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Year: 2025

Trump gave the Oval Office a gilded makeover – and covered the cost himself

Trump gave the Oval Office a gilded makeover – and covered the cost himself

President Donald Trump has the golden touch — and nowhere is that more evident than in the Oval Office, where gilded accents now adorn the nation’s most famous workspace, reflecting his signature style. The gold additions throughout the Oval Office were on full display last week as global leaders met with Trump to discuss a path to ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.  A White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the gold Trump added to the Oval Office “is of the highest quality,” declining to provide further details. The spokesperson also said that Trump personally covered the cost of the gold accents, though did not specify how much gold was added or how much Trump spent. SPRAWLING NEW $200M WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM TO BE PAID FOR BY TRUMP AND DONORS In March, Trump told Fox News host Laura Ingraham during a tour of the Oval Office that the room “needed a little life” when asked about the gold details.  “Throughout the years, people have tried to come up with a gold paint that would look like gold, and they’ve never been able to do it,” Trump told Ingraham. “You’ve never been able to match gold with gold paint, that’s why it’s gold,” Trump added. Since then, Trump has added gold accents throughout the Oval Office to include the room’s 18-foot-6-inch ceiling. Below is a picture of the presidential seal that overlooks the Resolute Desk, shown in 2008 and after the addition of all the gold. Behind the Resolute Desk, Trump added gold curtains and a display of flags, including those representing the U.S. military’s sister services. Meanwhile, gold trim was added to details along the ceiling and doorways. Even the cherubs inside the door frames were given a golden makeover. In March, Trump said he had installed a copy of the Declaration of Independence in the Oval Office. He told Fox News host Laura Ingraham that the document must be kept behind heavy curtains to protect it from light damage.  The signed Declaration of Independence is on permanent display at the National Archives on Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C., where it has been housed since 1952. The framed document is seen on the wall behind Trump in the photograph below: Presidents traditionally choose the portraits displayed in the Oval Office, with special attention given to the one above the fireplace. Former President Joe Biden chose a portrait of Franklin Delano Roosevelt above the fireplace, accompanied by additional portraits of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. Above the fireplace, Trump chose to display a portrait of George Washington in military uniform, accompanied by several other prominent portraits. Gold accents were applied to the white marble fireplace mantel, enhancing its neoclassical details. Here’s a closer view of the details added to the fireplace: Trump also placed gold trinkets on the fireplace mantel, though their arrangement has changed frequently. In the Oval Office, Trump added gold coasters bearing his last name and the number 47, marking his position as the 47th president. The gold details added to the Oval Office come as Trump undertakes broader renovations across the White House grounds. TRUMP INSTALLS MASSIVE NEW US FLAGS AT THE WHITE HOUSE – AND THEY DON’T COST TAXPAYERS A PENNY Last month, the White House announced that Trump, together with private donors, will fund an estimated $200 million project to build a new ballroom. Intended to host official events, state dinners, and large ceremonial gatherings, the 90,000-square-foot addition will accommodate about 650 seated guests and maintain the White House’s classical design. The announcement followed a similar move earlier this year, when Trump personally financed the installation of two 88-foot American flags flanking the White House, each reportedly costing around $50,000. 

Nation’s 2 largest teachers unions funneled nearly $50M to left-wing groups, watchdog report says

Nation’s 2 largest teachers unions funneled nearly M to left-wing groups, watchdog report says

Amid a trend of declining membership since the Supreme Court struck down mandatory union dues, the nation’s two largest teachers’ unions have poured tens of millions into left-wing causes, a new report from a conservative watchdog group finds. The national nonprofit group, Defending Ed, released a report this week after combing through the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers’ contributions to left-wing and far-left groups. The nonprofit found that the two unions spent a combined $43.5 million since 2022 to help fund state and federal political action committees and other ideologically left-wing entities, such as D.C. think tanks.   “It is clear that the teachers unions’ priorities are advancing far-left politics and radical social justice issues, not the education of children,” Defending Ed researcher Rhyen Staley told Fox News Digital. “This is a slap in the face to families and teachers who want to focus on helping students improve their reading and math skills. It is time that Congress acts to stop this obscene redistribution of public monies to advance left-wing identity politics.” NEW GROUP OFFERS TEACHERS A WAY TO ESCAPE THE PROGRESSIVE UNION ‘MONOPOLY’  Left-wing philanthropic behemoths like the Tides Network, New Venture Fund, Sixteen-Thirty Fund and Future Forward, the last of which was the main Super PAC supporting Kamla Harris’ 2024 presidential run after former President Joe Biden dropped out, all received a combined nearly $1.5 million from the unions, according to the report.  The unions also forked over significant amounts of cash for groups that focus on supporting left-wing candidates for public office, such as the Democratic Governors Association, Democrat’s House Majority and Senate Majority PACs. Other groups they have donated to include major left-wing think tanks like the Center for American Progress and its 501(c)(4) arm, which received close to a million dollars since 2022 from the two unions. TEACHING HATE, HIDING TRUTH: NEA’S REAL AGENDA REVEALED IN LEAKED HANDBOOK Aaron Withe, an expert on public-sector unions, pointed out that the National Education Association spends less than 10% of its budget on what he called “representational activities,” while, at the same time, the union spends 38% of its budget on contributions to left-leaning groups, lobbying and political gifts.   “You’d think in light of the decline in union membership in recent years, that they’d start providing value to members that outweighs the cost of membership,” Withe told Fox News Digital. “Instead, they are appeasing the radical base of union members by advocating for men in women’s sports, transitioning minors, antisemitism and other radical ideological stances.” He added that this is just “the tip of the iceberg” too “when you consider that there are thousands of statewide and city and county teachers unions that are mostly funding the same causes.” Neither the National Education Association nor the American Federation of Teachers responded to Fox News Digital’s repeated requests for comment.

New RNC chair Joe Gruters vows to ‘ride the president all the way to victory’ in midterms

New RNC chair Joe Gruters vows to ‘ride the president all the way to victory’ in midterms

EXCLUSIVE – New Republican National Committee (RNC) chair Joe Gruters outlined his mission as he took over steering the GOP’s national party committee. “The midterms are ahead, where we must expand our major majority in the House, in the Senate, and continue electing Republicans nationwide,” Gruters said as he addressed committee members moments after being unanimously elected chair at the RNC’s summer meeting, held this year in Atlanta, Georgia. Gruters, a state senator and RNC committee member from Florida, who, until his election as chair on Friday, briefly served as the national party committee’s treasurer, is a longtime ally of President Donald Trump. His move to the RNC chairmanship cements Trump’s dominance over the GOP as it prepares for midterm battles next year. And a month ago, Trump endorsed Gruters to succeed now-former RNC chair Michael Whatley, who stepped down as he runs for the Senate in battleground North Carolina in the blockbuster race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Thom Tillis. LONGTIME TRUMP ALLY TAKES OVER AS CHAIR OF REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE The ascension of Gruters to RNC chair is the latest sign of Trump’s complete control over the national party committee. “This is the president’s party. This is the president’s vision, overall. The party fully embraces the president,” Gruters said as he and Whatley stood for an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital. TRUMP BACKED RNC CHAIR JUMPS INTO BLOCKBUSTER SENATE BATTLE  Whatley, who Trump picked to steer the RNC a year and a half ago, noted that “we have transformed the RNC, basically the way that President Trump has transformed the Republican Party.” Gruters has been a major Trump supporter dating back to the president’s first campaign for the White House. Gruters served as Florida co-chair Trump’s 2016 campaign. The Democratic National Committee, taking aim at Gruters following his election as chair, claimed that “Gruters and Trump will have a lot to bond over while they turn the Republican Party into even more of a personal propaganda machine for Trump.” Republicans swept back to power last November, with Trump winning the White House, the GOP retaking control of the Senate and holding onto their fragile majority in the House. But looking ahead to next year’s midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses House and Senate seats, the GOP will be defending their congressional majorities. RNC CHAIR SAYS ‘BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’ FRONT-AND-CENTER IN GOP’S MIDTERM PUSH A key part of the RNC’s strategy going forward is Trump. “We’re gonna ride the president all the way to victory in the midterms, and we are going to win big,” Gruters emphasized. Asked about the top three items on his to-do list as he takes over as RNC chair, Gruters said, “number one, it’s still election integrity. That’s the most important thing, protecting the vote. And it’s about winning the midterms.” “It’s about going back to the fundamentals of registering voters and turning our voters out,” the new chair added. Gruters also highlighted Trump’s sweeping GOP-crafted domestic policy bill, which the Republican majorities in Congress passed this summer along near-party lines. “It’s our agenda,” Whatley said in a Fox News Digital interview last month, as he pointed to the massive tax cuts and spending bill that Trump signed into law on July 4. The measure is stuffed full of Trump’s 2024 campaign trail promises and second-term priorities on tax cuts, immigration, defense, energy and the debt limit.  It includes extending the president’s signature 2017 tax cuts and eliminating taxes on tips and overtime pay.  By making his first-term tax rates permanent – they were set to expire later this year – the bill will cut taxes by nearly $4.4 trillion over the next decade, according to analysis by the Congressional Budget Office and the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.  The measure also provides billions for border security and codifies the president’s controversial immigration crackdown. And the new law also restructures Medicaid – the almost 60-year-old federal program that provides health coverage to roughly 71 million low-income Americans.  The changes to Medicaid, as well as cuts to food stamps, another one of the nation’s major safety net programs, were drafted in part as an offset to pay for extending Trump’s tax cuts. The measure includes a slew of new rules and regulations, including work requirements for many of those seeking Medicaid coverage. Democrats, for months, have repeatedly blasted Republicans over the social safety net changes. And they’ve spotlighted a slew of national polls conducted both  before and after the measure was passed into law, that indicate the bill’s popularity in negative territory. But Gruters sees the new law as campaign ammunition. “Every single Democrat in Congress voted for a tax increase on average everyday Americans,” Gruters argued. “And that big, beautiful bill has something for every single American, whether you’re working class, whether you’re a small business owner, everybody benefits, and we’re going to be able to ride that bill all the way to victory.”

Gov. Pritzker says Trump trying to ‘manufacture a crisis’ as admin plans National Guard deployment to Chicago

Gov. Pritzker says Trump trying to ‘manufacture a crisis’ as admin plans National Guard deployment to Chicago

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, said there is no emergency and President Donald Trump is “attempting to manufacture a crisis” after reports that the federal government may deploy the National Guard to Chicago to address crime in the city. “The State of Illinois at this time has received no requests or outreach from the federal government asking if we need assistance, and we have made no requests for federal intervention,” the governor said in a statement on Saturday. This comes after Trump’s move to boost the presence of federal law enforcement in Washington, D.C., in an attempt to reduce crime. Hundreds of federal agents and National Guard troops have been deployed to the streets of D.C. as part of the federal takeover of the district. Now, Trump says Chicago could be his administration’s next target for a federal crackdown on crime. NATIONAL GUARD ROLL OUT IN 19 STATES NOT LINKED TO TRUMP’S CRIME CRACKDOWN, WH SAYS The Pentagon has planned a military deployment to Chicago for weeks, which could include mobilizing a few thousand National Guard troops next month, according to The Washington Post. “The safety of the people of Illinois is always my top priority,” Pritzker said. “There is no emergency that warrants the President of the United States federalizing the Illinois National Guard, deploying the National Guard from other states, or sending active duty military within our own borders.”  The governor also accused Trump of “attempting to manufacture a crisis, politicize Americans who serve in uniform, and continue abusing his power to distract from the pain he is causing working families.” “We will continue to follow the law, stand up for the sovereignty of our state, and protect the people of Illinois,” he continued. CHICAGO MAYOR CALLS TRUMP’S NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT PLAN ‘UNCOORDINATED, UNCALLED-FOR AND UNSOUND’ Democrat Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton said the report that Trump is preparing to deploy federal troops in Chicago “proves what we all know: he is willing to go to any lengths possible to create chaos if it means more political power—no matter who gets hurt.” “As Lieutenant Governor and throughout my career, I’ve fervently fought for the reformation of our criminal legal system and under the Pritzker-Stratton administration, we’ve made tremendous progress,” she said in a statement. “Crime in Chicago is declining and there’s absolutely no rationale for this decision, other than to distract from the pain Trump is inflicting on working families with his dangerous agenda.” “Illinois, Governor Pritzker and I are here to stand for your rights, your freedoms, and will protect you against whatever storms of hate and fear come our way,” she added. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, also a Democrat, earlier said “unlawfully deploying the National Guard to Chicago has the potential to inflame tensions between residents and law enforcement when we know that trust between police and residents is foundational to building safer communities.” “An unlawful deployment of the [National Guard] would be unsustainable and would threaten to undermine the historic progress we have made,” Johnson said in a statement on Friday. The mayor also cited data showing that homicides, robberies and shootings have dipped significantly in the past year.

Ted Cruz endorses Chip Roy for Texas attorney general: ‘No one better’

Ted Cruz endorses Chip Roy for Texas attorney general: ‘No one better’

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on Saturday endorsed Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, after the conservative congressman announced his candidacy to become the Lone Star State’s next attorney general. Roy, who announced his run on Thursday, is seeking to replace the state’s current attorney general, Ken Paxton, who decided not to run for re-election in 2026 and is instead running for U.S. Senate against Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. In his endorsement of Roy, Cruz said there were several excellent candidates running to be the state’s next attorney general. Other declared Republican candidates include state Sens. Joan Huffman and Mayes Middleton, as well as former U.S. Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy Aaron Reitz. “There are several excellent candidates right now in the race for Texas Attorney General. All of them are friends of mine, and all of them have been strong supporters of mine for many, many years. Texas is blessed to have an abundance of strong conservatives stepping forward to lead, in such a time as this,” Cruz said in a statement on Saturday. TEXAS REP CHIP ROY ANNOUNCES RUN FOR STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL TO REPLACE KEN PAXTON Cruz said Roy was his first chief of staff and has been a close friend and ally for more than 12 years. “We have been in more fights together than I can count, and I know Chip will always, always, always fight for conservative values,” Cruz said. “With over two decades of dedicated service to Texas, Chip has consistently shown the courage, integrity, and conviction required to defend our great state,” he continued. “He is a battle-tested warrior and a fierce defender of the Constitution. I have full confidence that he will stand up for the rule of law, preserve the rights and freedoms of Texans, and hold those who threaten our great state accountable. There is no one better equipped to lead the Office of the Texas Attorney General, and I know that he will ferociously fight and protect the Lone Star State.” Roy made the announcement in a campaign video shared on X, saying he strives to preserve the state’s legacy of “liberty, freedom and self-determination.” “Texas has a long and proud tradition of rising to defend our homes, our freedom, and our communities,” he wrote in an accompanying message. “I’m running for Attorney General to carry on that legacy… unafraid to fight, unafraid to win, and unafraid to defend Texas at every turn. #LiveFree.” Roy said it has been an honor to represent the 21st Congressional District in the U.S. House and that he was particularly proud “of our work to deliver on President Trump’s agenda and fight to drain the swamp.” LONE STAR STATE RIVALS FOR US SENATE COMPETE TO WRANGLE RUNAWAY DEMOCRATS “I could do it forever and be fulfilled professionally. But representatives should not be permanent. And my experience watching Texans unite in response to the devastating Hill Country floods made clear that I want to come home,” Roy said in a statement. “I want to take my experience in Congress, as a federal prosecutor, and as First Assistant Attorney General to fight for Texas from Texas.” “Texas is under assault – from open-border politicians, radical leftists and faceless foreign corporations that threaten our sovereignty, safety and our way of life,” he added. “It’s time to draw a line in the sand. As Attorney General, I will fight every single day for our God-given rights, for our families and for the future of Texas.” Roy has served in the U.S. House since 2019. Fox News’ Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.