Chinese citizen charged after allegedly voting illegally in key battleground state; vote will be counted
A Chinese citizen, who attends the University of Michigan, was charged for allegedly voting illegally in the key battleground state of Michigan – and that student’s vote will still be counted. A spokesperson for the Michigan Secretary of State confirmed to Fox News Digital that the Chinese citizen voted at a polling place at the University of Michigan Museum of Art on Sunday, Oct. 27. The state’s top authorities condemned the 19-year-old’s actions, saying that since the man is not a U.S. citizen, he cannot vote in federal elections. “Only U.S. citizens can register and vote in our elections. It is illegal to lie on any registration forms or voting applications about one’s citizenship status. Doing so is a felony,” Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit wrote in a joint statement. MILLIONS OF VOTERS HAVE ALREADY CAST BALLOTS FOR NOV. 5 ELECTION Despite the fact that the Chinese citizen’s ballot was cast illegally, it is expected to be counted in the upcoming election. Andrew McCarthy, a Fox News contributor and a former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, told Fox News Digital that it is expected to count because there is no way for election officials to retrieve it once it’s been put through a tabulator. “The thing is, because of the imperative of voter secrecy, the ballot does not have an identifying PIN number or other kind of identifying information that would enable somebody afterward to figure out who voted for whom,” he said. “That’s our dedication to the secret ballot.” “But what it means is if the person passes the identification and qualification aspect of the early voting and gets to fill out the ballot, the ballot then goes into a tabulator, and it gets counted because there’s no way to go back and retrieve it and say, ‘this is the ballot that shouldn’t have been voted.’ And that’s the problem here.” McCarthy said that the hope is that there is “enough election security that this will happen few enough times that it won’t affect the integrity of the results.” “But the other important thing, and I don’t think there’s enough of this, is it’s a violation of both state law and federal law for an alien to attest that he is an American citizen for purposes of being allowed to register to vote,” he said. “And then federally, at least, it’s a crime for a non-American to vote, at least if it’s done knowingly.” WHAT ARE ELECTION BETTING ODDS? EXPERT EXPLAINS WHY TRUMP IS CURRENT FAVORITE “You’ve got to bring these cases because people have to be aware that there’s a price to be paid if you vote illegally,” he said. “And if you don’t bring those cases, then you’re not really being serious about election integrity.” The Chinese citizen, whose identity was not released, was charged with perjury after making a false statement for the purpose of securing a voter registration and with being an unauthorized elector who attempted to vote. DOJ DEPLOYS DISTRICT ELECTIONS OFFICERS TO HANDLE ‘THREATS AND INTIMIDATION’ According to Michigan law, the unauthorized elector charge is a felony that is punishable by up to four years with a fine of up to $2,000. Democrat Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement that her office has launched an “independent, parallel investigation” into the situation. McCarthy highlighted why he believes voting in-person on Election Day is best – and the most secure option. “I think the safest way to vote and, frankly, the best way to vote, is on Election Day because it means that we’re all voting with the same information,” he said. “When you have people voting six weeks before the election, we’re not even voting with the same information because a lot of important things happen in the run-up to the election.” “But more importantly, for the purposes that we’re talking about, there was always a presumption in the law that said, for security purposes, we prefer that you come into the precinct on Election Day and vote. That’s how we can secure it the best,” he said. “What I think is terrible is we’ve not only gotten away from the idea that everybody should vote at the polls, but we’re now taking the next step. If you vote remotely, and you make an error, that, you know, progressive Democrats decide it’s trivial, even though it involves a procedure that’s in place precisely to protect the integrity of elections, we should forgive that, or it should be the government’s fault that you made the mistake.” “And I think that the position people ought to be taking, because this was always the position that was in our law, is come in and vote on Election Day. But if you don’t want to vote on Election Day and you want to take advantage of these other means of voting, fine. But every jot and tittle of the rules is for you to comply with.” Fox News Digital has reached out to the University of Michigan, the Michigan Attorney General’s office and the Department of Justice for comment.
Trump hits Wisconsin in garbage truck ‘in honor of Kamala and Joe Biden’
Former President Trump rolled up to the battleground state of Wisconsin in a garbage truck on Wednesday, an apparent reference to President Biden’s remarks about supporters of the Republican nominee, which has caused a firestorm for Vice President Kamala Harris in the final days of a hotly contested election. Trump was pictured in Green Bay inside a white garbage truck wearing an orange reflective vest with “Trump Make America Great Again 2024” emblazoned on the vehicle. “How do you like my garbage truck?” Trump asked reporters. “This truck is in honor of Kamala and Joe Biden.” TOP PUERTO RICAN OFFICIAL ENDORSES FORMER PRESIDENT AFTER COMIC’S RALLY SET RUFFLES FEATHERS The stunt is an apparent dig at Biden, who has come under fire for calling Trump supporters garbage. During a virtual Harris campaign call with Voto Latino, Biden took a swipe at former Trump’s weekend rally in Madison Square Garden, which made headlines after insult comedian Tony Hinchiffe made jokes mocking different ethnic groups, with one joke referring to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.” “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters,” Biden said. “His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable and it is un-American.” The comment quickly went viral and sparked swift condemnation from critics. BIDEN CALLS TRUMP SUPPORTERS ‘GARBAGE’ DURING HARRIS CAMPAIGN EVENT AS VP PROMISES UNITY AT ELLIPSE RALLY Biden’s remarks were quickly compared to Hillary Clinton, who declared that Trump supporters were “deplorables” during the 2016 presidential race. Trump himself reacted to the “terrible” comment from Biden while speaking at a rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania. SLOTKIN SLAMS FELLOW DEM BIDEN FOR ‘GARBAGE’ GAFFE AMID HEATED SENATE BATTLE “Remember Hillary? She said ‘deplorable’ and then said ‘irredeemable,’ right? But she said ‘deplorable.’ That didn’t work out. ‘Garbage’ I think is worse,” Trump said to his supporters at a rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania on Tuesday night. “But he doesn’t know- you have to please forgive him. Please forgive him. For he not knoweth what he said.” “And I’m convinced he likes me more than he likes Kamala,” Trump quipped. On Wednesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden doesn’t view Trump supporters as “garbage.” “He has said multiple times that he is a president for all. It doesn’t matter if in a red state. It doesn’t matter if you live in a blue state,” she said. Vivek Ramaswamy was also seen riding on the back of a garbage truck in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Wednesday. Ramaswamy, who threw his support to Trump after dropping out of the presidential race, wore a yellow reflective vest while greeting supporters.
Biden’s past comments about MAGA Republicans come back to haunt him as White House spins ‘garbage’ remarks
As White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre attempted to spin President Biden’s remark calling Trump supporters “garbage,” saying the “president for all” would never speak badly about people that support Trump, Biden’s former comments about MAGA Republicans are coming back to haunt him. During a press briefing on Wednesday, Jean-Pierre insisted that Biden was not calling Trump supporters garbage, but instead was calling comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s joke about Puerto Rico “garbage.” “He does not view Trump supporters or anybody who supports Trump as garbage. That is not what he views,” the press secretary said of Biden. “He has said multiple times that he is a president for all. It doesn’t matter if you live in a red state, it doesn’t matter if you live in a blue state. He has said it himself. I have said it on his behalf. He believes that he’s a president for all. And it doesn’t matter who you voted for, doesn’t matter if you voted for him or not. He’s a president for all. But hateful rhetoric, hateful rhetoric that he hears. And this is something that we’ve done many times from here. We will call that out. We will call that out.” WHITE HOUSE SEEKS TO PLAY CLEAN UP AFTER BIDEN CALLS TRUMP SUPPORTERS ‘GARBAGE’ During a virtual call with Voto Latino, Biden was asked about Trump’s rally in Madison Square Garden, which made headlines after Hinchcliffe told a joke, referring to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.” He responded by saying, “Donald Trump has no character. He doesn’t give a damn about the Latino community. He’s a failed businessman. He only cares about the billionaire friends that he has and accumulating wealth for those at the top. He says immigrants are poisoning the blood of our country – give me a break. He wants to do away with the birthright citizenship. Who the hell has said that in the last hundred years? And just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a ‘floating island of garbage.’ Well, let me tell you something. I don’t — I — I don’t know the Puerto Rican that — that I know — or a Puerto Rico, where I’m fr- — in my home state of Delaware, they’re good, decent, honorable people. The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters — his — his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American. It’s totally contrary to everything we’ve done, everything we’ve been.” Now the White House is insisting that Biden would not speak badly about people that support Trump, but his past comments about MAGA Republicans seem to say otherwise. On Sept. 5, 2022, Biden gave a Labor Day speech to workers in Milwaukee, where he went after MAGA Republicans and Trump supporters. WHITE HOUSE DENIES THAT BIDEN REFERRED TO TRUMP SUPPORTERS AS ‘GARBAGE’ “Look, extreme MAGA Republicans don’t just threaten our personal rights and our economic security, they embrace political violence,” Biden said before attempting to clear up that he was only talking about MAGA Republicans and not all Republicans. “The definition of democracy is you accept the will of the people when votes are honestly counted. These guys don’t do it.” He continued, referring to the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., and saying MAGA Republicans in Congress continue to defend the “mob” that stormed the building that day. “This was an attack on American democracy,” he said. “We have to be stronger and more determined and more committed to saving American democracy than the MAGA Republicans and that guy… who are destroying democracy, because democracy is at stake.” While speaking at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Forest Heights, Maryland, on Sept. 9, 2022, Biden sharpened his attacks against Trump and MAGA Republicans for posing a threat to democracy. TRUMP CALLS FOR SUPPORTS TO ‘FORGIVE’ BIDEN IN SHOW OF UNITY AFTER PRESIDENT CALLS SUPPORTERS ‘GARBAGE’ “Extreme MAGA Republicans just don’t threaten our personal and economic rights; they embrace political violence,” the president said. “Think about it. They refuse to accept the will of the people. They threaten our very democracy. They – and that’s not hyperbole – to this day, they defend the mob that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.” During an interview on Oct. 23, 2022, with MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart, Biden called out “mega MAGA” Republicans who “think it’s alright to threaten violence.” “I think we’re at one of those inflection points in history, where we’ve reached a point where there has been such a division that you have what I call the mega MAGA republicans, who think that it’s all right to threaten violence… think that’s not inappropriate, talk about how they are concerned about security but yet you saw what happened on Jan. 6, the whole world saw it.” BIDEN CALLS TRUMP SUPPORTERS ‘GARBAGE’ DURING HARRIS CAMPAIGN EVENT AS VP PROMISES UNITY AT ELLIPSE RALLY He said the country had a leader who concluded the truth didn’t matter, then used the old modern version of “the old racist kind of baiting,” seen 40 to 50 years ago, that Biden said, did not take it seriously. Biden attended a campaign reception in Tempe, Arizona on Sept. 28, 2023, where again, he singled out MAGA supporters and accused them of posing a threat to democracy. “Their extreme agenda, if carried out, would fundamentally alter the institutions of American democracy as we know it,” Biden said of MAGA republicans. “My friends, they’re not hiding their attacks; they’re openly promoting them. Attacking the free press as the enemy of the people. Attacking the rule of law as an impediment. Fomenting voter suppression and election subversion. “This MAGA threat is a threat to the brick and mortar of our democratic institutions,” he later told attendees. “It’s also a threat to the character of our nation that gives our Constitution life, that binds us together as Americans, a common cause. None of this is surprising, though. They’ve
Texas’ housing shortage is getting worse, report says
Texas builds more homes than other states but hundreds of thousands more are still needed, the report said, contributing to higher housing costs.
Trump super PAC launches $50m battleground state ad blitz to make ‘final pitch’ to voters
One of former President Trump’s largest super PACs on Wednesday launched a $50 million ad campaign across major cable networks and streaming service providers in all seven battleground states, making a “final pitch” to key voters in the final sprint to Election Day. The ads, slated to air beginning Wednesday night, were funded by Make America Great Again, Inc., (or MAGA, Inc.) and previewed exclusively to Fox News before their release. Each seeks to hit Vice President Kamala Harris by going after what the campaign views as her biggest weaknesses in the final stretch before the election. One ad, titled “Are You Okay?” features a clip from Harris’ remarks during the presidential debate against Trump this summer, when she spoke about her desire to put country over party. “As a prosecutor, I never asked, ‘are you a Republican or a Democrat,” she said then. “The only thing I ever asked is, ’are you okay?’” SUPREME COURT TEMPORARILY HALTS LOWER COURT RULING ORDERING 1,600 VOTERS BACK ON VIRGINIA VOTER ROLLS The clip shows voters watching the footage of Harris, and responding bluntly with their biggest complaints about the job market, inflation and immigration — areas the campaign views as Harris’ biggest weaknesses heading into Election Day. “I’m working three jobs to get by,” one person says in the ad. “Crime is out of control,” says another. The other ad, called “Broken Oath,” appears to blame Harris directly for a litany of national security and foreign policy crises that unfolded over the last four years under the Biden administration, before urging voters to support Trump. “Our troops, murdered. An open border. Crime in our streets. Skyrocketing costs. Assassination attempts,” a narrator says, adding, “We’re on the brink of World War III.” The Trump campaign has repeatedly sought to blame Harris for what it sees as the biggest failures of the Biden administration. Trump has frequently used this to hit his opponent on the campaign trail, telling voters at recent rallies, “Kamala broke it. I will fix it.” It is unclear how many of these policies — either at home or abroad — Harris could have exerted influence on in her role as vice president. Since April, MAGA, Inc. has spent roughly $325 million in support of Trump’s re-election campaign. SWING STATE’S SUPREME COURT ISSUES PIVOTAL RULING ON MAIL-IN BALLOTS SENT WITHOUT POSTMARK The super PAC has focused its resources primarily on boosting Trump’s standing in swing states — especially among voters in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Nevada — four states where Trump narrowly lost to Biden in 2020. Earlier this month, it announced $10 million in additional spending on ads aimed at winning over Black and Hispanic voters in these competitive districts — targeting voters living in the city centers of Detroit, Philadelphia and Atlanta. A spokesperson for the PAC told Fox News in a statement that the ads seek to drive home the message to voters that Trump will fix policy failings from the last four years. “Put simply: The American people are not okay,” Kaelan Dorr, a spokesperson for the PAC, told Fox News in a statement. Trump, he added, will “unite our country through success.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Arnold Schwarzenegger endorses Harris, Buzz Aldrin backs Trump
Bodybuilder and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger endorsed Kamala Harris for president Wednesday, while legendary Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin Eugene “Buzz” Aldrin Jr., gave his backing to former President Trump. The two endorsements come with just days left until Election Day with both campaigns stumping heavily in battleground states to shore up votes. Schwarzenegger, 77, who served as the Republican governor of California from 2003 to 2011, said he was putting country before politics by handing out his second-ever presidential endorsement. In 2016, he endorsed former Ohio Gov. John Kasich in that year’s Republican presidential primaries. GOP’S IN-PERSON VOTING SURGE UP AGAINST DEM DOMINANCE WITH MAIL-IN BALLOTS IN DEEP BLUE STATE “Let me be honest with you: I don’t like either party right now. My Republicans have forgotten the beauty of the free market, driven up deficits, and rejected election results. Democrats aren’t any better at dealing with deficits, and I worry about their local policies hurting our cities with increased crime,” Schwarzenegger wrote in a lengthy post on X. Schwarzenegger went on to rail about politicians failing to pass “comprehensive immigration reform” and then turned his ire towards former President Trump, calling for the country to “turn the page” on the 45th president, who he says “won’t respect your vote unless it is for him” and “will send his followers to storm the Capitol while he watches with a Diet Coke.” “Rejecting the results of an election is as un-American as it gets,” he wrote. “A candidate who has shown no ability to work to pass any policy besides a tax cut that helped his donors and other rich people like me but helped no one else…, a candidate who thinks Americans who disagree with him are the bigger enemies than China, Russia, or North Korea – that won’t solve our problems,” wrote Schwarzenegger, known for his role in several “Terminator” franchise movies. “It will just be four more years of bulls— with no results that makes us angrier and angrier, more divided, and more hateful,” he wrote before throwing his support behind the Harris-Walz ticket, without outlining any of their campaign policies he supports. Aldrin, 94, the second person to walk on the moon after mission commander Neil Armstrong according to NASA, threw his weight behind Trump, touting the former president’s efforts to elevate space exploration as a “policy of high importance again” and that his administration “reignited national efforts to get back to the Moon and push on to Mars.” HARRIS RESPONDS TO BIDEN ‘GARBAGE’ REMARK FOR FIRST TIME “The Trump Administration also reinstituted the National Space Council, and our Nation’s defense was enhanced with the creation of the U.S. Space Force – increasingly important as space becomes a contested domain,” Aldrin wrote on X. “At the same time, I have been enthused and excited by the great advancements in the private sector space economy, led by visionaries like Elon Musk. These are concrete accomplishments that align with my concerns and America’s policy priorities.” Aldrin said that former President Trump is the candidate who has the right attributes to lead America, which is facing “serious and difficult challenges both at home and abroad.” “The Presidency requires clarity in judgement, decisiveness, and calm under pressure that few have a natural ability to manage, or the life experience to successfully undertake. It is a job where decisions are made that routinely involve American lives – some urgently but not without thought,” Aldrin wrote. “For me, for the future of our country, to meet enormous challenges, and for the proven policy accomplishments above, I believe we are best served by voting for former President Trump. I wholeheartedly endorse him for President of the United States. Godspeed President Trump, and God Bless the United States of America.” Aldrin’s endorsement was welcomed by the former president, who commented on the show of support at a rally in North Carolina on Wednesday. “Buzz Aldrin, very respected, the great astronaut and highly respected. But I thought it was an unusual,” Trump said before straying to note that outlets like the Washington Post and Los Angeles Times have refused to make endorsements, which he said is a rejection of Vice President Harris. “But Buzz Aldrin is very interesting because a great astronaut… He’s a very sound man and great, looks fantastic. “What he said is ‘I’ve never endorsed anybody in my life before… This is the first time I’ve ever made an endorsement… I’m endorsing Donald J. Trump.’ Isn’t that nice? So thank you, Buzz Aldrin. And I like him, too. I’ve always admired him.” Fox News’ Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
Majority of veterans polled support re-election of Donald Trump: ‘We want Trump back’
A recent Pew Research Poll gives former President Donald Trump the lead with veterans nationwide over Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of Tuesday’s presidential election. The poll, conducted with 876 veteran registered voters, gave Trump or “Leans Trump” 61% of the key demographic’s support. Just 37% of the veterans polled responded that they support Vice President Kamala Harris. Veterans make up around 6% of the country, according to the Census Bureau, or about 16 million people per 2022 numbers. The number of veterans nationwide is steadily dwindling, with around 18% of the American population being veterans in 1980. BRIAN MAST: I’M A WOUNDED WARRIOR. I’VE SEEN DONALD TRUMP CARE FOR VETERANS. THAT’S WHY I’M VOTING FOR HIM Veterans 4 America First Institute, a nonprofit, reacted to the recent poll showing overwhelming support for Trump ahead of the 2024 presidential election in an interview with Fox News Digital. “The reason veterans are sticking with Trump, despite all the fake news, all the lies about Trump, is because veterans care about two things: results, and their pension,” said Darin Selnick, Air Force veteran and founder of Veterans 4 America First Institute to Fox News Digital. “And so with the VA, you know, veterans all over the country saying, ‘We want Trump back’ because the VA has gone downhill. We’re not getting our choice of staff or not being accountable,” said Selnick. The Mission Act and the Accountability Acts passed under former President Trump allowed for veterans to seek private providers outside the VA as well as hold poorly performing VA staff accountable. The Veterans 4 America First Institute’s mission statement is “to preserve and expand our nation’s commitment to our veterans, military, and their families through public education and advocacy.” VA BACK PAID HUNDREDS OF FIRED EMPLOYEES, REPORT CLAIMS, AS AGENCY SAYS IT’LL ‘ENSURE’ BAD ACTORS CAN’T RETURN According to Pew, 60% of veterans cast their ballots in 2020 for Former President Trump, and 39% voted for Joe Biden. This most recent poll more accurately reflects 2016 veteran numbers when 61% voted for Trump and only 35% voted for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. According to Selnick, a former Captain in the Air Force, veterans have not relied on news or polls to come to their decision about supporting Trump. “They saw the difference, and [veterans are] going to stick with Trump. They also saw in terms of the bigger picture of the country. They saw what happened in Afghanistan. They saw what Trump did, how he got rid of ISIS. They saw what he did on foreign policy, saw what he was doing, how it worked… They’ve seen with their own eyes,” said Selnick. In the ill-fated Afghanistan withdrawal in 2021 under President Biden, 13 American service members died from a bombing at Abbey Gate on Aug. 26. During the dignified transfer of many of these service members, mostly Marines, President Biden was seen checking his watch. Many of the Gold Star families affected by this tragic bombing support former President Donald Trump in his re-election bid, including Darin Hoover and Kelly Barnett, who invited him to lay a wreath at their son Sgt Taylor Hoover’s grave site at Arlington National Cemetery a few months ago. Selnick encourages more veterans to show up to the polls next week and participate in the 2024 presidential election, saying, “Although veterans are not a large percentage of the population, they have family members; people who support veterans are a big percentage of the population. When you take those into account, you know their vote is going to be influenced by what their veteran family members and friends and those who just support veterans, the military in general think as well.” However, Selnick also encourages Americans not to lose interest in veterans’ opinions after the election with Veterans Day just around the corner. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “With Veterans Day coming up, we recognize the debt we owe veterans every year on Nov. 11. And so it’s important to understand what those who defend us think and what they believe and what their opinions are, but also their family members, their friends and those who support veterans as well,” said Selnick.
Biden’s ‘garbage’ comment sends Dem senators scrambling in key swing state races: ‘Strongly disagrees’
President Biden sparked a political firestorm Tuesday after calling supporters of former President Trump “garbage,” which could spell trouble for several incumbent Democratic senators running for re-election in key swing states where Trump is popular. Fox News Digital reached out to five Democratic senators — Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Montana Sen. Jon Tester, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen, Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey and Arizona Senate candidate Ruben Gallego — for comment on Biden’s remarks. “Tammy Baldwin does not agree with President Biden,” Andrew Mamo, Tammy Baldwin’s campaign spokesman, told Fox News Digital. “Tammy is fighting for all Wisconsinites no matter who they are or who they vote for.” JD VANCE CALLS OUT HARRIS DONOR WHO DOUBLED DOWN ON BIDEN’S ‘GARBAGE’ COMMENT A Rosen spokesperson told Fox News Digital, “Sen. Rosen strongly disagrees with disparaging anyone based on who they vote for. As one of the most bipartisan and independent senators, she works hard to find common ground across party lines and represent all Nevadans.” “Jon Tester doesn’t agree with those comments and is proud to have the support of Montanans of all political stripes, including those who are voting for Donald Trump,” said Monica Robinson, spokesperson for Montanans for Tester. FROM BIDEN’S ‘GARBAGE’ TO TRUMP’S ‘LOSERS.’ MAKING SENSE OF POLITICAL INSULTS IN 2024 “Sherrod doesn’t agree with that and fights for all Ohioans, regardless of who they vote for,” Brown campaign spokesperson Matt Keyes told Fox News Digital. “I am running to represent all Arizonans, regardless of who they vote for,” Gallego told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Sen. Casey respects all Pennsylvanians regardless of how they vote,” Casey campaign spokesperson Maddy McDaniel told Fox News Digital. Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin, running for Senate in the swing state of Michigan, spoke in opposition of Biden’s comment too. FORMER JILL BIDEN STAFFER TORCHES WHITE HOUSE’S ‘BONEHEAD’ ATTEMPT TO TRANSCRIBE BIDEN’S ‘GARBAGE’ COMMENT “He shouldn’t have said it. It’s inappropriate,” Slotkin said during an appearance on local radio Wednesday morning. “For me, I just think that kind of talk is the last thing we need in our politics.” While all the Democrats Fox News Digital reached out to condemned Biden’s “garbage” comment, some have disparaged Trump supporters, including Gallego and Brown. Gallego previously called Trump supporters “dumb” and the “worst people in the world.” Brown accused Trump’s supporters of “racism” and said it “works for them.” During a virtual Kamla Harris campaign call with Voto Latino, Biden took a swipe at former President Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden, which made headlines after insult comedian Tony Hinchiffe made jokes mocking different ethnic groups. In one joke, he referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.” “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters,” Biden said. “[Trump’s] demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it is un-American.” His remarks were quickly likened to Hillary Clinton’s labeling of half of Trump supporters as belonging in “a basket of deplorables” in 2016, a comment that was widely seen as undermining her campaign. The White House attempted to clean up Biden’s remark. White House spokesperson Andrew Bates told Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich President Biden “referred to the hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally as ‘garbage.’” “The president was referencing a joke by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe in which he likened Puerto Rico to an island of floating ‘garbage’ in the middle of the ocean,” he said. “So just to clarify, he was not calling Trump supporters garbage, which is why he put this out and is why he wanted to make sure that we put out a statement that clarified what he meant and what he was trying to say. And, so, just want to make that very clear for folks who are watching,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Wednesday. VP Kamala Harris distanced herself from Biden’s remarks Tuesday. “I think that, first of all, he clarified his comments, but let me be clear. I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for,” Harris said. Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report
‘Apprentice’ alumni, including season winner, support Trump in election’s closing days: ‘grateful’
A group of 11 former contestants on “The Apprentice” have issued a public letter backing Donald Trump for president in response to a letter from fellow alumni who released a statement declaring their support for Kamala Harris. The letter, spearheaded by Kendra Todd, winner of Season 3, said the signers felt compelled to respond to the Harris letter after their fellow contestants claimed “to have spoken to dozens of their fellow contestants to confirm we shared their observations of Trump’s character.” “It is disappointing and shameful that these contestants would use the platform that Donald Trump gave them to attack him in this manner,” the letter reads. “Is this the thanks he gets for literally changing the trajectory of our lives?” Todd, now a real estate broker, told Fox News Digital, “What bothered me the most with how they claimed that they spoke with dozens of us former contestants on the show and they believed that they represent the majority of the cast mates. And I simply just do not believe that to be true.” The letter supporting Harris, obtained by Politico, was signed by four contestants, a producer, and a casting manager. The signers said they got to see Trump up close and saw a man who “embodied charisma and salesmanship.” HARRIS RESPONDS TO BIDEN ‘GARBAGE’ REMARK FOR FIRST TIME “But our extended up-close-and-personal experiences with Donald also revealed his serial history as a divisive, self-interested and erratic leader with a fragile ego,” the pro-Harris letter read. “We saw first-hand how he demanded one-way loyalty, the trail of his broken promises, his willingness to lie and take advantage of people, and how virulently he lashed out whenever he was triggered by even the slightest of criticisms.” The letter argued that America needs a leader who is “oriented towards a brighter, solutions-oriented future.” “America needs stable leadership, achieved through actual character rather than world-class TV editing. That’s why we will be voting for Vice President Kamala Harris on November 5th.” While conceding their First Amendment rights, Todd told Fox News Digital she regarded it as a “betrayal of the way they went after his character and just how disingenuous they were for the opportunity that he gave them.” “You have to remember we filmed this … 20 years ago. So, we’ve known him on and off for a very long time. And nothing they say in that letter is consistent with the man that any of us know,” Todd said. “So, we just felt that we needed to come out publicly and say that that is not the majority opinion of those who were on the show. We’re grateful for the opportunity. We’re grateful for what he’s done for our country. And we stand in support of Donald Trump.” The Apprentice debuted in 2004. It ran for 15 seasons.
House Republicans accuse White House of releasing ‘false transcript’ of Biden’s ‘garbage’ remarks
EXCLUSIVE: House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik and House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer accuse the White House of releasing a false transcript of President Biden’s remarks in which he apparently referred to supporters of former President Trump as “garbage,” warning that the revision could violate the Presidential Records Act. Fox News Digital obtained a letter Stefanik, R-N.Y., and Comer, R-Ky., sent to White House counsel Edward Siskel Wednesday afternoon in which they demand records relating to the remarks and the transcript are preserved. “In less than one week, the American people will determine the winner of the 2024 presidential election. They will choose between two candidates: President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. President Biden — marred by unpopular policies, scandal, and apparent cognitive deterioration — has chosen not to pursue a second term in office,” they wrote. “President Biden, however, has continued to play a prominent role in Vice President Harris’s campaign and, indeed, is the most powerful mouthpiece for the Biden-Harris Administration’s policies and views that Ms. Harris presumably seeks to continue under a hypothetical Harris-Walz Administration.” BIDEN CALLS TRUMP SUPPORTERS ‘GARBAGE’ DURING HARRIS CAMPAIGN EVENT AS VP PROMISES UNITY AT ELLIPSE RALLY Stefanik and Comer pointed to Biden’s remarks Tuesday night, saying, “Americans were rightfully insulted, then, when President Biden, seeking to boost Ms. Harris’ presidential campaign, referred to an enormous swath of the country as “floating … garbage.” “President Biden’s vindictive words were unsurprising, given his previous statements regarding people who choose not to vote for his preferred candidate,” they wrote. “Unsurprising too were the White House’s actions after he said them.” Stefanik and Comer said the White House, “instead of apologizing or clarifying President Biden’s words,” sought to “change them (despite them being recorded on video) by releasing a false transcript of his remarks.” “The move is not only craven, but it also appears to be in violation of federal law, including the Presidential Records Act of 1978,” they wrote. “White House staff cannot rewrite the words of the President of the United States to be more politically on message.” The letter comes after President Biden spoke during a Zoom call with Voto Latino, one of the largest Latino voter and civic outreach organizations in the U.S. Tuesday. Biden was asked about a comment made Sunday during a Trump rally at Madison Square Garden in which comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.” Biden replied, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.” The White House has since denied that Biden called Trump supporters “garbage” and claimed the comment was taken out of context. The White House, on Wednesday, released a transcript of Biden’s remarks. The official White House transcript says, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter’s — his — his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American.” White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates sought to clarify Biden’s remarks, saying, “The president referred to the hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally as ‘garbage.’” TRUMP CALLS FOR SUPPORTERS TO ‘FORGIVE’ BIDEN IN SHOW OF UNITY AFTER PRESIDENT CALLS SUPPORTERS ‘GARBAGE’ And the president tweeted in the same vein. “Earlier today I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump’s supporter at his Madison Square Garden rally as garbage—which is the only word I can think of to describe it,” Biden posted to X. “His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable. That’s all I meant to say. The comments at that rally don’t reflect who we are as a nation.” Now, Vice President Kamala Harris is seeking to distance herself from the remarks, but she’s also defending the president, saying he “clarified his comments.” “But let me be clear, I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for,” Harris said. Harris, referring to her Tuesday night speech from the Ellipse near the White House, reiterated Wednesday how voters will decide “who we are as a nation and whether we are going to be a nation of people who attempt to unify and break through this era of divisiveness, or are we going to be a nation of people who have a president stewing in the Oval Office over his enemies list. ‘TREATED YOU LIKE GARBAGE’: TRUMP USES BIDEN CRITICISM AS RALLYING CRY IN BATTLEGROUND NORTH CAROLINA “You heard my speech last night and continuously throughout my career,” Harris said. “I believe that the work that I do is about representing all the people, whether they support me or not, and as President of the United States, I will be a president for all Americans whether you vote for me or not.” The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. In their letter to White House counsel, Stefanik and Comer wrote, “Though President Biden’s relevance continues to diminish, his words continue to matter, even as they become increasingly divisive and erratic.” Stefanik and Comer demanded the White House “retain and preserve all documents and internal communications regarding President Biden’s statement and the release of the inaccurate transcript.” “We also demand that the White House issue a corrected transcript with the accurate words,” they wrote. Trump, at a rally in North Carolina Wednesday, said Biden and Harris have “treated our whole country like garbage.” “My response to Joe and Kamala is very simple: You can’t lead America if you don’t love Americans,” Trump declared. “And you can’t be president if you hate the American people, and there’s a lot of hatred there.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.