Category: fox-news/person/donald-trump

RNC to convene privately, resolution to call Donald Trump the ‘presumptive nominee’ removed

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The Republican National Committee is meeting behind closed doors this week as some allies of Donald Trump had hoped to put the group's stamp on the former president early in the 2024 GOP presidential nominating campaign.

But a proposed resolution to declare Trump the presumptive nominee has been removed from the agenda before the committee is scheduled to meet in Las Vegas this week, party officials said.

The reversal comes as the first two early-state contests have winnowed the Republican campaign down to two major candidates, with Trump as the heavy favorite and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley vowing to continue her uphill challenge.

HALEY'S GRASSROOTS FUNDRAISING SOARS, BUT A TOP-DOLLAR LIBERAL DONOR WANTS TO SEE 'PATH TO VICTORY'

What was expected to be an uneventful RNC winter meeting in Las Vegas this week briefly gained heightened attention last week after the resolution, introduced by Maryland Committeeman David Bossie, to name Trump the presumptive nominee became public.

Bossie was Trump's deputy campaign manager in 2016 and advised his team when Congress pursued a second impeachment after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Within hours of the resolution's leak, Trump batted down the proposal, which some members of the committee criticized publicly as premature.

"While they have far more votes than necessary to do it, I feel, for the sake of PARTY UNITY, that they should NOT go forward with this plan," Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social.

There is no formal RNC rule barring the party from declaring a presumptive nominee. And there is precedent for such a move. In 2016, then-RNC Chairman Reince Priebus declared Trump the presumptive nominee after the Indiana primary, though that was in May and Trump had battled Texas Sen. Ted Cruz for three months since Cruz finished first in the leadoff Iowa caucuses ahead of second-place Trump.

The Associated Press only uses the term once a candidate has captured the number of delegates needed to win a majority vote at the national party conventions this summer.

That point won’t come until after more states have voted. For both Republicans and Democrats, the earliest it could happen is March.

Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel suggested last week that Haley had no path to the nomination in light of Trump's majority vote totals in the Jan. 15 Iowa caucuses and the Jan. 23 New Hampshire primary.

"We need to unite around our eventual nominee, which is going to be Donald Trump, and we need to make sure we beat Joe Biden," McDaniel said in a Fox News interview the night of the New Hampshire primary.

Haley said Sunday during an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press" that the RNC was "clearly not" an honest broker "if you're going to go and basically tell the American people that you're going to go and decide who the nominee is after only two states have voted."

"The American people want to have their say in who is going to be their nominee," she said. "We need to give them that. I mean, you can’t do that based on just two states."

Several senior House Republicans still silent on Trump 2024 amid growing pressure for party unity

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Former President Trump’s decisive victory in the New Hampshire primary this week spurred several new endorsements from lawmakers on Capitol Hill who have so far been silent on the race.

Among the most notable pivots was House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good, R-Va., who endorsed Trump over the weekend minutes after his preferred candidate, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, dropped out of the race.

As of Thursday afternoon, Trump has more than 120 House Republican endorsements – the majority of the House GOP Conference and far outpacing former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley’s one backer.

Fox News Digital took a look at some of the senior House Republicans who have yet to weigh in despite mounting calls to unify behind the former president.

RAMASWAMY: HALEY SHOULD DROP OUT FOR GOOD OF COUNTRY AS OBSERVERS SAY SHE'S STILL ‘ALIVE AND KICKING’

Comer has not weighed in on the 2024 presidential primary publicly so far. It’s worth noting his hands have been full on Capitol Hill leading an impeachment inquiry into Trump’s rival, President Biden.

Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith, R-Mo., who are also leading the inquiry, have both endorsed Trump. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Comer’s office but did not immediately hear back.

HALEY AND PHILLIPS OUTPERFORMED IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, BUT IT'S STILL A TRUMP VS BIDEN HORSE RACE 

Fitzpatrick, a more moderate member from a Pennsylvania swing district, also hasn’t picked a side in the 2024 primary.

When Trump was indicted in June over his handling of classified documents, Fitzpatrick was one of the few Republicans who did not rush to his defense. The former FBI agent urged people to respect the legal process and not rush to judgment.

"No one is above the law or beyond prosecution," he said. "No one should be targeted for prosecution merely because of their status, position or affiliation."

Fitzpatrick’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

McMorris Rodgers is seen as one of House Speaker Mike Johnson’s closest allies on Capitol Hill, but unlike Johnson, R-La., she has yet to weigh in on the 2024 presidential primary race. Johnson endorsed Trump late last year.

In December 2019, she was named a state honorary co-chair for Trump’s reelection bid, according to the Spokesman-Review newspaper.

She made clear there was some distance between them after the 2021 U.S. Capitol riot, reportedly telling constituents in August 2023 that efforts to overturn Trump’s 2020 loss that day were "un-American."

BIDEN CHALLENGER DEAN PHILLIPS BLASTS PRESIDENT AS 'UNELECTABLE AND WEAK' AS BIDEN SET TO SKIP NEW HAMPSHIRE

But she reportedly said, "I also believe that Donald Trump, or any American, deserves due process."

Fox News Digital reached out to McMorris Rodgers' campaign for comment.

Roy went into the 2024 presidential primary cycle as one of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ most enthusiastic supporters. But unlike Freedom Caucus Chair Good, Roy has not stepped behind Trump so far in the two-candidate race. 

Trump threatened to recruit a primary challenger against Roy, who is popular in his district and running unopposed, for his support of Trump’s former rival.

Roy said on CNN in late December, "I was just at multiple events with Ron DeSantis, where he’s shaking their hands and looking them in the eye while Donald Trump hangs out in his basement in Florida, afraid to actually debate."

He said on "Fox Across America" on Thursday that Trump is "likely going to be the nominee" and called on him to "stand up in defense of the hardworking American family getting steamrolled by corporate America and by Republicans too weak-kneed to fight for them."

Roy's office pointed to his earlier comments when reached by Fox News Digital on Thursday afternoon.

Moore stepped into House leadership after a crowded race for a position left by Johnson when he took the gavel in October.

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He’s rarely spoken out about Republican Party politics in the 2024 presidential primary, preferring to keep election discussions focused on the House of Representatives.

With his recent leadership role, Moore is also the highest-ranking House Republican to have voted in favor of a Sept. 11-style bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Fox News Digital tried to contact his campaign but did not immediately hear back.

Fox News Digital also reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.

Susan Colins, key Senate GOP moderate, won’t back Trump in 2024

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Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, says she will not endorse former President Trump for president, even if he were to become the Republican nominee in the 2024 election. 

Collins, the ranking member on the Senate Appropriations Committee, is a moderate legislator and one of seven Republicans who voted to convict Trump on the impeachment charge of inciting an insurrection during his Senate trial in 2021.

When asked by The Hill whether she would support Trump following his win in New Hampshire, Collins said, "I do not at this point."

Instead, she expressed optimism about former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley's campaign and said she was happy that Haley would not drop out after losing to Trump by 11 points in New Hampshire. 

SEN. COLLINS ‘VERY UNLIKELY’ TO BACK TRUMP IN 2024, HITS BIDEN'S ‘CLUMSY’ SUPREME COURT ANNOUNCEMENT

"I’m glad to hear last night that Nikki Haley is determined to stay in [the race.] I think the more people see of her, particularly since she appears to be the only alternative to Donald Trump right now, the more impressed they will be," Collins said.

However, the Maine Republican stopped short of endorsing Haley.

Collins has previously said she was "unlikely" to support Trump and that the former president should not have pledged to pardon those convicted for participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. 

However, other GOP senators have lined up behind the former president since his convincing primary election wins in Iowa and New Hampshire.

SEN SCOTT SAYS DECISION TO ENDORSE TRUMP OVER HALEY CAME DOWN TO ‘ONE SIMPLE QUESTION’

Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Deb Fischer, R-Neb., endorsed Trump on Tuesday after he won 54% of the vote in the Granite State's first-in-the-nation-primary. 

"It's time for Republicans to unite around President Donald Trump and make Joe Biden a one-term president," Fischer said in a statement. "These last three years have yielded a crippling border crisis, an inflationary economy that prices the American Dream out of reach for families, and a world in constant turmoil with our enemies on the march. I endorse Donald Trump for president so we can secure our border, get our economy moving again, and keep America safe."

Cornyn posted his endorsement on X, "To beat Biden, Republicans need to unite around a single candidate, and it’s clear that President Trump is Republican voters’ choice."

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., joined his colleagues on Wednesday, declaring the primary "over." 

HALEY PROJECTS OPTIMISM DESPITE WAVE OF TOP SOUTH CAROLINA POLS SIDING WITH TRUMP IN HER HOME STATE

"Competition makes us all better, so I let the primary play out, but this thing’s over," Kennedy posted on X. "It’s going to be Pres. Trump versus Pres. Biden: A choice between hope and more hurt. It’s not even close. I choose hope. I am endorsing Pres. Trump and look forward to working with him."

Despite her second loss, following another defeat in Iowa last week, former Gov. Haley has vowed to stay in the race, even with the prospect looming of an embarrassing home-state primary defeat in South Carolina on Feb. 24.

"New Hampshire is first in the nation. It is not last in the nation," Haley declared before leaving Tuesday night. "This race is far from over. There are dozens of states left to go."

Fox News Digital's Jon Brown and Bradford Betz contributed to this report.

Trump says Nikki Haley ‘has no chance’ ahead of New Hampshire primary: ‘MAGA is not going to be with her’

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Former President Trump said Nikki Haley "has no chance" of winning the 2024 Republican nomination, telling Fox News’ Sean Hannity in an exclusive sit-down interview Thursday that "MAGA is not going to be with her."

Trump, who solidified his standing as the frontrunner in the 2024 Republican presidential nomination race after winning the Iowa caucuses Monday night, now has his sights set on New Hampshire. Trump traveled to the Granite State this week after he dominated his GOP opponents in Iowa by winning 98 of 99 counties. He collected 20 delegates in the state. 

Trump, who sat with Hannity in New Hampshire just days before the state’s first-in-the-nation primary, is ahead by double-digits in the polls in the Granite State. But some new polling shows former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and his former ambassador to the United Nations, performing well.

Moderate voters in the Granite State are highly influential, and the state's independents — who can vote in either major party primary — have long played a crucial role in New Hampshire's storied presidential contest.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu endorsed Haley, but in an interview with Fox News’ Neil Cavuto, he said it was "troubling" that some Democratic voters will "switch" to be independents to vote in the primary.

When asked if that system "bothers" him, Trump said: "It bothers me."

"And the governor should have done something about it," Trump told Hannity. "Instead of wasting his time with Nikki, because she’s not going to make it. She has no chance, she’s got no way." 

Trump added: "MAGA is not going to be with her."

Trump said the state’s system is "a bad thing for us."

"Who has a system where Democrats are allowed to vote in the Republican Primary?" He asked. "And New Hampshire is an incredible place. I love the people."

Trump, who won New Hampshire in both 2016 and 2020, said the state is "fantastic," but it needs "a system."

"You need a governor that’s going to get it changed, not just talking about it," Trump said. "He’s talking about it for four years, never got it done, so Democrats are allowed to vote, which they’re going to vote for her, because they don’t want to run against me, they want to run against her."

He added: "It’s a very simple system."

But even if Democrats register as independents and vote for Haley in New Hampshire, Trump said: "I don’t think it’s going to matter."

A daily tracking poll released Thursday morning by Suffolk University, the Boston Globe and NBC10 Boston shows Trump with 50% support among those likely to vote in the New Hampshire primary Jan. 23.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who served as ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration, stands at 36%, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at just 6%.

TRUMP HOLDS DOUBLE-DIGIT LEAD IN NEW HAMPSHIRE GOP PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY AS HALEY EDGES UP IN LATEST POLL

In that same poll, 4% of respondents said they were undecided, with 1% saying they would back a different candidate altogether.

Trump, reflecting on his presidency — including the years-long Russia probe that clouded the beginning of his administration and the two impeachments — said neither Haley nor Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis "would not be able to handle" the "onslaught" that comes with being president of the United States.

"If I were a softer individual, and I’ll tell you something, Ron DeSantis or Nikki or anybody else, if they were in my position, if they were here, they would have been hit just as hard," Trump said. "These people play tough, much tougher than the Republicans play, and the Republicans have to get tougher." 

He added: "But Nikki, I know Nikki very well. She worked for me a long time. She would not be able to handle that position — she would not be able to handle the onslaught."

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Federal appeals court rejects Trump petition over Special Counsel Jack Smith access to Twitter feed

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A federal appeals court has rejected former President Trump’s request to block Special Counsel Jack Smith from accessing his then-Twitter feed as part of his election interference case.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for Washington, D.C., ruled on the matter and denied further review. The decision comes after an appellate panel had rejected the original request.

Twitter, now "X," had initiated the appeals, seeking to block special counsel access to the records the company held.

Smith had noted he could have gotten the material from the National Archives, which gained the material after Trump left office, but that would have triggered notice to Trump, so a search warrant was requested through the company under seal and with a non-disclosure notice. That, in turn, prevented Trump from raising any executive privilege claims over the digital communications.

The four conservative judges on the appeals court dissented and would have granted en banc review.

Judge Rao (a Trump bench appointee) wrote a statement, saying the executive privilege claims should have been addressed.

"The absence of a presumptive privilege particularly threatens the Chief Executive when, as here, a third party holds presidential communications. See Mazars, 140 S. Ct. at 2035. And to be sure it aggrandizes the courts, which will have the power to determine whether executive privilege will be considered before its breach. Without a presumption for executive privilege, new questions will invariably arise, particularly because nothing in the panel’s opinion is limited to a former President. What if, in the course of a criminal investigation, a special counsel sought a warrant for the incumbent President’s communications from a private email or phone provider? Under this court’s decision, executive privilege isn’t even on the table, so long as the special counsel makes a showing that a warrant and nondisclosure order are necessary to the prosecution. And following the Special Counsel’s roadmap, what would prevent a state prosecutor from using a search warrant and nondisclosure order to obtain presidential communications from a third-party messaging application? And how might Congress benefit from this precedent when it seeks to subpoena presidential materials from third parties in an investigation or impeachment inquiry?"

"Upon consideration of appellant’s petition for rehearing en banc, the response thereto, the amicus curiae brief filed by Electronic Frontier Foundation in support of rehearing en banc, and the absence of a request by any member of the court for a vote, it is ordered that the petition be denied," the ruling states.

The former president and 2024 GOP presidential front-runner can now ask the Supreme Court to review the matter. 

Smith plans to use data from the cellphone that Trump used in his final weeks in office, including data revealing when Trump’s phone was "unlocked and the Twitter application was open" on Jan. 6, 2021.

Unsealed court filings in August showed that Smith's team obtained location data and draft tweets in addition to the former president's messages.

Attorneys for the company, now named X Corp., attempted to block and delay the effort in January and February, leading one federal judge to speculate that X owner and one-time CEO Elon Musk was attempting to ally himself with Trump.

The social media giant ultimately lost the struggle, however, and was forced to hand over an extensive list of data related to the "@realdonaldtrump" account, including all tweets "created, drafted, favorited/liked, or retweeted."

The handover also included searches on the platform surrounding the 2020 election, devices used to log into the account, IP addresses used to log into the account, and a list of associated accounts.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Haley calls Trump attorney’s argument against legal charges ‘ridiculous’

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Former Ambassador Nikki Haley responded to a Trump attorney’s defense of his immunity from legal charges as president as "ridiculous" during the last GOP presidential debate before the Iowa caucuses. 

"Do you agree with the argument Donald Trump's lawyer made in court that a president should have immunity for any conduct, including in ordering the assassination of a political rival unless that president is impeached and convicted by the Senate for that offense first?" CNN’s Jake Tapper asked Haley during a debate on Wednesday night. 

"No, that's ridiculous," Haley responded. "That's absolutely ridiculous. I mean, we need to use some common sense here. You can't go and kill a political rival and then claim, you know, immunity from a president. I think we have to start doing things that are right and you know Ron said we should have leaders that we can look up to. Well, then stop lying, because nobody's going to want to look up to you if you're lying."

Haley continued, "But what I do think we need to look at is what has President Trump done? You look at the last few years and our country is completely divided. It's divided over extremes. It's divided over hatred. It's divided over the fact that people think that if someone doesn't agree with you that they're bad. And now we have leaders in our country that decide who's good and who's bad, who's right, and who's wrong, that's not what a leader does. What a leader does is they bring out the best in people and get them to see the way forward."

HALEY, DESANTIS FIRE SHOTS AT TRUMP IN HEAD-TO-HEAD DEBATE: ‘HE DID NOT DELIVER’

The question from Tapper to Haley was in reference to a comment from Trump lawyer D. John Sauer this week in a Washington D.C. courtroom where he answered with a "qualified yes" when asked if Trump’s immunity from prosecution as president would apply if Trump "ordered S.E.A.L. Team 6 to assassinate a political rival."

"He would have to be impeached and convicted," Sauer argued.

JUDGE JUDY ENDORSES NIKKI HALEY FOR PRESIDENT: 'SHE IS WHIP SMART...SHE IS THE FUTURE'

Sauer said, "There's a political process that would have to occur under the structure of our Constitution which would require conviction and impeachment by the Senate in these exceptional cases, as the OLC memo itself points out from the Department of Justice you'd expect a speedy impeachment and conviction."

Sauer argued before a federal appeals court Tuesday that the president has "absolute immunity," even after leaving office — an argument that the judges appeared to be skeptical of.

Judge Karen Henderson, an appointee of former President George H.W. Bush, fired back, saying: "I think it’s paradoxical to say that his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed allows him to violate criminal law." 

But Sauer argued that Biden, "the current incumbent of the presidency is prosecuting his number one political opponent and his greatest electoral threat."

Meanwhile, Special Counsel Jack Smith's team argued that presidents are not entitled to absolute immunity and that Trump’s alleged actions following the November 2020 election fall outside a president’s official job duties.

"The president has a unique constitutional role but he is not above the law. Separation of powers principles, constitutional text, history, precedent and immunity doctrines all point to the conclusion that a former president enjoys no immunity from prosecution," prosecutor James Pearce said, adding that a case in which a former president is alleged to have sought to overturn an election "is not the place to recognize some novel form of immunity."

Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump campaign for comment but did not immediately receive a response. 

Fox News Digital's Brooke Singman contributed to this report

Trump says Biden brought ‘chaos’ to US, vows to bring ‘success’ in possible second term

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Former President Trump, if elected to a second term, said he would alleviate the "chaos" brought to the nation by the Biden administration by securing the southern border, bringing America back to energy independence, strengthening the economy and expanding and strengthening the military.

Trump, the 2024 GOP frontrunner, participated in a Fox News Town Hall Wednesday night in Des Moines, Iowa, just days before the highly-anticipated first-in-the-nation primary contests in the Hawkeye State on Jan. 15.

Trump, who leads the Republican primary field by a massive margin, stands at or above 50% support in the latest polls in Iowa. 

The town hall was co-moderated by "Special Report" chief political anchor Bret Baier and "The Story" executive editor and anchor Martha MacCallum. 

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Trump took questions from Iowa voters on a number of issues, but said President Biden has brought "chaos" to the country.

"They have chaos at the border. They have chaos in the military. People are going woke," Trump said. "We have chaos now. Look at today with Hunter Biden going into Congress and just sitting down and the bedlam that’s been caused today. You have chaos." 

Trump said the country has "more" chaos with Biden than under his presidency.

"He can’t put two sentences together and he’s representing us on nuclear weapons with Putin and Xi and all of these very smart people—the media hates when I say they’re smart, but let me tell you, they’re very smart and they’re very cunning," Trump said.

"I think we had very little chaos," Trump said, reflecting on his administration. "I think most of the chaos was caused by the Democrats constantly going after me." 

Trump went on to point to the "phony Russia, Russia, Russia" investigation; his impeachments; and more.

"They had the chaos. They were the ones that caused the chaos," Trump said. "We didn’t have chaos." 

Trump said that under his presidency, the United States saw the "biggest tax cuts in history" and "the biggest regulation cuts in history." 

TRUMP STARTS 2024 IN ‘STRONGEST POSSIBLE POSITION’ IN REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY RACE

"I had no wars. I’m the only president in 72 years—I didn’t have any wars," Trump said. 

But Trump said Biden and Democrats use the "narrative" that he would bring chaos "because they have nothing else."

"The new narrative they have, as you know, is I’m going to be a dictator, because a guy like Biden, there’s nothing he can run on—everything he’s turned out, it’s turned out badly," Trump said.

Trump said under Biden, the border "is a disaster" and "the worst border in history."

"I think the worst border in the history of the world," Trump said.

In Fiscal Year 2023 alone, border officials encountered nearly 2.5 million migrant encounters at the southern border--including 600,000 getaways, and 249 people on the terror watch list. 

The GOP frontrunner said that if elected, his second term would begin by "immediately" terminating "every open borders policy of the Biden administration."

In September, Trump announced his plans to carry out "the largest domestic deportation operation in American history" if he is elected to a second term.

Additionally, he plans to "invoke the Alien Enemies Act to remove all known or suspected Gang Members, drug dealers, or Cartel Members from the United States"—an effort he says will end the "scourge of illegal alien gang violence once and for all."

Meanwhile, Trump was asked to respond to Biden’s claims, and to say that political violence is "never acceptable."

"Well, of course, that’s right," Trump said. "And of course, I’m the one who had very little of it. Take a look at wars again—I didn’t start—I wasn’t involved in wars. We beat the hell out of ISIS. We won 100%. We brought our troops back home."

He added: "Look at the violence that we’ve had recently."

COURT DATES AND PRIMARIES: TRUMP FACES COMPETING CALENDARS IN 2024

Trump went on to say that Biden’s presidency is "bedlam."

"You have a man who can’t lead. You have a man who can’t find his way off a stage after he makes a speech that lasts for about two minutes," Trump said. "Now, I think bedlam is Joe Biden."

Trump said Biden is using a "political ploy" by claiming that he "wants to be a dictator."

But as for being a "dictator," Trump joked that he would be—but only for one day.

"I’m going to be a dictator for one day. We’re going to do two things: the border—we’re going to make it so tight, you can’t get in unless you come in legally—and the other, we’re going to drill, baby, drill," Trump said. "After that, I’m not going to be a dictator after that. I’m not going to be a dictator."

TRUMP FIRES BACK AT JAN. 6 CRITICISM, SAYS BIDEN IS A 'TRUE THREAT TO DEMOCRACY'

But Trump, who said he has "gotten to know Washington," and who said "everybody wants to come work for us" in a possible second term, said he was "not going to have time for retribution."

"I'm not going to have time for retribution," Trump said. "We’re going to make this country so successful again. I'm not going to have time for retribution." 

He added: "And remember this, our ultimate retribution is success…There won't be retribution. There will be success."

Moving onto the economy, Trump said it is "horrible, except the stock market's going up." 

"And I think the stock market's got markets going up because I'm leading Biden in all of the polls-- every poll, every single poll for in states that normally are not easy to lead," Trump said. "But I would say this we have a situation in which I believe the stock market goes up because I'm leading. I think if I wasn't leading, the stock market would be 25% lower. And I think, frankly, if I didn't win, I think the stock market would crash." 

Moderator Bret Baier pointed to comments Trump made this month in which he said if there is a crash of the stock market, he hoped it would be during "this next 12 months because I don’t want to be Herbert Hoover. The one president I just don’t want to be, Herbert Hoover."

On Wednesday, Trump clarified, saying that he believes "there will be a crash if I don't win." 

TRUMP EDGES BIDEN AGAIN IN NEW 2024 POLL, BUILDS SUPPORT WITH YOUNGER VOTERS

"And I say that and I do not want to be Herbert Hoover. You know, Herbert Hoover was 1929. He was the president. And that was not a good time to be. I don't want to be Herbert Hoover and I won't be Herbert Hoover," Trump said. 

Trump has been criticized as a "big government Republican" by his GOP opponents for adding $8 trillion to the national debt during his tenure, but he defended his record--especially during the coronavirus pandemic. 

"I say very simply, we were starting to pay down debt," Trump said. "We were going to pay down a lot of debt when COVID came along. If I didn't inject this country with money, you would have had a depression, the likes of which you have never seen."

Trump continued, "You had to inject money. We gave businesses that were going bankrupt, temporarily bankrupt, but they needed money. We helped businesses. If I didn't do that, you would have had a depression in this country. That was a very good investment. And now what they should be doing instead of the kind of debt that they're building at record levels, they should be paying down their debt and they ought to go into the energy business instead of this Green New Scam business that they're in."

Meanwhile, as for a running mate, Trump said he's already made his pick. 

"I can't tell you that really, I mean, I know who it's going to be," Trump said. 

"We'll do another show sometime," Trump said when pushed by host Martha MacCallum to "give us a hint."

"What about any of the people who you've run against?" MacCallum asked. "Would you be open to mending fences with any of them?"

"Oh, sure. I will, I will," Trump responded. 

Hilarious Jayapal gaffe proves Dems find saying ‘insurrection’ to be hard

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A Democrat serving in the House of Representatives was at the center of an apparent blunder Wednesday when she claimed former President Donald Trump "incited an erection."

The comment from Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., came during the House Judiciary Committee's consideration of a resolution that, if passed, would set up a full House vote on whether to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress for defying a congressional subpoena as part of the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden.

"I think we're all outraged about many things, but if we're gonna talk about outrageous things that have happened or things that have never happened, let's talk about the fact that President Trump incited an erection."

Quickly realizing what she had said, Jayapal began laughing and said, "Maybe that, too."

JAYAPAL TELLS FELLOW DEMS NOT TO 'OUT-REPUBLICAN THE REPUBLICANS' ON IMMIGRATION AMID FUNDING TALKS

"You can talk about that too, I guess," Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., chimed in.

"Maybe we should talk about that, too," Jayapal responded.

Correcting herself and moving on from the awkward situation, Jayapal said, "The president incited an insurrection."

Jayapal is not the first Democrat to use the word "erection" instead of "insurrection" when talking about the events of Jan. 6, 2021, and President Trump's actions on that day.

In January 2021, while pushing for an impeachment trial of Trump on the Senate floor, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., claimed the former president was responsible for an "erection."

"Make no mistake, there will be a trial and when that trial ends, senators will have to decide if they believe Donald John Trump incited the erection – insurrection – against the United States," Schumer said at the time.

HUNTER BIDEN MAKES SHOCKING APPEARANCE AT HIS OWN CONTEMPT HEARING

Jayapal's colleague, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., has also been guilty of using the word "erection" to describe the events from more than three years ago.

Schiff's slip-up came during a November 2021 appearance on "The View," where he responded to pressure from one host who asked him whether he regretted talking up the discredited Steele dossier.

"But let’s not use that as a smokescreen to somehow shield Donald Trump’s culpability for inviting Russia to help him in the election, which they did, for trying to coerce Ukraine into helping him in the next election, which he did, into inciting an erection…"

Catching himself immediately, Schiff corrected himself and used the word "insurrection" before continuing his comments.

Schiff also slipped up and used the word during a January 2021 appearance on CNN, where he claimed then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., incited an "erection."

Trump goes to federal immunity hearing, skipping Iowa, seizes media spotlight

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Donald Trump dominated the news again yesterday – we’re talking wall-to-wall all morning – simply by showing up for court.

In fact, with less than a week till the Iowa caucuses, he’ll spend two days in court – yesterday’s D.C. appearance and Thursday’s closing arguments in the civil fraud trial in New York – although in both cases he doesn’t need to show up. (In between he’ll do that Iowa town hall on Fox.)

The three-judge federal appeals panel that heard Trump’s claim of presidential immunity – two Biden appointees and one by George H.W. Bush – were openly skeptical of the arguments offered by the former president’s lawyer.

Ironically, this comes as Joe Biden’s campaign officials are complaining to journalists brought to the Wilmington headquarters that Trump should be covered more as a candidate and less as a defendant.

BIDEN TEAM COMPLAINS ABOUT TRUMP COVERAGE; THE ‘FULL HITLER’ CONFRONTATION

And yet there’s no question that the immunity hearing is crucial. If the appellate panel upholds Trump’s claim that he’s immune from prosecution for anything that can be construed as an official act, Jack Smith’s Jan. 6 case will be dead in the water. If the panel rules against Trump, the prosecution goes forward before the election. Of course, like Trump’s appeal of the Maine and Colorado ballot bans, it will ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court.

But by his sheer presence in the downtown criminal courthouse – and speaking to reporters afterward – Trump boosted the visibility of the hearing. Just by sitting in the same courtroom as Smith, he made it part of his campaign.

And that’s been the play all along. 

Each of the four indictments has boosted Trump politically, pushing his poll numbers up and denying his GOP rivals of much-needed oxygen, as Ron DeSantis has said. Trump’s loyal MAGA followers see these charges as a Democratic plot to keep him out of the White House. 

HOW HARVARD’S PRESIDENT HUNG ON SO LONG, DESPITE BECOMING AN UTTER EMBARRASSMENT

The more the media spotlight follows the ex-president to the courthouses, the more he can use them as a campaign vehicle.

Fueling the drama: another swatting incident, this one at Jack Smith’s home. Law enforcement officials showed up on Christmas after being falsely told that the prosecutor had shot his wife. The judge in the case, Tanya Chutkan, was also swatted.

Trump’s attorney made the strange argument that no president can be prosecuted without first being impeached and convicted. The judges weren’t buying that, saying a hypothetical president could use the military to murder his political opponents and resign before impeachment. I’d add that he could avoid an impeachment conviction if his party controlled the Senate.

Judge Karen Henderson, the Bush appointee, said: "I think it’s paradoxical to say that his constitutional duty to ‘take care that the laws be faithfully executed’ allows him to violate criminal law." Audio from the hearing was made available. 

Biden tried to change the trajectory of his campaign with his speeches near Valley Forge and in Charleston, making harsh personal attacks on his predecessor as a liar who fomented an insurrection and is a champion of White supremacy.

But on most days, Biden is a low-key presence, taking only two quick questions from reporters with terse answers, doing fewer interviews, and news conferences are as rare as a fly-by of Jupiter’s moons. Trump, by contrast, is constantly making news. I never thought I’d see a time when a former president overshadowed an incumbent president, but here we are.

On the video channel of pillow guy Mike Lindell, Trump said: "And when there’s a crash, I hope it’s going to be during this next 12 months, because I don’t want to be Herbert Hoover." This drew media denunciations that he was rooting for a crash – especially since the stock market just hit new highs.

Trump made a video – a virtual requirement for TV – saying that what was happening to him "only happens in third world countries or banana republics. They’re using their Department of Injustice to go after his political [opponent] and this is all him," meaning Biden, "a hundred percent him. He’s the one that told them to do it and they obey his orders. It’s a shame."

He added that "Joe" has to "be very careful… You don’t indict your political opponent because he opposes the corrupt election, which you know was corrupt."

When Trump spoke for 10 minutes outside the Washington courthouse yesterday, he said they’d had "a very good day." But he added that if he loses the appeal, "It will be bedlam in the country."

SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE'S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY'S HOTTEST STORIES

Both CNN and MSNBC soon broke away. CNN’s Kaitlan Collins offered an instant fact check, saying there is no evidence of significant voter fraud in 2020, and that Biden is not prosecuting Trump. 

Even after a contentious Pentagon news conference revealing that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has prostate cancer and that his refusal to disclose that serious illness is under investigation, the networks quickly went back to the Trump court hearing.

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Another day, another news cycle, dominated by Donald Trump.

Biden’s handling of Defense Sec Austin’s mysterious absence faces backlash from former ambassador: ‘Alarming’

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

A former ambassador slammed President Biden's handling of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's mystery ailment and hospitalization, saying it's "alarming" that Biden did not notice he was "out of action" sooner.

The Pentagon alerted the media last Friday that Austin was hospitalized on Jan. 1 and remains under the care of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Officials stated that he underwent an elective medical procedure last month and was hospitalized in the following days. On Tuesday, the Pentagon announced Austin was treated for prostate cancer.

Biden, along with the National Security Council and leaders at the Pentagon, including Deputy Secretary of Defense, Kathleen Hicks, were not informed for several days that Austin had been admitted to the hospital's intensive care unit for treatment on New Year's Day.

Now, James Gilmore, who served as ambassador to the U.S. Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe during the Trump administration, said it's worrisome that Biden is "so detached" from his Defense Department that he did not notice his absence.

DEFENSE SECRETARY AUSTIN HAS NO PLANS TO RESIGN, PENTAGON SAYS

"From my experience as ambassador, I know that our allies need to know that the United States is competent and organized to provide leadership in a time of global conflict," Gilmore, the former governor of Virginia with a background in military intelligence stemming from his military service during the Vietnam War, told Fox News Digital. "The world, allies and adversaries, watches the U.S. and its leadership every day for signs of strength or weakness."

"It is alarming that President Biden is so detached from his Defense Department, that he didn't even know the Secretary was out of action, and that the Defense leadership didn't feel the need to tell him," Gilmore said. "Biden is only an 'autopilot President', who daily shows he is not in control in this time of great danger to our country."

A Biden administration official responded to the critique by saying, "I'm not familiar with him" in a quote to Fox News Digital.

"But if he had nothing to say when Donald Trump outright lied to the American public about his covid case at the height of the pandemic, then I can’t hear him now," the official continued.

The ordeal has led to Trump saying Austin "should be fired immediately" and other Republicans demanding he step down from his post.

"He has been missing for one week, and nobody, including his boss, Crooked Joe Biden, had a clue as to where he was or might be," Trump said in a previous Truth Social post.

Indiana Republican Rep. Jim Banks told Axios over the weekend that Austin "has been a disaster since Day One and should be replaced by someone who will focus on making the military ready to fight and win wars instead of advancing woke political causes of the Biden admin."

Rep. Matt Rosendale's, R-Mont., office told Fox News Digital on Monday that the lawmakers was introducing articles of impeachment against Austin because he believes Austin "violated his oath of office" on multiple occasions, citing the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, the migrant crisis at the border, and last year’s incident with a Chinese spy craft floating above the continental U.S.

"Sec. Austin knowingly put the American people in danger and compromised our national security when he allowed a spy balloon from a foreign adversary to fly over Malmstrom Air Force Base – home to ICBMs – and allowed the Chinese Communist Party to gather intel on American citizens," the Montana Republican said.

DEFENSE SECRETARY AUSTIN RESUMES DUTIES, WAS IN INTENSIVE CARE UNIT FOR DAYS AS PUBLIC KEPT IN THE DARK

Others, such as Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, said Austin isn't "capable" of leading the Defense Department.

"And he just proved it again by keeping it a secret when he was very sick and in the ICU," Greene posted on X. 

The secret hospitalization has caused headaches for the White House, who told Fox News Digital on Monday morning that Biden has no plans to replace Austin and "continues to have full trust and confidence in the Secretary."

Though still hospitalized, Austin has resumed his duties and is now recovering.

The New York Times reported Tuesday that the White House ordered cabinet officials to "evaluate their current policies for delegating authority when a secretary is incapacitated and to forward those procedures to the White House for review."