Trump says he would ‘never defy’ SCOTUS, commits to complying with courts despite flurry of legal setbacks
President Donald Trump said in an interview this week that he would “never defy” the Supreme Court and reiterated his respect for the lower district courts, comments that come as his administration tangles with various federal judges and faces accusations of defying their orders. Trump made those statements in an interview with Time magazine, published Friday, as he nears his first 100 days in office. The wide-ranging interview hit on a number of topics, including the state of the U.S. economy and Trump’s plans to enact sweeping reciprocal tariffs, which are slated to take force this summer. One of the major themes, however, was the federal courts. Trump was pressed several times by Time’s political correspondent, Eric Cortellessa, on his view of the judiciary, and whether he still commits to complying with all Supreme Court orders. “Sure, I believe in the court system,” Trump responded, adding later: “I never defy the Supreme Court. I wouldn’t do that. I’m a big believer in the Supreme Court, and have a lot of respect for the justices.” TRUMP-APPOINTED JUDGE ORDERS ADMINISTRATION TO RETURN SECOND DEPORTED MIGRANT Trump also said he is committed to competing with the lower courts. “Sure. All courts,” he said. The fairly innocuous exchange conceals an otherwise heated debate playing out in courtrooms across the country, as Trump lawyers have gone to bat to defend his early executive orders and halt a wave of lawsuits and emergency restraining orders aimed at blocking or restricting them. The biggest fights have been centered on the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 wartime law, to deport certain migrants to El Salvador. Trump’s use of the law has been kicked up to the Supreme Court for emergency review, most recently in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an alleged MS-13 member living in Maryland who was deported to El Salvador last month. Trump officials have acknowledged his removal was an “administrative error.” Trump officials have resisted court orders to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return to the U.S., in what a federal judge in Maryland described this week as a “willful and bad faith refusal to comply with discovery obligations,” including daily updates on his whereabouts and efforts to return him to U.S. soil. “The Supreme Court ruled 9-0 that you have to bring back [Abrego Garcia]. You haven’t done so,” Cortellessa said, referring to a unanimous decision from the high court this month that ordered Trump to facilitate his release. “Aren’t you disobeying the Supreme Court?” he asked. Trump said in response that he had left the matter to his lawyers, including U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. JUDGES V TRUMP: HERE ARE THE KEY COURT BATTLES HALTING THE WHITE HOUSE AGENDA “They feel that the order said something very much different from what you’re saying,” Trump told him. “I give them no instructions… frankly, bringing him back and retrying him wouldn’t bother me, but I leave that up to my lawyer.” Notably, Trump also told the outlet that he has not asked El Salvador President Nayib Bukele to return Abrego Garcia. Bukele traveled to Washington earlier this month to meet with Trump and other Cabinet officials at the White House. They were asked directly about Abrego Garcia during a short press availability, to which Bondi told reporters it is “up to El Salvador” whether to return him. Her remarks touched off a wave of fresh concerns and prompted U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis to order an “intense” expedited discovery process for the court to determine whether the U.S. was making good-faith attempts to secure his return. Pressed by Time magazine on why he has not made efforts to facilitate the release, or ask Bukele to release him, Trump told the outlet, “Well, because I haven’t been asked to ask him by my attorneys.” “Nobody asked me to ask him that question, except you,” Trump told Cortellessa. “But I leave that decision to the lawyers. At this moment, they just don’t want to do that. They say we’re in total compliance with the Supreme Court.”
Trump administration demands crackdown on illegal immigrants potentially taking advantage of key benefit
The United States Department of Agriculture is demanding that states ensure illegal immigrants are not using food stamps. The department wants states to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order from February that seeks improved methods to check that those in the country illegally do not receive federal benefits, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The measure is meant to crack down on fraud and serve as a safeguard because illegal immigrants are already not allowed to use SNAP benefits. Only citizens and some legal noncitizens can do so. “We’ve already made arrests in Minnesota and New York and Colorado, and we’re just getting started,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told Fox News Digital in an interview. AMERICAN FARMERS HAVE A VOICE IN WASHINGTON AGAIN “We’re going to be extremely, extremely aggressive. Now, hopefully it acts as a deterrent also.” The USDA is asking states to cross-check Social Security numbers with a death master file and to use the free Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system provided by the Department of Homeland Security for noncitizens applying for the benefits, among other steps to verify immigration status. Rollins said it’s “the president’s vision to ensure that we’re being the most efficient and effective with taxpayer dollars.” SNAP RECIPIENTS MAY BE BARRED FROM JUNK FOOD PURCHASES UNDER NEW HOUSE GOP BILL “So, we think we’ll be able to cut down on billions of fraud and save the taxpayers a lot of money,” she said. John Walk, acting deputy under secretary for food, nutrition, and consumer services, wrote in a letter Thursday to state SNAP agencies, explaining the existing law. “By law, only United States citizens and certain lawfully present aliens may receive SNAP benefits. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-193) established that ‘aliens within the Nation’s borders not depend on public resources to meet their needs.’ SNAP is not and has never been available to illegal aliens,” Walk wrote. The crackdown comes as there is heightened scrutiny on the eligibility of illegal immigrants for benefits, such as California’s Medicaid program that allows people to enroll without their immigration status being considered, even though it’s funded by state and federal taxpayer dollars. California Republicans have said illegal immigrants’ eligibility in the program is responsible for its insolvency, whereas Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said it’s only a factor in a larger healthcare cost issue nationwide. MILLIONS MORE FOOD STAMP RECIPIENTS REQUIRED TO WORK UNDER NEW HOUSE GOP PROPOSAL “The federal government is now paying attention a lot more closely than ever before on how the states are spending the money,” Rollins said. “I am from Texas. I actually have a lot of confidence in the Texas system. I think the red states, honestly, are probably a little more intentional and careful about this. Of course, it’s the blue states that tend to want to put everyone on the taxpayers’ back. And I think that we’ll find a lot more of that moving forward, but hopefully it’s a deterrence for everyone.” Outside of immigration, SNAP has also faced calls for reform in several states to no longer allow the purchase of “junk food.” Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders recently asked the USDA to allow the state to prohibit the purchase of candy and soda with SNAP benefits, while adding rotisserie chicken to the list of available options. “President Trump and his administration have put a laser focus on solving America’s chronic disease epidemic, and reforming our food stamp program is a great place to start,” Sanders said in a news release April 15. “Banning soda and candy from food stamps will remove some of the least healthy, most processed foods from the program and encourage low-income Arkansans to eat better.”
Trump admin launches foreign funding investigation into UC Berkeley
The Trump administration is cracking down on colleges that don’t report big foreign donations, with UC Berkeley the latest target following a Department of Education review of the California university’s foreign funding disclosures found that it “may be incomplete or inaccurate.” Education Secretary Linda McMahon ordered the agency’s legal team on Friday to take back control of enforcing a law that requires schools to disclose foreign gifts or contracts worth $250,000 or more. “The Biden-Harris Administration turned a blind eye to colleges and universities’ legal obligations by deprioritizing oversight and allowing foreign gifts to pour onto American campuses. Despite widespread compliance failures, no new Section 117 investigations were initiated for four years, and ongoing investigations were closed prematurely,” McMahon said in a statement. “I have great confidence in my Office of General Counsel to investigate these matters fully, and they will begin by thoroughly examining UC Berkeley’s apparent failure to fully and accurately disclose significant funding received from foreign sources.” YALE DROPS ALLEGED HAMAS-TIED STUDENT GROUP’S STATUS AFTER ‘DISTURBING ANTISEMITIC CONDUCT’ The investigation comes amid Trump’s growing scrutiny over foreign influence in U.S. higher education. This week, Trump signed an executive order tightening rules on how colleges report foreign funding, directing the Education Department to undo past policies that let universities “obscure details regarding their foreign funding” and to make schools fully disclose where that money comes from and what it’s for. The Department of Education said this issue gained attention after reports surfaced in 2023 that Berkeley failed to report hundreds of millions of dollars it received from China. EVEN BEFORE TRUMP’S ENGAGEMENT, HARVARD UNDERSTOOD IT HAD A REAL PROBLEM ON THE ANTISEMITISM SIDE, EXPERT SAYS In response to a federal inquiry at the time, Berkeley admitted it didn’t report $220 million received and showed it had been building a long-term financial relationship with foreign government-controlled entities, while also “misunderstanding its legal duty to disclose that funding,” the department disclosed in a news release. An Education Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital they initiated a records request into Harvard for foreign funding last week. A White House fact sheet this week cited a Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations report showing nearly $60 billion in foreign gifts and contracts have flowed into universities over several decades, often with little oversight. Federal officials say only a fraction of the country’s roughly 6,000 institutions report such funding. “President Trump is ending secrecy surrounding foreign funding in higher education to protect students, research, and the marketplace of ideas,” the fact sheet reads.
DHS chief Kristi Noem reveals how her purse was stolen at restaurant: ‘Professionally done’
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem revealed in a podcast this week how her purse was snatched at a restaurant in Washington, D.C., describing it as “professionally done.” The purse was taken Sunday by a White man wearing a mask, and the bag contained $3,000 in cash as well as personal documents including her passport, keys, driver’s license and a DHS badge, an agency spokesperson confirmed. “It was kind of shocking, actually, because it was sitting right by my feet. I actually felt my purse, he hooked it with his foot and drug it a few steps away and dropped a coat over it and took it,” Noem said on the “VINCE Show.” “I felt it, but I thought it was my grandkids kicking me in the legs. But it was very professionally done, and it tells that this happens all the time to people and that they live in communities where this is a danger and it reaffirms why I am here,” she added. “My job is to make sure that I do everything, every day I can to make our communities safer and President Trump recognizes that families shouldn’t have to live with any kind of violence in their lives.” NOEM’S PURSE WAS STOLEN DAYS AFTER SIMILAR INCIDENT JUST BLOCKS AWAY: REPORT A Homeland Security spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital that Noem’s “entire family was in town including her children and grandchildren — she was using the withdrawal to treat her family to dinner, activities, and Easter gifts.” Noem said during the podcast interview that she isn’t sure why she was targeted, but an investigation is ongoing. NOEM’S PURSE STOLEN WITH THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN DC RESTAURANT: SOURCES “I think I was a busy grandma with four grandkids under the age of 4, and I was taking care of them and feeding them food and enjoying my family, but certainly had my purse even touching my feet and that is how vulnerable people can be,” she said. “So I think we need to be aware, but also be making sure there is consequences for people like that that make a living off of harming other people,” Noem added. A woman dining with her family recently had her purse stolen in downtown Washington, D.C., just a few blocks away from the restaurant where Noem’s handbag was swiped, NBC News also reported this week. Fox News’ Cameron Arcand contributed to this report.
New report exposes how government program with eye-popping budget is failing vulnerable students
FIRST ON FOX: A new transparency report looking at a popular multibillion-dollar program in the Department of Labor has found a meager success rate, setting the stage for possible cuts amid the Trump administration’s push to slash waste. The Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration has released a detailed report investigating the financial performance and efficiency of the Jobs Corps Program, a federally funded residential career training and education program popular with unions and designed for eligible low-income young adults aged 16-24. The report, which analyzed 124 job centers, looked into the definitions of what constitutes “graduating” from the program and found that the average graduation rate ranges from 32% to 38%, depending on which criteria are used for a program with a budget of $1.7 billion in PY2023. The report states that the average cost per student overall came out to $49,769.53 in PY2023, and the average cost per student per program year is $79,631.25. DOGE SLASHES ‘WASTEFUL’ ‘PROBLEM-SOLVING’ CONTRACT WORTH $50K IN LATEST ROUND OF ELIMINATIONS The average total cost per graduate ranges from $155,600 to $187,653, the report states. Additionally, once those students move through the program, the study found that they are largely being hired in minimum wage positions, with participants earning $16,695 annually on average after they leave the program. “Taxpayers deserve to know the facts and outcomes of their multi-billion-dollar investment,” ETA Acting Assistant Secretary Lori Frazier Bearden said in a statement. “This report underscores the Department’s commitment to program transparency and accountability — both of which are essential for effective oversight, informed policymaking, and maintaining public trust,” she continued. EXPERT TURNS TABLES ON DEM CRITICS AFTER MUSK ACCUSES SOCIAL SECURITY OF BEING ‘PONZI SCHEME’ In a press release, the department said after looking through the highest center costs per graduate, it found that “the 10 least efficient programs average $512,800 per graduate” and “the top 50 least efficient programs average $319,085 per graduate.” Concerns about more than the efficiency of Job Corps have been raised in recent years, including a report from the Daily Wire outlining data that shows criminals and runaway teens were often housed in Job Corps dorms, which resulted in crimes like rape, drug dealing and assault. The Department of Labor has been active in recent weeks pushing for transparency under the backdrop of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Earlier this month, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer announced that her department will return over $1 billion in unused COVID-era funding back to the taxpayer. In February, Fox News Digital reported that the Department of Labor will cancel a $4 million contract for DEI consultation services and training in its Jobs Corps program.
Schumer, Schiff accuse Trump of exploiting antisemitism to punish universities
Five Jewish Democratic senators demanded answers from President Donald Trump on the calculus behind penalizing Harvard University, its medical school and other collegiate institutions across the country under what they called the pretext of antisemitism on campus. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and Sens. Adam Schiff of California, Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Brian Schatz of Hawaii and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut lambasted the president, while saying they agree on the scourge of antisemitism over time. “Dear President Trump, we write regarding your administration’s assault on universities, including threats and actions to withhold funds or otherwise punish certain institutions of higher learning, in what you claim is an effort to eliminate the very real threat of anti-Semitism on college campuses,” the Thursday letter began. “We also write as Jewish senators who have spoken out strongly against rising antisemitism here in the United States, including on college campuses, and who have called on university leaders to do more to tackle antisemitism with accountability and action in the wake of the horrific October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel.” WHIP WATCH: DICK DURBIN GIVES TEARFUL GOODBYE AS DEM POWER PLAY BEGINS FOR NO 2 SENATE SPOT The quintet called Trump’s decisions to freeze funding for Harvard and focus on other schools where antisemitic behavior and protests abounded last year “broad and extra-legal attacks” — adding they were “troubled and disturbed” by his decisions. The lawmakers said Trump’s actions “seem to go far beyond combating antisemitism” and into the range of “using what is a real crisis as a pretext to attack people and institutions who do not agree with you.” Speaking of Harvard specifically, the senators said threatening to revoke the Ivy League college’s tax-exempt status and demeaning faculty as “woke, radical left idiots” goes far beyond constructive efforts to support Jewish students. “They instead seem to be aimed broadly at changing the way the university functions, exacting huge penalties in ways wholly unrelated to combating anti-Semitism, and we fear are instead aimed at undermining or even destroying these vital institutions while hiding behind claims of tackling antisemitism as a guise,” the letter said. MOBILE USERS CLICK HERE They offered an olive branch in seeking to work with Republicans on combating antisemitism, but reiterated their belief Trump’s overtures are “simply a means to an end” for the mogul to trash his ideological opposition. They called on the president to respond by Wednesday of next week with data and details as to why specific colleges were targeted for a federal funding freeze, and what the calculus was for doing so. “In the case of Harvard specifically, what specific charges had the administration made against Harvard in regards to antisemitism? Please describe your charges in specific detail, including naming specific cases and why you believe the steps that Harvard has already taken to strengthen response to antisemitism are insufficient,” they wrote. They also said Trump has targeted Harvard Medical School, lauding its cancer research in questioning that particular decision. “What is your legal justification … when almost every legal scholar has ruled that you have no basis for doing this?” they concluded. Separately, Schiff said during a debate last year that he also received several antisemitic attacks, particularly online. DURBIN SAYS ELDERLY LAWMAKERS SHOULD CONSIDER LEAVING POLITICS BEFORE THEY’RE CARRIED OUT “I take this issue very personally,” he said. “What’s happening on college campuses, I think, is terrifying.” In February, Rosen joined Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., to introduce the Antisemitism Awareness Act. “Antisemitism is on the rise across the nation, particularly on college campuses, and Congress has a responsibility to do everything in its power to fight back against this hate,” Rosen said in a statement. Schatz, who is seen as a prime potential successor to Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., as Democrats’ No. 2 caucus leader, tweeted in 2023 that he opposes antisemitism and Islamophobia. “Criticism of Israel is not antisemitism. Wanting to disable Hamas is not Islamophobia. Wanting to protect civilians is neither. I may delete this once my comments become a mess,” he wrote. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Earlier this year, Schumer published a book, “Antisemitism in America: A Warning,” about his own life experiences. In a tweet about the letter, Blumenthal called antisemitism “a real & horrific threat on campuses — & must be fought — but it should not be exploited as a pretext to target universities & silence dissent.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for a response to the joint letter.
DeSantis excoriates FL House leadership amid Republican civil war, accusing them of ‘revolt against’ voters
Florida Republicans are embroiled in a civil war — Gov. Ron DeSantis has excoriated state House leadership, accusing them of revolting against voters who sent them to the legislative chamber and pursuing a “swamp-centric agenda,” while Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez has lambasted DeSantis, asserting that the governor has “become the swamp.” With massive majorities in both chambers of the legislature and control of the governorship, Republicans dominate the political landscape in the Sunshine State. But in a recent post on X, the governor asserted that “the FL House leadership is at war with the voters who provided the supermajority in the first place.” “They do not want to see Florida continue on the conservative path,” DeSantis told Fox News Digital during an interview on Wednesday. “They’re doing things to empower the left.” “Republican voters are wondering, what the hell is going on in the Florida House of Representatives,” he said. DESANTIS REBUKES REPUBLICANS FOR BACKING BILL FOR CARBON SEQUESTRATION TASK FORCE: ‘ABSOLUTELY EMBARRASSING’ “I think that what they’re doing is a formula for Florida to return to becoming a swing state. The reason why we went from a purple state to a red state under my tenure is because we drew sharp contrasts with the left and we defeated the left on issue after issue,” DeSantis declared. “The House is run based on fear and retribution,” he said. Perez, a Republican, pushed back in a lengthy statement provided to Fox News Digital on Friday morning. “Unfortunately, what we’ve seen in Florida is a Governor who’s turned into exactly what he promised to fight — he’s become the swamp. His latest attacks are nothing more than a distraction from the gross financial mismanagement happening under his watch. We’re talking about thousands of missing state vehicles, $160 million unaccounted for at AHCA [Florida Agency for Health Care Administration], and a growing list of problems across agencies and boards — all controlled by the Governor,” Perez declared in the statement. “While the Florida House remains the most conservative body in the Legislature — passing a budget billions lower than the Governor’s, approving larger tax cuts than the Governor, and pushing bold conservative policies like repealing gun laws and passing E-Verify — the Governor seems uninterested in a conservative Legislature. He wants a compliant one. After seven years in office, it’s clear he doesn’t want people asking hard questions, especially after neglecting his duties while running for president,” he continued. “We are proud to advance conservative reforms, but we won’t cover up mismanagement of taxpayer dollars. The Governor’s comments about retribution are deeply hypocritical. His entire governing style is based on fear and intimidation — if you don’t do what he says or have a difference of opinion he views that as treason. All he does is attack people who disagree with him. I’ve repeatedly indicated my willingness to work with the Governor and all he’s done is insult and attack Members of the House,” Perez added. SUNSHINE STATE DEM ANNOUNCES SWITCH TO NO AFFILIATION: ‘DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN FLORIDA IS DEAD’ DeSantis — a former U.S. congressman who was a House Freedom Caucus founding member — notched a dominant gubernatorial re-election victory in 2022. He mounted a presidential bid in 2023, but ultimately dropped out and endorsed Donald Trump in 2024 after Trump, a GOP juggernaut, scored a huge win in the Iowa GOP presidential caucus. Before he leaves office, the governor wants a constitutional amendment to lower, or even abolish, property taxes, placed before voters. “Property taxes are local, not state. So we’d need to do a constitutional amendment (requires 60% of voters to approve) to eliminate them (which I would support) or even to reform/lower them,” DeSantis noted earlier this year in a post on X. “We should put the boldest amendment on the ballot that has a chance of getting that 60%,” he noted, adding, “I agree that taxing land/property is the more oppressive and ineffective form of taxation.” The governor explained to Fox News Digital that “the philosophical underpinning is, do you have private property or not?” He noted that if someone owns property outright but still has to pay property taxes, “you’re basically paying rent … to the government.” DeSantis pointed out that property taxes “basically tax unrealized gains,” commensurate with increased property value assessments by local government. “And so you have to pay taxes at a higher basis, even though you never sold the house for that much. There’s never been a market transaction that says your house is worth that much,” he said. ABOLISH PROPERTY TAXES? DESANTIS ENDORSES THE IDEA AND EXPLAINS HOW IT COULD BE DONE IN FLORIDA The governor is committed to seeing a property tax proposal presented to voters before he leaves office. DeSantis indicated that if he feels the state legislature would not consider putting the matter before voters, a citizens’ initiative could be the path to get it on the ballot. But that would require the collection of vast quantities of signatures, and the governor suggested that it would be easier if the legislature acts, though he does not know that lawmakers will do so. “Why would we not … just do it, right?” he said after noting the GOP’s dominance in the state legislature. “I think that they’ve just taken the position that they really don’t give a damn in the Florida House what their voters think,” he declared. Perez said in his statement to Fox News Digital, “As for property taxes, the Governor introduced the topic months ago, yet has failed to offer a plan, language, or even a basic explanation. Property taxes in Florida are controlled at the local level, but if he wants to bring a constitutional proposal forward, the House is ready to put it on the floor tomorrow. This Legislature has debated bold reforms to property taxes for two decades. “The truth about late-term Ron DeSantis is that he talks a big game but waits for others to do the work. [Georgia Gov. Brian]
Trump says he wasn’t ‘trolling’ about acquiring Greenland, Canada as 51st state
President Donald Trump isn’t “trolling” when it comes to efforts to acquire Greenland and make Canada the 51st state. Trump has discussed acquiring Greenland, Canada and Panama for months — and has regularly referred to Canada as the 51st U.S. state. Despite skepticism from some, Trump said in an interview with Tine magazine published Friday that he is serious about these proposals. When asked by Time’s Eric Cortellessa whether Trump was “trolling a bit” in suggesting Canada join the U.S., Trump replied, “Actually, no, I’m not.” VANCE SOLIDIFIES DOMINANCE DRIVING EUROPEAN FOREIGN POLICY AHEAD OF GREENLAND TRIP Cortellessa then asked whether Trump intended to “grow the American empire,” prompting Trump to double down on the significance of acquiring these key pieces of territory. “Well, it depends as an empire, it wasn’t, these are not things that we had before, so I’d view it a little bit differently if we had the right opportunity,” Trump said. “Yeah, I think Greenland would be very well off if they I think it’s important for us for national security and even international security.” Trump also claimed that the U.S. is “losing” money supporting Canada, and that the only solution on the table is for it to become a state. “We’re taking care of their military,” Trump said. “We’re taking care of every aspect of their lives, and we don’t need them to make cars for us. In fact, we don’t want them to make cars for us. We want to make our own cars. We don’t need their lumber. We don’t need their energy. We don’t need anything from Canada. And I say the only way this thing really works is for Canada to become a state.” TRUMP REMAINS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT ODDS OF ACQUIRING GREENLAND: ‘I THINK IT’LL HAPPEN’ The Time piece was published a day after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters that Trump routinely discusses Canada becoming a state, claiming that Trump brings it up “all the time.” Carney has previously shut down any notions that Canada will become a U.S. state. Meanwhile, Trump has emphasized that Greenland is key for national security purposes. While the Danish territory has said it is seeking independence from Copenhagen but isn’t inclined to join the U.S., Trump has voiced a strong desire to secure Greenland amid increase Russian and Chinese presence in the Arctic. “If you look at Greenland right now, if you look at the waterways, you have Chinese and Russian ships all over the place, and we’re not going to be able to do that,” Trump told reporters in March. “We’re not relying on Denmark or anybody to take care of that situation. And we’re not talking about peace for the United States, we’re talking about world peace, we’re talking about international security.”
Trump brands Harvard ‘antisemitic’ and a ‘threat to democracy’ amid funding battle
President Donald Trump slammed Harvard University as an “[antisemitic], far-left institution” and a “threat to democracy” amid growing tensions between his administration and the university. “Harvard is an [antisemitic], far-left institution, as are numerous others, with students being accepted from all over the world that want to rip our country apart. The place is a liberal mess, allowing a certain group of crazed lunatics to enter and exit the classroom and spew fake ANGER AND HATE,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “Harvard is a threat to democracy…” In the same post, Trump also expressed his frustration that William Burck, the attorney representing Harvard, was a legal advisor to the Trump Organization. According to The Hill, Burck was fired after Trump posted on Truth Social. JEWISH HARVARD STUDENTS SPEAK OUT AFTER UNIVERSITY SUES TRUMP ADMIN OVER FUNDING FREEZE Harvard has become a target of Trump’s broader crackdown on universities, much of which is in response to last year’s anti-Israel unrest that erupted on campuses across the country. On April 11, the Trump administration sent a letter to Harvard University President Dr. Alan Garber and Harvard Corporation Lead Member Penny Pritzker outlining the institution’s failures and a list of demands from the White House. In the letter, the administration accused Harvard of failing to uphold civil rights laws and to foster an “environment that produces intellectual creativity.” The Trump administration threatened to pull federal funding if Harvard did not reform governance and leadership, as well as its hiring and admissions practices by August 2025. The letter emphasized the need for Harvard to change its international admissions process to avoid admitting students who are “hostile” to American values or support terrorism or antisemitism. Harvard refused to comply with the demands, with Garber saying that “no government… should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.” The university later filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its “unlawful” freezing of funds. HARVARD PRESIDENT SAYS HE HAS ‘NO CHOICE’ BUT TO FIGHT TRUMP ADMINISTRATION The Trump administration froze $2.2 billion in funding to Harvard, and is reportedly looking to slash another billion, according to The Wall Street Journal. While Harvard appeared to be quick to reject the Trump administration’s proposal, the New York Times reported that the university’s leaders and major donors pushed for the school to make a deal. “For weeks leading up to the April 11 letter, the corporation took a very different stance toward the Trump administration. At the urging of some of its biggest donors, the corporation frantically tried to cut a deal with Mr. Trump,” the NYT reported. In December 2023, Harvard was criticized over its handling of antisemitism and anti-Israel unrest on its campus following Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre and the war that followed. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y. — a Trump ally — grilled the university’s then-President Claudine Gay over whether “calling for the genocide of Jews” constituted bullying and harassment. Gay famously said that it depended on the “context,” a sentiment echoed by the other Ivy League presidents who were questioned. Less than a month after the hearing, Gay resigned from her position. However, she remains employed by the university.
Pope Francis held line on gender ideology, had welcoming posture to LGBT community
The late Pope Francis sought to make the Catholic Church more welcoming to transgender and LGBTQ people, often causing stir among traditional conservative Catholics, even as he remained a staunch critic of what he called “dangerous” gender ideology. While he maintained traditional Catholic teachings on gender and sexuality in official documents, the pontiff’s actions often told a different, ambiguous story. “Being homosexual isn’t a crime,” Francis once said to The Associated Press in 2023. It was the first time a pope addressed the legal side of homosexual laws around the world, and LGBTQ activists praised him for it. POPE FRANCIS DINES WITH TRANSGENDER WOMEN FOR VATICAN LUNCHEON Francis also called the criminalization of homosexuality “unjust,” adding that some Catholic bishops in other countries may be proponents of outlawing it for cultural reasons. “These bishops have to have a process of conversion,” he said. “Tenderness, please, as God has for each one of us.” Also in 2023, the controversial Vatican document Fiducia Supplicans — a declaration by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) — issued guidance for priests to bless same-sex couples. The blessings are meant for individuals, not the union itself, according to Pope Francis. The document states that “one should neither provide for nor promote a ritual for the blessings of couples in an irregular situation.” “At the same time, one should not prevent or prohibit the Church’s closeness to people in every situation in which they might seek God’s help through a simple blessing,” it reads. POPE FRANCIS: ‘GENDER IDEOLOGY’ IS ONE OF THE ‘MOST DANGEROUS IDEOLOGICAL COLONIZATIONS’ Francis further raised concerns among conservatives when, in 2023, the Vatican ruled transgender people can be baptized and become godparents, provided their participation would not cause “confusion” or scandal. In March of that year, Pope Francis hosted a group of transgender women — many of whom are sex workers or migrants from Latin America — to a Vatican luncheon for the Catholic Church’s “World Day of the Poor.” The pontiff and the transgender women formed a close relationship after the pope came to their aid during the COVID-19 pandemic, when they were unable to work. They met monthly for VIP visits with the pope and received medicine, money and shampoo any day, according to The Associated Press. POPE FRANCIS WARNS CHURCH CANNOT BECOME ‘PROGRESSIVE’ OR ‘CONSERVATIVE’ ‘POLITICAL PARTY’ Meanwhile, Pope Francis called gender ideology “one of the most dangerous ideological colonizations” in a March 2023 interview with Argentinian newspaper La Nación. “All humanity is the tension of differences. It is to grow through the tension of differences,” the pope said. “The question of gender is diluting the differences and making the world the same, all dull, all alike, and that is contrary to the human vocation.” The pontiff at the time attributed the increase in gender fluidity to well-meaning people who “do not distinguish what is respect for sexual diversity or diverse sexual preferences from what is already an anthropology of gender, which is extremely dangerous because it eliminates differences, and that erases humanity, the richness of humanity, both personal, cultural, and social, the diversities and the tensions between differences.” Fox News Digital’s Timothy H.J. Nerozzi contributed to this report.