Donald Trump Poll News

New York City’s socialist mayor, Zohran Mamdani, is facing backlash for criticizing a famous quote from former President Ronald Reagan, who cautioned about the dangers of big government.

Mamdani, a democratic socialist and New York’s first Muslim mayor, voiced his disagreement with the beloved conservative president as he launched the first of his long-promised city-run grocery stores in the Bronx.

“Standing here this morning, I cannot help but think of the words of our 40th president, Ronald Reagan. He famously said the nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help,’” he said. “It’s a good quote, but I disagree.”

Instead, Mamdani said, “I think nine more terrifying words are actually, ‘I worked all day and can’t feed my family.’”

He went on to promise, “We are going to use the power of government to lower prices and make it easier for New Yorkers to put food on the table,” adding, “When government understands its purpose as serving the very working people that it has left behind, time and again, it can make a difference in the most pressing struggles facing our city today.”

BISHOP BARRON SLAMS ‘BORDERLINE COMMUNISTS’ SANDERS, MAMDANI AHEAD OF TRUMP PRAYER EVENT: ‘ECONOMY THAT KILLS’

“It’s not just that government can help, it’s that government must help, and our government will help,” he continued.

Mamdani made his promise of opening affordable, government-run grocery stores throughout the city a central tenet of his campaign. He said on Monday that the first location, a 20,000-square-foot store in the Bronx, will open at some point in 2027.

This is the second of the five promised stores to be officially announced. Mamdani previously announced an East Harlem location for the city’s 9,000-square-foot Manhattan flagship store, but that location will be built from the ground up and is slated to open in 2029.

Mamdani said the Bronx location, along with the planned mixed-use development dubbed the “Peninsula,” “will serve as physical proof of our conviction that government can be a force for good, that government can drive change that improves people’s lives.”

SOCIALIST MAMDANI TOUTS GOVERNMENT-RUN GROCERY PLAN AS ‘GRAND EXPERIMENT’’ AT GROCERY NEW SITE

Though cheered by the crowd at his announcement, Mamdani’s dig at Reagan earned him scorn from conservatives online.

Conservative commentator Eric Daugherty posted on X: “What a FREAKING DISASTER! He REALLY thinks this will work.”

Daugherty accused the mayor of going “FULL DERANGED MARXIST,” telling New Yorkers to be “prepared for utter failure.”

Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet posted on X that Mamdani had “flipped Ronald Reagan’s warning upside down,” writing that “his answer is government-run grocery stores that will use taxpayer advantages to undercut private competition.”

Jennifer Harrison, founder of the Victims Rights Reform Council, pointed to ongoing public transportation woes in New York City amid widespread strikes, writing on X, “Bc everything government run, like the MTA, is working out so well for Nyers.”

DEM WHO WELCOMED SOCIALIST MAYOR’S ‘CHANGE’ NOW SOUNDING ALARM OVER BILLIONAIRE EXODUS: ‘GRAVELY CONCERNED’

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Meanwhile, the official X account for the GOP simply reposted the clip, labeling Mamdani a “communist.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani for comment.

An internal dispute could derail Republicans’ goal of funding immigration operations for the remainder of President Donald Trump’s presidency. 

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told his colleagues that he would not support the GOP’s $72 billion reconciliation package if it included $1 billion in funding for Trump’s ballroom. 

His defection, along with a handful of other Republicans critical of the funding, could sink the bill. 

SENATE REPUBLICANS BALK AT $1B WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM REQUEST: ‘YOU MADE THAT NUMBER UP’

And given the GOP’s narrow margin in the upper chamber, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., can’t afford Republicans to break from the party line.

Tillis’ opposition, which was first reported by Axios and confirmed by a source familiar to Fox News Digital, alone isn’t enough to torpedo the package meant to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol for the next three and a half years. 

But others, including Sens. John Curtis, R-Utah, Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Rick Scott, R-Fla., aren’t thrilled with the funding. 

Republicans were briefed by Secret Service Director Sean Curran last week on the funding, which included $220 million for “White House complex hardening.”

REPUBLICANS SLIP $1 BILLION IN TAXPAYER MONEY FOR TRUMP BALLROOM SECURITY IN ICE, BORDER PATROL PACKAGE

That would fund “above and below ground” security enhancements for Trump’s ballroom, which the administration argued would “afford needed protection for the president, his family, and visitors, along with the below-ground, highest-level security functions,” according to an itemized readout obtained by Fox News Digital. 

Those enhancements would include bulletproof glass, drone detection technology, chemical filtration and detection systems and “a host of other national security functions.” 

An additional $180 million would go toward a White House screening center for visitors. The remaining $600 million would go toward Secret Service training, enhancing protection for Trump and other officials, and other security measures including countering drones and other aerial incursions.

But a saving grace for Republicans could be the Senate referee’s ruling that funding for the ballroom should get yanked from the package. 

In order for budget reconciliation to pause the 60-vote threshold and pass under a simple majority of votes, the package has to comply with the Senate’s strict Byrd Rule. Senate Democrats pushed for the Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough to strip out the funding, and they were successful.

SEVERAL PROVISIONS FAIL TO PASS MUSTER WITH SENATE RULES IN ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’

McDonough ruled over the weekend that, given the complexity and scale of the ballroom project, it would involve the coordination of “many government agencies which span the jurisdiction of many Senate committees. As drafted, the provision inappropriately funds activities outside the jurisdiction of the Judiciary Committee.”

Thune said that Republicans had learned a lot from the parliamentarian’s rulings last year when they were crafting the “big, beautiful bill,” and that the process is a “give-and-take.” 

But still, it’s full steam ahead for the GOP to try and advance the package by the end of the week. 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“I think that if we can get it done, we should get it done,” Thune said. “I’m always somebody who believes, especially around here, you want to strike while the iron’s hot, and I think if we, if we’re ready to go, the committees have acted, and we’re in a good place with parliamentarian, and we’ve got, you know, decent attendance here, then I think we want to try and wrap this up.”

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., the top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee, lauded the ruling, but noted that Republicans would likely try to find a way to work the funding back in. 

“We cannot let Republicans waste our national treasure on a mission of chaos and corruption while turning a blind eye to the needs of the American people,” Merkley said.

Testimony from a policy analyst at a libertarian think tank was unexpectedly highlighted by immigration hawks after he delivered an opening statement at a House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing featuring controversial Fairfax County prosecutor Stephen Descano.

The hearing, chaired by Rep. Thomas McClintock, R-Calif., examined several examples of allegedly lax prosecutions by Descano involving illegal immigrants with prior rap sheets — including a Sierra Leone national accused of murdering a young woman at a bus stop on U.S. 1.

In his opening remarks, Cato Institute immigration expert David Bier testified that the “way to fix Fairfax” is not to continue the “mass deportation” agenda of President Donald Trump.

“The first step would be to give up on the mass deportation fantasy,” Bier said.

SOROS-BACKED PROSECUTOR SET FOR CAPITOL HILL GRILLING AS SANCTUARY POLICIES FACE RECKONING

“About 1-in-5 Fairfax residents is someone who could be deported or who lives with them — It would destroy neighborhoods, rip Americans away from their spouses, parents, friends, families, customers, employees, employers, nurses, nannies, and teachers.”

While Bier later added that he believes noncitizens who harm Americans should be deported, his earlier statement drew the attention of several immigration hawks, including Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah.

Lee borrowed Bier’s logic to prove immigration hardliners’ point that mass deportation is the right solution:

“On the contrary: 20% of a wealthy DC suburb being illegal immigrants means we should redouble our efforts to deport them all,” Lee said.

Bier responded to Lee’s comments in a lengthy statement to Fox News Digital, arguing the Utah Republican failed to explain why mass deportation would benefit Americans in Fairfax County.

“What was the senator’s explanation for [his] statement? The senator never says why it would benefit the country to harm Fairfax County and the Americans who live there, so there’s nothing to rebut,” Bier said.

FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS VIEW LEGAL IMMIGRATION AS HELPFUL, FAVOR DEPORTING THOSE WHO ARE HERE ILLEGALLY

“The senator is wrong to characterize the 20% as all illegal immigrants since half of them are just people who live with illegal immigrants, which is precisely my point.”

“Mass deportation would harm those Americans and many others by ripping them away from their spouses, parents, children, friends, family, employees, employers, customers, nurses, nannies, and teachers,” the immigration expert added.

Bier said mass deportation becomes more expensive and impractical as the population of illegal immigrants grows, meaning continuing on the current course will harm Americans.

“I would ask the senator: how many Americans would have to be hurt by mass deportation before he would reconsider his views?”

Reached for additional comment, Lee spokesman Billy Gribbin told Fox News Digital that the Utahn “believes in enforcing US law and deporting illegal immigrants — not making excuses for criminals who hurt Americans.”

Fox News Digital also asked DHS about the apparent statistical admission, and an agency spokesperson blamed Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s “reckless sanctuary policies” for making Fairfax and the rest of the Old Dominion a “hotbed for illegal alien criminals.”

“The stories of the victims and facts speak for themselves. The sanctuary politicians of Fairfax County have blood on their hands,” the spokesperson said.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin added separately that half the murders recorded recently in Fairfax were allegedly perpetrated by “illegals who shouldn’t have been in our country to begin with.”

“We have politicians who want to protect the criminals, President Trump is still protecting all of our neighborhoods,” Mullin said.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Bier’s 1-in-5 statistic was also cited in a CATO document footnoted to the K Street firm Migration Policy Institute. MPI’s data showed an estimated 102,000-person “unauthorized” population in Fairfax — which has a census count of about 1.2 million as of 2020.

The top “countries-of-birth” on MPI’s list in that regard were El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Bolivia and Peru, while only 4% combined was recorded from Canada, Europe and Oceania.

President Donald Trump suggested Friday that U.S. arms sales to Taiwan could factor into broader negotiations with China, drawing a swift response from Taiwan’s president and reigniting debate in Washington about the future of longstanding U.S. policy toward the island.

Asked by Fox News whether he would move forward with a delayed $14 billion weapons package for Taiwan, Trump replied: “I’m holding that in abeyance, and it depends on China. It’s a very good negotiating chip for us, frankly. It’s a lot of weapons.” 

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te pushed back hours later, calling U.S. arms sales “the most vital deterrent” to regional conflict and insisting Taiwan “shall never be sacrificed or traded away.”

Trump’s comments came as the administration continues to hold up a $14 billion Taiwan weapons package first approved in principle in late 2025, fueling growing debate in Washington over whether Trump is steering U.S. policy back toward a more traditional form of “strategic ambiguity” — or recasting support for Taiwan through a more openly transactional lens tied to broader negotiations with Beijing.

CHINA PROMISES ‘COUNTERMEASURES’ TO US ARMS SALE TO TAIWAN

The White House could not immediately be reached for comment. 

Ahead of Trump’s recent summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, bipartisan lawmakers warned in a letter that “American support for Taiwan is not up for negotiation.”

The Taiwan issue already had emerged as one of the most sensitive flashpoints surrounding Trump’s mid-May summit with Xi in Beijing. 

Following the meeting, China’s foreign ministry said Xi warned Trump that Taiwan remained the “most important issue” in U.S.–China relations and cautioned that mishandling it could lead to “clashes and even conflicts” between the two powers.

The White House later downplayed the exchange, with a senior administration official telling Fox News Digital both sides had simply reiterated their longstanding positions on Taiwan.

For decades, U.S. policy toward Taiwan has rested on a posture of “strategic ambiguity” — supporting Taiwan’s self-defense while avoiding an explicit commitment to militarily defend the island in the event of a Chinese attack.

Trump’s comments prompted competing reactions among foreign policy analysts, with some China hawks warning that treating Taiwan arms sales as negotiable could weaken deterrence and unsettle U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific, while others argued the remarks reflected a return to a more traditional interpretation of strategic ambiguity after years of increasingly explicit U.S. signaling toward Taiwan.

TAIWAN RAMPS UP COAST GUARD AND MILITARY READINESS IN FACE OF BEIJING’S ‘GRAY ZONE’ WARFARE

“Trading Taiwan’s security for rhetoric from Beijing would be a strategic blunder of historic proportions,” said retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank. “If the president does not proceed with the arms sale to Taiwan, he will jeopardize U.S.–Taiwan relations and weaken U.S. credibility globally.”

Bonnie Glaser, managing director of the Indo-Pacific Program at the German Marshall Fund think tank, argued Trump’s comments blurred an important distinction at the center of longstanding U.S. Taiwan policy.

“Strategic ambiguity has nothing to do with providing arms to Taiwan,” Glaser told Fox News Digital. “The Taiwan Relations Act requires that the United States sell defensive arms to Taiwan. No president has ever said that U.S. arms sales to Taiwan are a useful bargaining chip.”

But some foreign policy analysts argued Trump’s comments reflected a deliberate effort to re-center U.S. policy around American priorities.

TRUMP LEAVES CHINA WITH BREAKTHROUGHS — AND UNFINISHED BUSINESS ON XI’S BIGGEST FIGHTS

“Trump has shaken up the Taiwan debate in Washington to a large extent,” Lyle Goldstein, director of Asia engagement at Defense Priorities, told Fox News Digital.

Goldstein argued Trump’s comments reflected a return to a more restrained interpretation of “strategic ambiguity” after years of increasingly explicit U.S. signaling toward Taiwan under the Biden administration.

“Overall, his approach has been to return U.S. policy to ‘strategic ambiguity,’ especially in contrast to the Biden administration, which was lurching dangerously toward ‘strategic clarity,’ that threatened to spark a near-term U.S.–China war,” Goldstein said.

During his presidency, former President Joe Biden repeatedly suggested the United States would defend Taiwan militarily in the event of a Chinese attack — comments critics said pushed Washington closer toward “strategic clarity,” even as White House officials maintained there had been no formal policy change.

Critics argued Biden’s remarks heightened tensions with Beijing, while supporters said the comments strengthened deterrence against potential Chinese aggression.

Goldstein argued Trump’s willingness to openly discuss Taiwan arms sales in the context of broader U.S.–China negotiations reflects a more restrained approach aimed at preserving stability between Washington and Beijing.

“Indeed, with these fresh comments Trump recognizes that both sides are responsible for maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait,” Goldstein said. “He even went so far as to sternly admonish the leadership in Taipei for unnecessary risk-taking.”

Trump long has taken a more transactional approach toward Taiwan than many traditional U.S. foreign policy hawks, previously arguing the island should pay the United States for its defense and accusing Taiwan of “stealing” America’s semiconductor industry.

He has also repeatedly framed Taiwan through the lens of semiconductor competition and supply-chain dependence, arguing the United States should reclaim a larger share of advanced chip manufacturing.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“Trump’s new reflections on Taiwan illustrate an informed approach that recognizes the basic and fundamental truth that Taiwan is not a vital U.S. national security interest and that the U.S.-China relationship far outweighs the U.S.-Taiwan relationship in importance,” Goldstein added.

The central question now facing lawmakers and U.S. allies is whether Trump’s rhetoric will ultimately affect the timing or conditions surrounding the pending Taiwan weapons package — a test many analysts see as critical to understanding how the administration intends to approach Taiwan going forward.

President Donald Trump is reportedly considering installing a White House helipad for Marine One, the latest potential update to the executive mansion’s grounds. 

“President Trump has continued to make improvements at the White House and all around D.C. to benefit future presidents and Americans,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle told Fox News Digital when asked about the reported consideration on Monday morning. 

The White House did not reveal additional details on the matter. 

The helipad would protect the South Lawn’s grass from the powerful engines of the newer helicopters used by the president, the Wall Street Journal first reported Monday. It is unclear who would fund building the possible addition.

GOLDEN EAGLES, LIONS AND A WINGED LADY LIBERTY TOP TRUMP’S PROPOSED 250-FOOT DC ‘TRIUMPHAL ARCH’ DESIGNS

Trump’s White House renovations and broader D.C. beautification push have drawn both praise from supporters and criticism from preservationists and political opponents.

TRUMP REVEALS FIRST PHOTOS AFTER LINCOLN BEDROOM’S RENOVATION IN THE WHITE HOUSE

Recently, Trump replaced the West Wing Colonnade with polished black granite flooring along the “Presidential Walk of Fame.”

Trump’s ongoing construction of the White House Ballroom has also returned to the spotlight after security concerns surrounding large presidential events intensified following the April shooting tied to the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.

A 250-foot triumphal arch is proposed to sit near the Lincoln Memorial at a roundabout between Memorial Bridge and Memorial Avenue near the Arlington Cemetery Metro Stop.

WHITE HOUSE MAKEOVERS HAVE LONG SPARKED CONTROVERSY, WELL BEFORE PRESIDENT TRUMP’S $200M BALLROOM

Last year, President Trump directed the addition of stone pavers to the Rose Garden lawn, a change designed to better accommodate press conferences and ceremonial events which is now dubbed the “Rose Garden Club.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Throughout its 223-year history, the iconic residence has seen numerous updates — both large and small — under nearly every administration, including the creation of the first Oval Office in 1909 under the Taft administration, and the addition of the East Wing under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s tenure.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is facing backlash after suggesting taxpayers should fund dental care for meth users, arguing many cannot rebuild their lives without teeth. 

Bass, who is vying in a crowded June primary for a second mayoral term, made the remark during a candidate forum last week on the city’s homelessness crisis.

“How many people that you meet that are unhoused don’t have teeth at all?” Bass said during an exchange. “They don’t have teeth. Why? Because meth rots your teeth.”

“You can’t succeed without teeth. So there needs to be comprehensive healthcare provided to people,” she continued.

CALIFORNIA’S BATTLE OVER CRIME AND HOMELESSNESS IS A WARNING TO THE NATION

Bass’s comments sparked an uproar among conservatives, who torched the incumbent’s response for appearing to omit any mention of tackling the root causes of the city’s homelessness and drug problems.

“A homeless drug addict just tried to stab me,” conservative journalist Dustin Grage wrote on the social media platform X, impersonating a Los Angeles resident affected by the city’s homeless crisis and drug epidemic. “Karen Bass: ‘It’s okay, we’re going to provide them free teeth so they can be successful now.’”

Despite Bass’s claims of progress, Los Angeles continues to rank among the cities with the nation’s largest homeless population, with critics arguing the crisis has continued to fester under her watch.

More than 43,000 individuals in Los Angeles experienced homelessness in early February 2025, according to a count released by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

Former Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Katie Zacharia also criticized Bass for not addressing the underlying drug epidemic in her remarks.

“Symptoms, never the disease,” Zacharia wrote.

“Clueless Karen Bass said that the worst part about meth addiction is that it ruins your teeth,” former Trump assistant attorney general Theo Wold wrote on X. “To paraphrase Norm MacDonald: Last time I checked, I thought the worst part about meth addiction was meth!”

LA TIMES OWNER SAYS ENDORSING KAREN BASS WAS A ‘MISTAKE’ DUE TO INCOMPETENCE

A spokesperson for Bass did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Bass, 72, an establishment Democrat who represented a Los Angeles-based seat in Congress from 2011 to 2022, is facing a competitive re-election challenge from her left and right flank.

Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman, 44, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, is touting her progressive bona fides. Meanwhile, former reality television star Spencer Pratt, 42, is emerging as a dark horse candidate after gaining momentum by hammering Bass’s response to the devastating 2025 Los Angeles fires that obliterated his home and many others.

The upstart candidate has also ripped Bass’s failure to turn the corner on the city’s homelessness and public safety problems.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Pratt is a registered Republican, though the city’s mayoral contest is officially nonpartisan.

The June 2 primary is widely expected to go into a runoff election in which the top two vote-getters would appear on the ballot in November.

Long Island Rail Road workers walked off the job on Monday after rejecting the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s latest wage offer, snarling travel for hundreds of thousands of weekday commuters even as payroll data shows the striking employees already earn six-figure pay.

LIRR employees had am average income of $121,646 plus an average of $25,957 in overtime pay as of 2024, according to data provided by the railroad operator. While the typical LIRR employee makes about $150,000 a year, the median household on Long Island, which often contains multiple workers, earned just $131,000 in 2023, per the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

The rail employees are striking because they feel the raise offered to them by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is not enough to compensate for the rising cost of living in the New York metropolitan area.

In addition to negatively impacting the travel plans of the estimated more than a quarter million people who ride the LIRR every day, the New York State Comptroller estimates that the strike will cost the region an average of $61 million per day.

SCATHING REPORT CLAIMS NATION’S OLDEST LABOR UNION ‘BETRAYED’ MAGA MEMBERS THROUGH ‘SHOCKING’ SPENDING

“To every LIRR passenger whose trip is disrupted, know that the MTA left us no choice but to strike,” Gil Lang, General Chairman of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen’s LIRR General Committee, said of the strike. “We don’t want to be on the picket line. But after three years without raises, we cannot make any more compromises to cover for the MTA’s mismanagement.”

The MTA, which manages the LIRR, offered the five unions representing the striking workers a raise of 9.5% over three years, an agreement that has already been approved by other transit unions, Newsday reported. To sweeten the deal, the MTA offered an additional 4.5% after the fourth year, provided the rail operators agree to productivity increases.

UNION RACKED UP MASSIVE TAB ON SWANK DC HOTEL STAY TO BATTLE TRUMP — AND STILL LOST

LIRR union leaders have called the terms offered to them unreasonable and demanded a 14.5% raise over four years with no strings attached. 

In addition to the generous pay, LIRR workers benefit from workplace rules that allow them to earn even more. If an LIRR worker operates electric and diesel vehicles on the same shift, or if they work in a rail yard and on an active train in one day, their contract entitles them to double pay. Three hundred twenty-five LIRR employees pull in $100,000 or more in overtime alone annually, according to data reviewed by the New York Post.

SAN FRANCISCO TEACHERS UNION STRIKE LEAVES 50,000 CHILDREN OUT OF SCHOOL

“I’m just trying to get home to my kids, and I have to still remember that they are still striking for their reasons so it’s not all about me,” one Long Island commuter impacted by the strike told Gothamist. “But at the same time, whatever it is that they’re striking about, whoever is responsible for their inconvenience — I hope that they fix it because it is trickling down to everyone.”

One teacher told CBS News that he had to wake up at 2 a.m. to catch a 4:30 a.m. shuttle bus into the city, as remote work is not possible for him. Multiple other commuters had similar stories.

“It’s just crazy,” the teacher said. “It’s an inconvenience.”

The strike is ongoing as of writing with no clear end in sight.

“We’re far apart at this point,” BLET national vice president Kevin Sexton said Saturday. “We are truly sorry that we are in this situation.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has so far avoided publicly taking a side in the dispute, instead focusing on warning commuters about travel delays and providing information on what his administration is doing to help. 

The five unions representing the striking workers and the mayor’s office did not respond when reached for comment by Fox News Digital on Monday.

An absent House lawmaker is expected to miss several more weeks of work after vanishing from Capitol Hill and the campaign trail due to an undisclosed illness.

Rep. Tom Kean Jr., R-N.J., has not voted in more than two months as House Republicans’ slim majority races to approve must-pass legislation ahead of the midterm elections.

His father, former Gov. Tom Kean Sr., R-N.J., says his son may not return to Washington until June or later as he recovers from a “serious” illness.

“You can’t say definitely, but their best guess is now he’ll be out in two or three weeks,” Kean Sr., told NJ.com in an interview last week, referring to his son’s doctors. “Any time you’ve been through a serious illness, you can’t be 100% the day you get back. You’re gonna be able to do things, but gradually ramping up.” 

SPATE OF HEALTH SCARES AND VIOLENT THREATS HIGHLIGHT GROWING VULNERABILITIES FOR LAWMAKERS ON CAPITOL HILL

“When he can start to go to Congress again, that’s something the doctor wants to reserve judgment on,” he added.

Kean Jr., 57, last voted on March 5 and has missed all 88 roll call votes in the lower chamber since then, according to GovTrack, a website that monitors congressional absences.

Representatives for the New Jersey Republican have contended for weeks that he will restart his congressional duties “soon,” but that timeline has remained vague. 

A spokesperson for Kean Jr. did not immediately respond to a request for comment about when the two-term lawmaker plans to return to Washington.

Kean Sr. did not elaborate about where his son is receiving treatment for the undisclosed diagnosis, but confirmed he is under the care of multiple doctors.

He also declined to disclose the nature of his son’s illness, telling CNN, “That’s up to him.” The former two-term governor added that doctors expect Kean Jr. to make a full recovery.

Since March, Kean Jr.’s office has characterized the congressman’s diagnosis as a “personal health matter” and declined to share specifics.

A top aide for Kean Jr. told The New York Times last week, “There’s no cameras where Tom is.” 

The public last heard from Kean Jr. in late April when he released a public statement, saying, “I will be back to the job I love very soon.”

DEMOCRAT TINA SHAH CALLS TRANSGENDER HEALTHCARE FOR CHILDREN A ‘NO BRAINER’ IN COMPETITIVE NJ HOUSE RACE

Kean Sr. also said that he expects his son to run for re-election despite his disappearance from the campaign trail.

“I think that’s the way he’s going, yeah,” he told the outlet.

Kean Jr.’s ongoing health issues come as national Democrats are aggressively targeting the swing seat Kean Jr. has represented since 2023. Four relatively well-funded challengers, including emergency room physician Tina Shah, are vying for the Democratic nomination ahead of a June 2 primary.

Kean Jr. is running unopposed for the GOP nomination.

Republicans in Washington have grown increasingly concerned about Kean Jr.’s prolonged absence, which has an outsize impact on GOP lawmakers’ fragile majority.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The House is expected to vote on legislation this week funding President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda, where House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., will likely need near-full attendance from Republicans amid widespread opposition from Democrats.

Johnson told reporters last week that he is praying for Kean Jr’s swift recovery but is in the dark about the nature of the New Jersey Republican’s ailment.

“He said he was out on a medical issue, and he’ll be back as soon as possible,” the speaker said. “That’s the full extent of what I know about it. It’s a personal thing, and obviously I told him that we’re praying for him, and I need him to get back as soon as he can.”

President Donald Trump returned from Beijing touting warmer trade ties with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but the summit left unresolved one of the most consequential flashpoints in U.S.-China relations: Taiwan.

“Taiwan is the center of the global technology race,” former NBA star Enes Kanter Freedom told Fox News Digital in a Zoom interview. “If you want to understand the future of AI dominance, economic power and national security, you have to understand Taiwan.”

Former Boston Celtics player and outspoken human-rights activist known for his criticism of the Chinese Communist Party, Freedom, said the lack of progress showed Taiwan remains a major unresolved issue at the center of America’s economic and national security competition with China. Freedom noted in his remarks that, “Trump has always understood that communist China is America’s biggest long-term geopolitical challenge.” 

“I think President Trump has constantly emphasized that peace is preserved through strength. I believe maintaining stability in the Taiwan Strait requires strong American leadership, strategic clarity, and a credible deterrent that leaves no room for miscalculation for authoritarian regimes,” said Freedom.

TAIWAN DISPATCHES NAVY, AIR FORCE AFTER CHINA LAUNCHES LIVE-FIRE DRILLS WITH NO WARNING

The pending decision comes as Taiwan continues seeking U.S. weapons meant to harden the island against a potential Chinese attack. 

Trump has not publicly committed to whether to move forward with a new Taiwan arms package while the talks produced no publicly announced breakthrough on Taiwan or other key strategic disputes, making the pending arms decision a closely watched signal for both Beijing and Taipei.

A senior White House administration official told Fox News Digital that Trump will make a determination in a fairly short time regarding a new Taiwan arms package and also noted he approved $11.1 billion in arms sales to Taiwan in December 2025, which is “consistent with U.S. policy since the 1950s.”

“In his first term, President Trump approved more arms sales to Taiwan than any other President in history,” the official added. In his second term, President Trump approved more in his first year than all four years under President Biden.”

Trump was joined in China by top American tech CEOs, including leading AI executives during the summit, underscoring how the U.S.-China rivalry over artificial intelligence has become both an economic and geopolitical arms race.

TRUMP LEAVES CHINA WITH BREAKTHROUGHS — AND UNFINISHED BUSINESS ON XI’S BIGGEST FIGHTS

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said in a Facebook post Sunday that arms purchases from the U.S. are “the most vital deterrent” of regional conflict.

“Long-standing security cooperation and arms sales between Taiwan and the U.S. are grounded in the Taiwan Relations Act,” said Lai.  “This serves not only as a testament to the United States’ security commitment to Taiwan but also as the most vital deterrent force against actions that undermine regional peace and stability—a role it has fulfilled for decades.”

“Taiwan is deeply connected to America’s economy, military readiness, and AI futures. So this is not just about Asia, this is about who controls the technologies that will define the next century. For that reason, I think America needs Taiwan, and Taiwan needs America,” said Freedom.

Chips produced in Taiwan are used across a wide range of technologies, including consumer electronics, communications systems, and advanced defense applications.

CHINA’S GLOBAL AGGRESSION CHECK: TAIWAN TENSIONS, MILITARY POSTURING, AND US RESPONSE IN 2025

Major chip designers including Apple, Nvidia, AMD and Qualcomm rely heavily on Taiwan-based contract manufacturing. The U.S. International Trade Administration describes Taiwan as being “dominated by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co” and central to global semiconductor manufacturing.

“The rapid rise of Korea and Taiwan has been due to the long-term megatrend of semiconductors as ‘the new oil’ — the key input to economic activity — combined with the latest price-insensitive boom in AI investment,” said Ian Samson, a portfolio manager at Fidelity International to Bloomberg. He added it demonstrates “the oligopolistic nature of leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing.”

China has recently increased military pressure around Taiwan through large-scale air and naval activity. 

A Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson posted on X Thursday, that “‘Taiwan independence’ and cross-Strait peace are as irreconcilable as fire and water. Safeguarding peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is the biggest common denominator between China and the U.S.”

ENES KANTER FREEDOM SOUNDS ALARM ON CHINA’S ‘WAR’ WARNING: ‘WAKE UP AMERICA’

Freedom will be visiting the island, where basketball is very popular, this October to help organize basketball camps for the next generation of athletes.

INSIDE THE ‘DIGITAL LOCKDOWN’ FOR US OFFICIALS AS TRUMP ARRIVES IN CHINA

“I think my biggest goal during this trip is to document everything and also share with the world. I want people to see what Taiwan truly represents… a free country, vibrant, democratic society that refuses to bow down to intimidation,” said Freedom.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Freedom said he wants to do whatever he can to bring attention to what he described as China’s genocide against Uyghurs, as well as the struggles faced by Hong Kongers, Tibetans, Falun Gong practitioners, and, more recently, what he called the harassment of the Taiwanese people.

A Maryland primary ballot mix-up has renewed Republican calls for a federal review of the state’s voter rolls after some of the 400,000 primary voters requesting a mall-in ballot received the ballot of the wrong party this weekend.

Maryland’s conservative Freedom Caucus is demanding that state elections officials release Maryland’s voter rolls to the federal government for an audit after a vendor error forced the state to resend thousands of mail-in primary ballots.

“The Maryland Freedom Caucus is calling on Secretary of the Election Board, Jared DeMarinis, to immediately release Maryland’s voter rolls to the federal government so a proper audit can be conducted to determine the sources of the mistake,” the caucus wrote in a statement. “We caution against reissuing another 400,000 ballots and we demand to know how the state intends to differentiate between the first and second printing of these ballots.”

“The citizens have a right to know the exact process by which ballots will be scrutinized,” the statement continued. “With 400,000 double ballots in circulation, we need to be absolutely sure that there is one vote, one person.”

WHY DOJ IS CAUGHT UP IN TWO DOZEN COURT FIGHTS OVER VOTER ROLLS

The group claimed that he mistake undermines confidence in the June 23 primary, pointing the finger at Democrats and the State Board of Elections.

“The Maryland Democrats and the bureaucrats over at the Board of Elections have proven once again that they are the biggest purveyors of voter suppression tactics in the state of Maryland,” the statement read.

“After it was brought to light that roughly 400,000 mail-in ballots were sent out incorrectly, voters who received these flawed ballots will now receive a second ballot, according to the state. Many people’s mail-in votes could be erroneously submitted using the old ballot and their vote suppressed because of the negligence of the Maryland Board of Elections and the Maryland Democrats.”

MARYLAND DODGES SPECIFICS IN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT VOTER-ROLL CASE AS CONGRESS VOWS TO KEEP DIGGING

Maryland State Administrator of Elections Jared DeMarinis said Friday that the state was “diligently working” to eliminate doubts over the accuracy of the process.

“Mail-in voting is an integral facet of the electoral process,” DeMarinis wrote in a statement. “With over 500,000 voters requesting mail-in ballots, we want to eliminate any doubt in its integrity or accuracy; that is why I have arranged the sending of replacement ballots.”

“Please be assured that we are actively answering phones and responding to emails and will remain transparent as we navigate through this situation,” he added. “We will make every effort to ensure that everyone affected knows the situation and how to cast their ballot. Every vote matters, your voice will be heard, and our elections will remain verified, open, transparent, and secure.”

POSTAL SERVICE THRUST INTO MAIL-IN BALLOT FIGHT AS TRUMP ORDER GETS TIED UP IN COURT

Taylor Print & Visual Impressions (TPVI), Inc., the vendor, admitted the error and apologized.

“A portion of voters received ballot packets intended for a different voter segment,” the TPVI Election Services Team wrote in a statement. “We understand the seriousness of this matter and the importance of accuracy and trust in all election-related communications.”

Notably, “all ballots will be remailed by 5/29/2026,” according to the vendor, which is leaving it up to the recipients to destroy the first ballot they received: “Voters should securely discard or destroy the original ballot materials they received and use only the replacement ballot sent in the new mailing.”

HOUSE OVERSIGHT PROBE PUTS MINNESOTA ELECTIONS UNDER SCRUTINY OVER NONCITIZEN VOTING CONCERNS

“There is no risk of duplicate voting as a result of this issue,” TPVI added in a statement. “Election officials have safeguards in place to ensure that only the corrected ballots included in the replacement mailing will be accepted and counted.”

The error affected ballots requested and mailed before May 14, more than a month before the June 16 deadline for voters who want a ballot mailed to them. Voters who requested web-delivered ballots — which can be downloaded, printed and mailed — were not affected.

This latest issue only increases Republicans’ election integrity scrutiny in the state. The Republican National Committee had already been active in pursuing the state’s voter rolls, suing in December for Maryland failing to properly maintain voter rolls and comply with federal transparency requirements, pointing to registration figures the plaintiffs say are implausibly high.

“Marylanders deserve to have confidence in their elections and to know that their state is properly maintaining its voter rolls,” RNC Chair Joe Gruters wrote in a statement. “The State Board of Elections has failed to do its job and remove ineligible or deceased voters from its rolls. Marylanders have a right to accurate voter rolls, which is why the RNC is suing today.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The complaint also alleged that at least two of Maryland’s most populous counties have more registered voters than adult citizens over 18, while other counties report registration rates above 95%, despite Census data showing Maryland’s statewide registration rate at about 75.6%.

The RNC argued that federal law requires states to update voter rolls, remove ineligible registrations and allow public inspection of voter list maintenance records, alleging that Maryland has repeatedly fallen short. The suit followed similar action in Hawaii and New Jersey and public records requests sent last year to nearly every state.

Fox News reached out to the RNC’s election integrity unit for comment.

TABLER STATION, W.V. — Virginia’s shift toward higher taxes and new regulations is triggering an interstate economic “brawl,” as West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey moves to lure businesses and workers across the border.

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger has promoted an “affordability agenda,” but a wave of proposed tax increases and regulatory changes from legislative Democrats has opened an opportunity for neighboring states to compete for businesses and residents.

Even though some of these proposals never made it to Spanberger’s desk or claimed her signature, the political climate has prompted West Virginia officials to actively target Virginia’s workforce and employers, pitching lower taxes and fewer regulations as a competitive alternative.

Speaking to Fox News Digital, Morrisey said he plans to take that pitch directly into Virginia communities, including Loudoun County, to draw businesses and workers into West Virginia.

DAVID MARCUS: VIRGINIA, NEW JERSEY SHOULD NOTE MY STATE’S ‘RED RENAISSANCE’

“We’re going to be spending some time in Loudoun County and all across Virginia on making the pitch and the comparison of the direction that West Virginia is moving in [and] the direction Virginia is going in,” Morrisey told Fox News Digital on the sidelines of the announcement of a new 275-acre commercial tax district he said will bring $200 million in economic investment to the three-county Eastern Panhandle region.

“The backyard brawl for our state’s future is being won both at the kitchen table and in the marketplace,” Morrisey said, noting that the Tabler Station project he unveiled is just one of many similar plans-in-action around the state.

The area is home to West Virginia’s nationally-prevalent apple industry — to the point the local high school team is the “Musselman Applemen.” The area also boasts major industrial plants including a major Clorox facility that is advertising job openings to passersby on Interstate 81.

“While Virginia chooses to burden its citizens and job creators with higher taxes, West Virginia is choosing freedom, fiscal responsibility, and a tax climate that makes our state more competitive for business than our neighbor.”

Morrisey said he and his allies in Charleston’s GOP supermajority are making all of West Virginia “open for business.”

He added that Berkeley and adjacent Jefferson County — which border both Loudoun County in Virginia and Washington County in high-tax Maryland — should be a model for what regional business and tourism should look like.

VIRGINIA DEMS SEND SWEEPING GUN BAN TO SPANBERGER AS WEST VIRGINIA WEIGHS EXPANDING MACHINE-GUN ACCESS

The governor also alluded to a growing trend of Washington, D.C.-area workers moving into West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle, despite long commutes and limited rail service.

“The difference between Virginia and West Virginia couldn’t be more clear,” he said. “West Virginia is coming for a lot of those businesses that would ordinarily locate in Virginia.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger for comment.

The Democratic governor has noted she did not sign several proposed tax measures that never reached her desk, though she did approve a minimum wage increase and higher payroll contributions for family leave.

State Sen. Jason Barrett, R-Martinsburg — who crafted the economic development plans earning Morrisey’s signature — said more people are already coming to his area along the Virginia line to “spend money, support local businesses and really help economic development.”

Barrett’s new law includes a framework for the state to create special tax districts in which a portion of state revenues is redirected to counties — as only the legislature has the power to implement tax structures. It enacts

LAWMAKERS REVIVE MAJOR, CENTURY-OLD OFFER TO VIRGINIANS AS SPANBERGER, JONES SET TO TAKE OFFICE

The law stipulates that redirected taxes may not “adversely effect” the state budget. Barrett’s law creates additional economic districts in Harpers Ferry, Henderson, Bridgeport, Princeton, Beckley and Wheeling.

With the new residents and a broader tax base, Morrisey said he hopes areas like Berkeley and Jefferson increase their visibility as a “travel destination” and one for youth sporting events for which the Tabler Station district revenue will be used to create – accruing even more financial benefits for West Virginians.

While Richmond was seeking tax hikes, Morrisey in April signed a 5% income tax cut across the board and brought Charleston’s tax code in line with President Donald Trump’s federal tax-cut provisions.

Morrisey told the crowd in Tabler Station that it won’t be his last visit to the Virginia borderlands on the economic development front, adding separately to Fox News Digital that statewide he projects 12,000 new jobs to have been added in the past six months amid a total of $12.5 billion in private-sector investment.

Spanberger, meanwhile, announced Monday that she would be taking her own “economic development” tour of Virginia, saying in a statement that “from day one, my focus has been building an economy that works for every Virginian and delivers real results for families, businesses, and communities.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Spanberger said her administration has already made tour-stops in Harrisonburg and Fairfax to promote “bringing people together to shape a clear, forward-looking plan.”

While parts of West Virginia, particularly in the south, continue to struggle with long-term shifts in the energy industry, population growth and rising state revenues have enabled broad tax cuts — sharpening the contrast with neighboring Virginia’s push toward new taxes and regulations.

Top Trump administration officials, Republican lawmakers and prominent Christian leaders gathered on the National Mall on Sunday for a massive prayer rally celebrating America’s upcoming 250th anniversary.

The event — “Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving” — drew thousands for worship music, speeches and prayers focused on reaffirming the United States as “One Nation Under God.”

President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and House Speaker Mike Johnson all addressed the gathering, alongside numerous other political and faith figures.

In a prerecorded message, Trump read from 2 Chronicles 7, reciting the well-known Bible verse calling on people to “humble themselves” and seek God.

TRUMP CALLS ON AMERICANS TO PRAY FOR NATION AS 250TH BIRTHDAY APPROACHES: ‘ONE NATION UNDER GOD’

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land,” Trump said.

Vance described the United States as “a nation of prayer,” saying faith has shaped the country since before its founding.

“In times of suffering and in times of triumph, millions of Americans continue to turn to prayer and their faith in God,” Vance said.

Rubio similarly tied America’s identity to Christianity.

“From the beginning, we have carried the belief that our country represents something new in the world,” Rubio said. “But the soul of our nation has always been rooted in an ancient faith.”

Gabbard urged Americans to humble themselves before God, saying the nation’s founders “knelt” and “asked for God’s mercy” before declaring independence.

FOR 2026, YOU SHOULD MAKE A RESOLUTION TO KNOW THE REVOLUTION

Johnson delivered a prayer of “rededication,” thanking God for guiding the nation since its founding.

“Heavenly Father, we thank you,” Johnson said. “Thank you so much for this great day that you’ve given us here, and we remember that your mighty hand has been upon our nation since the very beginning.”

Hegseth referenced George Washington’s faith, while Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., spoke about Christianity’s role in shaping the nation and argued prayer was central to the Civil Rights Movement.

Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King Jr., praised Trump for encouraging Americans to “rededicate America to God.”

“This nation was founded on godly principles,” Alveda King told Fox News, adding that Martin Luther King Jr., “spoke to a crowd like this in 1963.”

Actor Jonathan Roumie, who portrays Jesus in “The Chosen,” also spoke at the event, encouraging Americans to recommit themselves to faith and prayer.

NEARLY 500 PUBLIC FIGURES FROM POLITICS TO HOLLYWOOD WILL READ BIBLE COVER TO COVER TO MARK AMERICA’S 250TH

The event also featured appearances from Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Bishop Robert Barron, Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, evangelist Franklin Graham, along with performances from Grammy-winning Christian artist Chris Tomlin, among others.

Many attendees wore patriotic colors as they packed the National Mall.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Freedom 250, the nonprofit behind the event, said the gathering is part of a broader effort leading up to America’s semiquincentennial celebration on July 4, 2026.

Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump renewed his stern warnings for Iran to come to peace and end its nuclear weapons aspirations Sunday.

“For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

“TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!”

Trump’s post came after a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday.

Trump, fresh off his trek to meeting China’s Xi Jinping face to face, is weighing restarting military action on Iran, Fox News Digitial reported earlier Sunday.

“Our eyes are also open regarding Iran,” Netanyahu said Sunday morning, as translated from Hebrew. “I will speak today, as I do every few days, with our friend President Trump.

“I will certainly hear impressions from his trip to China, and perhaps other matters as well. There are certainly many possibilities, and we are prepared for every scenario.”

Trump remains at the White House on Sunday, but no public or press appearances were on his schedule.

The call with Netanyahu came amid regional intelligence assessments on Iran that restarting of military strikes might be coming because of Trump’s frustration with Iran’s tactics amid the closing of the Strait of Hormuz and the rejection of his demand to give up nuclear weapons aspirations.

“The prevailing assessment inside Iran is that President Trump may resort to restarting military action, and Tehran is now deliberately pursuing a strategy of ‘deception and delay’ with the hopes that buying time will complicate any potential return to war,” two regional intelligence officials told Fox News.

Intelligence officials believe that the Iranian regime thinks it can delay developments and stretch the crisis out for at least two more weeks, so that the situation could become more difficult for Trump to restart the military campaign, both politically and operationally.

These sources say Iranian officials are looking at the World Cup and America’s 250th anniversary as a backstop that could work in their favor.

Fox News has reached out to the White House for comment, but they did not immediately respond.

The impact of the U.S.-led blockade is becoming increasingly visible inside Iran, according to a senior Israeli official.

Early signs of a developing fuel crisis started emerging over the weekend, including long lines at gas stations and growing public discontent over fuel shortages, and distribution problems.

Prices continue to rise, unemployment is climbing and inflation is accelerating sharply.

“It’s getting exponentially worse,” the official added.

Fox News’ Trey Yingst and Yonat Friling contributed to this report.

The Senate parliamentarian rejected the last item in the Republicans’ budget reconciliation bill — $1 billion in White House and Secret Service security funding tied in part to President Donald Trump’s planned ballroom

Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, considered nonpartisan since taking the role in 2012 during former President Barack Obama’s administration, ruled the funding provision could not be included as written under budget reconciliation rules, an outcome long expected from both sides of the aisle.

Ryan Wrasse, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said in a social media post that Republicans would keep trying to revise the legislation to try to gain the parliamentarian’s approval.

“Redraft. Refine. Resubmit,” Wrasse wrote on X. “None of this is abnormal during a Byrd process.”

FURY ERUPTS AS UNELECTED SENATE ‘SCOREKEEPER’ BLOCKS TRUMP’S AGENDA

The decision deals a blow to efforts to pass the money with a simple majority as part of a broader roughly $72 billion package focused largely on immigration enforcement after Democrats forced those budgetary items under the longest shutdowns in American history.

MacDonough ruled that the security funding provision falls under chamber rules that require 60 votes to pass most legislation, according to the office of Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., the Senate Budget Committee ranking member.

“While we expect Republicans to change this bill to appease Trump, Democrats are prepared to challenge any change to this bill,” Merkley said.

REPUBLICANS EYE PICKING UP $400M TAB FOR TRUMP’S BALLROOM AS SOME DEMS OPEN TO ‘DISCUSS’ IDEA

The parliamentarian interprets Senate rules, including whether legislative provisions are permitted. While MacDonough is nonpartisan by Senate standards, she served as former Vice President Al Gore’s advisor in the Bush v. Gore 2000 election challenge that was resolved in the Supreme Court.

Her ruling came days after several Senate Republicans questioned the Trump administration’s $1 billion request, with some saying they needed far more detail before backing taxpayer funding connected to a project Trump has said would be privately financed.

“It was one thing when private dollars were building it,” Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, told Fox News Digital before a closed-door briefing with Secret Service Director Sean Curran. “If you’re asking me for a billion dollars, I have some really hard questions.”

TRUMP CLAIMS DONOR FUNDED WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM INCLUDES HIDDEN BUILD BELOW WITH SECURITY FOCUS

Curtis added that if an employee brought him a billion-dollar project with little explanation, he would respond: “You made that number up.”

The request included $220 million for “White House complex hardening,” including above- and below-ground security enhancements for the ballroom, according to a one-page breakdown obtained by Fox News Digital. Those upgrades included bulletproof glass, drone detection technology, chemical filtration and detection systems and other national security measures.

Another $180 million was proposed for a White House visitor screening center, while $600 million would go toward Secret Service training, protection for Trump and other officials, counter-drone measures and other security needs after Trump dodged an unprecedented third assassination attempt last month.

TRUMP’S TROUBLING WEEK: DEMANDING GOVERNMENT MONEY, DEMOLISHING THE EAST WING

Republicans defending the request have argued Democrats and critics are mischaracterizing the funding as a direct ballroom subsidy.

“What was clear today is this whole statement, ‘It’s a billion dollars for a ballroom.’ Anyone who prints that is printing something they know is a lie,” Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., told Fox News Digital. “It’s not a billion dollars for the ballroom.”

Still, other Republicans said the administration had not fully explained how it arrived at the number. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., said officials needed to provide “more details about exactly how they arrived at the figure,” while Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said the administration would have to explain to taxpayers what return they would get for the spending.

SCHUMER, DEMOCRATS PLOT COORDINATED RESISTANCE TO TRUMP’S ‘ONE UGLY BILL’

The White House and GOP supporters have framed the funding as a national security matter, citing threats against Trump and the need to modernize protective infrastructure at the White House. The administration has said the ballroom would reduce reliance on temporary outdoor structures for large events while improving security for the president, his family and visitors.

The ballroom project has faced opposition since Trump ordered the demolition of the White House’s East Wing last year to make way for the new facility. The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued, arguing the administration lacked authority to tear down the historic structure or build a major new facility without explicit congressional approval. A federal appeals court in April allowed construction to continue while the legal fight proceeds.

Trump has said the ballroom itself would be funded by $400 million in private donations and completed around September 2028, near the end of his second term. The parliamentarian’s ruling does not end the broader spending bill, but it complicates GOP efforts to keep the White House security money in a package Republicans hope to pass along party lines.

APPEALS COURT LETS TRUMP RESUME WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM CONSTRUCTION, SEEKS LOWER COURT CLARITY

Democrats have cast the project as excessive and politically tone-deaf, arguing Republicans are trying to steer taxpayer money toward Trump’s signature construction project while Americans face rising costs.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called the ballroom “a disgrace” and said Republicans should reject the funding.

“The bottom line is, this ballroom is a disgrace,” he said. “The Republicans know it. Let’s see if they have the guts to do what they know is right, both substantively and politically, and tell Trump we don’t need a God — we don’t need a damn ballroom.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Notably, the ballroom would not be finished until 2028, the last year of Trump’s second, and last, presidential term by constitutional law. Trump argues it would serve Democrat and Republican administrations equally.

Fox News’ Alex Miller and Reuters contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump, fresh off his trek to meeting China’s Xi Jinping face to face, is weighing restarting military action on Iran, and he will speak to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday.

“Our eyes are also open regarding Iran,” Netanyahu said Sunday morning, as translated from Hebrew. “I will speak today, as I do every few days, with our friend President Trump.

“I will certainly hear impressions from his trip to China, and perhaps other matters as well. There are certainly many possibilities, and we are prepared for every scenario.”

Trump remains at the White House on Sunday, but no public or press appearances are on his schedule.

CHINA’S IRAN TIES COMPLICATE TRUMP-XI SUMMIT AS TENSIONS TEST US LEVERAGE

The call with Netanyahu comes amid Fox News’ reporting of regional intelligence assessments on Iran that restarting of military strikes might be coming because of Trump’s frustration with Iran’s tactics amid the closing of the Strait of Hormuz and the rejection of his demand to give up nuclear weapons aspirations.

“The prevailing assessment inside Iran is that President Trump may resort to restarting military action, and Tehran is now deliberately pursuing a strategy of ‘deception and delay’ with the hopes that buying time will complicate any potential return to war,” two regional intelligence officials told Fox News.

Intelligence officials believe that the Iranian regime thinks it can delay developments and stretch the crisis out for at least two more weeks, so that the situation could become more difficult for Trump to restart the military campaign, both politically and operationally.

OIL, GAS PRICES JUMP AS TRUMP FLIRTS WITH STRIKING IRANIAN OIL INFRASTRUCTURE

These sources say Iranian officials are looking at the World Cup and America’s 250th anniversary as a backstop that could work in their favor.

Fox News has reached out to the White House for comment, but they did not immediately respond.

The impact of the U.S.-led blockade is becoming increasingly visible inside Iran, according to a senior Israeli official.

Early signs of a developing fuel crisis started emerging over the weekend, including long lines at gas stations and growing public discontent over fuel shortages, and distribution problems.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Prices continue to rise, unemployment is climbing and inflation is accelerating sharply.

“It’s getting exponentially worse,” the official added.

Fox News’ Trey Yingst and Yonat Friling contributed to this report.

Fresh off his work to oust Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., in a Louisiana primary, President Donald Trump made a call to action against Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., urging his backers to vote out another one of his GOP critics and warning the rest of the party to align with him or risk Cassidy’s fate.

“Tom Massie of Kentucky, the worst and most unreliable Republican Congressman in the history of our Country, is an even bigger insult to our Nation than Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who suffered an unprecedented loss tonight by not even being allowed to run in the Republican Primary,” Trump wrote on Truth Social shortly after midnight.

“This is the first time such a thing has ever happened to a sitting U.S. Senator!” the president continued. “That’s what you get by voting to Impeach an innocent man, especially one who made it possible for Cassidy’s Senate win.”

Cassidy failed to advance in Louisiana’s Republican Senate primary Saturday night, finishing behind Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming. Letlow and Fleming will face each other in a June 27 runoff after no candidate cleared a majority.

TRUMP SCORES MAJOR REPUBLICAN PRIMARY VICTORY AS CASSIDY OUSTED IN LOUISIANA

Trump used Cassidy’s defeat as a warning shot against Massie, who Trump has called a “grand-stander” for having voted against his agenda in the House since 2020.

“Very disloyal, but Tom Massie, a major Sleazebag, is even worse!” Trump’s scathing post continued. “Kentucky, get this LOSER out of politics in Tuesday’s Election. He is nicknamed Rand Paul Jr., another real ‘beauty,’ because of his absolutely terrible voting habits.

“Vote for Ed Gallrein, a successful Kentucky farmer, and American War Hero, who only ran because he thought that Massie was so disloyal and disrespectful to your President, ME!

TRUMP CONTINUES LAMBASTING INCUMBENT REPUBLICAN THOMAS MASSIE AS CHALLENGER FILES TO ENTER RACE

“This is a great man, Central Casting, in fact, who truly deserves to represent the fantastic people of Kentucky, a Commonwealth that I am proud to have won all three times, in record fashion!

“ED WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Massie is facing Gallrein in the Republican primary for Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District on Tuesday. The race has become one of the highest-profile GOP House primaries of the cycle, with Trump endorsing Gallrein in an effort to deny Massie another term.

MAVERICK HOUSE REPUBLICAN IN TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS TOUTS RECORD CAMPAIGN CASH HAUL

The president’s attack followed several posts celebrating Cassidy’s defeat in Louisiana.

“A BIG NIGHT IN POLITICS. THANK YOU TO ALL!” Trump wrote in a separate Truth Social post.

Cassidy was one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump after the Jan. 6 election protest in Trump’s second impeachment trial. Trump called Cassidy “disloyal” and said his “political career is OVER!”

Trump also congratulated Letlow, saying she ran a “fantastic race” and would “make a brilliant Senator” after “taking care of some additional business.” Letlow led Saturday’s primary, while Fleming placed second and Cassidy finished third.

PATRIOT OR ‘PATHETIC RINO’? MAVERICK REPUBLICAN THOMAS MASSIE TRADES ‘AMERICA FIRST’ LABEL FOR ‘AMERICA ONLY’

The president’s focus quickly shifted back to Kentucky, where Massie has survived past pressure campaigns from Trump but is now facing a well-funded primary challenge in the final stretch.

Massie has represented Kentucky’s 4th District since 2012. The district stretches across northern Kentucky and is heavily Republican, making the GOP primary the decisive contest in most election cycles.

Trump’s feud with Massie has intensified over the past year. Trump called for Massie to be primaried after the congressman opposed a short-term government funding bill in March 2025, pushing for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files and opposing his decision to go to war with Iran.

“Someone thinks they can control my voting card by threatening my reelection,” Massie shot back at Trump last year.

MTG DEFENDS HERSELF AS ‘AMERICA FIRST’ AFTER TRUMP SLAMS HER ON TRUTH SOCIAL

Trump also targeted Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., for supporting Massie, calling her “Weak Minded” and suggesting he would consider withdrawing his endorsement if a challenger entered the race against her in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District.

“Boebert is campaigning for the Worst “Republican” Congressman in the History of our Country, Thomas Massie, of the Great Commonwealth of Kentucky, and anybody who can be that dumb deserves a good Primary fight!” Trump wrote in an earlier Saturday night Truth Social post.

“Even though I long ago endorsed Boebert, if the right person came along, it would be my Honor to withdraw that Endorsement, and endorse a good and proper alternative. Just let me know, or announce your Candidacy, and I will be there for you!”

Massie noted Trump is too late to call for a Boebert primary.

RAND PAUL PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR MASSIE AGAINST TRUMP-BACKED CHALLENGER: ‘I’M GOING TO HELP HIM’

“I’ve seen people calling for primary challengers against Boebert online since she got here [Friday],” Massie told reporters after his Kentucky campaign rally Saturday. “Her primary is already closed. So they can call for that. It’s too late.

“And Rand Paul’s not on the ballot this year. You’re going to have to wait two whole years. So I think he should be mending fences with these folks, not trying to burn bridges.”

Trump began the night warning about Boebert and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., stumping for Massie.

“Word is that Rand Paul and Lauren Boebert, two very difficult, and highly unreasonable, Republican Votes, are right now in the Great Commonwealth of Kentucky, which I won by 31 points, parading around like fools for the Worst “Republican” Congressman in the History of our Party!” Trump wrote on Truth Social hours before the Cassidy defeat, blasting Massie as “a disloyal, ungracious, and sanctimonious FOOL, who almost never votes for even the best of Republican Values.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“The man running against Massie, Ed Gallrein, is a true American Patriot, a Farmer from Kentucky, and a Military Hero. He is loyal, and MAGA all the way — VOTE FOR ED GALLREIN, AND WIPE AWAY THE STENCH OF ONE OF THE WORST CONGRESSMEN IN THE HISTORY OF OUR GREAT PARTY, THOMAS MASSIE. MAY WE NEVER HAVE TO DEAL WITH HIM AGAIN!”

President Donald Trump on Saturday blasted Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., a longtime ally of the president, and threatened to back a primary challenger after she campaigned for one of his top Republican rivals.

Trump lashed out on Truth Social against Boebert, whom he previously endorsed for reelection, just hours after she campaigned with Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., one of Trump’s most vocal GOP critics in Congress.

“Is anyone interested in running against Weak Minded Lauren Boebert in Colorado’s Fourth Congressional District?” Trump wrote.

The president criticized Boebert for supporting Massie, whose primary challenger, retired Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, has Trump’s endorsement.

BOEBERT HITS BACK AT TRUMP AFTER VETO OF COLORADO WATER BILL, RAISES RETALIATION CONCERNS

“Boebert is campaigning for the Worst ‘Republican’ Congressman in the History of our Country, Thomas Massie, of the Great Commonwealth of Kentucky, and anybody who can be that dumb deserves a good Primary fight!” Trump wrote. “Even though I long ago endorsed Boebert, if the right person came along, it would be my Honor to withdraw that Endorsement, and endorse a good and proper alternative.”

“Just let me know, or announce your Candidacy, and I will be there for you!” he added.

Boebert initially declined to comment directly on Trump’s post when questioned by Fox News, saying she did not want to “elevate” it. She later defended her support for Massie in a post on X.

THE REVOLT OF MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE, NOW DONALD TRUMP’S FIERCEST CRITIC

“Yes, I saw the President’s post. No, I’m not mad or offended,” she wrote. “I knew the risks when I agreed to stand by my friend Thomas Massie. I was, and will be, America First, America Always, and MAGA.”

When asked about Trump’s post following a campaign rally Saturday in Kentucky, Massie told Fox News it was too late to challenge Boebert because the filing deadline had already passed.

“I think he should be mending fences with these folks, not trying to burn bridges,” he added.

TRUMP SLAMS REPUBLICAN MASSIE AS ‘NOT MAGA’ FOLLOWING CONGRESSMAN’S CRITICISM OF IRAN STRIKES

Trump has vowed to unseat Massie, who has pushed for the release of government files related to late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Massie has also repeatedly criticized Trump on foreign policy issues.

In a separate Truth Social post Saturday, Trump again attacked Massie as a “disloyal” Republican while reiterating his support for Gallrein.

“His name is Thomas Massie, and he is a disloyal, ungracious, and sanctimonious FOOL, who almost never votes for even the best of Republican Values,” Trump wrote.

RAND PAUL PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR MASSIE AGAINST TRUMP-BACKED CHALLENGER: ‘I’M GOING TO HELP HIM’

Trump also praised Gallrein as “a true American Patriot” and urged supporters to back him in the Republican primary.

Kentucky’s Republican primary is scheduled for May 19.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital has reached out to Boebert for additional comment.

Fox News’ Jessica Sonkin and Reuters contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump on Saturday blasted Democratic climate policies after scientists moved away from one of the most extreme global warming scenarios previously used in United Nations-backed climate modeling.

“GOOD RIDDANCE! After 15 years of Dumocrats promising that ‘Climate Change’ is going to destroy the Planet, the United Nations TOP Climate Committee just admitted that its own projections (RCP8.5) were WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump accused Democrats of using climate fears to justify energy policies and government spending.

“For far too long Climate Activism has been used by Dumocrats to scare Americans, push horrible Energy Polices, and fund BILLIONS into their bogus research programs,” he continued. “Unlike the Dumocrats, who use Climate Alarmism nonsense to push their GREEN NEW SCAM, my Administration will always be based on TRUTH, SCIENCE, and FACT!”

DAVID MARCUS: NEW YORK TIMES ANNOUNCES THE END OF THE CLIMATE CHANGE HOAX

Trump’s comments came after climate scientists moved away from using the most extreme emissions scenario developed under the United Nations-backed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The IPCC’s worst-case scenarios, which included significant global temperature increases and sea level rises, included global crop failures and even potential extinction events on the scale of the dinosaurs.

The scenario, known as RCP8.5 and later SSP5-8.5, projected severe global warming outcomes under extremely high emissions assumptions.

CONSERVATIVE GROUPS DECLARE 2025 A TIPPING POINT ON ‘CLIMATE HYSTERIA’ AS TRUMP UNLEASHES ENERGY AGENDA

According to GB News, the scenario is being phased out after researchers concluded it no longer reflects the most plausible trajectory based on renewable energy growth, emissions trends and climate policies.

Researchers writing in the journal Geoscientific Model Development said future climate scenarios should continue to cover a wide range of outcomes, from severe warming to lower-emissions futures.

“For the 21st century, this range will be smaller than assessed before: on the high-end of the range, the high emission levels (quantified by SSP5-8.5) have become implausible, based on trends in the costs of renewables, the emergence of climate policy and recent emission trends.”

TRUMP OFFICIALS URGED TO BOYCOTT UN CLIMATE SUMMIT AS TRUMP SEETHES CLIMATE CHANGE IS A ‘CON JOB’

Trump’s post follows remarks he made last September at the U.N. General Assembly in New York, where he called climate change a “con job.”

“It’s the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world, in my opinion,” Trump said at the time. “All of these predictions made by the United Nations and many others, often for bad reasons, were wrong.”

“They were made by stupid people that have cost their country’s fortunes and given those same countries no chance for success,” he continued.

EPA CHIEF ZELDIN DELIVERS DAGGER TO THE HEART OF OBAMA’S CLIMATE CHANGE AGENDA ON ‘RUTHLESS’ PODCAST

Trump’s comments drew criticism from Democrats, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who called the remarks “total disinformation.”

“You know yesterday at the U.N., President Trump said, ‘Climate change is a hoax,’ because it’s just total disinformation,” Clinton said during the Clinton Global Initiative in New York. “It’s a statement that is just not true, and yet being propagated.”

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin later defended Trump’s climate remarks in an interview with Fox News.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“The president is absolutely right and we’ve seen it in the name of climate change, these left wing policies willing to cause extreme economic pain for people who can at least afford it,” he said.

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.

Five and a half years ago after he voted to convict President Donald Trump in his impeachment trial, GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana was sent packing by Republican voters as he ran for re-election.

Trump-backed Rep. Julia Letlow and Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming topped Cassidy in Saturday’s GOP primary, according to The Associated Press.

With most results tabulated late in the evening, Letlow stood at 45% of the vote, Fleming at roughly 28% and Cassidy at just under 25%, Since no candidate cracked 50% of the vote, Letlow and Fleming will advance to next month’s runoff for the Republican nomination. And Cassidy becomes the first elected Republican senator to lose renomination since Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana in 2012

While he wasn’t on the ballot, Trump is a winner, as the primary in the solidly red state was the latest test of his endorsements in GOP nomination races and of the president’s immense grip over the Republican Party.

DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB

Trump on Saturday morning took aim at Cassidy, arguing the senator is “a disloyal disaster” and “a sleazebag, a terrible guy, who is BAD FOR LOUISIANA.”

And after Cassidy was defeated, Trump returned to social media to revel in the senator’s ouster, saying “it’s nice to see that his political career is OVER!”

Cassidy, in a speech to supporters after conceding, said “when you participate in democracy, sometimes it doesn’t turn out the way you want it to.”

“But you don’t pout, you don’t whine. You don’t claim the election was stolen… You don’t manufacture some excuse,” Cassidy said in an apparent jab at Trump. “You thank the voters for the privilege of representing the state or the country for as long as you’ve had that privilege. And that’s what I’m doing right now.”

The Louisiana primary was held a week and a half after Indiana’s primary, where Trump-backed challengers ousted five sitting Republican state senators who last December teamed up with Democrats to defeat the president’s push for congressional redistricting in the GOP-dominated Midwestern state.

Letlow, speaking to supporters at her primary night celebration, thanked Trump for his endorsement. 

“Louisiana made it clear tonight: we are ready for strong conservative leadership that will stand with President Trump and never waver,” she added in a post on X.

Letlow was backed by Trump even before she entered the race in January.

“Not only did he encourage me to get into this race, but also to have his complete and total endorsement has been, wow, the honor of a lifetime,” Letlow told Fox News Digital on the eve of the primary.

Trump’s endorsement in the nomination race weighed heavily in a state he carried by 22 points in his 2024 election victory.

“It’s the most powerful endorsement in the world,” Letlow said, adding that Louisiana Republicans “are huge fans of the president.”

 Letlow was also backed by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry of Louisiana, a top Trump ally.

After cruising to re-election six years ago, Cassidy was one of only seven Senate Republicans who voted in early 2021 to convict Trump after he was impeached by the House for his role in the violent Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters who aimed to upend congressional certification of former President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory. Trump was acquitted by the Senate.

But since the start of Trump’s second term, Cassidy has been supportive of the president’s agenda and his nominees, including voting to approve Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

But Kennedy and his Make America Healthy Again movement were out for revenge.

That’s because Cassidy, a doctor, has been a skeptic of Kennedy’s push to reform the nation’s health policies, including Kennedy’s efforts to cut back on vaccine recommendations.

And Kennedy allies blamed Cassidy, chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, for helping sink the surgeon general nomination of Casey Means, a close Kennedy ally and top MAHA advocate, after Cassidy did not bring it to a committee vote.

Meanwhile, Trump blasted the senator as a “very disloyal person” and on the eve of the primary, the president took to social media to praise Letlow as a “Highly Respected America First Congresswoman.”

Cassidy highlighted his record over two terms in the Senate in delivering for Louisiana, which is one of the nation’s poorest states. And he’s showcased his support for Louisiana’s large oil and gas industry, which accounts for roughly 15% of the state’s workforce.

“When people ask things such as, can you work with President Trump, I point out that he has signed into law four bills that I wrote or negotiated,” the senator said in a Fox News Digital interview on Friday. “We continue to work together, by the way.”

And Cassidy touted that he’s “a conservative senator who delivers.”

Cassidy and an allied super PAC dished out more than $20 million on ads, according to AdImpact, a national ad tracking firm. That total was more than Letlow and Fleming, combined, spent.

Some of those ads knocked Letlow over her past support for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs during her tenure at the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

Cassidy argued that Republican voters are “concerned about her shifting position on DEI. She was all in for DEI.”

Defending her record, Letlow told Fox News Digital that “back in 2020 whenever DEI was introduced to us, we had no idea what it was back then, and I quickly witnessed it. I was in higher education at the time. I quickly witnessed the left completely hijack it, turn it into this Marxist leftist indoctrination of our children. And so, when I got to Congress for the last five years, I’ve been fighting against it.

Letlow also faced scrutiny from her rivals over her failure to disclose over 200 personal stock and bond trades within the mandated 45-day reporting deadline for members of Congress.

She said it “was a reporting error on my financial advisor’s part. And once I realized that that had happened, I quickly remedied it. It has never happened since.”

And Letlow charged that the criticism of her from Cassidy and Fleming over DEI and stock trading was “all baseless attacks, desperate attacks.”

Letlow won her congressional seat in 2021, after her husband, Luke Letlow, died six days after being sworn into the U.S. House after his 2020 election victory for the seat she now holds.

Fleming, who served as a White House deputy chief of staff during Trump’s first term, argued that he was the most conservative candidate in the GOP Senate primary.

‘They see me clearly MAGA,” Fleming told Fox News Digital, as he referred to Louisiana Republicans.  “I served in his entire first administration at various capacities. I was one of the first congressmen that endorsed him in 2016.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Meanwhile, Fleming claimed that Letlow was “not the prototype for a Trump endorsement. She’s much more like a Democrat.”

The winner of the Republican runoff will be considered the clear favorite in the general election to keep the Senate seat in Republican hands.

President Donald Trump on Saturday shared photos of a sample test at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which is undergoing renovations ahead of America’s 250th anniversary and expected to be completed by July Fourth.

The images showed the basin with the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument in the background at each end.

Blue skies and white fluffy clouds could be seen in the water’s reflection.

“Looking really good! Should be completed before the Fourth of July, our target date,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Saturday afternoon.

TRUMP WORKING TO CLEAN ‘FILTHY’ LINCOLN MEMORIAL REFLECTING POOL, BLAMES BIDEN FOR MAINTENANCE DELAYS

Trump added the administration has “substantially upgraded construction materials, including surface qualities, sandblasting granite, and exterior stone and walkways.”

“I’ve made this a much larger job than originally contemplated for purposes of Beauty, and a much longer life,” Trump wrote in the post. “Also, went to a higher quality sealer with more reflectivity. Check it out before the Opening — It’s a very exciting project!”

Critics have voiced concerns over the pool resurfacing with “industrial-grade” material in the color “American flag blue,” with a nonprofit called the Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) going so far as to file a lawsuit against the National Park Service (NPS) to halt the project.

TRUMP TAKES MOTORCADE INTO REFLECTING POOL, BLASTS PAST ‘$38M DISASTER’ FIX UNDER OBAMA

“The vivid blue coating will fundamentally alter the visual and experiential character of the pool and the broader Lincoln Memorial Grounds landscape,” the group wrote in a complaint obtained by Politico. “The new coloration will cause the pool to resemble a large swimming pool rather than the reflective civic landscape it was designed to be, distorting the experience of the site for the millions of visitors who come to it each year.”

When asked Saturday about the new photos shared by the president, TCLF president and CEO Charles A. Birnbaum told Fox News Digital “the primary issue is whether the law was followed before the painting began.”

“Since the Reflecting Pool is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, reviews of work that would alter a key character-defining feature of this important national symbol should be subject to reviews under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act; and this project should have been reviewed by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, as other work on the Reflecting Pool has been reviewed over the past century,” Birnbaum said.

The TCLF is a national, D.C.-based education and advocacy organization, not a preservation organization.

TRUMP LAUNCHES MASSIVE ‘FREEDOM 250’ PUSH TO IGNITE AMERICA’S 250TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

In a separate Truth Social post earlier Saturday, Trump noted he has “decided to go to a much higher level of repair, using industrial strength materials, which will give a longer life, and a better look,” adding the job is “ahead of schedule.”

The president’s repeated references to the materials used and expected completion date follow the publication of a New York Times article on Tuesday that alleged U.S. Department of the Interior staff highlighted concerns about the presence of bubbles, small holes and color inconsistencies in the partially refinished surface.

Further, the outlet claimed to have documents showing that as of Sunday, only 35% of the pool surface had been fully coated and crucial joints had not yet been replaced — insinuating the job may not be completed in time for Independence Day.

Interior Department spokesperson Katie Martin told The Times that sections of the basin were in various stages of repair.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“The final product will be uniform, as the plan depicts,” Martin said. “As with any project, there will be revisions to the process to ensure the most efficient tools are used to get to the end goal.”

The White House, Interior Department and New York Times did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.