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Year: 2025

Trump invites El Salvador’s Bukele to White House for ‘working visit’

Trump invites El Salvador’s Bukele to White House for ‘working visit’

President Donald Trump has invited El Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele to visit him at the White House later this month, according to an April 1 letter from Trump that Bukele shared on X Wednesday night. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House on Thursday morning to request comment as well as confirmation of the letter Bukele posted but did not receive a response by the time of publication. “Your support of my efforts to combat illegal immigration is greatly appreciated,” Trump told Bukele in the message. “For far too long, our southern border has been an open door. With the assistance of friends like you, we have made great progress in protecting Americans from illegal border activity. EL SALVADOR ACCEPTS MORE ALLEGED TREN DE ARAGUA GANG MEMBERS FROM TRUMP ADMIN “Also of great importance to our partnership is your willingness to use El Salvador’s new superman prison for Tren de Aragua and MS-13 gang members. You have shown real leadership and are a model for others seeking to work with the United States,” Trump continued. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem toured CECOT, El Salvador’s confinement center, last month.  Trump concluded the letter by inviting Bukele to join him at the White House on April 14, “for an official working visit to discuss this and other ways we can support each other.” TRUMP ADMIN DEFENDS DEPORTING ACCUSED MS-13 LEADER TO EL SALVADOR AMID BACKLASH In a post on Monday Bukele had noted, “Last night, in a joint military operation with our allies from the United States, we transferred 17 extremely dangerous criminals linked to Tren de Aragua and MS-13. All individuals are confirmed murderers and high-profile offenders, including six child rapists.”  President Trump thanked the foreign leader. “Thank you President Bukele, of El Salvador, for taking the criminals that were so stupidly allowed, by the Crooked Joe Biden Administration, to enter our Country, and giving them such a wonderful place to live!” Trump declared on social media. NOEM COMES FACE-TO-FACE WITH ALLEGED TREN DE ARAGUA MEMBERS DURING TOUR OF NOTORIOUS EL SALVADOR PRISON CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Grateful for your words, President Trump. Onward together!” Bukele replied.

‘Liberation Day’ tariff announcements stir up political frenzy

‘Liberation Day’ tariff announcements stir up political frenzy

Following President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” speech from the Rose Garden on Wednesday afternoon, during which he announced a new wide-ranging tariff strategy, politicians took to their partisan corners to express their thoughts. Republicans hailed the move as a “proven strategy” and “long overdue,” but Democrats suggested there was nothing liberating about tariffs, which they complained will make life even more expensive for Americans. During his Rose Garden remarks, Trump held up a poster board showing the combined rate of tariffs and other non-tariff barriers that other countries impose on U.S. exports alongside the reciprocal tariffs the Trump administration plans to levy on imports from those countries.  Among those included were: The White House released a full list of the reciprocal tariffs in a post on X. PENCE GROUP LASHES OUT AT TRUMP TARIFFS AHEAD OF ‘LIBERATION DAY’ EVENT: ‘TAX ON AMERICAN CONSUMERS’ “This is a disaster, and anyone who says otherwise is lying,” the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee posted on X after the announcement.  “There’s nothing liberating for those who are grappling with the high costs of food, housing, and utilities,” said Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a leading Democratic voice.  “Just watched the President’s ‘Liberation Day’ speech. Based on this, I can confirm many Americans will be liberated from: Being able to afford groceries, Much of their retirement savings, Any hope of buying a home,” remarked Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. “As for lower prices? Just the opposite.” TRUMP, SENATE GOP BUDGET LEADERS HUDDLE AT WHITE HOUSE ON RECONCILIATION BILL Meanwhile, most Republicans responded with faith that Trump’s plan will serve the economy and Americans well.  “The American people clearly trust President Trump’s instincts on the economy,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson. “It’s not ‘blind faith’ – because they know his first term delivered us the greatest economy in American history. Tariffs are part of the president’s proven strategy to fix our economy again, level the playing field, and put America first.” “The United States and American workers will no longer be ripped off by other countries with unfair trade practices,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said, before thanking Trump for “putting America’s workers and innovators first with reciprocal tariffs that level the playing field and make trade FAIR.” Rep. Greg Steube, R-Florida, also chimed in, saying “what many fail to realize” is “Trump’s reciprocal tariffs are a long-overdue response to years of unfair trade policies against America.” TRUMP ROLLS OUT SWEEPING NEW TARIFFS — WHAT TO KNOW “The numbers don’t lie–the rest of the world has profited at the expense of American workers and businesses,” said Steube. “President Trump is finally putting America First by taking bold, necessary actions that past leaders wouldn’t take.”  “Trump’s tariffs aren’t starting a trade war—they’re ending one,” commented Rep. Brian Babin, R-Texas. “For decades, other countries ripped off American workers with unfair tariffs and barriers. Now, we’re finally fighting back. America First!” Fox Business Eric Revell contributed to this report. 

Senate approves resolution against Trump’s Canada tariffs hours after ‘Liberation Day’ event

Senate approves resolution against Trump’s Canada tariffs hours after ‘Liberation Day’ event

The Senate on Wednesday approved a resolution opposing President Donald Trump’s tariffs on imports from Canada hours after his event championing “Liberation Day.” Four Republicans – Sens. Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky; Susan Collins, of Maine; and Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska, sided with Democrats in voting for a resolution that would repeal the emergency declaration that permitted Trump to levy taxes on Canada by citing deadly fentanyl flowing across the border. The measure, introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., passed the upper chamber of Congress by a 51-48 vote.  The resolution likely won’t survive the GOP-controlled House, but its passage was a small victory for Democrats looking for their best attack line before the midterms.  WHAT IS TRUMP’S NEW LIBERATION DAY AND WHAT TO EXPECT APRIL 2? Paul defended his decision to cross party lines in a speech on the Senate floor in which he quoted American revolutionary James Otis in saying, “Taxation without representation is tyranny.” The senator said it was that longstanding principle that originated from the Magna Carta that sparked the American revolution and was incorporated into the Constitution by the Founding Fathers. “And yet today, we are here before the Senate because one person in our country wishes to raise taxes,” Paul said. “Well, this is contrary to everything our country was founded upon. One person is not allowed to raise tax. The Constitution forbids it.”  Paul said the Founding Fathers “so feared the power of taxation that they gave it only to Congress.”  “I stand against the idea of skipping democracy, of skipping the constitutional republic, of rejecting our founding principles, not because I have any animus towards the president,” Paul said. “I do this because I love my country, and I want to see the division of power enabled such that it protects us all from the amalgamation of power into one person such that it can be abused. Another name for emergency rule is martial law.”  “This is a tax, plain and simple,” he said of Trump’s Canada tariffs. “Taxes should not be enacted by one person. So I will vote today to end the emergency. I will vote today to try to reclaim the power of taxation, the power of the tariff, to where the Constitution designated it should properly be, and that is in Congress.”  Trump called out Paul, McConnell, Collins and Murkowski in a post to Truth Social early Wednesday, saying that the four would hopefully “get on the Republican bandwagon, for a change, and fight the Democrats wild and flagrant push to not penalize Canada for the sale, into our Country, of large amounts of Fentanyl, by Tariffing the value of this horrible and deadly drug in order to make it more costly to distribute and buy.”  THESE ARE THE ‘DIRTY 15’ COUNTRIES TRUMP MIGHT TARGET WITH LIBERATION DAY TARIFFS “They are playing with the lives of the American people, and right into the hands of the Radical Left Democrats and Drug Cartels,” Trump wrote. “The Senate Bill is just a ploy of the Dems to show and expose the weakness of certain Republicans, namely these four, in that it is not going anywhere because the House will never approve it and I, as your President, will never sign it. Why are they allowing Fentanyl to pour into our Country unchecked, and without penalty. What is wrong with them, other than suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome, commonly known as TDS?”  The president said the four Republicans have been “extremely difficult to deal with” and “unbelievably disloyal” to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. The Democratic Party has been battling an identity crisis since November’s election resulted in Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress and the White House.  As Democrats strategized on how to emphasize Republican internal divisions, Kaine used one of the few ways the minority party could force a floor vote. Congress has the authority to overturn emergency resolutions.  The measure opposing Trump’s tariffs on Canada passed hours after the president hosted a “Make America Wealthy Again” event in which he announced an executive order instituting “reciprocal tariffs” on various countries. “In the face of unrelenting economic warfare, the United States can no longer continue with a policy of unilateral economic surrender. We cannot pay the deficits of Canada, Mexico, and so many other countries. We used to do it. We can’t do it anymore. We take care of countries all over the world,” Trump said. “But we have to take care of our people, and we’re going to take care of our people first.” “Today we’re standing up for the American worker, and we are finally putting America first,” he added. 

Washington Post article hyping anti-DOGE protesters in deep red state omits crucial details

Washington Post article hyping anti-DOGE protesters in deep red state omits crucial details

FIRST ON FOX: An article on the Washington Post’s newspaper cover highlighting Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) opposition from Republican and Independent protesters at an event in Alabama failed to point out that several protesters featured in the story were Democratic donors who have espoused left-wing and anti-Trump views on social media. “Constituents hunt for answers from GOP congressman,” a Washington Post headline last week, which also ran online with the headline, “Republicans, independents crave answers from GOP congressman in Alabama,” read along with a story explaining how protesters are upset with GOP Rep. Dale Strong about DOGE. Despite framing the story as amplifying criticism from Republicans and Independents, every protester quoted in the story with a first and last name has donated to Democrats, which the article does not point out. Additionally, the article omits that several Democrat donors were included in the article’s pictures. Melanie Kolowski, the main protester cited in the story, is described by the Washington Post as “politically independent” and someone who is a “Second Amendment fan” and “proud owner of a Glock 47.” TOP FINANCIAL OFFICIALS SOUND ALARM ON ‘UNCONSCIONABLE’ ECONOMIC IMPACT OF DOGE PROTEST VIOLENCE: LETTER However, a Fox News Digital review of election records shows that she is a registered Democrat in Alabama who has only donated to ActBlue, earmarking donations to Sen. Mitch McConnell’s failed Democrat opponent Amy McGrath and the failed Senate campaign of former DNC Chair Jaime Harrison. Kolowski’s Facebook account includes posts blasting Elon Musk, accusing Justice Clarence Thomas of wanting to take America back to the time of segregation, and promoting abortion, gay marriage and DEI. In another post from last month, she shared a post from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., a self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist, hyping a rally he and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., hosted together in Denver. The post included a fire emoji and an emoji showing heart eyes.  The piece also quotes Michael Bonaker, who the author describes as a “registered Republican.” Bonaker is indeed a registered Republican, but FEC records show that he has only donated to Democrats, and he has posted on the social media platform BlueSky that “if you support MAGA and ’47, you are a racist.” “First, a space x starship disintegrates before our eyes! Second, Waiting for Elon’s brain to explode like Samuel L Jackson’s character did in Kingman,” Bonaker wrote in a BlueSky post. “We are mad as hell and not going to take it anymore! That rings a bell… Proud to peacefully demonstrate with my closest progressive minded friends,” he wrote in another BlueSky post. “Even in our racist red state.” “It’s hard to be sympathetic to those who voted to put this wanna be dictator into power,” he said in another post. DOGE SLASHES BILLIONS MORE IN EXPENSES FOR PROGRAMS LIKE PERUVIAN CLIMATE CHANGE AND GENDER EQUITY IN MEXICO “Next, You love your money way more than your fellow US citizens of differing races and creeds,” the post says. “Sit in your evangelical pew and make your false prayers in the name of Jesus. One day, Your hypocrisy will be judged and you will deserve your punishment.” The Washington Post included a picture in the story with Kolowski holding an upside-down American flag, while Strong spoke at the event with the caption, “Kolowski held a silent protest with Zeb Lemon, left, and Jeremy Devito as Strong spoke at the defense contractor event.” FEC records show that Lemon is also a Democrat donor, and a Fox News Digital review of his social media shows him describing himself as a “leftist.” Devito is not only a registered Democrat and Democrat donor in Alabama, but he has filed to run for Congress as a Democrat against Strong.  The story featured a comment from another Republican who was only identified as Lynn and a photo of a man named Branson Block with a sign around his neck that said “Make America Think Again.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Washington Post, Kolowski, and Bonaker for comment.