbed wire during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Aug. 19, 2021. (Courtesy of Omar Haidiri/AFP via Getty Images)

“Look at our faces. Look at our pain, and our heartbreak. And look at our rage. [The Afghanistan withdrawal] was not an extraordinary success,” Cheryl Juels, the aunt of Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee, said. “Joe Biden owes the men and women who served in Afghanistan a debt of gratitude, and an apology.”

Harris previously confirmed that she was the “last person in the room” with Biden before he made the decision to withdraw and also told the media that she was “comfortable” with the operation that ultimately turned deadly and chaotic.  

3 YEARS LATER, AFGHANISTAN WAR VETERANS HAVEN’T FORGOTTEN – HAVE YOU?

Taliban fighters celebrate the third anniversary of the withdrawal of U.S.-led troops from Afghanistan in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Siddiqullah Alizai)

ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS PROTEST VP HARRIS NOMINATION NEAR DNC, HAND OUT FLYERS FOR GLOBAL ‘INTIFADA’

Harris went on to praise veterans and the military during her DNC speech, without a mention of the Afghanistan withdrawal and those who lost their lives. 

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks on Day 4 of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on Aug. 22, 2024. (REUTERS/Kevin Wurm)

“I stood up for veterans and students being scammed by big, for-profit colleges, for workers who are being cheated out of their wages, the wages they were due for seniors facing elder abuse,” she said. 

GOLD STAR DAD RECALLS KNOCK AT HIS DOOR THAT ‘CHANGED EVERYTHING’

Harris rose to the top of the Democratic ticket last month, when Biden dropped out of the race amid mounting concern over his mental acuity and age. Harris accepted the nomination this week, vowing she would serve all Americans, no matter their political party, if she is elected to the Oval Office. 

Vice President Kamala Harris takes the stage on Day 4 of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on Aug. 22, 2024. (REUTERS/Brendan Mcdermid)

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“My entire career, I have only had one client. The People. And so, on behalf of the People, on behalf of every American. Regardless of party. Race. Gender. Or the language your grandmother speaks. On behalf of my mother and everyone who has ever set out on their own unlikely journey. On behalf of Americans like the people I grew up with. People who work hard. Chase their dreams. And look out for one another. On behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on Earth,” she said. 

“I accept your nomination for President of the United States of America.”

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

The political spotlight will be on Democrat turned independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Friday, in what many expect will be an announcement that he is ending his White House bid.

Kennedy’s campaign says their candidate “will address the nation live on Friday about the present historical moment and his path forward.”

On the eve of his event in Arizona, Kennedy moved to withdraw his name from the state’s ballot – which appeared to be another signal of his intent to drop out of the race.

However, the biggest question surrounding Kennedy’s anticipated exit from the 2024 race is whether it will give former President Donald Trump a small but potentially significant boost in his showdown against Vice President Kamala Harris.

Pointing back to the previous two presidential elections, veteran Republican strategist and Fox News contributor Karl Rove spotlighted the influential role third party candidates played.

RFK JR.’S RUNNING MATE CHARGES DEMOCRATS ‘OBSTRUCTED A FAIR ELECTION,’ ‘FULLY SUPPORTS’ WORKING WITH TRUMP 

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at the Libertarian National Convention on May 24, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR. TO ADDRESS AMERICA ON FRIDAY ABOUT THE ‘PRESENT HISTORICAL MOMENT AND HIS PATH FORWARD’

“[Green Party candidate} Jill Stein got more votes in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania than Hillary Clinton lost those states by,” Rove noted as he pointed to Trump’s victory over the Democrats’ 2016 presidential nominee. 

Rove added that “in 2020, Jo Jorgensen, the Libertarian candidate, got more votes in Arizona, Georgia and Wisconsin than Donald Trump lost those states by. And in each instance, that was the difference between winning and losing.”

Kennedy, the longtime environmental activist and high-profile vaccine skeptic, who is the scion of the nation’s most storied political dynasty, launched his long-shot campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in April of last year. However, last October, the 70-year-old candidate switched to an independent run for the White House.

While Kennedy had long identified as a Democrat and repeatedly invoked his late father – Sen. Robert F. Kennedy – and his uncle – former President John F. Kennedy – who were both assassinated in the 1960s – Kennedy in recent years built relationships with far-right leaders.

President Biden’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee for months repeatedly slammed Kennedy as a potential spoiler whose supporters could hand Trump a presidential election victory in November.

However, Kennedy remained a thorn in Biden’s side from last year through the president’s announcement last month that he was ending his re-election bid and endorsing Harris.

Former President Donald Trump laughs while responding to a question from a reporter after his remarks on Aug. 20, 2024 at the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office in Howell, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)

The Trump campaign also started taking aim at Kennedy after he switched to an independent run, labeling him a member of the “radical left,” and criticizing him for his environmental activism.

However, the relationship between Kennedy and Trump started warming earlier this year, and the two spoke last month after the assassination attempt against Trump and met in person the following day. 

Earlier this week, Kennedy running mate Nicole Shanahan sparked headlines by saying in a podcast interview that the campaign was considering whether to “join forces” with Trump to prevent the possibility of Harris winning the 2024 election.

“If he endorsed me, I would be honored by it. I would be very honored by it. He really has his heart in the right place,” Trump said on Thursday in an interview on “Fox and Friends.”

Kennedy’s event is being held in Phoenix a couple of hours before Trump holds a rally in nearby Glendale.

“President Trump will be joined by a special guest as he delivers remarks about his America First policies and his vision to lower inflation and the cost of living, secure the border, and make our cities safe again,” a release from the former president’s campaign announced on Thursday, which sparked more speculation about a potential Kennedy endorsement.

Trump called in to Fox News following Vice President Kamala Harris’ nominating acceptance speech on Thursday night. Noting that Trump and Kennedy would be in the same state, Fox News anchors Bret Baier and Martha McCallum asked Trump if Kennedy would endorse him on Friday, and the former President replied coyly, “It’s possible we will be meeting tomorrow, and we’ll be discussing it.”

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Kennedy’s campaign has been cratering in recent months. The last public event put on by Kennedy’s campaign came on July 9, in Freeport, Maine. However, even before that, his poll numbers – which once stood in the teens – had faded.

The most recent Fox News national poll, conducted Aug. 9-12, indicated Kennedy at 6% support. 

His fundraising was also sinking, with campaign finance reports indicating he had just $3.9 million cash on hand as of the start of July, with nearly $3.5 million in debt.

Well-known non-partisan political handicapper Larry Sabato argued in a social media post that “Kennedy is barely relevant.”

“He can’t transfer much support, esp. to Trump. His backers will splinter,” Sabato predicted.

Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. makes a campaign announcement at a press conference on Oct. 9, 2023 in Philadelphia. (Photo by Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Images)

Rove, the mastermind behind former President George W. Bush’s two White House election victories, said that if Kennedy “does endorse Trump, my sense is the people who were supporting him because he was a Kennedy, and they didn’t like Biden, have dissipated over the last four to five weeks and his supporters are probably people more inclined to vote for Trump than Harris.”

Alex Castellanos, the veteran Republican consultant who served in leading positions on the campaigns of four GOP presidential nominees, said that if Kennedy drops out and backs Trump, “it could help in two ways.

“One is he’s an outsider and Trump’s an outsider. RFK got drop-kicked out of the Democratic establishment, so the anti-Washington message that Trump has is amplified,” Castellanos argued.

He added that “more importantly, RFK is the K in Kennedy and that brand still has magic. That brand is Camelot. It’s what could have been and was interrupted. It’s a promise about the future, and you need know who needs optimism and someone to help him get to the future is Donald Trump. I think the brand is more important than the one or two percent he might bring to the Trump campaign.”

Democratic strategist Marie Harf, a Fox News contributor, said that “Democrats are curious what will happen if and when he [Kennedy] drops out, because if him being in the race was taking votes from Trump, those votes will go back to Trump now.”

“It’s already a tight race and will get even tighter if all the RFK votes go to Trump,” Harf emphasized.

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

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the Independent presidential candidate, has reportedly withdrawn his name from the presidential ballot in the state of Arizona.

On X, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, shared that: “RFK Jr.’s campaign filed official paperwork with our office today withdrawing him from AZ’s 2024 election.”

In the post, Fontes said the official filing would be made available on the Arizona government website on Friday.

The withdrawal came on the final day of the Democratic National Convention — where Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris gave the keynote address — and amid rumors that Kennedy may drop out of the 2024 presidential race and endorse former President Trump, the Republican nominee.

VIVEK RAMASWAMY SOUNDS OFF ON POTENTIAL RFK JR. ROLE IN A TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has reportedly withdrawn his name from the presidential ballot in the state of Arizona. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Kennedy previously announced he would address the country on Friday, August 23, with an update on his political future.

Former President Trump spoke to “FOX & Friends” on Thursday about whether Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. might drop out of the race and endorse him.

“He is a very good person. If he endorsed me, I would be honored by it. I would be very honored by it. He really has his heart in the right place. He is a respected person,” Trump said.

Kennedy has said he would provide an update on his political future on Friday, August 23. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

TRUMP SAYS HE WOULD BE ‘HONORED’ BY RFK JR. ENDORSEMENT

“But, overall, I thought the Democrats, he was a Democrat, I don’t know what he is right now. But he was a Democrat. They treated him very badly. I think he would have, he goes around saying he would have beaten [President] Biden in the primary. I think there was a good chance,” Trump said.

Kennedy’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, recently told Fox News that they were considering dropping out and endorsing Trump. 

On X, Shanahan doubled down, claiming that Democrats are “terrified” their campaign may endorse Donald Trump.

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Earlier in the week, Shanahan joined “Fox News @ Night with Trace Gallagher” and said any decision to drop and endorse Trump would ultimately come from Kennedy.

“You know, it’s Bobby’s decision. I came into this supporting him wholeheartedly to win this election. And I have to say, there’s only one party that has obstructed fair, a fair election for us. And unfortunately, it was the Democratic Party. They’ve done everything they can, including creating PACs to prevent us from being able to have ballot access.”

Fox News’ Hanna Panreck and Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: Former President Trump is being preemptively attacked by Democrats over a speculated endorsement from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. following his expected presidential campaign suspension. 

On Friday morning, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) unveiled four billboards targeting Trump over the potentially looming endorsement. 

“Weird as hell,” the billboards say, featuring photos of Trump, his running mate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, and Kennedy. 

BIDEN-HARRIS HHS SECRETARY SIDESTEPS BACKING ANY LIMIT ON LATE-TERM ABORTION

Trump and RFK Jr. are being targeted together by the DNC. (Getty Images)

The signs debuted in battleground state Arizona, where Trump has a scheduled rally with a “special guest,” and in Chicago, Illinois, where the Democratic National Convention wrapped on Thursday. 

Kennedy’s presidential campaign notably announced an address to the nation on Friday, also in Arizona. 

One of the Chicago billboards will be at the city’s Trump International Hotel, with the goal of people viewing it as they depart after the convention. 

DEM LAWMAKERS’ VOTING RECORDS WITH BIDEN-HARRIS IN SPOTLIGHT AHEAD OF TIGHT RACES

The DNC unveiled a billboard tying Trump and Vance to RFK Jr. (Democratic National Committee)

The paid advertising campaign is the DNC’s first featuring Kennedy since President Biden’s suspension of his re-election bid. 

The Trump and Kennedy campaigns did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication. 

“MAGA Republicans elevated RFK Jr.’s sham candidacy as a tool to mislead voters and hurt Democrats, and RFK Jr.’s exit is an admission their gambit failed,” wrote Ramsey Reid, who oversees the DNC’s effort against third-party candidates, in a memo obtained first by Fox News Digital. 

PROGRESSIVE LEADER URGES HARRIS TO WAIT ON GOVERNMENT HEALTH CARE PUSH

Kennedy is speculated to be ending his campaign. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Reid revealed that the party’s data on Kennedy showed their efforts paying off and his favorability dropping throughout the campaign. 

“As voters have learned about RFK Jr.’s unsavory and reckless past, ties to MAGA donors, and MAGA-lite positions on abortion bans and January 6th pardons, his support has dwindled to make him a near-negligible factor,” Reid wrote. 

“The little support that remains is soft, split across ideologies, and disproportionately among lower propensity voters,” he continued. “With no meaningful base of support and sky-high negatives among Democrats, RFK Jr.’s threat to VP Harris was neutralized.”

NEWSOM DODGES QUESTION ON HARRIS PRICE CONTROLS: ‘SHE HASN’T PUT OUT THE DETAILS’

Trump will hold a rally in Arizona with a special guest.  (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)

Further, Reid claimed, if Trump accepted Kennedy’s endorsement, he would “own all of RFK Jr.’s baggage.” On top of that, “he would presumably have to appoint him and that baggage to a major position in his government.”

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Kennedy’s campaign has not confirmed the reports that he plans to drop out or that he will subsequently endorse Trump. 

In a Fox News Poll earlier this month, Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in a head-to-head match-up, 50% to 49%. But with the inclusion of third-party candidates, including Kennedy, Trump and Harris were tied at 45% each nationally. Kennedy received 6% in the poll. 

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

CHICAGO – Former President Donald Trump, as part of a live thread on Truth Social, blasted the Democratic National Convention speech of Vice President Kamala Harris in a variety of posts including one after she concluded talking about what she “didn’t mention.”

“She didn’t mention China, she didn’t mention fracking, she didn’t mention Energy, she didn’t mention, meaningfully, Russia and Ukraine, she didn’t mention the big subjects of the day, that are destroying our Country,” Trump posted on Truth Social shortly after Harris’ speech concluded. 

The former president posted several criticisms of Harris during the speech on several issues.

“There are 60 million people in poverty in the U.S., under their watch, and she doesn’t even talk about them!” Trump posted.

TRUMP PULLS AHEAD OF HARRIS IN BETTING MARKET DURING DEM CONVENTION

Former President Trump live posted on Truth Social during VP Harris’ DNC speech (Getty Images)

In another post, Trump said, “She’s talking about how great San Francisco was before she destroyed it, probably not a good idea!”

“No specific programs, ALL TALK, NO ACTION — Why didn’t she do it three and a half years ago?” Trump said in another post.

During the speech, Trump referred to Harris as a “radical Marxist” and said she “stands for incompetence and weakness” while the country is “being laughed at all over the world.”

STEPH CURRY ENDORSES KAMALA HARRIS AT DNC, MONTHS AFTER SUGGESTING HE WILL RUN FOR PRESIDENT SOME DAY

Democratic presidential nominee and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks on Day 4 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 22, 2024.  (REUTERS/Kevin Wurm)

Harris called Trump an “unserious man” in her speech and said “the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious.”

“And how he would use the immense powers of the presidency of the United States? Not to improve your life, not to strengthen our national security, but to serve the only client he has ever had — himself,” Harris said.

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Republican Presidential Candidate former U.S. President Donald Trump laughs while responding to a queston from a reporter after his remarks on August 20, 2024 at the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office in Howell, Michigan. Trump is visiting Michigan this week to discuss “crime and safety” during a campaign event. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)

Now that both conventions have come to a close, the election heads into the final stretch with just over 3 months until the presidential election.

Harris and Trump are set to meet in their first debate on September 10 in Philadelphia hosted by ABC News.

CHICAGO – One month after replacing President Biden atop the Democrats’ 2024 ticket, Vice President Kamala Harris accepted her party’s presidential nomination as she delivered the most important speech of her political career.

In a roughly 40 minute speech that was the crowning and concluding moment of the four-day Democratic National Convention in Chicago’s United Center, the vice president promised to chart “a new way forward” if Americans elect her to succeed her boss – President Biden.

And Harris warned Americans against returning former President Trump, the Republican nominee, to power. 

“In many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man,” the vice president argued. “But the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious.”

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Democratic presidential nominee and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris takes the stage on Day 4 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 22, 2024.  (REUTERS/Brendan Mcdermid)

And Harris cast herself as someone who could bring a deeply polarized nation together, saying “with this election, our nation has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism, and divisive battles of the past.”

“I will be a president who unites us around our highest aspirations,” she pledged. “A president who leads — and listens. Who is realistic. Practical. And has common sense. And always fights for the American people.”

Harris noted that “there are people of various political views watching tonight. And I want you to know: I promise to be a president for all Americans.”

WATCH: TRUMP JOINS FOX NEWS FOLLOWING HARRIS ADDRESS 

Pointing to her years as a prosecutor, San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general before winning election to the U.S. Senate and four years ago as the nation’s vice president, she said “from the courthouse to the White House, that has been my life’s work.”

Harris made history in 2020 as the first woman elected vice president. And she made the record books again this month as the first Black woman and first person of South Asian descent to win a major party’s presidential nomination. And if she wins in November, Harris could become the nation’s first female president.

Harris has been riding a wave of energy and enthusiasm – both in polling and in fundraising – since replacing President Biden at the top of the Democrats’ 2024 ticket four weeks ago.

And she walked out on to the stage at Chicago’s United Center arena to thunderous applause and a sustained standing ovation that included chants of “yes, you can.” 

TRUMP TAKES AIM AT HARRIS AS SHE DELIVERS HER CONVENTION ADDRESS 

After describing herself as the daughter of an Indian scientist who immigrated to America “with an unshakable dream to be the scientist who would cure breast cancer,” she recounted how the sexual abuse of a childhood friend fueled her desire to become a prosecutor. 

“Like the people I grew up with, people who work hard, chase their dreams, and look out for one another, on behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on earth, I accept your nomination to be President of the United States of America,” Harris said. 

Trump repeatedly took to social media throughout the vice president’s address to take aim at his 2024 rival. 

Former President Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, gestures during a campaign rally at the North Carolina Aviation Museum & Hall of Fame in Asheboro, North Carolina, August 21, 2024. (Photo by PETER ZAY/AFP via Getty Images)

As Harris talked about her early years, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, “A lot of talk about childhood, we’ve got to get to the Border, Inflation, and Crime!”

Minutes later, as Harris in her speech pledged that building the middle class “will be a defining goal of my presidency, Trump pointed toward her three and a half years as the nation’s vice president during the Biden administration and asked, “Why didn’t she do something about the things of which she complains?”

Harris, as expected, spent a portion of her address spotlighting reproductive rights, an issue that has energized and mobilized Democrats in the two years since the blockbuster ruling by the Supreme Court’s conservative majority to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, which had legalized abortion nationwide.

She argued that “Donald Trump hand-picked members of the United States Supreme Court to take away reproductive freedom.”

And she vowed that “when Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom, as President of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law.”

But she also touched on border security, an issue that Trump and fellow Republicans have hammered the Biden administration over the surge of migrants into the country in the past three and a half years.

Vice President Kamala Harris, following her nomination acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, is joined on stage by her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and their spouses, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and Minnesota First Lady Gwen Walz, in Chicago, Illinois on Aug. 22, 2024. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Harris pointed to a border security bill with some bipartisan support that was making its way through Congress earlier this year before Republicans turned against the measure after prompting from Trump.

“As President, I will bring back the bipartisan border security bill that he killed.  And I will sign it into law,” Harris reiterated.

Harris also pledged that “as Commander-in-Chief, I will ensure America always has the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world. I will fulfill our sacred obligation to care for our troops and their families. And I will always honor, and never disparage, their service and their sacrifice.”

The comments spurred chants of “USA, USA” from the crowd of Democratic politicians, officials, activists, and supporters in the arena.

Taking aim at Trump, Harris said “I will not cozy up to tyrants and dictators like Kim-Jong-Un, who are rooting for Trump.”

She pledged that if elected, she would continue the Biden administration’s efforts in ending two major international conflicts.

“I will stand strong with Ukraine and our NATO allies,” she said as she pointed to the eastern European nation’s ongoing war against Russian aggression.

And pointing to the Middle East, she emphasized, “Let me be clear: I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself. Because the people of Israel must never again face the horror that the terrorist organization called Hamas caused on October 7th.”

But she added that “at the same time, what has happened in Gaza over the past 10 months is devastating. So many innocent lives lost. Desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, over and over again. The scale of suffering is heartbreaking.”

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators have been protesting outside the Democrats’ convention the entire week, as the party remains partially divided over the Biden administration’s support for Israel in its war with Hamas in Gaza.

“President Biden and I are working to end this war such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity. Security. Freedom. And self-determination,” in a line that elicited loud cheers.

Biden ended his re-election bid on July 21, after his disastrous late June performance in a debate with Trump fueled questions over whether the 81-year-old president was physically and mentally able to handle another four years in the White House – and sparked calls from within the Democratic Party for him to drop out of the race.

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, left, clasps her hand in the air with President Joe Biden at the Democratic National Convention, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Biden, in a well regarded and emotional address, spoke on the first night of the convention before heading to California for a brief vacation.

Harris, near the top of her speech, praised her boss.

“To our president, Joe Biden. When I think about the path that we have traveled together, Joe, I am filled with gratitude,” she said. “Your record is extraordinary, as history will show, and your character is inspiring.”

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Harris also gave a shutout to her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who addressed the convention the previous night.

“To Coach Tim Walz. You are going to be an incredible vice president,” she said.

Since Harris took over for Biden atop the Democrats’ ticket, the former president has tried to paint her as a far-left extremist.

Trump, in an interview with Fox News anchors Bret Baier and Martha McCallum following the vice president’s speech, charged that Harris is “a Marxist. She always was. She always will be.”

The former president described Harris’ speech as “a lot of complaining.”

“She didn’t talk about China. She didn’t talk about fracking. She didn’t talk about crime. She didn’t talk about 70% of our people living in poverty. She didn’t talk about housing,” he emphasized. “She presided over the weakest border in the history of our country.”

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

Former President Donald Trump praised Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp for supporting his election effort in the key battleground state after previously slamming the Peach State’s executive as “disloyal.”

“Thank you to @BrianKempGA for all of your help and support in Georgia, where a win is so important to the success of our Party and, most importantly, our Country,” Trump posted to Truth Social on Thursday evening. 

“I look forward to working with you, your team, and all of my friends in Georgia to help MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

The comments come after Trump repeatedly slammed the popular Georgia governor across the last four years for opposing Trump’s challenge to the 2020 election results in the state. The final election results found President Biden defeated Trump in Georgia by 11,779 votes that year. 

GEORGIA GOV. BRIAN KEMP SNAPS BACK AT TRUMP AFTER REPEATED ATTACKS: ‘LEAVE MY FAMILY OUT OF IT’

ASHEBORO, NORTH CAROLINA – AUGUST 21: Republican Presidential candidate, former U.S. president, Donald Trump, speaks to supporters during an event on August 21, 2024 in Asheboro, North Carolina at the North Carolina Aviation Museum and Hall of Fame. Mr. Trump and Vice Presidential hopeful JD Vance stood behind a thick plate glass as added security measures were visible around the event. (Photo by Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)

“I’ll be here in about a year and a half campaigning against your governor. I guarantee that,” Trump said back in 2021 of Kemp. “I shouldn’t say this, I shouldn’t say this. I just don’t want you to tell anyone outside of this room, other than the millions of people. You know, I endorsed him. He was in last place and I endorsed him. He went to first place, like, immediately.”

GEORGIA ACTIVIST STEALS THE SHOW AFTER BEING INTRODUCED BY TRUMP AT ATLANTA RALLY: ‘INCREDIBLE’

Even earlier this month, Trump slammed Kemp as “disloyal” during a rally in Atlanta. 

“He’s a bad guy. He’s a disloyal guy. And he’s a very average governor. Little Brian, little Brian Kemp. Bad guy,” Trump said during the rally, which included more than 10 minutes of slamming th governor. 

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp delivers the State of the State speech, Jan. 11, 2024, in Atlanta. Kemp signed a bill into law Tuesday, May 7, that makes additional changes to Georgia’s election laws ahead of the 2024 presidential contest in the battleground state, including defining probable causes for removing voters from the rolls when their eligibility is challenged.  (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Trump’s favorable comments towards Kemp on Thursday evening followed the governor joining Fox News, where he endorsed Trump for president. Kemp had not endorsed anyone in the GOP primary, but said he would support the GOP ticket come November. 

ARIZONA MAN ACCUSED OF THREATENING TO KILL TRUMP NABBED AFTER MANHUNT DURING FORMER PRESIDENT’S BORDER VISIT

“We got to win. You know, we got to win from the top of the ticket on down. I’ve been saying consistently for a long time, we cannot afford another four years of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. And I think, you know, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz would be even worse,” he told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Thursday. 

Brian Kemp, governor-elect of Georgia, center, smiles during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018. Trump reaffirmed his promise to punish General Motors Co. for plans to close an auto factory in the electoral battleground of Ohio and said Chinas plan to lower tariffs on U.S. cars to 15 percent doesn’t go far enough. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images HOWELL, MICHIGAN – AUGUST 20: Republican Presidential Candidate former U.S. President Donald Trump laughs while responding to a queston from a reporter after his remarks on August 20, 2024 at the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office in Howell, Michigan. Trump is visiting Michigan this week to discuss “crime and safety” during a campaign event. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

“So we need to send Donald Trump back to the White House. We need to retake the Senate. We need to hold the House. We need to hold our legislative majorities that we have in the great state of Georgia. And it takes hard work. That’s what we’ve been doing.”

Georgia is a key battleground state this year, following Trump winning in 2016 against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, but losing the state in 2020 when he squared up against Biden. 

Republicans in the state told Politico earlier this month that the pair should bury the hatchet in order to win the majority of votes comes November. 

GOV. BRIAN KEMP FIRES BACK AT TRUMP’S CLAIM OF RIGGED 2020 ELECTION IN GEORGIA: ‘NOT STOLEN’

“During the Atlanta rally, President Trump criticized Governor Brian Kemp and revisited the 2020 election results,” strategist Eric Tanenblatt told the outlet. “With Georgia being a pivotal state, it’s crucial for the Republican Party to look ahead and avoid dwelling on past elections. To win in the upcoming election, Republicans need to present a united front and prioritize future-focused policies.”

US Vice President Kamala Harris during the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, US, on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024.  (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Trump’s Truth Social post lauding Kemp comes as the Democratic Party wraps up its convention in Chicago, with Vice President Harris delivering her speech accepting the nomination for the ticket. 

Trump called into Fox News later Thursday to give his assessment of Harris’ speech, when he also spoke favorably of Kemp. 

“He was very nice, and he said he wants Trump to win, and he’s gonna work with me 100%. And I think we’re going to have a very good relationship with Brian Kemp,” he told Fox News’ Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. 

CHICAGO – Anti-Israel demonstrators marched toward the United Center – where the Democratic National Convention wraps up Thursday night – with a message to Vice President Kamala Harris: Democrats are funding a “genocide” of Palestinian people and are not doing enough to get a ceasefire deal. 

Amid the sea of anti-Israel agitators – most of whom had their faces covered – were separate groups sprinkled across the DNC security areas protesting for their own cause, too. Pro-life activists also got their message out against abortion, while others protested against corporations and former President Trump.

However, nearly all the groups were staunchly anti-Israel. Activist group Healing Our Homeland handed out flyers saying, “Globalize the Intifada.” 

HAMAS LEADER SINWAR REPORTEDLY WANTS GUARANTEE OF SURVIVAL AS GAZA CEASE-FIRE TALKS SAID TO BE FALTERING

Flyers handed out at anti-Israel demonstration on Aug. 22, 2024 in Chicago, IL near the DNC.  (Fox News Digital)

“Israel is a terrorist state,” one protester yelled on a bullhorn near one of the DNC’s security checkpoints. “Stop funding Israel.”

“As they officially nominate killer Kamala as the head of the stake, we are out here to say that nothing they say or do in that convention will wash the blood of Palestinian men, women, and children off their hands,” a protester said over a bullhorn to the park full of demonstrators. 

Demonstrators met around 5 p.m. before marching, led by Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling and officers. 

CHICAGO DNC: ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS ERUPT AS KAMALA HARRIS SPEAKS ON FINAL NIGHT OF CONVENTION

Anti-Israel protesters marched near the United Center in Chicago on Thursday, the final night of the DNC. (Fox News Digital)

Waving signs and Palestinian flags, protesters chanted on bullhorns: “There is one solution, intifada revolution” and “long live the antifada.” 

“Absolutely not,” protester Cole Bennett told Fox News Digital when asked if he supports VP Harris’ Israel policy. “That’s why we’re here … the fact is that the policy that we’re actively seeking is a ceasefire deal, that means nothing when you have the ability to turn off the aid and turn off the bombs to Israel. They could do that tomorrow and they should, and they shouldn’t expect any of our votes until they do.” 

Another protester, Evan, held a sign saying, “Joe Biden Be a Man and Save the Kids,” and “Withhold Arms.” 

ANTI-ISRAEL DEMONSTRATIONS CONTINUE NEAR DNC FOR 3RD NIGHT AS CROWDS GATHER IN LARGER NUMBERS

Protestors burn an American flag during the second March on the DNC protest in Chicago, Illinois, on Thursday, August 22 2024. Protestors are marching toward the United Center where Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to accept the Democratic Party’s nomination for President. (Fox News Digital)

“A ceasefire should be forced. I don’t think Joe Biden would suffer too much fallout from that,” he told Fox News Digital. “And he’s not running for re-election anyway, so he ought to take one for the team if that’s what they’re worried about, that would clear a path for November and that would bring a whole hell of a lot of people on board.” 

“This is still Joe Biden’s game,” he added.

Other anti-Israel groups marching toward the United Center burned American flags later in the evening. 

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VP Harris accepted the DNC’s nomination Thursday night to be the party’s candidate to square off against Trump in November. 

Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz contributed to this report. 

EXCLUSIVE – A pro-Trump group has launched a $500,000 ad campaign taking aim at Vice President Kamala Harris over her handling of the border crisis ahead of her Democratic nomination acceptance speech on Thursday.

The conservative nonprofit Building America’s Future has released a one-minute ad that will appear on digital platforms in critical battleground states, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, leading up to Harris addressing the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. 

“Three years ago, Vice President Kamala Harris was given an important job: control the border crisis. Did she step up to the plate?” the narrator asks. 

DNC ATTENDEES WEIGH IN: ARE KAMALA HARRIS’ AND JOE BIDEN’S RECORDS ONE AND THE SAME?

A pro-Trump group is launching an ad campaign against Vice President Kamala Harris over her handling of the border crisis. (Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The ad includes an infamous exchange Harris had with a reporter in 2021. Asked whether she had plans to visit the border, Harris replied with a chuckle, “Not today.” 

DNC ATTENDEES PRESSED ON WHAT HARRIS PRESIDENCY WOULD MEAN FOR MIDDLE CLASS

After showing headlines about the record number of illegal immigrants crossing the border, including those on the terror watch list, the ad invokes the tragic murders of Jocelyn Nungaray, Laken Riley and Joselyn Toaquiza, placing blame on the VP as the so-called border czar. 

“Rather than asking for a promotion, Kamala Harris should start by saying their names,” the narrator adds.  

22-year-old Georgia nursing student Laken Riley was among the victims referenced in a new ad targeting Vice President Harris ahead of her DNC speech. (Laken Riley/Facebook)

The “#SayTheirNames” campaign will also launch mobile billboards and 2D projections at Harris campaign events in swing states of the gravestones of the victims who have been murdered by illegal immigrants during the Biden-Harris administration.

The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital‘s request for comment.

HARRIS WEBSITE STILL LACKS POLICY DESPITE WALZ SAYING AMERICANS DESERVE TO KNOW ‘EXACTLY WHAT SHE’D DO’

Illegal immigration is widely seen as one of Harris’ biggest vulnerabilities going into the general election. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

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Illegal immigration is widely seen as one of Harris’ biggest vulnerabilities ahead of the November election. Since emerging as the Democratic nominee, Team Harris has attempted to distance the VP from the “border czar” label she was given by both the media and her critics. 

RFK Jr’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, shared a post to X claiming that Democrats are “terrified” their campaign may endorse Donald Trump.

In a post on X on Thursday, the independent VP pick said “My old Dem buddies have been flooding me with frantic calls, texts, and emails. Unlike Ro, I wouldn’t dream of airing those private conversations publicly, but the message is clear: they’re terrified of the idea of our movement joining forces with Donald Trump.”

RFK JR.’S RUNNING MATE SAYS DEMOCRATS ‘OBSTRUCTED A FAIR ELECTION,’ ‘FULLY SUPPORTS’ WORKING WITH TRUMP

“When I point out what the Democratic Party and their super PACs have done to sabotage our campaign, their response is always, ‘but Trump is worse.’ Here’s an idea: stop suing us. Let us debate. Quit rigging the media and the polls. It’s a simple formula, people—get with it,” the post concluded.

A source close to the campaign told the NY Post on Thursday that RFK Jr’s campaign suspension will be announced Friday in Phoenix, Arizona.

California attorney Nicole Shanahan speaks after Independent US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced her as his running mate for vice president during an event in Oakland, California, United States on March 26, 2024. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Shanahan joined Fox News @ Night on Tuesday, saying “You know, it’s Bobby’s decision. I came into this supporting him wholeheartedly to win this election. And I have to say, there’s only one party that has obstructed fair, a fair election for us. And unfortunately, it was the Democratic Party. They’ve done everything they can, including creating PACs to prevent us from being able to have ballot access.”

TRUMP SAYS HE WOULD BE ‘HONORED’ BY RFK JR. ENDORSEMENT, SAYS DEMOCRATS ‘TREATED HIM VERY BADLY

The Kennedy/Shanahan ballot has faced uphill climbs in order to get on the ballot state-by-state nationwide. Most recently, it faced a roadblock in New York State due to a residency dispute.

Republican Presidential Candidate former U.S. President Donald Trump laughs while responding to a queston from a reporter after his remarks on August 20, 2024 at the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office in Howell, Michigan. Trump is visiting Michigan this week to discuss “crime and safety” during a campaign event. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)

In a six-way poll conducted by Fox News Polls from earlier this month, RFK Jr holds 6% of the national vote. That is down from 10% in July from the same pollsters and an all-time high of 15% support in November 2023.

On Thursday, former President Trump told FOX + Friends that RFK Jr “is a very good person. If he endorsed me, I would be honored by it. I would be very honored by it. He really has his heart in the right place. He is a respected person.”

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Nicole Shanahan did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Vice President Harris infused Democrats with optimism as the 2024 election cycle heads for the home stretch.

There was real concern that a continued campaign by President Biden might suppress Democratic turnout. That would damage an opportunity by Democrats to reclaim the House and even hold the Senate.

But the rapid ascendancy by Harris to the top of the ticket changed all of that.

BLOWING OFF THE WINDY CITY: SOME DEMOCRATS GIVE KAMALA AND THE DNC A COLD SHOULDER

Fundraising for House Democrats soared – especially in July. House Democrats were already leading their Republican counterparts at the end of June. The GOP brass implored rank-and-file Republican members to bolster their money game. Leaders requested Republicans to cough up cash to help safeguard the GOP majority.

“It was a great response. Everyone stepped up. We had a number of people pledge more money to the committee,” said Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., head of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). “We don’t have to match them. But we’ve got to be in the game.”

Democrats must only flip a handful of seats to gain control of the House. California and New York are ripe for Democrats to win seats. But they must also preserve vulnerable Democrats in red or battleground districts. Think Reps. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash.

Vice President Kamala Harris is pictured in front of the U.S. Capitol. (Getty Images)

Frankly, it’s tough for Democrats to hold the Senate. The Senate currently features 50 senators who caucus with the Democrats and 49 Republicans. There is a temporary vacancy after the resignation of former Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., following his conviction on corruption charges. Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.V., currently caucuses with the Democrats. But he’s retiring. West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) is expected to win that seat for the GOP. Democrats must retain several very competitive seats in either red or battleground states. Those Democrats on the ballot this fall include Sens. Bob Casey, D-Penn., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev. Democrats are also trying to hold seats in swing states like Michigan and Arizona. Sens. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., who caucuses with the Democrats, are both retiring.

But Democrats are brimming with optimism. That’s partly because they believe they can sell a more optimistic message compared to the rhetoric of former President Trump.

“(Vice President) Kamala Harris is an inspiring young candidate. A fresh face which people in this country have been looking for,” said Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC). “Donald Trump is very polarizing and he has people who want to turn out and vote against him in big numbers.”

Democrats now believe that competitive states at the presidential level could determine if they win Senate seats. The theory goes like this: if Vice President Harris prevails in Michigan, that enhances chances that Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., would defeat former Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., in the race to succeed Stabenow. Or if former President Trump is victorious in Nevada, then Republican Senate nominee Sam Brown could topple Rosen.

THE PRACTICAL POLITICS OF IMPEACHMENT: WHAT THE MATH SAYS ABOUT THE HOUSE GOP’S REPORT ON BIDEN

“Michigan is the center of the political universe. You cannot be president if you do not win Michigan,” said Peters. “We will not be in the majority in the Senate unless we elect Elissa to the United States Senate. She has to win. It’s all on us.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is even making the case he’ll be Senate Majority Leader again next year.

“We’re going to hold the Senate again. And we’re poised to pick up seats,” said Schumer.

Picking up seats is yeoman’s task for Democrats.

We mentioned West Virginia earlier. Even if Democrats run the table and hold all of the competitive seats mentioned above, that only gets the Democrats to 50. Sure, Democrats could still be in the majority if it’s 50/50. It’s been custom (but not etched in stone) over the past quarter century that the party which secures the presidency captures the Senate majority in an evenly split Senate. That’s because the Vice President – as President of the Senate – can break ties. So yes, a prospective Vice President Walz could propel Democrats into the majority. But the only other path for Democrats to a Senate majority is to knock off Republican incumbents.

Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks behind bulletproof glass during a campaign rally at the North Carolina Aviation Museum & Hall of Fame in Asheboro, North Carolina, August 21, 2024. (Photo by PETER ZAY/AFP via Getty Images)

But here’s the problem: GOP seats which are up this year are in red states. It’s doubtful Sens. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., will lose. Former President Trump scored nearly 70 percent of the vote in Wyoming four years ago. Mr. Trump marshaled 65 percent of the 2020 vote in North Dakota.

Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., leads the GOP’s Senate re-election efforts as head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC). He scoffed at Schumer’s suggestion.

“He would have to win Texas and Florida. He’d have to beat (Sen.) Ted Cruz, R-Tex., and (Sen.) Rick Scott. R-Fla., That’s just not going to happen,” said Daines on Fox. “They’re running like they’re five points behind when, indeed, they are eight to nine points ahead.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., steps down from his leadership post later this year but remains in the body. McConnell wants to usher in a new Senate majority as one of his final acts as the chamber’s top Republican.

“I’d like to be turning my job over to the Majority Leader rather than the Minority Leader,” said McConnell. “And that’s what I’m focusing on in my current activities.”

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: WHAT A ‘YACHT ROCK’ SUMMER LOOKS LIKE ON CAPITOL HILL

McConnell is warning voters what he believes Democrats will do if they hold the Senate.

“Schumer is talking about getting rid of the filibuster,” said McConnell.

Manchin and Sinema are two of the most ardent defenders of the Senate tradition. But they’re retiring. Some on the left have long pressured Democratic leaders to torpedo the filibuster.

“With a simple majority in the Senate, I think the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico would be admitted as states,” said McConnell.

He asserts that means four new Democratic senators “in perpetuity, which significantly disables our side.” 

Of course, it’s unclear if Democrats would hold the Senate. And then, kill the filibuster. And it’s far from guaranteed that potential senators from Washington, DC and Puerto Rico would all be Democrats. Let alone “in perpetuity.” When Alaska and Hawaii became states in 1959, Alaska was supposed to be the “Democratic” state and Hawaii the “Republican” state. However, the politics of both evolved over time. Alaska is now more Republican. Hawaii is more Democratic.

U.S. Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Governor Tim Walz takes the stage on Day 3 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 21, 2024.  (REUTERS/Mike Segar/Pool)

Republicans are skeptical Democrats can maintain their momentum following Chicago.

“They’re on a sugar high right now. I think they’ll come off of that after the convention. And the real campaign starts after Labor Day,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Fox. “We are going to grow the majority and we’re very bullish about November.”

In politics, sides which are privy to favorable polling data sometimes exude caution to purposely diminish expectations. Then surprise everyone when their candidates actually win.

That’s certainly not the case with Schumer predicting victory in the Senate and Johnson prognosticating success in the House.

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But politics is also about cheerleading. We’re at the home stretch. And right now, both sides are trying to electrify voters before November.

Vivek Ramaswamy is responding to former President Trump’s comments that he would consider Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for an administration role if the third-party 2024 candidate were to drop out and endorse him for re-election. 

Ramaswamy declined to go into specifics when asked by Fox News Digital, but suggested the liberal political family scion could have a hand in crafting U.S. pandemic policies. 

Kennedy was an outspoken critic of vaccine mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic — a stance that earned him ire from others on the left.

“Look, I think let’s let what’s going to happen play out without stepping on any announcements that he’s going to make,” Ramaswamy said in an interview. “But I think RFK Jr. has been thoughtful on a number of issues, particularly on COVID policies. So the failed COVID policies is something that he has been particularly incisive about and insightful about, and so a lot of that requires rectifying those wrongs.”

RFK JR.’S RUNNING MATE SAYS DEMOCRATS ‘OBSTRUCTED A FAIR ELECTION,’ ‘FULLY SUPPORTS’ WORKING WITH TRUMP

Vivek Ramaswamy, center, discussed reports that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., right, may drop out of the 2024 presidential race and endorse former President Trump. (Getty Images)

He pointed specifically to mandates that forced military service members to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or risk being discharged.

“Think about going back and understanding what the adverse events were for those vaccines that have maybe gone underreported or suppressed — some of those errors related to COVID policy and rectifying past wrongs is somewhere where I could imagine a guy like that being pretty helpful,” Ramaswamy said.

The comments come after Kennedy said he would “address the nation” on Friday amid reports that he’s considering dropping out and endorsing Trump.

TRUMP SAYS HE WOULD BE ‘HONORED’ BY RFK JR. ENDORSEMENT, SAYS DEMOCRATS ‘TREATED HIM VERY BADLY

(Ramaswamy praised Kennedy’s stance on COVID vaccine mandates.)

Trump called Kennedy “brilliant” and “very smart” in comments to CNN, and said of a potential role in his administration, “I didn’t know he was thinking about getting out, but if he is thinking about getting out, certainly I’d be open to it.”

As for his own political future under a possible Trump administration, Ramaswamy suggested he was looking at statewide elected roles in his home state of Ohio. 

He was among the possible replacements floated last month after Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, was named Trump’s running mate. If they win, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine would have to appoint someone to serve the remainder of Vance’s term.

JOE ROGAN DENIES ENDORSING RFK JR. FOR PRESIDENT, SAYS HE ONLY MEANT TO SAY HE LIKES HIM ‘AS A PERSON’

As for himself, Ramaswamy is eyeing Ohio Sen. JD Vance’s seat if Trump and Vance win the election. (Andy Manis/Getty Images)

“What I hear a lot about, certainly from people nationally is, of course, my friend JD Vance is hopefully going to be the next vice president. That would leave an important vacuum to fill in the U.S. Senate,” Ramaswamy said.

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“At the same time, a lot of people on the ground are recruiting me in Ohio to even consider options I hadn’t thought about six months ago, like running for governor. So those are all options on the table.”

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

In a 1988 interview with Oprah Winfrey, the celebrity talk show host appeared to be amazed at Americans’ “fascination” with Donald Trump and even described him as a “folk hero” for being so popular. 

“Various celebrities in New York, because it was the opening concert in New York, and there were all kinds of celebrities – very, very famous people coming in to be seated. When you were seated, you got the loudest applause. People stood up and roared and cheered when you walked in,” Winfrey said during the interview. “Why is that? What is this fascination?”

“I don’t know, maybe I should be a rockstar,” Trump replied.

“They thought you were going to moonwalk,” Oprah quipped. 

After Trump pondered his popularity with Oprah, she also referred to him as a “folk hero.”

The unearthed interview came to light a day after Winfrey made a surprise appearance at the Democratic National Convention Wednesday night, during which she railed against Trump, her former friend. 

OPRAH WINFREY MAKES SURPRISE DNC APPEARANCE TO RAIL AGAINST MAN SHE ONCE CONSIDERED RUNNING FOR OFFICE WITH

“We know all the old tricks and tropes that are designed to distract us from what actually matters,” Winfrey told those gathered at Chicago’s United Center. “But we are beyond ridiculous tweets and lies and foolery. These are complicated times, people, and they require adult conversation. And I welcome those conversations because civilized debate is vital to democracy, and it is the best of America.”

Donald Trump and Oprah Winfrey at Tyson vs Holmes Convention Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (Jeffrey Asher/ Getty Images)

Winfrey also took aim at comments Trump made last month, when he told supporters they “won’t have to vote anymore” if they elect him because he will fix all their problems. 

“Now, there’s a certain candidate that says if we just go to the polls this one time, that we’ll never have to do it again. Well, you know what? You’re looking at a registered Independent who’s proud to vote again and again and again because I’m an American. And that’s what Americans do. Voting is the best of America.”

FORMER BIDEN SPOKESPERSON SPARKS LIBERAL ANGER FOR DEFENDING TRUMP REMARKS ABOUT FUTURE ELECTIONS

Donald and Ivana Trump appear on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” on April 25, 1988, in Chicago.

Shortly after her speech, the Trump campaign posted a thank you letter that Winfrey wrote to Trump in 2000, suggesting he would be a good president and they would make a good team working together in politics.

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“I might have thought it back then,” Winfrey said in a 2023 interview. “I might have thought it 23 years ago.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Winfrey for comment but did not receive an immediate response prior to publication.

Oprah Winfrey takes the stage at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Aug. 21, 2024. (Reuters/Mike Segar)

“This is typical. Many of the liberal celebrities attacking President Trump now used to love him,” Karoline Leavitt, Trump campaign national press secretary, told Fox News Digital. “They only pretend to hate him now because he’s a Republican, and because they are phonies like Kamala Harris.”