Trump says China ‘spies’ on US after report ties Chinese imagery to Iran strike
President Donald Trump said Sunday that China “spies on us” just as “we spy on them,” following a report that Chinese entities provided Iran with satellite imagery before a deadly missile attack that killed three U.S. troops. While speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump was asked about a Wall Street Journal report that Chinese entities allegedly supplied Iran with high-resolution satellite imagery of Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan before Tehran’s July 17 missile attack. “They basically do what we do,” Trump said. TRUMP GIVES SMITHSONIAN DAYS TO REPLACE ‘STRANGE MODERNIST SCULPTURE’ WITH FOUNDING FATHER Asked whether he planned to raise the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping when he visits the U.S., Trump said Xi has “behaved reasonably well,” and that “we behave reasonably well.” “You know what they say? That China spies on us. I say you’re right, and we spy on them, too,” Trump said. TRUMP TELLS ZELENSKYY TO STOP DOING ‘ONE THING’ DURING ATTACKS ON RUSSIA According to The Wall Street Journal, U.S. officials linked the imagery to Iran’s July 17 strike on the Jordanian base, which killed three U.S. troops. Officials described it as the clearest evidence to date that support from Chinese entities for Iran during the war has had deadly consequences for American forces, the outlet reported. TRUMP SAYS HE WOULD ‘LOVE’ TO SEE IRELAND UNIFIED AS ONE NATION The U.S. officials did not identify the Chinese entities involved or accuse Beijing of direct involvement in the attack. Xi is scheduled to visit Washington on Sept. 24 for a summit with Trump. The White House could not immediately be reached by Fox News Digital for comment. Fox News Digital’s Emma Bussey contributed to this report.
Trump unloads on AOC, Mamdani for laughing during sacred 9/11 ceremony at Ground Zero
President Donald Trump slammed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for appearing to laugh during the solemn reading of victims’ names at the 9/11 Memorial, calling their behavior “terrible” and “inappropriate.” “I think it’s terrible,” Trump said when asked about the video of the two Democrats. “It’s not a place to be laughing, especially in that case.” “I thought it was terrible,” he continued. “The fact that they were laughing together at a very important part of the ceremony was inappropriate.” The president’s condemnation came after video of Ocasio-Cortez and Mamdani sharing what appeared to be a lighthearted exchange at Ground Zero sparked widespread criticism online. AOC, MAMDANI INTERACTION CAUGHT ON CAM AT 9/11 MEMORIAL SPARKS ONLINE FURY A television feed from Friday’s ceremony showed a young man overcome with emotion near the memorial before cutting to Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez smiling and appearing to laugh as they spoke. Their conversation could not be heard. 9/11 WIDOW TERRY STRADA ACCUSES US OF PROTECTING SAUDI ARABIA 25 YEARS AFTER TERROR ATTACKS, ADDRESSES VANCE The moment unfolded as mourners read aloud the names of those killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing during ceremonies marking the 25th anniversary of 9/11. Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the 2001 attacks. The video quickly spread across social media, where critics accused the pair of showing disrespect on one of the nation’s most solemn days. MAMDANI DRAWS FURY FROM 9/11 MOURNERS OVER GROUND ZERO APPEARANCE: ‘DISRESPECTFUL’ “As the names of Americans murdered on September 11th are read aloud at Ground Zero, AOC and Mamdani are laughing and smiling together,” Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, wrote on X. “There is a time and a place for politics. This isn’t it. Ground Zero is sacred ground,” Hunt added. “September 11 is not a photo op, it is not a networking event.” MAMDANI HEADS TO 9/11 MEMORIAL DESPITE 110,000-SIGNATURE PUSH FROM VICTIMS’ FAMILIES TO STAY AWAY Meghan McCain also reacted to the video, asking on X, “Why the f— are these two laughing?” New York City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, a Republican, similarly ripped the moment. ZOHRAN MAMDANI URGED TO SKIP NEW YORK CITY’S 9/11 MEMORIAL: ‘VILE ANTISEMITE’ “After thousands of families of victims of terror beg Mamdani not to show up, he stands there and laughs while families weep,” Vernikov wrote. “This is NYC’s Mayor.” Mamdani had already faced opposition from some victims’ families ahead of the ceremony. A petition urging him to stay away from Ground Zero gathered more than 110,000 signatures, though Mamdani attended and remained for the ceremony. DE NIRO CALLS CONTROVERSIAL MAMDANI POLICE COMMENTS ‘RIDICULOUS’ AS HE DEFENDS MAYOR GOING TO 9/11 SERVICE However, Michael Ragusa, who has served as a member of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s entourage, disputed claims that Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez were joking about the ceremony. “The videos of [them] laughing are not true. I was standing next to them the whole time,” Ragusa wrote on X. MS RACHEL DEFENDS ‘AWESOME’ MAMDANI AMID 9/11 MEMORIAL CONTROVERSY, SAYS HE’S VICTIM OF ISLAMOPHOBIC ATTACKS “The camera just caught her greeting him hello,” he added. “Multiple other politicians were laughing and joking behind me. Republicans and Democrats.” Mamdani was seen standing somberly at other points during the ceremony. It remains unclear what he and Ocasio-Cortez discussed during the brief exchange. Fox News Digital previously reached out to Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez for comment. Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
GOP gov candidate recounts miracle water landing as dispatch audio reveals desperate search for sinking plane
A desperate search unfolded across a dark Wisconsin lake after Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany’s powerless plane plunged into the water and disappeared beneath the surface with rescuers unsure where he and his pilot had gone. Dramatic dispatch audio captures crews calling for more ambulances, engines and boats as they raced to find the two men and tracked the last GPS location of a phone believed to be underwater. “We’re going to be in search for a down plane,” one responder warned. WISCONSIN GOP GOVERNOR CANDIDATE SWIMS FROM SINKING PLANE AFTER EMERGENCY LAKE LANDING Hours after leaving the hospital, Tiffany revealed Sunday that pilot Leonard “Len” Boltz had just seconds to react after the plane lost power on its final approach to Wausau Downtown Airport. “Len said to me, ‘We are going down. Pull your seatbelt tight,’” Tiffany recalled during a news conference. “And that’s exactly what I did. I gave it a yank and pulled it good and tight.” COAST GUARD PLANE WITH DHS SECRETARY MARKWAYNE MULLIN ON BOARD MAKES EMERGENCY LANDING AFTER ENGINE FAILURE “It was probably about 10 seconds later,” he added. “We hit the water.” The impact sent Tiffany’s head into the dashboard, leaving him with a gash above his right eye that required 12 stitches. Boltz received four stitches for one of his injuries, Tiffany said. PILOT’S BRAVERY ON DISPLAY IN STEERING CRIPPLED PLANE CLEAR OF TRAGEDY IN DRAMATIC WATER LANDING The two men checked on each other before escaping through the passenger-side door as the plane began filling with water. Tiffany searched the cockpit for his phone but could not find it. Boltz still had his phone and called 911. PILOT DECLARES MAYDAY BEFORE SEAPLANE COMES DOWN IN NEW YORK CITY’S EAST RIVER They climbed atop the slowly sinking plane and waited there for roughly 10 minutes as emergency lights appeared around the lake. As the aircraft slipped underwater beneath them, they began swimming toward the airport. They made it roughly 100 to 150 feet before Tiffany reached a high spot in the lake where the water was about five feet deep. MULTIPLE INJURED AFTER FLOATPLANE MAKES EMERGENCY LANDING, CATCHES FIRE OFF WASHINGTON COAST “I said to Len, ‘Let’s just stay right here until help can come,’ because we could see the sirens,” Tiffany said. His voice cracked as the gravity of the ordeal appeared to catch up with him. “We are just really fortunate,” Tiffany said, pausing as he became emotional. “We’re really fortunate that God was looking after us last night.” The dispatch audio revealed the uncertainty confronting first responders as they raced toward different points along Lake Wausau. “Can you get another ambulance rolling this way and one more engine, please?” one responder said. “Also page SAFER mutual aid to Bluegill Park with a boat.” Another responder reported that a witness had seen the aircraft go down but could provide only a general search area. “I’m on scene with the reporting party,” the responder said. “He stated he did see [an] aircraft crash.” 4 FLORIDA FAMILY MEMBERS FOUND DEAD AFTER SMALL PLANE GOES DOWN OFF THE BAHAMAS Crews carried thermal-imaging equipment and used a phone’s last known GPS coordinates to narrow the search. A landowner also provided a boat for deputies to use, according to the radio traffic. “I was talking to the pilots,” a responder said. “It sounds like they may plan to swim to the nearest shore after it went under, and then I lost contact with them.” “I believe his phone is underwater,” he added. “They may be swimming south, I believe.” The tense search ended when rescuers announced that both men had been located. “We have two victims in the water,” a responder said. “We’re just pulling them out now.” Minutes later, a crew reported both were “alert, conscious” and confirmed everyone aboard the aircraft had been accounted for. Tiffany credited Boltz’s experience with keeping the emergency landing from becoming deadly. The former Air Force pilot trainer raised the plane’s landing gear before touching down, preventing it from potentially cartwheeling across the water. “He was savvy enough and quick enough to think about, ‘We’ve got to make sure and pull that landing gear up,’” Tiffany said. “He did that, and it might have saved us.” Tiffany estimated the plane was still traveling between 70 and 80 mph when it hit the lake, describing the impact as “a fast-moving car crash.” “We’re fortunate the plane didn’t flip,” he said. “I just take that to the skill of the pilot.” Wausau Mayor Doug Diny, a former military pilot, also praised Boltz for safely bringing the aircraft down at night. PILOT RESCUED AFTER WORLD WAR II-ERA PLANE CRASHES AT PENNSYLVANIA AIRPORT “The last thing anyone wants to do as a pilot is put the aircraft in the water at night,” Diny said. Tiffany and Boltz were taken to Aspirus Wausau Hospital and released after treatment. Tiffany said a CT scan found no apparent concussion, though doctors instructed him to watch for possible symptoms and avoid flying for several days. Despite canceling a trip to Washington, D.C., Tiffany said he plans to return to the campaign trail Monday. “This will not deter me in my efforts that I started a year ago to become the next governor of the state of Wisconsin,” he said. The single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza remained submerged Sunday. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating what caused it to lose power. House Speaker Mike Johnson celebrated Tiffany’s return following the close call. “Grateful to God no one was hurt in this accident and my good friend @TomTiffanyWI is safe and back on the trail!” Johnson wrote on X. Tiffany represents Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District and is running against Democratic Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley in November. Crowley said he was grateful Tiffany and the pilot survived and praised Boltz’s actions.
Trump says Lindsay Clancy case is a ‘state situation’ following attorney’s pardon plea
President Donald Trump on Sunday signaled that he would not intervene in the case of Massachusetts mother Lindsay Clancy, who is charged with killing her three young children amid allegations that she suffered from postpartum psychosis. When asked whether he would pardon Clancy, Trump called the situation “very sad” but said the case is ultimately a “state situation,” not a federal one. “There’s no winner there. There’s no win no matter what you do. Three children are dead,” he said. LINDSAY CLANCY’S LAWYER REVEALS POST-MISTRIAL STRATEGY AS RETRIAL LOOMS The response came after Kevin Reddington, who represents Clancy, publicly asked Trump to grant his client a pardon last week. Reddington had acknowledged that Trump had no authority to issue a pardon in a state matter, but hoped he could still influence the outcome, according to his interview with WBZ-TV. Trump indicated that the defense and prosecution need to resolve the legal matter at the local level while praising Reddington’s work. “He’s a good attorney. I’ve heard from other people he’s a very good attorney,” Trump said. “I hope they can work it out. That’s something they have to work out … There is no win there.” LINDSAY CLANCY JUROR ADMITTED ‘REASONABLE DOUBT’ BUT STILL REFUSED INSANITY VERDICT, FOREPERSON SAYS Previously, Trump said Clancy would still have to “pay the price” for the deaths of her three children. “I assume there’s going to be another trial. It’s a terrible situation. Look, she did a horrible, horrible thing. Can’t be worse. But you’ll find out what the price to pay is. There’ll be a price. It’s going to be [a] mental institution or jail or something,” he said. Clancy, a 36-year-old former nurse, faces three counts of first-degree murder in the 2023 deaths of her children: 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan. After their deaths, Clancy attempted to kill herself and was left paralyzed from the injuries. Her defense attorneys have argued that Clancy suffered from postpartum psychosis, a severe but rare psychiatric condition that causes a sudden loss of reality after childbirth. According to ABC, Reddington said Clancy had sought treatment from a psychiatrist he described as inexperienced. The psychiatrist reportedly prescribed her medications for postpartum depression in the months leading up to her reported psychotic break. Clancy now faces a potential retrial after jurors deadlocked following a full week of deliberations, prompting Judge William Sullivan to declare a mistrial earlier this month. The jury was split 11 to 1, with 11 jurors reportedly favoring an acquittal on the grounds that Clancy was not criminally responsible for the killings. The jury consisted of nine women and three men. Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz and Elaine Mallon contributed to this report.
Trump tells Zelenskyy to stop doing ‘one thing’ during attacks on Russia
President Donald Trump has a blunt message for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Kyiv continues targeting Russia: Stop hitting its diesel refineries. Trump made the remarks Sunday while attending the Irish Open at his golf club in Doonbeg, Ireland, after a reporter asked whether he had spoken with Zelenskyy following a recent conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Zelensky has to do one thing. He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia,” Trump told reporters. TRUMP NEGOTIATORS WITKOFF, KUSHNER MEET WITH PUTIN IN MOSCOW AS US PUSHES FOR END TO RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR Trump said Ukraine could continue pursuing other targets inside Russia but urged Zelenskyy to steer clear of the country’s diesel infrastructure. “Let him go after targets, but not diesel fuel because he’s causing a shortage of diesel,” Trump said. “This isn’t done by the Middle East. This is done by what’s happening with Russia and Ukraine.” The president said he had already spoken directly with Zelenskyy about the issue. “So we spoke to Mr. Zelensky about it. There are plenty of other targets,” Trump said. “Don’t hit diesel fuel because that’s hurting the world. We don’t want him to hit diesel fuel. He’s hitting diesel refineries.” WATCH: FIGHTS BREAK OUT AT RUSSIAN GAS STATIONS AS PUTIN ADMITS FUEL SHORTAGES Trump’s remarks come as Ukraine has targeted Russia’s oil and gas infrastructure with long-range strikes, part of Kyiv’s effort to hamper an industry that provides revenue and fuel for Moscow’s war effort. Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago. The strikes have put pressure on Russia’s fuel supplies, prompting rationing in parts of the country and a Russian ban on diesel exports in July. The disruption has also added pressure to global diesel supplies, which have faced additional strain amid reduced oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. Diesel prices in the U.S. climbed above an average of $6 per gallon on Friday, reaching a record high. Russia has intensified its aerial attacks on Ukraine in recent weeks, including strikes involving ballistic missiles and drones, while Ukraine has continued targeting sites inside Russia. Russian and Ukrainian officials reported another round of large-scale drone attacks overnight into Sunday, with casualties reported on both sides. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Election chaos in this red state just got even stranger for Republicans after Supreme Court ruling
Republicans suffered a fresh blow in Missouri after the Supreme Court blocked a congressional map that could have helped the GOP gain another House seat in November. The ruling, handed down last week, means Missouri will use its 2022 congressional map instead of the new boundaries backed by President Donald Trump and Missouri Republicans. Missouri held its August primary under the new map, meaning candidates won their party nominations based on one set of district boundaries. But those boundaries will change before the November election, when Missouri is expected to return to its 2022 map. TRUMP DANGLES $5,000 CHECKS AS DEBT SURGES — BUT ONLY IF GOP CAN CLEAR MAJOR MIDTERM HURDLE Typically, states redraw their congressional and state legislative districts once every decade after the Census to account for population changes and ensure that each district has roughly the same number of residents. The new map would have shifted parts of Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s Kansas City district into more Republican-leaning areas, making the seat more competitive. Republicans hoped the changes would help them win seven of Missouri’s eight House seats in the November midterm elections. The GOP currently holds six of the state’s eight seats, while Democrats hold two. Missouri must now use the 2022 map, which keeps Cleaver’s district more favorable to Democrats. The Supreme Court’s decision came after more than a year of legal battles over which congressional map Missouri should use. Missouri held its August primary under the new map, but the state will use its 2022 district boundaries for the November general election. That means some voters could be assigned to a different congressional district in November than the one in which they voted during the primary. The change could affect more than 1 million voters, or nearly one-fourth of Missouri’s electorate, according to an Associated Press estimate. The conflicting court orders have added to the confusion, with the November election just weeks away. Candidates and election officials must now adjust to the 2022 boundaries. MISSOURI HIGH COURT BLOCKS GOP-BACKED CONGRESSIONAL MAPS AHEAD OF MIDTERMS; TRUMP BLASTS ‘RIDICULOUS’ RULING The Supreme Court did not explain its reasoning in the brief order. The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Trump gives Smithsonian days to replace ‘strange modernist sculpture’ with Founding Father
President Donald Trump is calling on the Smithsonian to replace a decades-old modernist sculpture outside the National Museum of American History with a towering, 30-foot statue of George Washington. In social media posts late Friday, Trump said the “Infinity” sculpture that has stood outside the museum since 1967 “says nothing about America,” while Washington, he argued, “more than anyone else, says everything about America.” Trump also called for the museum to open a five-year exhibition honoring Washington that would run through Feb. 22, 2032, the 300th anniversary of the first president’s birth. INSIDE THE BEHEMOTH SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM NETWORK DRAWING FIRE FROM THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION Trump also wants the Smithsonian to install an 11-foot statue of Washington in the museum’s Flag Hall by Constitution Day on Sept. 17. The statue was featured at the recent Freedom 250 Grand Prix race. “Immediately design and display a five-year exhibition worthy of the Life, Sacrifice, and Contributions of George Washington,” Trump wrote. “Then, as soon as it is ready, install a 30-foot Washington Colossus where ‘Infinity’ stands today,” he added. “Infinity,” created by New York artist José de Rivera, was commissioned by the federal government and installed outside the museum in 1967. It is unclear whether Trump can order the Smithsonian to make the changes. The institution is outside the executive branch and is overseen by a Board of Regents that includes Vice President JD Vance, Chief Justice John Roberts, lawmakers from both parties and citizen members. Fox News Digital reached out to the Smithsonian for comment but did not immediately receive a response. Trump has repeatedly criticized how the Smithsonian presents American history, particularly as the country celebrates its 250th anniversary. EXCAVATION SET TO BEGIN ON TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S 250-FOOT TRIUMPHAL ARCH AMID LEGAL BATTLE In his posts Friday, he accused the National Museum of American History of giving too little attention to Washington and other Founding Fathers. Trump singled out Washington’s crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas night in 1776 and the American victory at Trenton, saying the museum does not give those events the attention they deserve. “He is easily America’s Greatest Hero,” Trump wrote of Washington. “Without him, our Country and our Freedoms wouldn’t exist.” Trump also criticized the Smithsonian’s recently ended Center for Restorative History, an initiative created to spotlight stories that have been excluded from the national historical narrative. Trump said the museum should instead create a “Center for American Heroes.” “Tell the stories of Americans who faced great challenges, overcame them, built great things, defended our Country, made America better, and helped our Nation more fully live up to our Founding Ideals,” he wrote. SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE PRAISES OUTGOING SMITHSONIAN LEADER WHO WAS UNDER PRESSURE FROM TRUMP ADMIN Those criticisms have also led to action by the White House. In March 2025, Trump signed an executive order aimed at eliminating what the White House called “divisive narratives” and “improper ideology” at the Smithsonian. The White House followed this year with a report criticizing the Smithsonian, including what it said was a lack of attention to Washington and other Founding Fathers. In July, Trump ordered his administration to place signs outside the National Museum of American History telling visitors that some exhibits are inaccurate. In a statement last year, the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents said it was committed to keeping the institution nonpartisan and its scholarship free from political or partisan influence. The board also acknowledged that the Smithsonian “can and must do more” and directed its leadership to ensure museum content is unbiased. Smithsonian secretary Lonnie Bunch announced last week that he will step down at the end of the year. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
GOP women sound alarm as Lindsay Clancy backlash revives calls to repeal 19th Amendment: ‘Definitely a threat’
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Calls to repeal women’s rights to vote are emerging from the online firestorm over the Lindsay Clancy trial, prompting Republican women to warn that the intraparty rhetoric could hurt the GOP. “I think there’s definitely a threat in the Republican Party right now,” political and legal strategist Mehek Cooke told Fox News Digital. The online calls to repeal the 19th Amendment come after Clancy’s high-profile murder trial ended in a mistrial, with 11 of the 12 jurors favoring a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity. Clancy admitted to killing her three children, but her defense argued that she was not criminally responsible because she was suffering from postpartum psychosis. LINDSAY CLANCY MISTRIAL DECLARED AFTER JURY DEADLOCKS IN KILLINGS OF HER THREE CHILDREN “Convict Clancy. Also Repeal the 19th Amendment!” one user posted on X. “The female jurors in the Lindsay Clancy trial are speaking out about their deliberations and disagreements with the sole male holdout. The more they speak the better they make the case for repealing the 19th Amendment,” posted another user. Cooke warned that calls to strip women of the right to vote, largely coming from accounts identifying as conservative, risk alienating female voters from the Republican Party. “When you have these fringe activists online talking about repealing the 19th Amendment or alienating women, it really doesn’t help,” Cooke said. The calls followed after the case made waves on social media, particularly after hundreds of mostly female Clancy supporters gathered outside a Massachusetts courthouse during the murder trial. The demonstrators rallying behind Clancy argued the case is an example of the lack of understanding of postpartum depression. ROGAN SHREDS SUPPORTERS OF LINDSAY CLANCY, SAYS THEY WOULDN’T RALLY IF A FATHER WERE ON TRIAL FOR SAME CRIME But the demonstrations quickly turned into ammunition for online critics who argued that the support for Clancy is an indication that women should be stripped of their right to vote. “This Lindsay Clancy trial has shown us How spiteful women can be, the fact that women are willing to even defend a child killer just because they want to be ok with the “sisterhood” should alarm you,” another user wrote on X. The post continued, “They will gaslight you, they will use sign language against you and even try to call you all sort of names. But guess what, they are still wrong and they know it. Repeal the 19th.” Cooke pushed back on the idea that the calls to repeal the 19th Amendment reflect the reality of the mainstream Republican party. “Social media isn’t real life,” Cooke said. “I think a lot of people out there put these arbitrary crazy ideas, but it doesn’t really reflect what normal people think and what mainstream thinks.” LINDSAY CLANCY MURDER TRIAL BECOMES SOCIAL MEDIA OBSESSION AS TIKTOKERS, SLEUTHS DEBATE CONTROVERSIAL CASE She continued, “I think you’re getting these calls because of where our culture is today. You looked at the Lindsay Clancy trial and all the women out there in pink that were continuing to support a woman who murdered three children. You’re constantly seeing this cultural push in terms of where women stand today in politics.” Tiffany Losee, director of fundraising for The Conservative Caucus, told Fox News Digital that Democrats are to blame for pushing out this agenda and associating it with the broader Republican Party. “You have to understand this is all a game to the Democrat Party,” Losee said. “They’re going to push out anything that looks fringe on the right.” Losee also claimed that Democrats are using this rhetoric on the right to distract voters from the rise of socialism that has emerged within the Democratic Party, claiming if voters understood the ideals of the party they would “run faster than imaginable to get away from such government control.” HOW THE ‘LONG MARCH’ THROUGH THE INSTITUTIONS LED TO SOCIALIST TAKEOVER OF DEM PARTY: ‘NEED TO WAKE UP’ “They’re gonna push out crazy, Lindsay Clancy ideas, or ‘look over here at something shiny, or communism is cool, socialism is cool, everything’s free,’” Losee said. “But then they will not take that extra step to educate the voter on what exactly they are pushing.” Cooke and Losee spoke to Fox News Digital on the issue as Republicans gathered in Dallas for the party’s first-ever midterm convention, where the GOP gathered to rally their base to vote as Republicans work to stay in control of Congress as November’s midterm elections approach. “I think the left has constantly alienated women,” Cooke said. “It’s our responsibility to pull them in and show them common sense.”
Vulnerable House Republicans embrace Trump as GOP bets on defying midterm history
DALLAS — President Donald Trump is getting a much warmer reception from his fellow Republicans during this election cycle than his predecessor did from Democrats this time two years ago. Conventional political wisdom dictates that the party in power will suffer losses in Congress during a midterm election year. Americans who oppose the president’s party are typically more motivated to vote than people who support their agenda. But the GOP is banking on the opposite effect. The first-ever GOP midterm convention featured back-to-back keynote addresses from the commander in chief, as well as speeches from his Cabinet officials, allies and members of Congress. “I’m asking you to pretend that I’m on the ballot,” Trump told his audience on Wednesday. Republican incumbents and candidates running in battleground districts this November also took the stage, and all speakers projected confidence despite Trump’s own low approval numbers. DEMOCRATS TARGETING 12 ADDITIONAL RED DISTRICTS IN MIDTERMS PUSH TO RETAKE HOUSE “We ran together in 2024 on a ticket with President Trump, [Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa.] and myself. Voters elected all of us to deliver real change and results, and we’ve actually been able to do that with securing the border and delivering historic tax relief,” Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa., told Fox News Digital on the sidelines of the convention. “Now what we’re seeing is, in a midterm, we are actually going to defy the historic trends. Why is that? Because the Democrats are so far left they are totally out of touch.” Republicans believe their warnings of Democrats’ socialist insurgency will help them keep their majorities in the House and Senate this year, along with touting Trump’s signature tax cuts in the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act. HOW ONE NYC SUBURB COULD DECIDE WHICH PARTY CONTROLS THE HOUSE Mackenzie is one of Democrats’ top targets in the election cycle, along with Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., in the suburbs outside New York City. “He’s the president of the United States, and whether it was Joe Biden or Donald Trump, I’ve always shown up,” Lawler told Fox News Digital. “You have to be able to engage with the president, and, you know, frankly, this is where I think the Democrats have made a very big mistake. They could get a lot more in terms of what it is that they want if they would actually engage constructively.” Lawler, Mackenzie and Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-Pa., are the three vulnerable incumbents who took the stage during the convention last week. TRUMP HITS KEY BATTLEGROUNDS TO SELL TAX CUTS, BOOST GOP AHEAD OF MIDTERMS Lawler, for his part, introduced two residents from his district whose daughter was killed by an illegal immigrant in Chicago, a poignant symbol of what Republicans say could happen more often if Democrats win. Trump has also campaigned in each of their districts in recent months as he crisscrosses the country in a bid to keep control of Congress for the latter half of his final term. But it was not just vulnerable incumbents who appeared in Dallas alongside Trump. The two-day affair also brought candidates from across the country, even those running in tight races. GOP FACES BRUTAL MIDTERM HEADWINDS AS REPUBLICANS PAINT ELECTION AS ‘COMPETITION WITH COMMUNISM’ “When people say that folks are running away from President Trump, I’ll tell you, I’m certainly not doing that. And let me tell you why: Because he has made promises to South Texas, and he has kept them, especially when we look at border security,” candidate Eric Flores told Fox News Digital. JOHNSON DOWNPLAYS GOP’S MIDTERM WOES AS DEMOCRATS EYE HOUSE TAKEOVER: ‘I AM VERY BULLISH’ “My opponent, who said, you know, that the sleepy Joe Biden administration and the no-show border czar, Kamala Harris, were on the right track. Let me tell you firsthand, I was on Operation Guardian support, was a federal prosecutor on the border. It was a humanitarian crisis. President Trump, on day one, secured our border.” Flores is running in a South Texas district represented by Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas. Time will tell if the strategy pays off, but Democrats are already seizing on it in hopes that associating with Trump will sink GOP candidates like it did in 2018. TRUMP’S APPROVAL RATING PLUMMETS TO NEW LOW AHEAD OF CRITICAL MIDTERMS: ‘MORE WORK TO DO’ “Ryan Mackenzie, Rob Bresnahan and Scott Perry made their priorities clear tonight: They care more about Donald Trump’s cost-raising agenda than what’s best for the people of Pennsylvania,” Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chair Eugene DePasquale said in a statement. “After jetting all the way to Texas to champion an agenda of higher gas prices, cost-raising tariffs and healthcare cuts, Mackenzie, Bresnahan, Perry and the entire PA GOP have proven that they’ll put Trump ahead of our Commonwealth every single time, and Pennsylvanians are ready to send them packing this November.” Fox News Digital did not see Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., who is also expected to run a close race, at the convention, but reached out to his campaign for comment.
GOP rising star reveals how Republicans can lock down minority voters without Trump on ballot
DALLAS — While President Donald Trump will not be on the ballot for the 2026 midterm elections, the former chair of Black Voices for Trump believes Republicans can maintain the momentum gained from his major performance improvements among Black voters during the 2024 presidential race. T.W. Shannon, a former Oklahoma state House Speaker who served last year in the second Trump administration and is now the Republican lieutenant governor nominee in his home state, says policies “the GOP has expressed,” as well as the Democratic Party’s leftward lurch, will help Republicans as they continue to court Black voters. Trump won 16% of the Black vote in the 2024 presidential election, according to a Fox News Voter Analysis, nearly double his total four years earlier. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB “It’s because Donald Trump has transformed the Republican Party back into the working party. You see Democrats competing for the Black vote now. Something that you used to not see at all. They didn’t have to, they just took it for granted,” Shannon said in a Fox News Digital interview Thursday on the sidelines of the first-ever GOP midterm convention. Shannon pointed to job creation and declining crime rates during the second Trump administration and said, “These are things that actually benefit … Black voters and Black communities.” He then took aim at Democratic candidates backed by or aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER “Look at what … the DSA is offering, you know. We’re talking about raising taxes. We’re talking about doing away with the Senate … disbanding the police,” he said. “These are not things that are well received in the Black community.” Democrats disagree with Shannon’s assessment. “Black Americans are going to reject Trump’s billionaires-first, cost-raising agenda at the ballot box this November and elect Democrats who are fighting to lower costs and deliver for working families,” a Democratic National Committee (DNC) spokesperson told Fox News Digital. The spokesperson added that the “DNC is investing critical resources to reach, register and mobilize Black voters across the country. While the Trump administration continues to attack civil and voting rights, we are fighting to protect the core of our democracy.” Shannon, a Lawton native who became his state’s youngest and first African American House speaker in 2013 and the first member of the Chickasaw Nation to hold the office, is favored to win in November in solidly Republican Oklahoma. He said speaking in primetime at the convention gave him a chance to stand on the “national stage.” “Any time I get a chance to tell the story about how great Oklahoma is and how great America is, I won’t miss a chance to do it,” he said.