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.
Trump camp takes victory lap following election case legal win in battleground state
The Trump campaign notched a legal victory on Wednesday, when a Pennsylvania court issued an injunction extending mail-in ballot applications by one day following a lawsuit from the Trump campaign. “PENNSYLVANIA LAWSUIT VICTORY We just won the Trump Campaign/RNC lawsuit against Bucks County, PA. We will now have extended early in-person mail-voting through November 1st — three extra days. We will keep fighting. Go vote! Stay in line!” Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley posted to X on Wednesday. Fox News Digital obtained a copy of the injunction, which detailed that the Bucks County Board of Elections violated the Pennsylvania Elections Code when officials turned voters away on Oct. 29 after 5 p.m. as they attempted to apply and obtain mail-in ballots before the deadline. VOTER REGISTRATION PROBES LAUNCHED IN CRUCIAL KEYSTONE STATE COUNTIES AMID CLAIMS OF POTENTIAL FRAUD The Bucks County Court of Common Please ruled that voters who wish to apply and obtain a mail-in ballot are able to do so before the close of business on Nov. 1. Bucks County is a key area of the battleground state, nestled outside of Philadelphia in the suburbs. “We have heard that we won this lawsuit, and Bucks County has extended pre-Election Day voting through November 1. This is a landmark victory that will allow our voters to cast those votes pursuant to Pennsylvania law. The RNC will leave no stone unturned in ensuring a fair, accurate and secure and transparent election, not just for Republican voters, but for all voters,” Whatley added during a press call on Wednesday. TRUMP, HARRIS MAKE FINAL PITCHES TO VOTERS IN HIGH-STAKES BATTLEGROUND STATE IN FINAL DAYS OF CYCLE Trump sued the Bucks County Board of Elections on Tuesday, claiming officials turned away voters who were waiting in line to apply in-person for a mail ballot. When the 5 p.m. deadline hit, the voters still in line were denied the opportunity to apply and ordered to leave, according to the suit. ‘PULLING AN ALVIN BRAGG’: LEFT-WING DA’S ‘FLIMSY’ SUIT AGAINST ELON MUSK’S $1M GIVEAWAY SLAMMED BY EXPERT “This is a direct violation of Pennsylvanians’ rights to cast their ballot – and all voters have a right to STAY in line,” the Trump campaign said in a statement. The Republican National Committee and Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick’s campaign had joined the lawsuit against Bucks County’s BOE. Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt also celebrated the legal history during a call with the press on Wednesday. “Just two days ago, a Trump supporter was arrested in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, for encouraging voters to stay in line, and we have seen multiple other instances of voters being turned away early in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. That’s why last night, the Trump campaign and the RNC we filed a lawsuit against Bucks County to provide more early voting opportunities, and we just won that lawsuit just about 30 minutes ago,” Leavitt said. “We have engaged in more than 130 election integrity lawsuits across the country this cycle. Our goal is to make it easier to vote and harder to cheat, and we are going to continue to fight for that until the last ballot is counted. Today’s big victory really represents a defeat for the Democrats’ voter suppression efforts. They are seeing the early voting numbers from Republicans in key states across the country, and we are very much again, focused on securing the vote for all Americans,” she continued. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
‘No such promise’: Johnson blasts Dem accusations he vowed to end ObamaCare as ‘dishonest’
EXCLUSIVE: Former President Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., are not promising to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as part of the Republicans’ policy plan for 2025, the House GOP leader suggested to Fox News Digital. “Despite the dishonest characterizations from the Harris campaign, the audio and transcript make clear that I offered no such promise to end ObamaCare, and in fact acknowledged that the policy is ‘deeply ingrained’ in our health care system,” Johnson told Fox News Digital. “Still, House Republicans will always seek to reduce the costs and improve the quality and availability of health care for all Americans. Anyone who has been a patient or known a loved one who has struggled with health issues understands why this is so important.” It comes amid a barrage of accusations from Democrats that Republicans want to end the ACA, popularly known as ObamaCare. SPEAKER JOHNSON RIPS ‘LACK OF LEADERSHIP’ IN BIDEN ADMIN’S HELENE RESPONSE: ‘ALARMED AND DISAPPOINTED’ “This is not President Trump’s policy position,” Trump national press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital. “As President Trump has said, he will make our health care system better by increasing transparency, promoting choice and competition, and expanding access to new affordable health care and insurance options.” A spokesperson for Johnson told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that the speaker’s position “is in line with President Trump’s.” Trump himself has not proposed a detailed health care platform for the 2024 race. A video of Johnson saying to voters in Pennsylvania, “Health care reform is going to be a big part of the agenda” if Republicans win the White House and Congress, went viral on Tuesday. Toward the end of the clip, shared with NBC News, someone can be heard asking, “No ObamaCare?” Johnson appeared to repeat the question, “No ObamaCare?” and then explained, “The ACA is so deeply ingrained, we need massive reform to make this work, and we’ve got a lot of ideas on how to do that.” JON STEWART ADMITS HE FINDS WIDELY CRITICIZED TRUMP RALLY COMEDIAN FUNNY “If you take government bureaucrats out of the health care equation, and you have doctor-patient relationships, it’s better for everybody, more efficient, more effective. That’s the free market. Trump is going to be for the free market,” Johnson said. “We want to take a blowtorch to the regulatory state.” Democrats interpreted Johnson’s remarks as affirming Republicans will end ObamaCare and seized on the moment. “Health care is on the ballot this November. Speaker Mike Johnson is making it clear – if Donald Trump wins, he and his Project 2025 allies in Congress will make sure there is ‘no ObamaCare.’ That means higher health care costs for millions of families and ripping away protections from Americans with preexisting conditions like diabetes, asthma or cancer,” Harris campaign spokesperson Sarafina Chitika said Tuesday evening. That was followed by a similar statement by House Democrats’ campaign arm on Wednesday morning. “Take it from Mike Johnson himself, the choice before voters this election is clear: Democrats who will fight to lower health costs and expand access to affordable health care or Republicans who want to raise the cost of medicine and deny health insurance to millions of Americans,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) spokesperson Viet Shelton said. CLUB FOR GROWTH POURS $5M INTO TIGHT HOUSE RACES AS GOP BRACES FOR TOUGH ELECTION Johnson’s spokesperson told Fox News Digital “the characterization of his remarks by the Harris campaign is false and not substantiated by the audio.” “Harris’ desperation now has her lying about Speaker Johnson,” the spokesperson also said, adding that the evidence makes “clear that the Speaker made no such promise.” Republicans tried and failed to repeal the ACA during Trump’s first term in office. A vote in the then-GOP-controlled Senate in 2017 failed when three Republican senators – including, notably, the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. – voted with Democrats against doing so.
Illegal Immigration status revealed in shooting of Jewish man in Dem-controlled city
The suspect charged with shooting a Jewish man multiple times on his way to a Chicago synagogue last week is a Mauritanian illegal immigrant who was released into the U.S. last year, Fox News has confirmed. Four law enforcement sources say that Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi, a Mauritanian national, was apprehended in Border Patrol’s San Diego Sector in March 2023 and was released into the U.S. Police say he attacked the 39-year-old male victim on Saturday morning in Chicago’s West Rogers Park neighborhood. Police said that the suspect was identified less than 30 minutes after the shooting, at which point he allegedly shot at responders before police “returned fire, striking the offender.” The victim, who was wearing traditional Jewish clothing, survived the attack. JEWISH COMMUNITY ‘SHAKEN’ AFTER CHICAGO MAN SHOT ON WAY TO SYNAGOGUE, ATTACKER FIRED AT POLICE Police said they recovered a weapon from the scene and that Abdallahi was “placed into custody, transported to an area hospital and subsequently charged accordingly.” Abdallahi is facing 14 felony counts, including six counts of attempted murder. Mauritania is a majority Muslim country in northwest Africa. The Department of Homeland Security deems illegal immigrants from Mauritania as “special interest aliens” due to security concerns, and they are supposed to receive additional DHS vetting. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had initially told Fox News Digital that it had no interaction with him. Law enforcement sources say that there is detainer request on Abdallahi — a request that he is transferred to ICE custody in the event of his release — but that “sanctuary” policies in Cook County, Illinois, prohibit local authorities from cooperating with it. Local Jewish leaders believe this was a targeted hate crime, but no hate crime charges have been filed as of now. There has been a significant increase in Mauritanian arrivals, putting pressure on towns like Lockland, Ohio, where more than 3,000 migrants have arrived in the village of 3,500. A Washington Post analysis in June found that over 15,000 residents from Mauritania came to the U.S. last year, a 2,800% increase over 2022, when just 543 arrived. The incident taps into ongoing concerns about the potential for terrorists to come across the southern border, amid the massive numbers of migrants who have come across during the border crisis. SCATHING REPORT REVEALS BIDEN-HARRIS ADMIN HAS RELEASED DOZENS OF MIGRANTS ON TERROR WATCHLIST INTO U A House report in August found that of the more than 250 illegal immigrants on the terrorist watchlist who were encountered by Border Patrol at the southwest border between fiscal years 2021 and 2023, DHS released at least 99, with at least 34 others in DHS custody but not yet removed from the U.S. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE The staff interim report also found that immigration judges granted bond to at least 27 migrants on the watchlist who entered illegally, and that Border Patrol has encountered tens of thousands of migrants from countries that could present national security risks — including 2,134 Afghan nationals, 33,347 Chinese nationals, 541 Iranian nationals, 520 Syrian nationals and 3,104 Uzbek nationals. “That does not include the untold numbers of potential terrorists that evaded Border Patrol to enter the United States as part of nearly 2 million ‘gotaways’ since the beginning of the Biden-Harris Administration,” the report says. That threat from foreign nationals hit the headlines this month when authorities announced the arrest of an Afghan national, accused of plotting an Election Day terror plot, who had been paroled into the U.S. amid the hasty U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Fox News’ Greg Norman contributed to this report.
‘Treated you like garbage’: Trump uses Biden criticism as rallying cry in battleground North Carolina
Former President Trump said the Biden-Harris administration has treated the American people and “our whole country like garbage,” claiming that it’s now clear what President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris “really think of our supporters.” Trump held a rally Wednesday afternoon in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, just a day after Harris made her final pitch to voters in a speech from Washington, D.C. The vice president’s address was quickly overshadowed by Biden’s remarks during a Zoom call with Voto Latino on Tuesday. BIDEN CALLS TRUMP SUPPORTERS ‘GARBAGE’ DURING HARRIS CAMPAIGN EVENT AS VP PROMISES UNITY AT ELLIPSE RALLY During the call with the group, which is one of the largest Latino voter and civic outreach organizations in the U.S., 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. During the rally Wednesday, Trump said Harris has been “comparing her political opponents to the most evil mass murderers in history, and now, speaking on a call for her campaign last night, Joe Biden finally said what he and Kamala really think of our supporters.” “He called them garbage – and they mean it, even though, without question, my supporters are far higher quality than crooked Joe and Lyin’ Kamala,” Trump told supporters. But Trump said he had a response for the president and vice president. “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.” TRUMP CALLS FOR SUPPORTERS TO ‘FORGIVE’ BIDEN IN SHOW OF UNITY AFTER PRESIDENT CALLS SUPPORTERS ‘GARBAGE’ Trump said Harris is “not fit to be president of the United States.” “She doesn’t have the intellect, the stamina, or that special quality that real leaders must have to lead. We know what that is. It’s a special power,” he said. “Joe Biden, his comments were the direct result of Kamala and Tim Walz.” Trump decried Biden’s “decision to portray everyone who isn’t voting for them as evil or subhuman.” “They’re not subhuman. I look at it, you are not subhuman, and we know it’s what they believe, because look how they’ve treated you,” Trump said. “They’ve treated you like garbage… You know what the truth is? They have treated our whole country like garbage, whether they meant to or not, because they’re grossly incompetent people, and they’ve destroyed our country.” Trump also blasted Harris and the Democrats for their insults of Republicans “for the past nine years.” “Kamala and her party have called us racists, bigots, fascists, deplorables, irredeemable Nazis, and they’ve called me Hitler,” Trump said. “You know, many years ago, I had a father, a great guy, was a strong guy, a legitimate guy, strong. But, you know, he always used to tell me, ‘Never use the word Nazi. Never use the word Hitler.’ Now we’re called Nazis, and I’m called Hitler. I’m not Hitler.” Trump reflected on his father, saying, “He’s looking down. Well, my mother, I know she’s looking down. My father’s a little questionable because he was a little rough. I think he’s looking down… He’d say, ‘Can you imagine? That’s what they’re calling my son? I told him for years, literally never use the term ‘Nazis,’ ‘Hitler.’ Now they’re using it on us.’ It’s unbelievable.” Trump added: “They’ve bullied you, they’ve demeaned us, they’ve demonized us and censored us… and weaponized the power of our own government against us.” Harris on Wednesday responded to Biden’s remark, defending the president and saying he “clarified his comments.” “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. Harris, referring to her Tuesday night speech from the Ellipse near the White House, reiterated on 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 breakthrough 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?” “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.” Harris told reporters she spoke with Biden Tuesday night but his “garbage” comment did not come up during their conversation. “He did call me last night, but this didn’t come up,” Harris said. Meanwhile, in North Carolina, Trump pitched voters, vowing to “end inflation. I will stop the massive invasion of criminals into our country. And I will bring back a thing called the American Dream.” “Our country will be bigger, better, bolder, richer, safer and stronger than ever before,” he said. “And this election is a choice between whether we will have four more years of gross incompetence and failure, or whether we’ll begin the greatest four years of the history of our country.”