Biden, Trump sidestep traditional presidential debate schedule that included Texas State University
Texas State was slated to be the first Texas university to host a presidential debate, with an event scheduled Sept. 16.
Primaries show Biden and Trump lack support of key constituents
As they move toward facing off on the debate stage next month, President Biden and former President Trump are exhibiting signs of weakness in their 2024 election rematch – as they both apparently struggle to lock up their base voters. More than two months after she dropped out of the Republican presidential nomination race, zombie candidate Nikki Haley is still grabbing sizable support in the GOP primaries at the expense of Trump. And Biden is continuing to deal with a persistent “uncommitted” vote protesting the president’s support for Israel in its war in Gaza against Hamas. “You’re going to see most Democrats and most Republicans come home. But there are so many warning signs flashing in these primaries,” David Kochel, a longtime Republican consultant and veteran of numerous GOP presidential campaigns, told Fox News Digital. FOX EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP AGREES TO BIDEN PROPOSAL FOR PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES One week after Haley won 22% of the vote in Indiana’s GOP presidential primary, where independents and Democrats could vote, it was supposed to be a different story on Tuesday as Maryland, Nebraska, and West Virginia held mostly closed Republican contests. But according to unofficial and incomplete results, Haley grabbed 20% in Maryland and 18% in Nebraska. TRUMP AHEAD OF BIDEN IN THESE CRUCIAL PRESIDENTIAL BATTLEGROUND STATES And Haley performed strongest in suburban areas in both states, as she did in earlier primaries after suspending her presidential bid. It’s another potential general election problem for Trump, who is currently making history as the first former or current president to stand trial in a criminal case. “It might just be that Republicans want one last chance to express their dissatisfaction with the nominee and they’ll come home,” Kochel, who remained neutral in the 2024 GOP nomination race, said. “But if I’m running the Trump campaign, particularly as I look toward the vice presidential nomination, I would be trying to figure out any way I could to reassure the Haley voters that we’re going to listen to them and not just run a base only strategy,” he suggested. Biden also saw a red flag in Tuesday’s primaries, as just over 10% of votes in the Democratic presidential contest in Maryland were “uncommitted,” according to unofficial and incomplete tabulations. It’s the latest example of far left voters expressing their dissatisfaction with the president’s Mideast policies. GAME ON AS GOP AIMS TO FLIP DEMOCRATIC HELD SENATE SEAT IN HEAVILY BLUE STATE The primaries were held on the eve of a proposal by Biden and his re-election campaign to hold presidential debates with Trump in June and early September – with a vice presidential debate over the summer – to which Trump quickly agreed. Mark Penn, the longtime Democratic pollster, former top political adviser to former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Fox News contributor, pointed to Biden’s anemic poll numbers in the key battleground states as he argued the president’s debate proposal came out of weakness. “You don’t want to debate when you’re ahead. You want to avoid debates at all costs,” Penn said in an interview on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom.” “Obviously it’s uphill for President Biden, or he wouldn’t be debating in the first place.” National surveys for months have indicated that many Americans are anything but thrilled with the rematch between the 81-year-old Democratic incumbent and his 77-year-old predecessor in the White House. “You’re going to put the most unpopular politicians we’ve ever seen run against each other in front of 80 million people on a debate stage. One of them is famously bombastic and toxic and loose with the facts. The other one is barely able to get out a sentence. He had six jump cuts in a 13-second video they put out today,” Kochel said as he pointed to Trump and specifically to Biden’s video proposing the debates. Kochel predicted that the debates may “reinforce to the country how dissatisfied they are with these choices.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
New data reveals Illegal immigrants eluding Border Patrol spiked under Biden, surpassing predecessors
EXCLUSIVE: The number of illegal immigrants evading Border Patrol agents has skyrocketed under the Biden administration, new data obtained by Fox News shows. The numbers of Border Patrol nationwide gotaways — illegal immigrants who avoided agents but were detected by other forms of surveillance such as cameras and sensors — were obtained by a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed by Fox in October. They show that between FY 2010 and FY 2020 inclusive, there were over 1.4 million gotaways, ranging from a low of 86,226 in FY 2011 to a high of 171,663 in FY 2013. BORDER PATROL OFFICIALS SAY THREAT POSED BY ‘GOTAWAYS’ AT SOUTHERN BORDER ‘KEEPS US UP AT NIGHT’ In FY 2020, there were 136,808 gotaways at the border. That number then rose to 387,398 in FY 2021, which coincided with the last months of the Trump administration and the first months of the Biden administration. As the migrant numbers at the southern border rose to crisis levels, so did the number of gotaways — with numbers then skyrocketing to 606,131 in FY 2022 and 670,674 in FY 23. This means that there were more gotaways in FY21-23 (1.6 million) than the decade of FY 2010 and FY 2020 (1.4 million). So far in FY 24, which began in October, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sources have told Fox News separately there have been more than 175,000 gotaways. Officials have regularly expressed concern about the numbers crossing without being encountered, even though it is a relatively small number compared to the more than 1.3 million migrants encountered this fiscal year. “That number is a large number, but what’s keeping me up at night is the 140,000 known gotaways,” Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens told CBS News in March, when numbers were lower. ILLEGAL MIGRANTS FROM THIS FOREIGN ADVERSARY ARE INCREASINGLY CROSSING THE BORDER “If a person is willing to put themselves into harm’s way crossing through very remote, very dangerous conditions to evade capture, you have to ask yourself why. What makes them willing to take that risk?” he told a House committee in May 2023. “That’s of concern to me. What’s also of concern to me is I don’t know who that individual is. I don’t know where they came from. I don’t know what their intention is. I don’t know what they brought with them. That unknown represents a risk, a threat. It’s of great concern to anybody that wears this uniform.” Officials have also said that, due to increased investments in technology, there is greater situational awareness than before, leading to more detections of “gotaways” than in prior years. “Because we have gotten more detection capability, because we have…more on the way, we’ve got the additional processing coordinators, we are in a better situation than we were in years past,” Owens said. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has previously noted changes in migration flow in correspondence with Congress. CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS “Before 2013, the majority of individuals attempting to cross the border entered without being caught,” he said in a letter in January to the House Homeland Security Committee. “Under this administration, the estimated annual apprehension rate has averaged 78%, the same average rate of apprehension as in the prior administration.” DHS has instead said it is working within a “broken” immigration system in desperate need of reform and additional funding from Congress. It has also pointed to 720,000 removals or returns of illegal immigrants since May 2023, more than in every full fiscal year since 2011. Most recently it has backed a bipartisan Senate bill that would increase funding, while also providing a mechanism to turn back border crossers when they reach a certain level. But conservative lawmakers rejected that measure, saying it would normalize high levels of illegal immigration. Fox News’ Griff Jenkins and Emmett Jones contributed to this report.
Here are all the restrictions Biden’s team demanded in their Trump debate offer
President Biden and former President Trump on Wednesday made their plans to officially debate, but the offer from the Biden team came with several strings attached. Trump gave Biden an open invitation to debate anytime, anywhere, and Biden rose to the challenge, telling Trump to “make my day” in a heavily edited video on social media. Alongside Biden’s announcement came a letter from his campaign to the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), and that letter revealed a few critical limits that Biden’s team was placing on any debate between him and Trump. Here are each of the restrictions the Biden campaign is demanding. Biden’s campaign heavily criticized the CPD for making debates “huge spectacles with large audiences” in its letter to the organization. The new debates between Trump and Biden must take place in a television studio with just the candidates and the moderator present. “The debates should be conducted for the benefit of the American voters, watching on television and at home – not as entertainment for an in-person audience with raucous or disruptive partisans and donors, who consume valuable debate time with noisy spectacles of approval or jeering. As was the case with the original televised debates in 1960, a television studio with just the candidates and moderators is a better, more cost-efficient way to proceed: focused solely on the interests of voters,” Biden’s campaign wrote. TRUMP URGES BIDEN TO FOLLOW THROUGH WITH DEBATE PROMISE: ‘I’M READY TO GO ANYWHERE’ Biden’s campaign says the debate must be one versus one, with no third-party candidates allowed. This is a critical demand because it excludes Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a long-shot independent candidate who has nevertheless made his presence known in polls. Not only that, but Kennedy has been shown to be more effective at leaching Democratic voters than Republican ones, making him an outsized threat to Biden. BIDEN GIVES 3-WORD RESPONSE WHEN ASKED WHEN HE’LL DEBATE TRUMP “The debates should be one-on-one, allowing voters to compare the only two candidates with any statistical chance of prevailing in the Electoral College – and not squandering debate time on candidates with no prospect of becoming President,” Biden’s team wrote. Kennedy condemned the requirement in a post on X, accusing both Trump and Biden of colluding to block him from the debate stage. Biden’s demands limit the number of major news outlets that can host a 2024 presidential debate. “It should be hosted by any broadcast organization that hosted a Republican Primary debate in 2016 in which Donald Trump participated, and a Democratic primary debate in 2020 in which President Biden participated – so neither campaign can assert that the sponsoring organization is obviously unacceptable: if both candidates have previously debated on their airwaves, then neither could object to such venue,” the campaign wrote. TRUMP SUPPORTERS FLOCK TO MASSIVE NEW JERSEY CAMPAIGN RALLY TO HEAR FORMER PRESIDENT SPEAK AMID ONGOING TRIALS This rule set limits the networks that can host a debate to CNN, ABC, CBS or Telemundo. Biden’s campaign blasted the CPD for allowing extensive crosstalk and interruptions during the 2020 debates between Trump and Biden. They now demand that both candidates’ microphones be muted once their allotted speaking time expires. “There should be firm time limits for answers, and alternate turns to speak – so that the time is evenly divided and we have an exchange of views, not a spectacle of mutual interruption. A candidate’s microphone should only be active when it is his turn to speak, to promote adherence to the rules and orderly proceedings,” the campaign wrote. The letter to the CPD criticized the organization for being “unable or unwilling to enforce the rules in the 2020 debates.” “The result was far from—indeed entirely inconsistent with— the orderly and informative process the voters deserved in 2020 and should be able to expect in 2024,” the letter continued. Trump has accepted Biden’s debate offer despite the restrictions, however, with the first encounter scheduled for June 27 to be hosted by CNN. “I am Ready and Willing to Debate Crooked Joe at the two proposed times in June and September,” Trump posted. “I would strongly recommend more than two debates and, for excitement purposes, a very large venue, although Biden is supposedly afraid of crowds – That’s only because he doesn’t get them. Just tell me when, I’ll be there. ‘Let’s get ready to Rumble!!!’”
RFK Jr. explains change on full-term abortion stance: ‘Basically killing a child’
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says learning about the rates of elective late-term abortions convinced him to change his position on the issue. Kennedy reflected on his evolving position regarding abortion on Tuesday during an interview with comedians Shane Gillis and Matt McCusker after the duo praised him for his willingness to change his platform based on new information. “There’s no way you can change my mind by calling me names or criticizing me or by marginalizing or vilifying me,” Kennedy told the comedians. “But you can always change my mind with facts. If you […] show me I’m wrong about one of my presumptions, I’m gonna change my mind. And that’s what happened with the abortion thing.” RFK JR. SAYS HE SUPPORTS ABORTION ‘EVEN IF IT’S FULL TERM’ “My position on abortion was that it should always be a woman’s choice right up to the very end,” Kennedy continued. “In the ninth month, you’re basically killing a child, right? My presumption was that […] no woman is going to deliberately carry a child for nine months then two days before it’s born, abort it. Who would do that?” Kennedy said that he began to question his own beliefs about the issue after examining data regarding late-term abortions and contemplating the government’s role in protecting human beings. “But then I learned I was wrong, that there are actually a huge amount, comparatively, of elective abortions at that time,” the independent candidate continued. “And my belief at that time is that at that time you have a wholly formed, viable child and the state has some interest in protecting that baby.” Kennedy said his family is “split” over the issue of abortion, citing his “Irish-Catholic” background. BIDEN DOESN’T SUPPORT ‘FULL-TERM’ ABORTION STANCE PUSHED BY RFK JR, CAMPAIGN SAYS “My family is split about this — right to life, right to choice. I’ve been […] a leading advocate in the country for medical autonomy, freedom of choice,” Kennedy said. “I think the woman should always choose, but in this case, if it’s a fully formed baby, the state does have some interest in protecting that life.” Kennedy’s change in position came after his appearance last week on “The Sage Steele Show,” where he was pressed about this abortion stance. The independent candidate clashed with Steele over late-term abortions, insisting they are extremely rare and that there are usually “extenuating circumstances” behind those decisions. President Biden’s campaign has pushed an aggressively pro-choice platform in the run-up to 2024’s election, but distanced itself from Kennedy’s “full-term” remarks. “No, the president doesn’t support full-term abortions, as he’s made clear many times. He thinks Roe got it right,” said Lauren Hitt, a senior spokesperson for the campaign. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Following initial outreach to the Biden campaign, Fox News Digital received a statement on the matter from a Democratic National Committee (DNC) spokesperson, who claimed Kennedy “can’t be trusted to stand up for reproductive freedom.” Kennedy’s platform on abortion has been shaky for some time — last year, NBC News reported that he supported limiting abortions to 15 or 21 weeks into the pregnancy. His campaign later clarified his position, alleging he misunderstood the question, saying in a statement, “He does not support legislation banning abortion.” The Kennedy campaign has not yet clarified a coherent stance regarding what point of gestation crosses the threshold making abortion inadmissible.
‘Afraid I would win’: RFK Jr. accuses opponents of ‘colluding’ to exclude him from debates
Democrat turned independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. charges that President Biden and former President Trump “are trying to exclude me from their debate because they are afraid I would win.” Kennedy fired back in a social media posting hours after the Democratic president and his Republican predecessor in the White House agreed to face off in showdowns in June and early September. A debate proposal from Biden that triggered the cascade of developments on Wednesday morning stated that “the debates should be one-on-one, allowing voters to compare the only two candidates with any statistical chance of prevailing in the Electoral College.” FOX EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP AGREES TO BIDEN DEBATE PROPOSAL Kennedy argued that “Presidents Trump and Biden are colluding to lock America into a head-to-head match-up that 70% say they do not want,” as he referred to numerous national polls indicating many voters are far from thrilled with the 2024 election rematch between the 81-year-old president and his 77-year-old predecessor. “These are the two most unpopular candidates in living memory. By excluding me from the stage, Presidents Biden and Trump seek to avoid discussion of their eight years of mutual failure including deficits, wars, lockdowns, chronic disease, and inflation,” claimed Kennedy, the longtime environmental activist and high-profile vaccine skeptic, who is the scion of the nation’s most storied political dynasty. RFK JR. PROPOSES NO SPOILER PLEDGE BETWEEN HIM AND BIDEN And he emphasized that “keeping viable candidates off the debate stage undermines democracy. Forty-three percent of Americans identify as independents. If Americans are ever going to escape the hammerlock of the two-party system, now is the time to do it.” The Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee have repeatedly slammed Kennedy as a potential spoiler whose supporters could hand Trump a presidential election victory in November. Plenty of pundits and pollsters are making the case that Kennedy also could pose a similar problem for Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. And as Kennedy has increased his appearances on conservative media the past couple of months, the former president and his campaign have increasingly characterized Kennedy, whose populism on some issues seems similar to Trump’s, as a far-left politician. At a campaign event in New York City two weeks ago, Kennedy disputed the repeated claims that he’s a spoiler. And he once again argued that he, rather than Biden, is the only candidate who can defeat Trump in November – and showcased a new internal poll conducted by his campaign to make his point – as he announced an unusual “no-spoiler pledge.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
New Jersey state Senate cancels hearing on bill condemning antisemitism due to ‘safety’ concerns
The New Jersey Senate has canceled a hearing on a bill that would define antisemitism in the state due to alleged “safety and security concerns.” The hearing, which was originally scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday, was marked “canceled” on the state legislature’s website. No additional details as to why it was canceled were provided online. “The NJ Senate cited safety and security concerns as the reason for cancelling the committee hearing that would have voted on codifying the IHRA definition of antisemitism in the state of New Jersey,” Jason M. Shames, CEO of the Jewish Federation, told Fox News Digital. “Jewish Federation of Northern NJ is very disappointed that such a crucial piece of antisemitism legislation is not being heard. It is ironic that a bill designed to protect the rights and safety of Jews was cancelled due to concerns about keeping the community safe,” Shames added. “We look forward to working with our elected officials to pass this critical legislation in the near future and thank our community leaders and fellow organizations for their incredible partnership in mobilizing behind essential protections for Jews.” PROGRESSIVE LGBTQ STUDENT SUES RUTGERS OVER ‘HOSTILE’ ENVIRONMENT FOR JEWS: ‘LABORATORY OF ANTISEMITISM’ The hearing was canceled by the Senate “because they can’t guarantee the protection of Jews at statehouse,” according to The Forward’s Jacob Kornbluh, who first reported the cancelation. Fox News Digital reached out to Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy multiple times about the purported “safety and security concerns” that led to the cancelation of the hearing but did not receive a response. Others also sounded off about the cancelation, expressing frustration that the bill would not be heard in committee this week. “Agudath Israel of America’s New Jersey’s office is shocked to learn that bill S1292, which proposes the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism within the state of New Jersey, will not be heard in committee due to ‘safety concerns,’” Agudath Israel of America wrote in a Monday evening post on X. The New Jersey Senate was originally slated to take up Senate Bill 1292, which was sponsored by Democratic state Sen. James Beach, to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism in an effort to combat antisemitism in the state. NEW JERSEY MARINE ARRESTED AFTER ALLEGEDLY MAKING THREATS TO KILL WHITE PEOPLE, ‘BEGAN PLANNING’ MASS SHOOTING Democratic New Jersey state Senate Majority Leader Paul Sarlo and the sponsors of the legislation in both chambers did not respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment. “The Senate Majority office controls the Senate agenda, including committee and session meeting dates and the legislation to be considered at those times,” Republican Sen. Anthony Bucco, the minority leader of the New Jersey Senate, told Fox News Digital. “As the Minority party, we were hopeful that S1292 was going to be on the agenda and were looking forward to it receiving a vote on Thursday. Unfortunately, that does not look like it will be the case.” Assembly Bill A3558, which is sponsored by Democratic Assemblyman Gary Schaer, was introduced as the state Senate measure’s companion legislation. Both bills call for the creation of a public awareness campaign regarding antisemitism and appropriate $100,000 to the cause. It is unclear whether the state Senate will reschedule a hearing or hold a vote on the bill. Data released by the Anti Defamation League in April showed a 103% increase in antisemitic incidents — including harassment, vandalism, and assault — in New Jersey from 2022 to 2023. The 830 recorded incidents in New Jersey in 2023, according to the data, constituted 9% of the total number of antisemitic incidents reported across the United States last year.
Biden’s DHS promotes ways for visa holders to stay in US after losing work amid major layoffs
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is reminding some visa holders that there are options for staying in the country after getting laid off or fired. “When H-1B or other noncitizen workers are laid off, they may not be aware of their options and may wrongly assume that they have no choice but to leave the country within 60 days,” USCIS said on X Tuesday, along with a link to the guidance. The guidelines, which were updated last month, offer several options to individuals on work visas who have lost their jobs “either voluntarily or involuntarily,” including filing an application for a change of nonimmigrant status, adjustment of status or a “compelling circumstances” employment authorization document. The guidelines also note that an individual can extend their stay if they are the beneficiary of a nonfrivolous petition to change employers. US AGENCY RAISES ‘SERIOUS CONCERNS’ ABOUT TECH VISA LOTTERY “If one of these actions occurs within the up to 60-day grace period, the nonimmigrant’s period of authorized stay in the United States can exceed 60 days, even if they lose their previous nonimmigrant status,” the guidelines read. “If the worker takes no action within the grace period, they and their dependents may then need to depart the United States within 60 days, or when their authorized validity period ends, whichever is shorter.” The Biden administration in October proposed reforms to the H-1B visa program, which has become controversial over the years over claims that it is abused by tech companies to undercut more expensive American workers. However, the new rules laid out by the Department of Homeland Security were designed to streamline the process and provide more flexibility for both employers and workers. The new rules, which became official in January, also sought to combat fraud and abuse of the H-1B process. “We’re always looking for ways to bolster integrity and curtail the potential for fraud while improving and streamlining our application processes,” USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou said in a statement at the time. BIDEN ADMIN PROPOSES REFORMS TO CONTROVERSIAL H-1B VISA PROGRAM The USCIS post comes amid a flurry of layoffs by some of the country’s largest employers, with Walmart announcing on Tuesday layoffs that will affect several hundred jobs at its campus offices, The Associated Press reported. “While the overall numbers are small in percentage, we are focused on supporting each of our associates affected by these changes,” Walmart Chief People Officer Donna Morris said of the layoffs in an internal memo obtained by FOX Business, adding that employees impacted by the change had already been informed and that the company will “work closely with them in the coming days and months to navigate the best path forward.” Walmart’s move followed similar announcements by Google, Tesla and Microsoft, according to Business Insider, with Tesla announcing a 10% cut to its workforce in April. Google cut about 12,000 jobs last year, with the report noting that those cuts have continued into 2024. FOX Business reported last year that Google and Microsoft are among the companies with the most approved H-1B petitions, with most of the visas going to workers from India and China. Amazon and IBM were among the other top companies to use the program, with Amazon having the most approved petitions of any company. The White House and USCIS did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
Watchdog group sues Biden agency for records as lawmaker calls its voter work ‘a slap in the face’
FIRST ON FOX: One week after Congress subpoenaed officials from the Small Business Administration regarding efforts to funnel resources to help register swing state voters, a top government watchdog group sued the agency for allegedly stonewalling its own public records requests on the matter. On Friday, The Oversight Project executive director Mike Howell and the Heritage Foundation sued the SBA, claiming the agency failed to comply with legal public records requests regarding the same “Memorandum of Understanding” entered into by the SBA and the Michigan Department of State. The Oversight Project, an initiative of the Heritage Foundation launched in 2022, seeks to engage in “aggressive oversight” of the federal government to investigate the implementation of so-called “radical leftist” policies and “destructive efforts” while ensuring accountability across the board. KEY BIDEN AGENCY SLAPPED WITH HISTORIC SUBPOENAS OVER ‘IMPROPER’ SWING-STATE VOTER REGISTRATION PUSH The lawsuit alleged the SBA did not provide documents sought under an April 23 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request relating to the memo, which included internal communications with the search terms “register,” “vote,” “voter” and “ballot.” In the filing, Howell’s team called the request a “matter of widespread and exceptional media interest in which there exists possible questions about the government’s integrity which affect public confidence.” In an interview with Fox News Digital, Oversight Project chief counsel Kyle Brosnan echoed Howell’s sentiment, saying there is public interest in analyzing in-person voter registration events the memo helped resource – as well as communications between Michigan Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office and the SBA. In March, the SBA announced its “first-ever” voter registration agreement with the Michigan agency. On May 7, the House Committee on Small Business issued a rare subpoena for SBA aides after what the panel claimed was in part a failure to forward documents relating to a program “diverting [agency] resources away from assisting Main Street” toward partisan ends. President Biden’s executive order 14019, on “Promoting Access to Voting,” was the keystone of the coordination, which led to concerns the agency was being used to register voters in a partisan manner in a key swing state. When asked if the lawsuit was a direct response to the subpoena brought by House Small Business Committee Chairman Roger Williams, R-Texas, Brosnan said there is overlap in their requests on both the FOIA front and an endeavor to conduct oversight of federal resources that may be being used in a controversial manner. “Based on what I’ve seen in public reporting, the Small Business Administration has not complied with Congress’ document requests. And, the committee subpoenaed these two SBA officials for depositions later this month after they did not appear for voluntary transcribed interviews,” he said. BIDEN ADMIN ACCUSED OF USING TAXPAYER FUNDS TO HELP HIS OWN CAMPAIGN WITH STUDENT VOTER REGISTRATION SCHEME “It’s curious that the Small Business Administration has entered an agreement with the Michigan secretary of state in this context, with the election this year.” When asked earlier this week about the lawsuit somewhat mirroring what he has sought, Williams told Fox News Digital his committee has “been working hard to hold the SBA accountable for improperly involving themselves in federal elections.” “The SBA’s mission of helping Main Street grow and thrive is simple, yet extremely important to our country. Unfortunately, they seem to be dedicating energy to serve as President Biden’s campaign arm to register Democrat voters in Michigan.” Williams called such behavior a “slap in the face” to struggling small business owners who rely on the SBA. In a March announcement for the voter registration agreement between Michigan and the SBA, agency administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman said “protecting and strengthening our democracy is critical to our economic success and a core goal of the Biden-Harris administration,” and that connecting Michiganders to voter registration information will help small business owners exercise their voting rights. Brosnan referenced a similar September inter-agency agreement announced by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Michigan to designate two Detroit and one Saginaw VA property as voter registration sites, while alluding to the fact that Michigan’s largest city is heavily Democratic, and Saginaw sits in a nearly-even swing district represented by a Democrat in Congress. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP When reached for comment on the lawsuit, the top Democrat on Williams’ panel, Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., expressed dismay at the subpoenas her committee recently issued, telling Fox News Digital in a statement that her committee has otherwise “prided itself in bipartisan cooperation to help American entrepreneurs.” “Unfortunately, with [these] subpoenas, Republicans have rejected these principles to pursue a partisan inquiry,” Velazquez said. A message left for Benson’s office was not returned by press time. Reached by phone, the SBA said it does not comment on ongoing legal matters. Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
Dem mocked after failed Senate bid cost him millions
A Democratic congressman who spent millions of his own money on a failed Senate bid is being mocked as a “loser” and “pathetic” after getting trounced by his closest rival. Rep. David Trone, D-Md., a wealthy co-founder of Total Wine & More, lost his state’s Democratic Senate primary to Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks by a double-digit margin on Tuesday despite spending around $60 million and holding a significant polling advantage early in the race. “Total Wine and More founder David Trone just spent approximately 5,922,000 bottles worth of Josh to lose a not-particularly close Senate primary,” one critic joked in a post on X, referencing a brand of wine. DEM NEWCOMER AIMS FOR HISTORY WITH PRIMARY WIN OVER WEALTHY CONTROVERSIAL CONGRESSMAN “David Trone spent $60M on a Democrat primary he isn’t going to come close to winning and Maryland has 6.1M residents, which means he could have given every person in MD $9.83 with the money that he wasted,” digital strategist Greg Price wrote. One critic posted a meme joking about how Trone would look realizing the “mistake” he made, and another referenced one of Trone’s previously reported controversies where he allegedly threatened to kill a delivery man at a Total Wine store. “David Trone spent $62,000,000 to lose a primary[.] I wonder how many staffers he’s threatening to ‘execute’ today[.] My DMs are open if David Trone is threatening to ‘f—ing end’ you,” the critic wrote. “Imagine being a billionaire who sells *booze* and you can’t get people to like you. Lmao Trone must be the biggest loser in history,” another critic joked, while another one wrote, “Over $60 million dollars down the drain for David Trone. Pretty sad and pathetic honestly.” RACIAL SLUR, ALLEGED THREAT TO ‘EXECUTE’ MAN: WATCH MOST OUTRAGEOUS MOMENTS FROM THIS DEM SENATE CANDIDATE Trone was no stranger to controversy on the campaign trail, or off it, and was frequently caught making wild statements. He once dropped a disparaging term for Black people while speaking during a House Budget Committee hearing about tax policy in March with Shalanda Young, the director of the Office of Budget and Management, who was testifying before the committee. “So this Republican jigaboo that – it’s the tax rate that’s stopping business investment, it’s just completely faulty by people who have never run a business,” he said. “They’ve never been there. They don’t have a clue what they’re talking about.” Trone attempted to play cleanup following his use of the word, telling Fox News Digital he misspoke while trying to use a different word. RILEY MOORE TROMPS OPPONENTS IN HEATED WEST VIRGINIA REPUBLICAN HOUSE PRIMARY On a more recent occasion, he yelled at a reporter who pressed him concerning a controversial remark he made on social media about police. The tense exhange happened during a campaign stop in Rockville, Maryland, where Trone expressed his anger about the outlet’s reporting from the previous day on his claim that an “increased police presence” does not make people feel safe. “You should be ashamed of the journalism that you did yesterday,” Trone said as he approached the reporter who had just asked him about his widely panned X post focused on crime and policing. In the post, Trone claimed the American justice system is “systemically racist,” and that an “increased police presence” doesn’t “make everyone feel safer.” “I should be ashamed? I’m not ashamed, congressman,” the reporter responded before Trone accused him of cherry-picking lines out of the post. “You took one line out of 20, and you should be ashamed of that type of journalism… You’re shilling for Larry Hogan, so keep shilling for Larry Hogan,” Trone railed against the reporter, accusing him of advocating for former Republican Maryland Gov. Hogan, who is the GOP nominee for Senate. Fox News Digital has reached out to Trone for comment. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.