Who are the most vulnerable Senate Republicans in 2026?
There are 35 U.S. Senate seats up for election in 2026, with at least four battleground states expected to decide the balance of power – and whether Republicans maintain control of all three branches of government during the second half of President Donald Trump‘s term. In 2025, Republicans control the Senate 53-47, including two independent senators who caucus with the Democrats. Republican Sens. Thom Tillis, Susan Collins, Jon Husted, John Cornyn and Bill Cassidy could all face fierce fights to maintain their U.S. Senate seats next year. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) announced in January that Sen. Kristen Gillibrand, D-N.Y., will chair the DSCC with Sens. Mark Kelly, Adam Schiff and Lisa Blunt Rochester as vice chairs during the 2026 election cycle. The DSCC has not yet announced their target races for next year. “Democrats have a Senate map that is ripe with offensive opportunities, particularly when coupled with the building midterm backlash against Republicans. Republicans have more seats to defend, and they’re doing it in a hostile political environment,” DSCC Spokesman David Bergstein said in a statement to Fox News Digital. GOP GEARS UP TO CHALLENGE GEORGIA’S DEM SENATOR IN STATE TRUMP WON BY 2% As the party in power tends to struggle more during the midterm elections, Democrats are already identifying “offensive opportunities” to regain Republican Senate seats. “I am confident that we will protect our Democratic seats, mount strong challenges in our battleground races, and look to expand our efforts into some unexpected states. Over the course of my career, I’ve won in red and purple places, and I look forward to helping the next generation of Senate candidates do the same,” Gillibrand said when she was named DSCC chair. ‘WE ARE BULLISH’: HOUSE GOP TAKES AIM AT THESE 26 DEM SEATS IN MIDTERMS Sen. Thom Tillis was censured by the North Carolina Republican Party in 2023 for reportedly veering from Republican ideology on gun control policies, LGBTQ+ and immigrant rights. Tillis is considered a moderate Republican for his commitment to Ukraine funding, support for gun control legislation that expanded background checks and implemented red flag laws, voting to codify same-sex marriage and supporting legal pathways for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients. The bipartisan senator was first elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2020. He went against his more conservative colleagues by voting to certify former President Joe Biden‘s victory over Trump in 2020. Tillis has fallen in line with Republicans in 2025 by voting to confirm Trump’s cabinet nominees, even as some expressed concern over his more controversial picks. However, that does not mean Tillis has been able to escape the ire of Trump’s orbit. “Thom Tillis is running 20 points behind DJT in North Carolina. We’re going to need a new senate candidate in NC unless we want to hand the gavel back to Schumer,” a political advisor to Donald Trump Jr., Arthur Schwartz, said on X earlier this month. The Cook Political Report, a top nonpartisan political handicapper, rated Tillis’ 2026 re-election bid as “lean Republican.” Maine has long been a political outlier as one of only two states to split its electoral votes for the presidential election. Former Vice President Kamala Harris won Maine in 2024, but Trump still secured one electoral vote for winning Congressional District 2. Republican Sen. Susan Collins is considered another moderate Republican – which could serve her once again in the politically split state. Collins voted against the Senate confirmations of Trump’s nominees for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and FBI Director Kash Patel. She has not shied away from criticizing Trump either, slamming his Jan. 6 pardons and proposed cuts to the National Institutes of Health grants. Collins has been a U.S. senator since 1996, surviving many primary and general election challenges from both sides of the political aisle. She became the first Republican woman to win a fifth term in the Senate in 2020. She is already facing two 2026 challengers – Democrat Natasha Alcala and Independent Phillip Rench. Maine’s Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who sparred with Trump over transgender athletes playing in women’s sports, has not ruled out a run for Collins’ Senate seat. The Cook Political Report also rated Collins’ race “lean Republican.” Ohio’s Republican Sen. Jon Husted finds himself in a unique position heading into the 2026 midterms. He was appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine on Jan. 17, 2025 to fill the vacancy left by Vice President JD Vance. Husted is Ohio’s former lieutenant governor. He also served as Ohio’s secretary of state and as a state legislator. Because Husted was not elected U.S. senator, he will need to campaign in 2026 for the special election. If he wins, Husted will retain his seat and complete the remainder of Vance’s term – through 2029. Rumors swirled that DeWine could choose Trump-ally Vivek Ramaswamy to replace Vance this year, but the moderate Republican governor ultimately chose his politically similar ally. Meanwhile, Ramaswamy has launched his own bid for Ohio governor. The race is rated “likely Republican” by The Cook Political Report. Sen. John Cornyn has been the senator for Texas since 2002. While Cornyn is solidly conservative and has supported Trump, he has expressed private disagreement with the president on issues such as budget deficits and border security. Cornyn is already gearing up for tough potential primary challenges from Trump-ally Rep. Wesley Hunt and conservative Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Both Hunt and Paxton have not formally announced campaigns to primary the long-time Texas senator, but both candidates would set up a competitive race for Cornyn to keep his seat. The race is ranked “solid Republican” by The Cook Political Report with some GOP infighting expected if Hunt or Paxton announce Senate campaigns. Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy is also expected to face a tough primary challenge in 2026. John Fleming, the Louisiana state treasurer and former representative, has declared a Senate bid. Rep. Clay Higgins, who was also expected to challenge Cassidy, announced on Thursday that he will not pursue a Senate
Elon Musk hands out million-dollar checks amid ‘super important’ Wisconsin judicial race
Billionaire Elon Musk handed out a pair of $1 million checks to voters in Wisconsin on Sunday in an effort to galvanize conservatives ahead of the state’s Supreme Court elections on Tuesday. Musk handed out the checks at a town hall in Greenbay, Wisconsin, after the state Supreme Court declined to intervene in the giveaway. The recipients of the checks were each voters who had signed a petition calling for an end to “activist judges.” “Judges should be simply interpreting the law and not making the law,” Musk said at the rally. “We just want judges to be judges, you know, which is the reasonable thing to ask for. We’re obviously seeing some crazy stuff in D.C. where, you know, it seems like any federal judge can stop any action by the President of the United States. This is insane. This has got to stop.” Wisconsin Democrats had sought to prevent Musk from handing out his checks, arguing he was illegally buying votes. State Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat, was struck down by two lower courts on the issue before the state’s supreme court declined to even hear the case. The court has a 4-3 liberal majority. DOGE DEPUTY, TREASURY SECRETARY DISH ON CRUSADE TO PULL THE IRS OUT OF ITS ‘REALLY BIG HOLE’ Wisconsin voters will head to the polls on Tuesday to decide the court’s new makeup in an election that Musk has described as “super important.” Musk’s attorneys argued in court filings that the payments are “intended to generate a grassroots movement in opposition to activist judges, not to expressly advocate for or against any candidate.” The effort echoed Musk’s similar program of offering $1 million checks in battleground states ahead of the presidential election last year. In that case, a judge in Pennsylvania similarly said prosecutors failed to show the effort was an illegal lottery and allowed it to continue through Election Day. Musk’s campaign is in support of Brad Schimel, Republican former attorney general. Schimel told “Fox News Sunday” that he does not control “any of the spending from any outside group, whether it’s Elon Musk or anyone else.” ELON MUSK, DOGE TEAM OFFER UNPRECEDENTED PEEK BEHIND THE CURTAIN OF TRUMP’S COST-CUTTING DEPARTMENT CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “That’s exactly what I’ve committed to anybody, whether it’s President Trump, Elon Musk or any donors and donors or supporters or voters in Wisconsin,” the candidate added. “That’s my commitment.” The Associated Press and Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz and Patrick McGovern contributed to this report.
Trump’s 11th week in office set to focus on tariffs as president touts ‘Liberation Day’
President Donald Trump’s 11th week in office is slated to focus heavily on tariffs, including the roll-out of the president’s promised “Liberation Day,” when his reciprocal tariffs will be announced. “Liberation Day, I call it Liberation Day in America,” Trump said from the White House last week, previewing April 2. “You’ll be seeing tariffs. And I think I’ve been very fair. I have them set. But I think I’ve been very fair to countries that have really abused us economically for many, many decades.” For weeks, April 2 has been touted as the day when Trump’s trade policy emphasizing “America First” will be laid out in earnest and end the U.S.’ reliance on goods made overseas. He is expected to roll out his reciprocal tariff plan on Wednesday, which will likely match other countries’ higher tariff rates and aims to counter other trade barriers like burdensome regulations, value-added taxes, government subsidies and exchange rate policies and to negotiate with some countries to reduce those barriers. “For DECADES we have been ripped off and abused by every nation in the World, both friend and foe. Now it is finally time for the Good Ol’ USA to get some of that MONEY, and RESPECT, BACK. GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social of April 2 earlier in March. HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED DURING TRUMP’S 10TH WEEK IN OFFICE The tariffs on Wednesday follow Trump already leveling a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum imports, 25% tariffs on goods imported from Canada and Mexico, and a 20% tariff on goods from China. Another 25% tariff on all cars imported into the U.S. will also take effect late Wednesday of this week. TRUMP SAYS HE ‘COULDN’T CARE LESS’ IF FOREIGN AUTOMAKERS RAISE PRICES OVER TARIFFS: ‘WE HAVE PLENTY’ Trump is also expected to hold another conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week after the two world leaders also spoke last week as Trump and his administration continue working to help hash out a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine amid the ongoing war. On Sunday, however, Trump told NBC News that he is “pissed off” with Putin after the Russian president slammed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s leadership last week. Russia also carried out a series of attacks on Ukraine over the weekend amid ongoing talks to reach a potential peace agreement. TRUMP SAYS HE IS ‘PISSED OFF’ WITH PUTIN OVER LACK OF PEACE PROGRESS: REPORT “If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia’s fault — which it might not be — but if I think it was Russia’s fault, I am going to put secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil coming out of Russia,” Trump told NBC News. “That would be that if you buy oil from Russia, you can’t do business in the United States,” he continued. “There will be a 25% tariff on all oil, a 25- to 50-point tariff on all oil.” Trump added that his anger will “dissipate quickly” if Putin “does the right thing.” This week, Trump is also expected to assess options for his “Golden Dome” missile-defense project, according to Defense One. Trump signed an executive order in January to build a “a next-generation missile defense shield for the United States against ballistic, hypersonic, advanced cruise missiles, and other next-generation aerial attacks.” Trump dubbed the system the “Golden Dome” earlier this month, which is a play on Israel’s air defense system, called the “Iron Dome.” Trump’s 11th week in office follows a break-neck pace of executive orders and actions since Jan. 20. Trump has signed at least 106 executive orders alone, which surpasses the number of executive orders signed by his predecessors in their respective first years in office since the Carter administration. Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom and Eric Revell contributed to this report.
Top Five takedowns: Kash Patel’s FBI hits the ground running with major early victories
Kash Patel has spent his first month as FBI director cracking down on some of the Trump administration’s top law enforcement priorities, including violent crime, gang activity and drug trafficking – all while managing to avoid much of the high-profile controversy that has embroiled some other senior national security officials. His early moves have earned him accolades from Republicans in Congress, who have been quick to praise Patel’s first weeks in office, including his effort to move quickly and share certain documents long requested by majorities on the House and Senate Judiciary Committees. “Under the leadership of Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Bureau is working aggressively each and every day to find violent criminals, no matter where they are, and bring them to justice,” Patel told Fox News Digital in reflection on his first few weeks heading up the bureau. “Any success thus far is a credit to the brave men and women of the FBI and our state and local law enforcement partners who do amazing work to execute the mission,” he added. Just five weeks after his confirmation as FBI director, here are some of Patel’s earliest – and most significant – wins. JUDGE FIGHTING TRUMP OVER EL SALVADOR DEPORTATIONS ASSIGNED TO LAWSUIT OVER SIGNAL CHAT LEAK The FBI this week announced the arrest of the top U.S. MS-13 leader, 24-year-old Salvadoran national Henrry Josue Villatoro Santos. Santos was captured in Woodbridge, Virginia, and was charged with being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm. Officials told Fox News this week that Santos is one of the top three leaders of the MS-13 gangs in the U.S. Bondi, the U.S. attorney general, and Patel both watched the arrest take place from a nearby tactical operation center. In an interview with Fox News, Bondi praised the team for executing a “clean, safe operation” and credited FBI personnel for getting “one of the worst of the worst of the MS-13 off the streets this morning.” Patel announced last week that since Jan. 20, the FBI has apprehended three fugitives from the FBI’s top 10 Most Wanted list – an achievement that he said on social media is the result of good leadership and hard work from bureau personnel. The individuals captured include Arnoldo Jimenez, accused of murdering his wife in Burbank, Illinois, in 2012; Donald Eugene Fields II, charged with child sex trafficking and child rape charges in federal and state court, respectively; and Francisco Javier Roman-Bardales, another MS-13 leader arrested in Mexico last week and extradited to the U.S., where he was charged with racketeering, conspiracy, conspiracy to provide and conceal material support and resources to terrorists, narco-terrorism conspiracy and alien smuggling conspiracy. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION INVOKES STATE SECRETS ACT ON HIGH-PROFILE DEPORTATION CASE Roman-Bardales had been a fugitive for nearly three years prior to his arrest and is believed to be a founding member of the MS-13 leadership structure in the U.S., where he helped direct the group’s unlawful activities in the U.S., El Salvador, and elsewhere for roughly 20 years. Patel praised the arrests in a post on X, noting that the successes of the FBI are “not an accident.” “When you let good cops be good cops, this is what happens,” he said. “This administration is giving the new FBI and AG Bondi the resources to get the job done — and we won’t stop.” The FBI under Patel successfully raided and arrested 22 members of a narcotics trafficking ring in Lubbock, Texas, believed to be tied to violent drug cartels based in Mexico. The operation comes as Patel and Bondi have moved to crack down on narcotics and drug trafficking as part of Trump’s agenda for his second White House term. In a post on X, Patel praised the work of the FBI’s Dallas Field Office, the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. “These are the operations that mean safer streets for American families,” Patel said. “And we are just getting started.” MORE THAN HALF A MILLION LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL BACK PATEL AS FBI DIRECTOR The FBI and U.S. Department of Justice have worked in tandem to crack down on a wave of vandalism targeting Tesla dealerships, charging stations, and individual Tesla cars in the U.S. – actions that Bondi described in a press conference earlier this month as acts of “domestic terrorism” punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Individuals have been arrested in recent weeks for setting fire to, and shooting at, Tesla cars and dealerships across the country, vandalizing charging stations and carving graffiti, including anti-Trump messages, into personal vehicles. The crimes have prompted a federal crackdown pursued by FBI and DOJ leadership. Most recently, authorities on Thursday announced federal charges against a 36-year-old Las Vegas resident accused of setting fire to vehicles at a Tesla collision business in Nevada earlier this month. Video footage obtained by authorities shows an individual using Molotov cocktails to set the Teslas on fire, using an AR-30 rifle to shoot bullets into the vehicles, and spray-painting the word “resist” onto the individual cars. Las Vegas authorities described the crime as a “targeted” attack on the Tesla facility. “As promised, acts of violence and vandalism will not be tolerated, and today law enforcement personnel acted quickly to arrest an individual on charges including arson,” Patel said Thursday in a press release announcing the federal charges. “Under Attorney General Bondi’s leadership, we will continue to pursue these investigations with the full force of law and will bring to justice anyone responsible for these attacks.” This week, the Department of Justice announced the successful disruption of a major cryptocurrency financing scheme believed to be used to launder money to Hamas – a significant victory for the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division and Cyber Division and the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office, which ran point on the investigation. The financing ring purportedly controlled by Hamas was used by the terrorist group to launder more than $1.5 million in virtual cryptocurrency from donors since October 2024, according to
Dems ridicule bill aimed at abolishing TSA, suggest ‘Bin Laden’ and ‘the Ayatollah’ would support it
Two House Democrats appeared to ridicule Sen. Mike Lee’s, R-Utah, bid to abolish the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). “Who supports my bill to abolish TSA?,” Lee asked in a post on X. “Bin Laden,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., wrote in response to Lee’s question. “The Ayatollah, probably,” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., replied to Lee. REPUBLICANS LOOK TO ABOLISH TSA IN FAVOR OF PRIVATE SECURITY AT AIRPORTS The TSA was created in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. “The attacks resulted in the creation of the Transportation Security Administration, designed to prevent similar attacks in the future,” according to the agency’s website. “The Aviation and Transportation Security Act, passed by the 107th Congress and signed on Nov. 19, 2001, established TSA.” Lee and Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., introduced the “Abolish TSA Act of 2025” last week. MIKE LEE CONTINUES CALLING FOR ABOLITION OF TSA The measure calls for shifting the performance of airport security screenings to private companies. “The TSA has not only intruded into the privacy and personal space of most Americans, it has also repeatedly failed tests to find weapons and explosives,” Lee said. “Our bill privatizes security functions at American airports under the eye of an Office of Aviation Security Oversight, bringing this bureaucratic behemoth to a welcome end. American families can travel safely without feeling the hands of an army of federal employees.” The measure would call for the Homeland Security secretary, in consultation with the Transportation secretary, to submit to Congress a plan to create an Office of Aviation Security Oversight in the Federal Aviation Administration — the office would oversee and regulate aviation security activity. FLIGHT PASSENGER, 106, SAYS AIRPORT PERSONNEL CONTINUE TO FLAG HER AGE: ‘NOT SOME STUPID OLD LADY’ CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The secretary would also need to furnish plans to shift aviation security activity and equipment to private companies, and “to transfer to the Department of Transportation any functions, personnel, assets, and liabilities of the Administration with respect to surface transportation, including activities relating to mass transit, freight rail, highway motor carriers, and pipelines,” according to the measure.
Trump says Zelenskyy wants to back out of mineral deal, addresses 3rd term during gaggle
President Donald Trump said Sunday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is trying to back out of a rare earth deal with the U.S., adding if he does that he is going to have “some problems.” “I think Zelenskyy, by the way, he’s trying to back out of the rare earth deal, and if he does that, he’s got some problems – big, big problems,” Trump said while speaking to reporters on Air Force One on Sunday. “We made a deal on rare earths, and now he’s saying, ‘well, you know, I want to renegotiate the deal.’ He wants to be a member of NATO. Well, he was never going to be a member of NATO. He understands that, so, if he’s looking to renegotiate the deal, he’s got big problems.” Zelenskyy said last month that Ukraine is ready to sign an agreement on minerals and security with the U.S. at any time, noting that the agreement is seen as a step toward greater security and solid security guarantees. Zelenskyy’s statement came after a visit to the White House where the two leaders were expected to sign an agreement on rare Earth minerals. But the visit turned sour, and Zelenskyy was kicked out of the president’s home with no deal in hand. TRUMP SAYS INTEL PAUSE ON UKRAINE HAS BEEN ‘JUST ABOUT’ LIFTED; SAYS TARIFFS WILL MAKE AMERICA RICH While speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump said he and his team were making progress on a ceasefire deal between Ukraine and Russia. One reporter asked if Trump would say his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin was at its lowest point. The president said no, adding he did not think Putin was going to go back on his word for a partial ceasefire. He also said deals are made with people whether you like them or not. TRUMP EXEMPTS MEXICO FROM TARIFFS FOR USMCA GOODS UNTIL APRIL 2 Trump explained that Putin had said some things over the last few days about Zelenskyy not being credible, adding he was not happy about that. But, Trump added, he thinks Putin is going to be good. He also said he would not want to put secondary tariffs on Russia. The U.S. put secondary tariffs on Venezuela, which Trump said has had a “very strong impact.” “You know that every ship just got out and left. A lot of them left. They dropped the hoses right into the ocean, and they left. They didn’t want to be there for a minute because they didn’t want those tariffs to catch on,” Trump said. “But they didn’t want me to see them there. So, Venezuela and secondary tariffs, all secondary tariffs, are very strong, because essentially it says if you disobey our orders, you cannot do business in the United States of America, and that’s the catch.” Trump said he plans to hit all the countries across the board with tariffs. TRUMP TO PUT TARIFF EXEMPTIONS ON CERTAIN GOODS FROM CANADA, MEXICO “If you look at the history, and you look at what’s happened to us…take a look at trade with Asia, and I wouldn’t say anybody is doing it as fairly or nicely,” Trump said. “We’re…going to be much more generous than they were to us.” Trump also addressed questions about possibly running for a third term, which earlier in the day he said he was “not joking” about. Initially, Trump told reporters he was not looking at a third term, noting that people have spoken with him about a possible third term. EMMANUEL MACRON CALLS ‘EMERGENCY MEETING’ FOR EUROPEAN LEADERS TO DISCUSS TRUMP: REPORT He said the 2020 election, in which he lost to now former President Joe Biden, was “totally rigged,” but he would not take credit for a third try. Trump also said his administration has had the best 100 days than any other president. “I was with some very important people today, and they said they’ve never seen turnaround as fast as this,” he said. As reporters continued to press him about a third term, though, Trump quickly shot them down. “I don’t want to talk about it,” he told one reporter. “I don’t want to talk about a third term now. We have a long time. We have almost four years to go.”
Wisconsin Supreme Court rejects Democrat AG’s attempt to block Elon Musk’s $1M giveaway to voters
The Wisconsin Supreme Court unanimously decided not to hear a last-minute attempt by a state attorney general seeking to prevent Elon Musk from giving away million-dollar checks on Sunday. The news came just before the Tesla CEO was set to host an America PAC town hall in Green Bay on Sunday night, where he is slated to hand over $1 million checks to two voters. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul had asked the 4-3 liberal-majority court to reach a decision “as soon as possible but no later than the planned event on Sunday evening.” “Wisconsin law prohibits offering anything of value to induce anyone to vote,” Kaul’s filing stated. “Yet, Elon Musk did just that.” DOGE DEPUTY, TREASURY SECRETARY DISH ON CRUSADE TO PULL THE IRS OUT OF ITS ‘REALLY BIG HOLE’ In court filings, Musk’s attorneys maintain that the payments are “intended to generate a grassroots movement in opposition to activist judges, not to expressly advocate for or against any candidate.” This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The Associated Press and Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
Trump announces plan to chop down magnolia tree purportedly planted by Andrew Jackson: ‘Must come to an end’
President Donald Trump announced plans to chop down a tree that was said to have been planted by former President Andrew Jackson. In a Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump said that he was working with “the wonderful people at the National Park Service” to make “tremendous enhancements to the White House, thereby preserving and protecting History!” “One of the interesting dilemmas is a tree planted many years ago by the Legendary President and General, Andrew Jackson,” Trump described. “It is a Southern Magnolia, that came from his home, The Hermitage, in Tennessee. That’s the good news!” “The bad news is that everything must come to an end, and this tree is in terrible condition, a very dangerous safety hazard, at the White House Entrance, no less, and must now be removed,” he continued. TRUMP NOMINATES SUSAN MONAREZ TO BECOME THE NEXT CDC DIRECTOR, SAYS AMERICANS ‘LOST CONFIDENCE’ IN AGENCY The historic tree will be chopped down in coming days, and Trump wrote that it will be replaced “by another, very beautiful tree.” “The Historic wood from the tree will be preserved by the White House Staff, and may be used for other high and noble purposes!!!” the president added. Jackson, who served as president from 1829 to 1837, reportedly planted two magnolia trees near the White House in honor of his wife Rachel, who died in 1828. But according to the National Park Service’s (NPS) website, the trees’ connection to Old Hickory is debatable. “Historical photographic documentation shows that magnolias first appeared at this location near the South Portico in the 1860s, still the trees are attributed to President Jackson,” the agency explained. IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES HIT JUDGE WHO ORDERED TRUMP TO STOP DEPORTATION FLIGHTS “In 2006, the trees were designated as Witness Trees by the National Park Service, having borne witness to many ‘significant historic and cultural events,’” the NPS described. “The base of the trees also took the brunt of a Cessna airplane crash which targeted the White House in September 1994 and were subject to significant branch removal and pruning in December 2017.” Initial reactions to Trump’s announcement were mixed on social media, though supporters of the president largely supported the decision. “I am a tree expert by trade, I’ve worked with trees for three decades now… these [magnolia] trees have notoriously soft wood that can become dry and brittle with age,” one X user wrote. “I wouldn’t be anywhere near that thing.” “Be prepared for the left to treat this like WW3,” another joked. “He is trying to lie his head off and rewrite or destroy history!” a Trump critic wrote. “The tree is much more important than Trump will EVER be!”
HUD chief showcases how private-public partnerships uplift economically neglected areas in Philly tour
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner is reinvigorating the private sector’s role in aiding economically distressed areas that have been neglected for decades – including touring areas of Philadelphia that have seen massive development since he served in the first Trump administration. “The last five years have brought $84 billion of private investment. One million people have gotten lifted off the poverty rolls. Home values and Opportunity Zones have risen, while rents did not go up. And so the Opportunity Zones initiative is not only about economic development, but it’s about community development. Families are able to build brand-new foundations for their lives,” Turner told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview from Philadelphia. Turner traveled to the City of Brotherly Love on Thursday to meet with local community and business leaders to discuss and tour recently revitalized areas of the city and Opportunity Zone projects, which are defined as economically distressed areas across the nation that incentivize investment and economic development through federal tax benefits to investors. Opportunity Zones were created under the first Trump administration through the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Turner served as the executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during the first Trump administration, as well as led the Opportunity Zones Initiative. HUD CHIEF PUTS ILLEGAL ALIENS LIVING IN GOVERNMENT-FUNDED HOUSING ON NOTICE: AMERICANS ARE ‘OUR ONLY PRIORITY’ Now that Turner is serving as the secretary of HUD in the second Trump administration, he previewed his excitement over “Opportunity Zones 2.0” that will make the program “even better than before.” “I’m very excited about the extension, the continuation of Opportunity Zones. And Opportunity Zones 2.0, if you will, and my estimation will be even better. So I’m looking forward to working with Sen. Tim Scott, Congress, the White House, and our private partners to make this even better than before,” he said. Turner spent Thursday meeting with local leaders at the Philadelphia Housing Authority, before touring a grocery store built in a North Philadelphia neighborhood, Sharswood-Blumberg, that has historically been rocked by crime and economic struggles. The grocery store, called Grocery Outlet, is part of a mixed-use development project that came about after HUD announced a $30 million Choice Neighborhoods Grant in 2020 that attracted an additional $517 million in private and public investments. The development includes a community center that houses the Philadelphia Housing Authority, a health clinic and additional housing. HUD ENDS FHA MORTGAGES FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS: ‘SHOULD BENEFIT AMERICANS WHO PLAY BY THE RULES’ Turner also toured a newly completed building in Philadelphia’s Fishtown neighborhood, called The Battery, which is an Opportunity Zone Development that has provided nearly 200 apartment units nestled along the Delaware River with views of Philadelphia’s skyline. The building is also home to a luxury boutique hotel called Riversuites at The Battery. HUD TERMINATES OBAMA-ERA HOUSING RULE THAT TRUMP WARNED WOULD ‘DESTROY’ HOME VALUES The building previously served as a power plant that was built just after World War I, before it was shuttered and sat vacant for decades with no hope of revitalization due to its lofty costs and work to rehab, according to investors and local development leaders who joined Turner on his tour of the building. The building’s prospects turned around in 2020, as the area’s Opportunity Zone designation and tax incentives to preserve historic properties attracted $154 million in investments. Now, the building showcases modern living spaces, while preserving its turn-of-the-century architecture in an area of Philadelphia that had previously been neglected for housing and economic opportunities. “I’m very excited. We’re here at the Battery in Philadelphia, which is an Opportunity Zone project. It’s a mixed-use development. This is an old factory that they repurposed this building to bring mixed-use, economic development and community development using the Opportunity Zone initiative. I’m so excited to see,” Turner told Fox News Digital from The Battery’s rooftop, which boasts the energy plant’s old smokestacks that have been transformed into private terraces. HUD OFFICES BECAME AS VACANT AS A ‘SPIRIT HALLOWEEN’ STORE UNDER BIDEN: ADMIN SOURCES “There’s living space here. There’s commercial space here. And people in this area now can utilize this… 50 years this place was dilapidated and closed. And now, through the investment of Opportunity Zones… this is a thriving place that Philadelphians can once use again,” he added. Turner explained to Fox Digital that developments in Opportunity Zones impact families and entire communities, while also rallying economic opportunities for private investors. “Philadelphia has done a great job as it pertains to Opportunity Zones… And I would say, and I will say, there’s a lot of excitement from our private development people, and partners around the country about the extenuation of Opportunity Zones. Families are impacted. We’re mission-minded at HUD. It’s economic development, it’s community development. Our mission is to be a blessing to the people that we serve. Having public-private partnerships allows us and helps us to do this for the people of America, and Opportunity Zones is a major factor in that,” he said. Philadelphia has been rocked by crime, fentanyl addiction and homelessness in recent years, which were three issues that spiraled nationwide amid and following the coronavirus pandemic. Turner highlighted to Fox News Digital that “government is not the answer” to issues related to America’s housing crisis, homelessness, drug addiction and crime, but instead must operate as a “partner” to the private sector, faith-based programs and nonprofits. “Homelessness is a big deal in our country,” he said. “It went up 18% in the last year – over 770,000 people on one single night in January of 2024 were homeless, and that’s unacceptable. With record funding coming from HUD, we still have a homelessness crisis in our country.” LIBERAL NORTH CAROLINA CITY’S DEI PLAN FOR HURRICANE RELIEF SHUT DOWN BY HUD SECRETARY “Public-private partnerships are vital to eradicating homelessness,” he continued. “Faith-based institutions, nonprofit institutions that are doing the work on a daily basis, we have to partner. The federal government is not the answer.
Trump teases running for a third term: ‘Not joking’
President Donald Trump teased he might run for a third term, explaining to NBC News that he enjoys working and is “not joking” about making another run for the Oval Office. “A lot of people want me to do it,” Trump told NBC News in a phone interview on Sunday. “But, I mean, I basically tell them we have a long way to go, you know, it’s very early in the administration.” For now, he’s “focused on the current” term, but told the outlet he was “not joking” about making a run for a third term. “It is far too early to think about it,” he added. LAWMAKER UNVEILS CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO GIVE TRUMP THIRD TERM The 22nd Amendment of the Constitution, which was ratified in 1951, prevents individuals from serving more than two terms as president. The amendment was ratified after President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected as president for four terms. TRUMP UNLOADS ON JUDGE BOASBERG, ‘RADICAL LEFT JUDGES’ FOR HALTING DEPORTATIONS OF VIOLENT ILLEGAL ALIENS Roosevelt died during his fourth term and Vice President Harry Truman assumed the presidency. FDR is the only president in the nation’s history who has been elected and served more than two terms, which was largely due to the political and economic climate at home and abroad, with his presidency unfolding amid the Great Depression and the beginning of World War II. “There are methods which you could do it,” Trump said when asked about how he could go about running for a third term. The outlet floated a possible method where Vice President JD Vance could run for the presidency, win and pass the torch to Trump. The president said such a scenario is one of the methods he could use to serve a third term. TRUMP RELEASES POWERFUL VIDEO HIGHLIGHTING US-GREENLAND BOND AFTER DEADLY NAZI ATTACK “But there are others too,” Trump added, without elaborating. “I like working,” he told the outlet when asked if he wants to serve another term. Trump has previously teased running for a third term, asking Republican lawmakers in January during a retreat, “Am I allowed to run again?” While Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., a top Trump congressional ally, introduced a resolution just days after Trump’s inauguration in January to allow a president three terms in office, but no more than two consecutive four-year stints. The amendment would read, “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than three times, nor be elected to any additional term after being elected to two consecutive terms, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.” Ogles told Fox Digital in January that Trump “has proven himself to be the only figure in modern history capable of reversing our nation’s decay and restoring America to greatness, and he must be given the time necessary to accomplish that goal.” “To that end, I am proposing an amendment to the Constitution to revise the limitations imposed by the 22nd Amendment on presidential terms,” Ogles said. “This amendment would allow President Trump to serve three terms, ensuring that we can sustain the bold leadership our nation so desperately needs.” Fox Digital reached out to the White House for additional comment on Sunday afternoon, but did not immediately receive a reply. Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.