Vance visits Capitol Hill to urge senators to confirm Elbridge Colby for Pentagon No. 3 post
Vice President JD Vance visited Capitol Hill to offer a message of support for his “friend,” Elbridge “Bridge” Colby, President Donald Trump’s contentious nominee for the Pentagon’s No. 3 spot, undersecretary of defense for policy. “In so many ways, Bridge predicted what we would be talking about four years down the road, five years down the road, ten years down the road. He saw around corners that very few other people were seeing around,” Vance said in opening remarks Tuesday at Colby’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee. “If you look at his long career in defense policy, he has said things that, you know, frankly, alienated Democrats and Republicans. He’s also said things that I think both Democrats and Republicans would agree with,” Vance continued. The vice president praised Colby as a “good man” and an “honest man.” “You need people who are going to tell you the truth. We’re going to look you in the eye who are going to disagree,” Vance said. DISPUTED DOD NOMINEE IS ‘BEST PERSON’ TO IMPLEMENT TRUMP AND HEGSETH AGENDA, KEY CONSERVATIVE GROUP SAYS The vice president’s presence demonstrates how seriously the White House is looking to shore up support for Colby, whose restraint-minded views have given pause to some more hawkish senators. It is the second confirmation hearing Vance has attended after Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who the vice president also has a close relationship with. Colby said in his own opening remarks, “There is a real risk of major war, and we cannot afford to lose one. I recognize these realities in my bones. It is my great hope that we can get through the coming years peacefully, with strength in ways that put us and our alliances on a stronger and more sustainable footing.” “I’m willing and ready to engage with those who disagree with me and adapt my views based on persuasive arguments and the fact is that I value our alliances deeply, even as I think they must be adapted, and that I love our great country, and will put its interests first and foremost.” Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker questioned Colby on his previously stated position, “America has a strong interest in defending Taiwan, but Americans can survive without it.” “Your views on Taiwan’s importance to the United States seems to have soft and soft considerably,” Wicker told Colby. Colby disputed that point, arguing he had been shooting a warning flare that the U.S.’ “military balance has declined” with regard to China. “What I have been trying to shoot a signal flare over is that it is vital for us to focus and enable our own forces for an effective and reasonable defense of Taiwan and for the Taiwanese, as well as the Japanese to do more,” said Colby. “So my position in terms of the value of Taiwan is consistent. But what I’m very fearful of, Senator, and I think this is agreed across administrations of both parties, is that, you know, the military balance has declined. So I’m trying to avoid a situation of which, because we are not adequately prepared.” MAGA LOYALISTS TAKE AIM AT GOP SENATOR AS KEY TRUMP DEFENSE POST SPARKS CONTROVERSY: ‘WHY THE OPPOSITION?’ Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the committee, pressed Colby on his views on Russia and Ukraine. “In November 2023, you said, ‘the invasion of Ukraine is an evil act by the Russians, and I morally support the Ukrainian defense.’ Do you still agree with that statement, senator?” asked Reed, D-RI. “I think I stand by my record, but at this point, I think, there’s a very delicate diplomatic process going on where the president is rightfully trying to resuscitate the peace process. And I don’t think it’d be appropriate for me to weigh in,” said Colby. Sen. Kristen Gillibrand, D-NY, pressed Colby on whether Russia was an “adversary” or an “ally” to the U.S. “Russia presents a significant military threat to Europe, and there are significant military threats to the homeland as well,” said Colby. “We can … diminish, you know, the potential for direct confrontation with Russia in the same way with China.” Colby’s confirmation process has rankled Iran hawks, and at least Sen. Tom Cotton, R-AK, has privately expressed skepticism. Wicker previously told Roll Call that Colby’s nomination posts “a concern to a number of senators.” Colby, who worked at the Pentagon during Trump’s first term and was a lead author on the 2018 U.S. National Security Strategy, has long asserted the U.S. should limit its resources in the Middle East and refocus on China as the bigger threat.
‘She’s really this dumb’: House Dem ripped after calling Trump ‘enemy of the United States’
Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett was ripped by conservatives on social media this week after claiming President Donald Trump is “occupying the White House” and is an “enemy to the United States.” “Unfortunately, we have someone that is occupying the White House, and as far as I’m concerned, he is an enemy to the United States,” Crockett said on MSNBC on Sunday. “I don’t know what it’s going to take to get people to wake up.” The Texas congresswoman also suggested that Trump is a “dictator” in her cable news appearance. Conservatives on social media quickly pushed back against Crockett. ELON MUSK TAKES AIM AT NATIONAL DEBT, WARNS OF ‘DE FACTO BANKRUPTCY’ WITHOUT DOGE: ‘$2 TRILLION IN DEFICITS’ “Almost sounds like this ‘defender of democracy’ would support an insurrection,” Fox News host Laura Ingraham posted on X. “When are we going to hold members of Congress accountable for their words and actions?” retired professor Carol Swain posted on X. “Dangerous election denier stuff here,” former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., posted on X. “By all means, continue this leaderless, tired charade and keep losing elections,” Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., posted on X. “Yeah, she’s running in 2028,” Red State writer Bonchie posted on X. “Jasmine Crockett labeled Trump as an enemy of America while simultaneously saying she doesn’t understand anything that’s going on,” conservative influencer account Gunther Eagleman posted on X. “She’s really this dumb.” NEW DOGE BILL WOULD TARGET MORE THAN $200B IN ANNUAL IMPROPER PAYMENTS FROM SAFETY NETS, LAWMAKER SAYS “The unquestioned leader of the Democratic Party,” CNN commentator Scott Jennings posted on X. “Keep going!” Fox News Digital reached out to Crockett’s office for comment but did not immediately hear back. Crockett has become one of the most prominent faces of the Democratic Party, opposing Trump’s agenda and the DOGE efforts of Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Crockett recently sparked a frenzy on social media when she told a reporter outside the U.S. Capitol that if she could tell Musk one thing it would be, “F— off.”
GOP rebels fire warning shot in shutdown showdown: No DOGE, no deal
FIRST ON FOX: A group of conservative lawmakers in the House and Senate is warning Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., against agreeing to restrict the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in a spending bill as the government shutdown deadline of March 14 inches closer. The sometimes-resistant batch of Republicans is also committing to backing a clean stopgap bill for the rest of the fiscal year to avoid a shutdown, which they’ve opposed in the past. “[W]e are deeply concerned about recent reports of Democrats’ demands for a government funding agreement that would perpetuate the unsustainable status quo of wasteful spending,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., joined by several others, wrote to the congressional leaders. The group of signers included several fiscal hawks in the House and Senate, many of whom have opposed stopgap spending bills on principle, preferring full-year appropriations bills. “Any attempt to use government funding legislation to dilute the President’s constitutional authority to save taxpayer dollars must be rejected outright,” the lawmakers wrote. WHO IS ELISSA SLOTKIN, AND WHY DID DEMS CHOOSE HER FOR THE PARTY’S REBUTTAL TO TRUMP SPEECH? In this circumstance, the group of Congressional conservatives said they’re willing to back a “clean” continuing resolution, or short-term spending bill, that lasts the rest of the year, for the sake of avoiding a government shutdown. But they also made it very clear to Johnson and Thune: Don’t let Democrats restrict DOGE in the spending bill. The correspondence was co-signed by 19 other Republicans: Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., Ted Budd, R-N.C., and Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, and Reps. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., Ralph Norman, R-S.C., Barry Moore, R-Ala., Clay Higgins, R-La., Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Brandon Gill, R-Texas, Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., Sheri Biggs, R-S.C., and Mark Harris, R-N.C. Scott is the new chairman of the Republican Senate Steering Committee, a group of conservatives in the upper chamber that works to influence policy and priorities in their conference. FLASHBACK: DEM SENATOR EMBROILED IN CONFLICT OF INTEREST ROW TARGETED SCOTUS IN ETHICS CRUSADE READ THE LETTER – APP USERS, CLICK HERE: According to the sometimes rebellious group of Republicans, they “stand ready” to work with both House and Senate leadership to keep the government open. But, they said, “we will not support a government funding package that would be weaponized against President Trump at the very moment he is seeking to make good on the promises he made to the American people.” Johnson’s office referred Fox News Digital to a recent appearance by the speaker on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” where he said, “Heading up to the March 14 deadline, we’ll have to probably pass a clean CR instead of separate [appropriations] bills. Why? Because the Democrats in Congress were trying to demand that as a condition of appropriations, that we would somehow tie the hands of the president, limit his authority, you know, put Elon Musk in a corner and take him off of his mission.” “We’re not doing that. That’s a nonstarter, and Democrats know that, so I hope they’ll be reasonable,” he said. Thune’s office declined to comment to Fox News Digital. Last month, President Donald Trump sounded off on the shutdown deadline on Truth Social. “As usual, Sleepy Joe Biden left us a total MESS. The Budget from last YEAR is still not done. We are working very hard with the House and Senate to pass a clean, temporary government funding Bill (‘CR’) to the end of September. Let’s get it done!” he wrote. The House Freedom Caucus has at times weaponized the House’s razor-thin majority to push for more conservative positions in negotiations and legislative matters. In the Senate, members of the more covert Steering Committee have also banded together in the past against actions by GOP leadership that they didn’t agree with. ‘UTTER DISASTER’: LINDSEY GRAHAM CALLS FOR ZELENSKYY RESIGNATION AFTER WHITE HOUSE THROWDOWN The deadline for a partial government shutdown is March 14, and Republicans and Democrats have yet to come to an agreement on a spending measure to avoid such a fate. As Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s DOGE has aggressively tackled perceived waste and bloat in the federal government, Democrats have expressed outrage at widespread spending cuts and federal worker layoffs. And now, with some leverage in the shutdown discussions, Democrats in Congress are demanding assurance that Trump spends the money as Congress has appropriated it, shielding it from DOGE. SEE THE STAR-STUDDED LIST OF TRUMP ALLIES DESCENDING ON DC TO CHART FURTHER 100-DAY WINS Sources familiar with previously told Fox News this could take form in a specific bill provision hamstringing DOGE. In order to pass a spending bill to avoid a partial shutdown, Republicans will need some level of Democratic support. Sixty votes are needed in the Senate, meaning at least seven Democrats will need to cross the aisle, provided that all Republicans also support it. Only a majority is needed in the House, but full Republican support of any bill is not guaranteed.
Trump urged by ‘fiscal responsibility’ group to show he’s ‘serious’ about $36T debt
EXCLUSIVE: Ahead of President Donald Trump’s congressional address on Tuesday night, the Concord Coalition launched their new “fiscal responsibility” advocacy group, Concord Action, designed to pressure Congress to tackle America’s $36 trillion debt crisis. Former Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux, D-GA, the new executive director and president, in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital urged Trump to show he is serious about tackling America’s debt crisis. “I’d like to hear that he’s really serious about putting everything on the table and putting together an effort that reaches out,” Bourdeaux said. “He really needs to reach across the aisle. We know that to get the budget done, just on an annual basis, it does require Democrats to be involved. This needs to be a bipartisan effort.” Bourdeaux, a Democrat who worked with Republicans during the Great Recession to balance Georgia’s state budget, said Trump needs to lead a “bipartisan effort” that goes “line by line” through the nation’s spending. THEME OF TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS REVEALED SCOOP: SPEAKER JOHNSON REVEALS GUEST LIST FOR TRUMP’S BIG SPEECH TUESDAY “It needs to be a thoughtful effort,” Bourdeaux added. “It does need to tackle the waste, fraud and abuse, but anyone who is serious about balancing the budget knows that is not enough. We really have to go line by line through all the different programs that we do, including the mandatory spending, and look at places where we can find savings and efficiencies. And we also have to put the tax side on the table as well.” The economy was the top issue for American voters in 2024, as four in 20 voters said inflation was the most important factor in their vote, according to 2024 Fox News Voter Analysis. Voters reported a negative view of the economy, with almost two-thirds rating the economy as not good, 40%, or downright poor, 24%. TUNE IN: LIVE COVERAGE OF TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS TUESDAY NIGHT ON FOX NEWS “I know people approach this with a sense of despair, but it can be done. Back in the 1990s, I was actually a congressional staffer at the time. We did balance the budget. We did get together. It was done on a bipartisan basis. You know, Clinton was the president, but the House was Republican, at times the Senate was Republican. They got together, and they got it done. We really need to replicate that process again,” Bourdeaux said. Bourdeaux said if America has balanced the budget before, then it can be done again. When former President Bill Clinton took office, the national debt was over $4 trillion, according to U.S. Treasury data. Republicans and Democrats worked across the aisle to achieve budget surpluses through legislation like the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. Bourdeaux said she wants to hear a real plan from Trump on Tuesday night. “Right now, even getting to balance. Nobody has a plan. Nobody has anything serious on the table right now. We need to set up what that plan is going to be and then start executing it,” Bourdeaux added. Deputy White House press secretary Harrison Fields responded in a statement to Fox News Digital, “Since day one, President Trump has prioritized government efficiency, proper stewardship of taxpayer dollars, and the goal of signing a long overdue balanced budget. The Trump Administration is committed to ending the mindless spending of foreign wars, woke ideology, and unnecessary government programs that don’t serve the American people.” Trump’s plan to slash federal spending is anchored in Elon Musk‘s leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Trump signed an executive order on Inauguration Day establishing DOGE “to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.” The Trump administration has since directed government agencies to comply with DOGE’s departmental investigations. According to the official DOGE website, the department has estimated $105 billion in savings, attributed to contract cancelations, workforce reductions, improper payment deletions and other regulatory changes. DOGE has drawn the praise of many Republicans and the protest of several Democrats for its aggressive action to dismantle government waste. DOGE has inspired government officials at the city, state and federal level to prioritize efficiency, from San Francisco ordering employees back to the office, to the Environmental Protection Agency locating its own $20 billion in wasteful spending. Sens. Pete Ricketts, R-NE, and Jacky Rosen, D-NV, introduced a new bipartisan bill last week that would require the annual presidential budget to include data on improper payments to federal agencies. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-PA, announced the Payment Integrity Information Reform Act to target overpayments by the federal government on the House side as well. A Senate DOGE Caucus was established in November 2024 by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-IA., “to identify and eliminate government waste” and works closely with Musk’s DOGE to “promote fiscal responsibility.” The House also established the Delivering Outstanding Government Efficiency Caucus to support DOGE through legislative action.
Trump to make ‘full-throated’ case during primetime speech: former presidential speechwriters
President Donald Trump, six weeks into his second tour of duty in the White House, vows to “TELL IT LIKE IT IS!” when he heads to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to deliver a primetime address to Congress and the nation. The president will tout his domestic and international accomplishments, spotlight what the Trump administration has done for the economy, make a renewed push for Congress to pass additional border security funding and detail his plans for peace around the globe, according to details from the White House that were shared first with Fox News. A former presidential speechwriter calls Trump’s first major speech to Congress during his second presidential administration “a big deal” and “a great platform…for a president.” “It’s a dramatic setting,” Bill McGurn, a former chief speechwriter for then-President George W. Bush, said of the speech, which is on equal footing with a State of the Union address in terms of importance. TUNE IN: LIVE COVERAGE OF TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS TONIGHT ON FOX NEWS McGurn said the first address to Congress by a president following their inauguration is “a great opportunity to broadcast their message far and wide.” “He’s going to make his case,” McGurn predicted. FIRST ON FOX: WHAT TRUMP WILL SAY IN HIS PRIMETIME SPEECH Trump has been moving at warp speed during his opening six weeks back in the White House with a flurry of executive orders and actions. His moves not only fulfilled some of his major campaign trail promises, but also allowed the returning president to flex his executive muscles, quickly put his stamp on the federal government, make major cuts to the federal workforce and also settle some long-standing grievances. Trump, as of Tuesday, has signed 82 executive orders since his Jan. 20 inauguration, according to a count from Fox News, which far surpasses the rate of any recent presidential predecessors during their first weeks in office. Many of the moves Trump has taken have been controversial, including threatening tariffs on major trading partners, including Canada and Mexico, upending the nation’s international agenda and freezing foreign aid, as well as a high-profile crackdown on illegal immigration. Also grabbing plenty of attention is Trump’s recently created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Trump named Elon Musk — the world’s richest person and the chief executive of Tesla and Space X — to steer DOGE. DOGE has swept through federal agencies since Trump was inaugurated, rooting out what the White House argues was billions in wasteful federal spending. It has also taken a meat cleaver to the federal workforce, resulting in a massive downsizing of employees. The moves by DOGE have triggered a slew of lawsuits in response. TOP WILDEST MOMENTS FROM PRESIDENTIAL SPEECHES TO CONGRESS “I would write it as a triumph, and I would write it looking to the future,” Clark Judge, a former speechwriter and special assistant to then-President Ronald Reagan, said when asked by Fox News Digital what he would say about DOGE if he were writing Trump’s speech. Following Friday’s jaw-dropping clash in the Oval Office between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump and Vice President JD Vance, what Trump says in his address to Congress regarding the Russia-Ukraine war will be closely monitored. “Undoubtedly, he’s going to explain how he sees the world,” McGurn emphasized. “Donald Trump is not shy about saying what he thinks, so he’s going to express it full-throated.” Additionally, he predicted that “there’s doing to be a lot of Republican support. Democrats, I can’t image, will be enthusiastic about anything. So it could be very dramatic. People will be looking for boos and cheers.” Dan Cluchey, former senior speechwriter for then-President Joe Biden, had his own advice for Trump. “What Donald Trump ‘should’ do is turn his focus outward on the American people rather than inward towards himself,” Cluchey told Fox News Digital. He argued that “Americans deserve an explanation as to why he is failing to address record egg prices, slashing vital funding for everything from cancer research to weather forecasting, threatening to decimate Medicaid and the Social Security Administration, torching our hard-earned heritage as the world’s chief defender of democracy, and speeding the strong economy he inherited toward an utterly unnecessary collapse.” However, Cluchey predicted that “what Donald Trump *will* do, instead, is what he always does: fabricate the record and fixate on Donald Trump.”
EU weighs $840 billion plan to ‘rearm Europe’ after US pauses Ukraine aid
The European Union has a new plan to spend $840 billion more on its own defense after President Donald Trump paused aid to Ukraine and peace negotiations hit a wall. “I do not need to describe the grave nature of the threats that we face, or the devastating consequences that we will have to endure if those threats would come to pass,” EU Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen told reporters on Tuesday. She said she had written a letter to the heads of state of all European governments outlining a “set of proposals” to “rearm Europe.” “A new era is upon us,” von der Leyen wrote in the letter. The plan details “how to use all the financial levers at our disposal in order to help member states to quickly and significantly increase expenditures in defense capabilities, urgently now, but also over [a] longer period of time, over this decade.” EUROPE MUST LEAD ON UKRAINIAN SECURITY GUARANTEES, GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS: ‘WE ARE THE NEIGHBORS’ Countries in the EU would have access to loans of up to $158 billion for defense investment, according to the proposal. It also calls for relaxing strict debt ceilings agreed to by the bloc for defense spending. “This will allow member states to significantly increase their defense expenditures without triggering the excessive deficit procedure,” she said, referring to the rule that requires nations to bring their deficits down if they breach a certain amount. The proposal also involves using the existing EU budget to “direct more funds towards defense-related investments.” “With this equipment, member states can massively step up their support to Ukraine. So, immediate military equipment for Ukraine,” she said. The new defense plan comes as Washington recalibrates its relationship with Europe, and conservative Republicans push Trump to lead efforts to pull the U.S. out of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). European leaders held an emergency summit over the weekend in London to discuss how to support Ukraine after the Oval Office meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy brought peace negotiations to an abrupt halt. At that summit, European leaders discussed ways to keep military aid flowing, increase economic pressure on Russia, and establish a “coalition of the willing” of European nations ready to offer forces to act as a safeguard against another invasion by Russia once the two sides reach a peace agreement. EUROPEAN LEADERS ON EDGE AS PROSPECT LOOMS OF TRUMP PULLING 20K TROOPS FROM CONTINENT “This is a moment for Europe, and we are ready to step up,” said von der Leyen. Even France’s Marine Le Pen, leader of the conservative National Rally party, called the U.S. action a form of “brutality.” “I consider the brutality of this decision to be reprehensible,” she said of the move to pause aid. “It is very cruel for Ukrainian soldiers engaged in a patriotic defense of their country,” she insisted, adding that it was “very questionable” not to give the Ukrainians a warning before doing so. The temporary pause will apply to all U.S. military aid not yet in Ukraine. It is expected to last until the White House determines that Zelenskyy is committed to peace talks. “We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution,” a White House official said. After President Joe Biden shipped over a $500 million aid package on his way out the door in January, some $3.86 billion from previously approved aid packages remains, a defense official told Fox News Digital, including Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) and anti-tank weapons and thousands of artillery rounds and armored vehicles.
‘He’s back’: Trump’s joint address to Congress to be blanketed with 6-figure ad buy touting tax plan
FIRST ON FOX: A conservative nonprofit group will blanket the airwaves with an ad before and after President Donald Trump’s address to Congress on Tuesday night, touting his tax cut plan and promising more “winning” as his term unfolds. “He’s back,” says the 30-second ad from the Plymouth Union Public Advocacy, a conservative nonprofit organization that “aims to advance public policies that make America stronger and more prosperous.” “And that means tax cuts. Not just one, not just a couple, a lot of tax cuts. President Trump is fighting to extend his 2017 tax cuts. To end taxes on tips, overtime, social security. And will stand in the way of a tax on our healthcare that would drive up costs.” The new ad, titled “Winning,” will bracket Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday and is backed by a six-figure buy and will run nationally on television and digital platforms. HOW TO WATCH AND WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT TRUMP’S TUESDAY ADDRESS TO A JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS “Trump’s back. That means we’re going to win,” the ad says. “Not just a little, a lot. Thank President Trump for fighting to protect our tax cuts. We’re not tired of winning.” The ad comes shortly after a Fox News focus group of Independent voters approved of Trump’s promise to cut taxes and eliminate wasteful government spending. TUNE IN: LIVE COVERAGE OF TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS TUESDAY NIGHT ON FOX NEWS The House of Representatives adopted a resolution last week that would eventually become a massive multitrillion-dollar bill full of Trump’s priorities on the border, defense, energy and taxes. Fox News Digital exclusively reported on Monday that Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress will have the theme, “Renewal of the American Dream.” TRUMP SET TO CONTINUE UNPRECEDENTED LEVEL OF ACTIONS, ADDRESS CONGRESS IN 7TH WEEK BACK IN OFFICE White House officials told Fox News Digital that the speech will feature four main sections: accomplishments from Trump’s second term thus far at home and abroad; what the Trump administration has done for the economy; the president’s renewed push for Congress to pass additional funding for border security; and the president’s plans for peace around the globe. Several Democratic members are planning to boycott Trump’s address, including Sen. Chris Murphy, D-CT, who will instead hold a live prebuttal of the speech. “I think that State of the Union speech is going to be a farce. I think it’s going to be a MAGA pep rally, not a serious talk to the nation,” Murphy told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman, Aubrie Spady and Liz Elkind contributed to this report.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to President Trump’s speech to Congress tonight
Tonight’s speech is technically not a “State of the Union.” They usually eschew that title this time around, since the president has only been in office a few weeks. Interestingly, nothing in the Constitution requires a speech. Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution says the “President Shall from time to time give Congress information on the State of the Union.” President George Washington gave the first such address in New York, but President Thomas Jefferson discontinued the practice. He viewed it as too much like a speech from the crown. TUNE IN: LIVE COVERAGE OF TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS TONIGHT ON FOX NEWS The “State of the Union” was a written document until the early 20th century. That’s when President Woodrow Wilson revived the speech custom after 112 years of dormancy. President Calvin Coolidge was the first to deliver a State of the Union speech over the radio in 1923. However, the tradition of radio really found its footing in the 1930s. THEME OF TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS REVEALED President Franklin Delano Roosevelt mastered radio with his “Fireside Chats” during the Great Depression and World War II. That continued during his State of the Union messages. President Harry Truman was the first to have the speech broadcast on television in 1947. President Lyndon Baines Johnson moved the speech to prime time in 1965. President Bill Clinton had his speeches streamed on the internet in the mid-1990s. Sometimes the speech itself isn’t what’s remembered – it’s the extracurriculars. SEVERAL DEMOCRATS TO BOYCOTT TRUMP’S ‘PEP RALLY’ SPEECH TO CONGRESS In January 1982, Air Florida Flight 90 crashed into the 14th Street Bridge shortly after takeoff. Congressional Budget Office employee Lenny Skutnik famously dove into the freezing water to rescue a passenger. Two weeks later, President Ronald Reagan recognized Skutnik by inviting him to the State of the Union as a guest. Presidents – and lawmakers – have continued this practice. President Barack Obama spoke to a Joint Session of Congress in September 2009 about Obamacare. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-SC, infamously heckled the president, shouting “You lie!” Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, ripped up President Donald Trump’s speech after she presided over his State of the Union speech in February 2020. Police arrested Steve Nikoui after he repeatedly disrupted President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address last year. Nikoui was upset after his son Kareem was killed in Afghanistan. Prosecutors later dropped the charges.
Europe must lead on Ukrainian security guarantees, Greek foreign minister says: ‘We are the neighbors’
Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis told Fox News Digital in an interview that he believes Europe should take the lead on Ukraine’s security guarantees. Gerapetritis, who was in the U.S. to meet with his U.S. counterpart, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said the most important order of business was to “stop the hostilities.” “The day after will give the opportunity for considerations about reconstruction and about the security guarantees,” he said. “We are the neighbors, and we have to take the responsibility for these,” Gerapetritis went on. “We need backing up from the United States, it’s important that the United States remain, involved, but, of course, Europe should have the major stake.” EUROPEAN LEADERS ON EDGE AS PROSPECT LOOMS OF TRUMP PULLING 20K TROOPS FROM CONTINENT The interview took place Friday just as a high-tempered spat in the Oval Office broke out and peace negotiations were brought to an abrupt halt when President Volodymyr Zelenskyy repeatedly brought up the need for the U.S. to offer Ukraine security guarantees to stop a future Russian attack. President Donald Trump and his administration have insisted that it must be Europe who commits to Ukraine’s defense if Russia were to invade again, but Zelenskyy has insisted European security guarantees are pointless without the U.S. However, Trump officials have told Zelenskyy to read between the lines on the proposed mineral deal: if the U.S. has major financial interests in Ukraine, it will not allow a war with Russia to threaten them. Zelenskyy, after being escorted out of the White House on Friday following his spat with Trump and Vice President JD Vance, said Sunday he would still be willing to sign the mineral deal. Gerapetritis boasted that Greece had boosted its defense spending to 3% of GDP, surpassing NATO’s 2% target. “We have urged all our allies to increase their spending,” he said. “We need to go into a collective defense of Europe.” However, Greek-owned oil tankers have been a key enabler of Russia’s oil trade. The Kyiv School of Economics has identified 126 vessels that originated with Greek owners and now make up Russia’s “shadow fleet,” ships it uses to export oil and hide from western sanctions. EUROPEAN UNION SPENT MORE ON RUSSIAN FOSSIL FUELS THAN UKRAINE AID IN 2024 Gerapetritis said Greece is working with the rest of the European Union on addressing the issue. “We are imposing not only the sanctions imposed by the European Union, but also, [our own] national sanctions. We are having a very strict monitoring mechanism. The truth is that we need to close any gaps concerning potential bypasses … We’re working on these with allies within the European Union.” Amid increasingly hostile words between the U.S. and Europe, Gerapetritis planned to use his visit to patch up the transatlantic alliance. “It is important that the, transatlantic relations remain, intact. Remain strong. United, we do have a lot more leverage to actually, deal with multiple crises, which is the new normality. So we have to stay together.” Ukraine was top of mind for Gerapetritidis’ meeting with Rubio on Friday, though the foreign ministers planned to discuss a slew of security issues. One topic of discussion was expected to be thwarting China’s influence, and Gerapetritis boasted of a new alliance with India to do just that. New Delhi is hoping to reach European markets by establishing a corridor that runs through Greece, as a way to counter the Port of Piraeus, which China has used as a gateway to Europe through Greece. “This major plan is, I think, an excellent project. In order to diversify the routes concerning transport, concerning data, concerning energy,” he said. “We are very likeminded with the United States when it comes to foreign and security policy.” In Syria, which, like Greece, is home to many Orthodox Christians, Gerapetritis remains skeptical of the new government, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, and said sanctions should be lifted slowly and with the ability to snap them back into place if the governing entity returns to its terrorist roots. “We suggest that we need to have a release on these sanctions. But that should take place mostly on a gradual basis. We need to see how it goes.” Gerapetritis said he would also be discussing Iran with Rubio. “Iran and its proxies are operating in the broader region. We have the Houthis operating in the Red sea. This is a serious danger for the maritime security. And we’re very concerned with maritime security globally,” he said.
‘Moderate’ Dem giving rebuttal to Trump’s joint address promoted staffer who boosted Farrakhan
FIRST ON FOX: The Democratic senator who is being billed as a “moderate” and was tapped to give the rebuttal to President Trump’s Tuesday address to a joint session of Congress is still employing a staffer who faced backlash last year for her public support of Minister Louis Farrakhan. Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, who will deliver the rebuttal to Trump, employed a deputy political director during her campaign last year who posted on Facebook in 2017 about her “full week” of “supporting the Nation of Islam and the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan” at the Nation of Islam’s “Saviours’ Day Convention.” The staffer, Dr. Terra DeFoe, posted a photo of herself standing next to Farrakhan and wrote, “Great time with my Brothers at Savior’s Day Convention.” Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam, has been vocal about what he thinks of Jews, comparing them to termites and saying they are “Satanic.” He has also praised Adolf Hitler as a “great man” and has become one of the most controversial religious figures in the United States due to his derogatory comments about Israel. ‘MY SQUAD’: NATIONAL COORDINATOR OF LEFT-WING GROUP ATTENDS NOTORIOUS ANTISEMITE’S ANNUAL GATHERING In 2019, two years after DeFoe attended the Nation of Islam convention, she invited Troy Muhammad onto her talk show. Muhammad, who serves as a “State Representative for Minister Louis Farrakhan and Minister of Muhammad Mosque No. 1” and was pictured in DeFoe’s 2017 Facebook post, was described by DeFoe in the introduction as a “valued community leader in Detroit.” The interview, which lasted nine minutes, according to an archived copy, did not include any questions about Farrakhan’s controversial antisemitic comments. After the conclusion of Slotkin’s successful Senate campaign, DeFoe was given the position of regional director starting in January 2025, according to Legistorm. Federal Election Commission records show that DeFoe was paid tens of thousands of dollars from the Slotkin campaign between June 2024 and December 2024, weeks before she was promoted to the regional director position. PRO-FARRAKHAN PASTOR LEADING TARGET DEI BOYCOTT CALLS BLACK TRUMP SUPPORTERS ‘COONS’ AND ‘RUNAWAY SLAVES’ After Fox News Digital exclusively reported on DeFoe’s ties to Farrakhan last May, multiple Jewish activists called for Slotkin’s staffer to be fired. “StopAntisemitism is dismayed to learn that Representative Elissa Slotkin still employs a Farrakhan supporter who has openly praised one of America’s most notorious antisemites. Farrakhan uses antisemitic slurs, and pushes Jew-hating rhetoric, yet Rep. Slotkin has refused to fire this staffer, despite public outcry,” Liora Rez, StopAntisemitism’s executive director, told Fox News Digital on Monday. “How can a Representative who enables this kind of extremism be considered a moderate? Rep. Slotkin’s silence needs to be addressed,” she continued. “If she won’t take a stand against antisemitism within her own team, why should her constituents trust her to stand up for American values at all?” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Tudor Dixon, who ran for governor of Michigan as a Republican in 2022, told Fox News Digital in a statement, “No one will be fooled by Elissa Slotkin’s sudden ‘moderate’ rebrand.” “There’s nothing moderate about defending open borders, higher taxes, EV mandates, and coddling criminals. Elissa Slotkin is a far-left progressive who continues to surround herself with activists that are completely disconnected from the average American.” Fox News Digital reached out to Slotkin’s office and DeFoe multiple times but did not receive a response.