WATCH: Biden appears confused about where to exit stage after Democratic gala remarks
Former President Joe Biden appeared to briefly seek directions before exiting the stage after delivering remarks at a Democratic gala Saturday night, capping his speech with an awkward onstage moment. After delivering a roughly 10-minute keynote speech at the Maryland Democratic Party’s “Fight Back & Win Gala” near Baltimore, the 83-year-old paused onstage and looked toward the wings before pointing in two different directions, seemingly trying to determine where to exit. After receiving guidance, Biden turned and walked off the stage with his back to the audience. Unlike several other speakers at the gala, who exited on the opposite side of the stage after their remarks, Biden left in a different direction. EX-DEM INSIDER REVEALS SHE WILL EXPOSE DEMOCRATS WHO COVERED UP BIDEN’S COGNITIVE DECLINE IN NEW BOOK The moment came after Biden delivered one of his sharpest public critiques of President Donald Trump since leaving office. During his remarks, Biden defended his own administration’s record while accusing the Trump administration of corruption. He also took aim at what he described as Trump’s “vanity projects,” including renovations to the White House, changes at the Kennedy Center and the ongoing saga with the reflecting pool on the National Mall. “Whoa, what a loser,” Biden said. After pausing several times to cough throughout his remarks, Biden concluded with a call for Democrats to “fight back,” saying the country could overcome its challenges by acting together. “Folks, I guarantee we can do this. And we will. We just remember who in the hell we are. We’re the United States of America,” Biden said. “There’s nothing, nothing beyond our capacity if we act together. So let’s get up and fight back, God darn it.” The latest onstage moment comes just days after another widely shared incident at the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. WATCH: BIDEN LEFT SEARCHING FOR FAMILY AFTER OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER CEREMONY The star-studded ceremony brought together former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, along with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Vice President Kamala Harris and other political leaders and entertainers. At the conclusion of the event, Biden remained onstage after others had exited before calling out, “Where’s my granddaughter?” Former First Lady Jill Biden then returned to the stage, took his hand and guided him off. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Biden has largely stayed out of the public eye since withdrawing from the 2024 presidential race after facing intense pressure from fellow Democrats to end his reelection bid. The former president has since made only occasional public appearances and recently disclosed that he is undergoing treatment for Stage 4 prostate cancer.
Young Americans break sharply from older Americans on China threat, new poll finds
FIRST ON FOX: Young Americans are far less likely than older generations to see China as a major threat to the United States, according to a new poll, revealing one of the sharpest generational divides in U.S. foreign policy. Some 93% of Americans age 65 and older said they are concerned about China’s ability to spy on the United States, compared with just 62% of those ages 18 to 29, according to the Ronald Reagan Institute Summer Survey. Younger Americans also were consistently less likely than seniors to express concern about China’s potential use of force against Taiwan (56% versus 86%), technology theft (61% versus 91%), purchases of U.S. land (68% versus 93%) and China’s role in the flow of fentanyl into the United States (68% versus 92%). Despite the generational divide, concern about China remained high nationally. More than 80% of Americans said they were concerned about China’s role in the flow of fentanyl into the United States, its ability to spy on Americans and its purchases of U.S. land. Sixty-six percent also said Taiwan’s security matters to the United States. FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS DOUBT NEW AGREEMENT WILL STOP IRAN FROM DEVELOPING NUKES The findings come as Washington and Beijing are trying to stabilize one of the world’s most consequential relationships after years of escalating economic and military tensions. After imposing triple-digit tariffs on China at the start of his administration, President Donald Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in China in May and announced a series of trade and investment agreements and pledged to continue dialogue. While concern about China remains widespread across the country, the survey suggests younger Americans view the U.S.’s chief geopolitical rival through a markedly different lens than older generations, raising questions about how public attitudes could evolve as younger voters make up a larger share of the electorate. The findings stand out because they diverge from the prevailing view among many national security experts, who continue to characterize China as America’s principal long-term neer-pear competitor and adversary, even as Washington and Beijing seek to stabilize their relationship through diplomacy. “There is rightful alarm regarding China’s historic military buildup and the expansion of its military activities in the region and beyond,” War Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in May. But, he added, U.S.–China relations are “better than they’ve been in many years.” After the May summit between Trump and Xi, the U.S. president told reporters: “We settled a lot of different problems that other people wouldn’t have been able to solve.” He called Xi a “great leader” and China a “great country.” Other recent research points to broader differences in how Gen Z views U.S. foreign policy. A 2025 Carnegie Endowment survey found younger Americans were less likely than older generations to prioritize maintaining U.S. technological dominance over China and generally favored a less expansive American leadership role abroad. The Reagan Institute Summer Survey is the organization’s annual public opinion poll on foreign policy and national security, designed to gauge Americans’ views on issues ranging from global engagement and military strength to China, NATO, the Middle East and democratic values. The poll also found broad shifts by party on what America’s role in the world should look like: Republicans were more likely than Democrats to say the United States should be more engaged and take the lead in world affairs. Seventy-one percent of Republicans said the U.S. should take a leading role internationally, compared with 55% of Democrats. Overall, 61% of Americans said the U.S. should be more engaged in global affairs, while 27% preferred a less engaged approach. MOST TRUMP SUPPORTERS STILL BACK NATO DESPITE YEARS OF TRUMP’S CRITICISM, NEW POLL FINDS The findings represent a notable shift from recent years. Democratic support for greater U.S. engagement fell from 65% to 55% over the past year, while Republican support increased from 69% to 71%, widening the partisan gap from four percentage points to 16. The survey also found 43% of Democrats now say U.S. involvement in the world is harmful, up from 22% a year ago. The survey was conducted May 26 through June 3 among 1,555 U.S. adults and carries a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points. Researchers used a mixed-mode methodology that included live telephone interviews, an online panel and text-to-web responses. To better reflect the U.S. population, the results were weighted using demographic benchmarks from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2023 American Community Survey, including age, gender, race, region and education. The survey also included an oversample of 338 self-identified MAGA Republicans under age 30, which carries a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points. The findings also come after a year in which the Trump administration has taken a more assertive posture overseas than some expected. In addition to ordering strikes on Iran, the administration has expanded military operations against cartel-linked targets in the Western Hemisphere and intervened to capture former President Nicolas Maduro Venezuela, moves that have put questions of American power and global leadership back at the center of public debate.
SNAP food stamp fraud has nefarious terrorism links, top Agriculture watchdog warns Congress
A top Agriculture Department watchdog warned Congress on Thursday that fraud in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has allowed individuals linked to terrorist groups, foreign adversaries and transnational criminal organizations to access and abuse food stamps. The hearing marked the latest push by the Trump administration and House Republicans to crack down on these financial crimes and address the alleged waste, fraud and abuse in the bloated federal SNAP program. “SNAP fraud is a reprehensible crime that squanders the compassion of American taxpayers who fund the program and robs from those low-income Americans who qualify for SNAP benefits to feed themselves and their families,” USDA Inspector General John Walk told the House Oversight Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency. GOP LAWMAKER PRESSES SNAP ADVOCATE OVER TAXPAYER-FUNDED COCA-COLA DURING HEARING “Proceeds of SNAP fraud have gone to individuals linked to terrorist groups, foreign adversary nations and transnational criminal organizations,” Walk testified. Republicans argued that broader access to state eligibility data could uncover billions more in improper payments and organized criminal activity, while Democrats warned the effort could be used to justify cuts to food assistance for eligible Americans. Walk, during Thursday’s hearing, seemed to further feed into Republicans’ concerns as he described increasingly sophisticated schemes targeting the roughly $100 billion federal food assistance program. He said organized criminals are stealing benefits from vulnerable Americans through electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card skimming, trafficking operations and identity fraud. The inspector general said the crimes leave many legitimate vulnerable recipients without money to buy food. He recounted speaking this week with a New York father of five whose SNAP benefits were stolen after criminals skimmed his EBT card. “I have heard many stories from victims like these working moms and dads,” Walk said. “They’re why SNAP fraud matters.” CHARTS ILLUSTRATE THE SCALE OF SNAP, A LIFELINE FOR LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS Walk also highlighted a Southern California investigation in which SNAP benefits were allegedly exchanged for cash and crack cocaine. According to his testimony, gang members then used proceeds from the fraud to purchase firearms. “I’ll just repeat that,” Walk said. “SNAP dollars, federal tax dollars, used to buy drugs and guns.” Walk’s testimony underscored the focus of Thursday’s hearing, where House Republicans argued that gaps in oversight and data sharing have allowed billions of taxpayer dollars to be lost to fraud and abuse within the nation’s food stamp program. The subcommittee’s chairman, Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., claimed that Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials identified roughly $3 billion in potential fraud and waste using data submitted by participating states. Some examples included benefits allegedly being sent to 186,000 deceased individuals, 442,000 applicants with fraudulent Social Security numbers and hundreds of thousands of duplicate recipients in the system. He also criticized 21 states for declining to provide requested SNAP data to the USDA, arguing the lack of participation prevents federal officials from identifying additional fraud. AGRICULTURE SECRETARY DEMANDS MINNESOTA FIX SNAP BENEFITS FOR 4 COUNTIES IMMEDIATELY UNDER PILOT PROGRAM “If food stamp recipients’ data stays in state-specific databases, individuals may apply for and receive benefits from multiple states,” Burchett said. Walk said investigators face the same challenge, arguing that limited access to state recipient data makes it difficult to detect fraud before taxpayer dollars are spent. “We cannot pay and chase our way to stopping SNAP fraud,” he said. “We need to guard the front door.” The inspector general also warned that criminals can install EBT card skimming devices in as little as seven seconds, allowing thieves to clone benefit cards and drain accounts as soon as monthly benefits are deposited. While Republicans focused on fraud prevention and tighter oversight, Democrats argued the hearing risked portraying administrative errors as intentional fraud and defended SNAP’s role in feeding vulnerable Americans. Food Research and Action Center Director of SNAP Policy and Advocacy Gina Plata-Nino said organized theft of EBT benefits poses a serious problem but cautioned lawmakers against confusing payment errors with fraud. “Program integrity and food access are not competing goals,” Plata-Nino testified. The hearing comes as the Trump administration has prioritized rooting out fraud across federal benefit programs, with Burchett arguing additional state cooperation could uncover even more abuse within SNAP.
Frustrated blue-collar union bosses rip socialist politicians, warn of labor exodus from Dem party
Two leaders of a prominent New York City union slammed the Democratic Party and Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) for being out of touch with blue-collar members of the working class — the very people they ran their campaigns on supporting. “I think they’re communists, and I don’t think they have the benefit of the working class — the real working class, the taxpayers’ — support,” Robert “Bobby” Bartels, Jr., the business manager of Steamfitters Local 638 in New York City, told Fox News Digital. The union, which has existed for 150 years and has mostly supported Democrat candidates in the past, represents blue-collar steamfitters, pipefitters, HVAC technicians, welders and industrial and mechanical service technicians. It previously broke ranks with Democrats and endorsed President Donald Trump in 2024. Bartels ripped the far-left DSA candidates who won primary elections in New York last week against incumbent and establishment Democrats. Winners include Darializa Avila Chevalier in New York’s 13th Congressional District and Claire Valdez in New York’s 7th Congressional District. Both are members of the Democratic Socialists of America and have radical views that were highlighted by rivals during the campaign. RISING SOCIALIST STARS ON TRACK TO CONGRESS: WHO ARE DARIALIZA AVILA CHEVALIER, BRAD LANDER AND CLAIRE VALDEZ? “They do have the people’s support that want everything for free and want everything handed to them without working for it, and I think the Democratic Party is going way far to the left,” Bartels acknowledged. “And as a matter of fact, the more building trades people you speak to, the more they’re going away from the Democratic Party.” Bartels described Democrats in power as “narcissists,” and expressed frustration that when progressive policies fail, the party doubles down and goes further to the left instead of correcting course. Specifically, he addressed concerns of open border policies that he says drives down wages for union members. “That we don’t like,” said Bartels. “You know why? Because they’re bringing the illegal immigrants in here to steal the Americans’ jobs and lower the rates.” “They’re working to tear down the people that are working and building everything.” ADAMS REBUKES MAMDANI FOR ‘ROMANTICIZING’ SOCIALISM IN NYC MAYORAL CAMPAIGN He said it offends him when leftists like Avila Chevalier say they support the working class and they don’t feel represented by such politicians. “Because I’m the working class, and they’re not here to support me,” explained Bartels. “They want to support the people who want to take from the working class.” Brian Kearney is the president of Steamfitters Local 638. DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST MAYORAL NOMINEE CREATES GROWING HEADACHE FOR VULNERABLE NEW YORK DEMOCRATS He says much of the DSA’s work isn’t aligned with labor, particularly people in the building trades. “I mean, we traditionally have been working class labor Democrats,” said Kearney. “I think that DSA is going to have to try to find inroads through the labor movement in New York City because the labor movement in New York City — and I don’t want to speak for everybody, but you know, personally — it feels like we align on things when we can, but a lot more of their policy has gone towards progressive politics that could end up getting in the way sometimes.” He said Mayor Zohran Mamdani has tackled his own progressive pet projects since taking office, but still hasn’t shown the building union that he will support them, as promised. Thursday night, the New York City Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) voted in favor of one of Mamdani’s core promises — freezing rent. “He’s mentioned union labor, union labor, union labor quite a few times throughout his campaign,” said Kearney. “Affordable housing was a big political issue in New York City. He said it was going to be built, and it was going to be built by union labor, but nothing’s been done yet, you know what I mean? “He’s taken care of a lot of I think the agenda that he campaigned on that pertains to like more of the socialist policies, the super socialist stuff… but, he’s mentioned building with union labor, and I’d like to see him fulfill that promise and utilize union labor throughout the city.” Mamdani, Valdez and Avila Chevalier did not return Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
AOC puts major tech company on notice amid looming price increases: ‘Far too big’
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., revealed that she believes Congress should look to break up companies like Apple amid news that the tech giant might soon raise its prices on phones and laptops due to a strained processing chip supply chain. “We need to break up a lot of these companies that are far, far too big and we need to be instituting consumer protections for people,” Ocasio-Cortez said. Her statements reveal one of the many ways lawmakers are grappling with the realities of the AI race as companies feel the squeeze of global demand for processing power and as local communities wrestle with the costs of their use. Like many other progressives, Ocasio-Cortez has advocated for a more government-led response, citing a distrust of corporate influence. THE RISE OF AI: WHEN WILL CONGRESS REGULATE IT? “The problem that we have is that these big companies think they are governments. They want to be governments. They want to have totally unchecked power,” Ocasio-Cortez said. In recent weeks, Apple’s outgoing CEO Tim Cook signaled that the company might soon have no choice but to pass some of its climbing costs off to consumers. “Unfortunately, price increases are unavoidable,” Cook said in a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal. “We’re doing our best to mitigate the huge increases that are being passed to us, and we’ve been trying to shield our customers from the increases, but the situation has become unsustainable.” For years, companies like Apple have dominated demand for the processing chip market, the part of a computer that acts as the brain of a device. These chips, which require highly sophisticated production, allow computers to perform calculations, process data and execute commands. AI COMES WITH A HEFTY CHARGE. ARE YOU THE ONE WHO GETS STUCK WITH THE BILL? Now that AI companies are also adding to demand, Apple finds itself competing for a dwindling supply of processors, driving the company’s costs up. Beyond her views on the relationship between the government and business, Ocasio-Cortez said that she believes it’s time Congress re-visit ways it can mitigate costs of the AI-race that have climbed on a local level. In particular, she believes it’s time for lawmakers to address the energy strain of data centers. When asked if she believed Congress should consider something beyond the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) Act, President Joe Biden’s signature technology investment bill that became law in 2022, Ocasio-Cortez said she thought so. “The CHIPS Act was passed before we saw this huge development in AI, so the CHIPS Act was really passed before data centers were a thing, so it wasn’t designed to anticipate the huge amount of supply that these centers are sucking up,” Ocasio-Cortez said. IN 2026, ENERGY WAR’S NEW FRONT IS AI, AND US MUST WIN THAT BATTLE, API CHIEF SAYS Among other provisions, the CHIP act included $11.2 billion to modernize the country’s energy grid, created clean energy innovation programs and included $39 billion in domestic semiconductor production incentives. The bill did not address the energy consumption strain caused by data centers. “We are subsidizing a lot of these pieces of these AI data centers,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
Massie lashes out when pressed on ex-girlfriend’s allegations of affair with GOP firebrand
Rep. Thomas Massie lashed out at a Fox News Digital reporter when asked about allegations from his purported ex-girlfriend before turning his phone on the reporter, asking him if he likes “gay porn.” The exchange unfolded after a woman who claims to be his ex-girlfriend came forward with allegations that he offered her money and asked her to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) related to a wrongful termination dispute. She also made allegations that he had bragged to her about an alleged sexual encounter with Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., just weeks after his wife died. After the reporter told Massie he wanted to give him an opportunity to respond publicly to the allegations, the Kentucky Republican turned the exchange around. “So let me ask you, I heard that you like gay porn,” Massie said as he pulled out his phone and began recording the reporter. “Is that true?” MASSIE POSITIONS HIMSELF FOR POTENTIAL POLITICAL FUTURE AFTER PRIMARY DEFEAT: ‘I WON’T BE GOING AWAY SILENTLY’ As the reporter began to walk away from the heated exchange, Massie continued to bombard the reporter with more questions while filming. “Are you a real loser?” he asked the reporter. “No, come back man,” Massie said to the Fox News Digital reporter as the reporter walked away as he continued to follow behind him recording. “Are you with Fox?” he asked. “Is that a legitimate news organization? Is this what you do for a living?” The interaction started with the reporter asking Massie if he could “clear up” the allegations from his ex-girlfriend, former congressional staffer Cynthia West, that claimed he offered her $5,000 in exchange for her to drop a lawsuit for wrongful termination against Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., — an ally of Massie. “It’s all false,” Massie said when asked. TRUMP-BACKED CANDIDATE ED GALLREIN CALLS KENTUCKY UPSET A ‘DAVID VS. GOLIATH’ WIN AFTER DEFEATING MASSIE Massie was then questioned about the allegations of him having alleged sexual relations with Boebert, as West also claimed Massie bragged to her about a sexual encounter with Boebert within weeks after his wife’s death. “It’s all false,” he said again when asked about Boebert. Boebert also erupted at the same Fox News Digital reporter earlier this month for asking the same questions about their alleged sexual encounter. “F— you, first of all!’ Boebert said to the reporter when bringing up the claims from Massie’s alleged ex-girlfriend. RAND PAUL PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR MASSIE AGAINST TRUMP-BACKED CHALLENGER: ‘I’M GOING TO HELP HIM’ “If you’re gonna bring me into this, like, the sexist stuff is like out of control,” she continued. “So there’s your clickbait that you were looking for.” Earlier in the exchange with Massie, he questioned why Fox News was asking about the allegations. “When did you all become a tabloid?” Massie asked. “Seriously, dude.” The allegations against Massie surfaced just a week before Massie was defeated in the race to keep his House seat in the May 19 Republican primary.
Bill Clinton reveals how he feels about upcoming midterms after socialist victories
Former President Bill Clinton expressed confidence in Democrats’ prospects after three socialist candidates won key New York primaries, stating he believes the Democratic Party is in “good shape” to be successful in November’s midterm elections. “I think we’re in good shape for the fall,” Clinton told Fox News Digital when asked about the outcome of Tuesday’s elections. The victories by three far-left candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America who won their respective races on Tuesday — Darializa Avila Chevalier, Brad Lander and Claire Valdez — have fueled debate within the Democratic Party over whether these progressive campaigns offer a winning blueprint heading into the midterm elections and a legitimate roadmap to national success for the party. MAMDANI-BACKED SOCIALIST WINS IN NEW YORK EXPOSE GROWING RIFT BETWEEN DEMOCRATIC ESTABLISHMENT, INSURGENT LEFT Clinton, however, appeared unfazed by the results. The former president has previously aligned himself with more moderate Democrats in New York politics. Last year, he endorsed former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary over socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who defeated Cuomo in the Democratic primary in June 2025 and went on to secure the mayoral nomination. NEW YORK CITY POURS $15M INTO SEX CHANGE INITIATIVES AS MAMDANI ACCUSES FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF INTIMIDATION The latest primary results come as Democrats continue to wrestle with the party’s ideological direction. While many Democrats have embraced the new wave of socialism and those candidates representing the ideology, many mainstream Democrats have cautioned against embracing socialism as the party’s national brand — and have defended capitalism. Fox News Digital also asked Clinton about the Iran situation, but the former president dodged the question, declining to answer. CLINTON JUDGE ORDERS DOJ TO UNSEAL THE EPSTEIN FILES IT HAS BEEN KEEPING HIDDEN Clinton’s refusal to comment comes as tensions surrounding Iran remain high as the United States and Iran work to navigate a recently announced, fragile peace deal After coming to a ceasefire agreement, U.S. forces launched strikes against Iranian targets Friday after Tehran attacked a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump said Thursday, before the strikes, that the U.S. is negotiating with Iran from a “position of pure strength.”
Trump scores another endorsement win with Louisiana Senate runoff victory
He wasn’t on the ballot, but President Donald Trump was a winner in Louisiana’s GOP Senate runoff election. That’s because Trump-backed Rep. Julia Letlow defeated state Treasurer John Fleming to capture the Republican nomination, The Associated Press reported on Saturday. Six weeks after denying Trump-targeted GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy a third six-year term in the Senate, a majority of Republican voters in the solidly red Gulf Coast state backed Letlow. Her victory in the runoff is seen as another victory for Trump as he works to fill the halls of Congress with loyal lawmakers for his final two years in the White House. And it’s another sign of the power of a Trump endorsement in Republican primaries. Five years after he voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial, Cassidy was sent packing. WATCH: CASSIDY DETAILS NEW BEHIND CLOSED DOORS CLASH WITH TRUMP Trump reacted to Letlow’s victory in a Truth Social post, calling Saturday’s result “great news.” “Julia Letlow WON in Louisiana, beating conclusively a very strong and smart opponent,” Trump wrote. “Congratulations to Julia. She will be a truly GREAT Senator!” Letlow, who was backed by Trump even before she entered the race in January, finished first in the primary, double digits ahead of Fleming, with Cassidy in third place. Since no candidate cracked 50% of the vote, Letlow and Fleming advanced to the runoff for the Republican nomination and Cassidy became the first elected Republican senator to lose renomination since Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana in 2012. Trump, celebrating Cassidy’s defeat, said on social media that “it’s nice to see that his political career is OVER!” Cassidy, in a speech to supporters after conceding, took a jab at Trump, saying, “When you participate in democracy, sometimes it doesn’t turn out the way you want it to. But you don’t pout, you don’t whine. You don’t claim the election was stolen… You don’t manufacture some excuse.” Letlow, who was backed by Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a top Trump ally, won her congressional seat in 2021, after her husband, Luke Letlow, died five days before being sworn into the U.S. House after his 2020 election victory for the seat she now holds. She highlighted her support from Trump throughout her Senate campaign. Fleming, who spent eight years in Congress before serving as a White House deputy chief of staff during Trump’s first term, argued he was the most conservative candidate in the GOP Senate primary. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB Letlow will be considered the clear frontrunner in the midterm election against either farmer Jamie Davis or Navy veteran Gary Crockett, who are facing off in the Democratic Party runoff. The brute force of the president’s endorsement power has been on display in GOP primaries over the past two months, with his candidates ousting incumbents he targeted in showdowns in Indiana, Kentucky and Texas, as well as the Louisiana primary. But Trump’s endorsement streak in statewide and congressional Republican primaries was snapped three weeks ago when his last-minute endorsement of Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra of Iowa in the race to succeed retiring GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds wasn’t enough to propel the three-term congressman to victory. Feenstra was narrowly edged by Zach Lahn, a businessman, farmer and former political strategist who was backed by the political wings of MAHA — the acronym for the Make America Healthy Again movement aligned with Trump’s Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — and Turning Point USA, the powerful conservative organization co-founded by the late Charlie Kirk. The president rebounded three weeks ago in South Carolina, as Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Pam Evette finished first in the GOP gubernatorial primary and longtime Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham won a majority of the vote in the Republican Senate primary, and avoided a runoff. Graham, who was endorsed by Trump, was facing primary challenges from five candidates, including conservative businessman Mark Lynch, who took aim at the senator over his support for the war in Iran. Lynch was backed by some MAGA leaders who have been critical of the president. Two weeks ago, Trump-backed candidates won two of the three top races in Georgia and Alabama, with the one setback coming against a billionaire businessman who shelled out over $100 million of his own money to boost his campaign. Rep. Barry Moore, a House Freedom Caucus member and longtime Trump supporter who was endorsed by the president, comfortably defeated rival Jared Hudson, a former Navy SEAL sniper who was supported by some top names on the right, in solidly red Alabama’s GOP Senate runoff. In battleground Georgia’s Republican Senate runoff, an 11th-hour endorsement by Trump helped boost Rep. Mike Collins, a MAGA champion, to victory over former college football coach Derek Dooley, who was backed by popular conservative Gov. Brian Kemp. TRUMP’S ENDORSEMENT FAILS TO SAVE MAGA CANDIDATE AS BILLIONAIRE ADVANCES IN KEY GOVERNOR RACE Collins will face Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in the general election in a race that’s among a handful that will likely decide if the GOP holds its slim majority in the chamber in the midterms. But in Georgia’s GOP gubernatorial runoff, the candidate Trump backed, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who was also endorsed by Kemp this past weekend, was defeated by billionaire businessman Rick Jackson, who ran as an outsider. On Tuesday, Trump-backed first-time candidate Anthony Constantino, a businessman and former boxer, defeated Robert Smullen, a retired Marine Corps colonel and New York Assembly member who had the backing of the state party, in the upstate New York race to succeed retiring GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik. Meanwhile, in South Carolina’s Republican gubernatorial runoff, Trump couldn’t lose. That’s because, besides backing Evette, he also gave a last-minute endorsement to state Attorney General Alan Wilson, who ended up winning the showdown in a landslide.
Louisiana Democrats pick rural farmer to challenge GOP in uphill Senate bid
Jamie Davis, a farmer and former parish official from rural northeast Louisiana, is the Democratic Party’s Senate nominee in reliably red Louisiana. Davis defeated Gary Crockett, a business owner in New Orleans, in Saturday’s Democratic Senate runoff election, The Associated Press reported, in the race to succeed Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy. Davis, who was heavily favored in the runoff thanks to support from the state party and his massive campaign cash and staff advantage over Crockett, will now face an extremely steep uphill climb as he tries to become the first Louisiana Democrat in 18 years to win a Senate election. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB Rep. Julia Letlow, who was backed by President Donald Trump, and Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming faced off in the GOP Senate runoff. Five years after he voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial, Cassidy was sent packing. Letlow, who was backed by Trump even before she entered the race in January, finished first in the primary, double digits ahead of Fleming, with Cassidy in third place. Since no candidate cracked 50% of the vote, Letlow and Fleming advanced to the runoff for the Republican nomination and Cassidy became the first elected Republican senator to lose renomination since Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana in 2012. Trump, celebrating Cassidy’s defeat, said on social media that “it’s nice to see that his political career is OVER!” Cassidy, in a speech to supporters after conceding, took a jab at Trump, saying, “When you participate in democracy, sometimes it doesn’t turn out the way you want it to. But you don’t pout, you don’t whine. You don’t claim the election was stolen… You don’t manufacture some excuse.” Letlow, who was backed by Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a top Trump ally, won her congressional seat in 2021, after her husband, Luke Letlow, died six days after being sworn into the U.S. House after his 2020 election victory for the seat she now holds. She highlighted her support from Trump throughout her Senate campaign. Fleming, who spent eight years in Congress before serving as a White House deputy chief of staff during Trump’s first term, argued he was the most conservative candidate in the GOP Senate primary.
Judge rules Republican with same name as Sen Dan Sullivan can stay on Alaska primary ballot
A judge ruled on Friday that another man running as a Republican, who shares the same name as Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, is eligible to run against him in the August primary in Alaska. Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews’ ruling overturns a decision made by Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher earlier this month to disqualify the second Sullivan from the ballot. Matthews on Friday ruled that Beecher didn’t follow the Constitution, Alaska law or the division’s own regulations when deciding to disqualify Sullivan. “Instead, the decision was based upon a new, previously unstated, ‘good faith’ criteria,” the judge wrote. In her determination, Beecher said that Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher who recently changed his party affiliation to the GOP, did not launch his campaign “in good faith,” and sought to “confuse or mislead” voters at the ballot box. The Republican senator is seeking a third term in the state. SAME-NAME CANDIDATE DISQUALIFIED FROM KEY SENATE RACE OVER ALLEGED DEM SCHEME TO CONFUSE VOTERS Democrats are hoping that former Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, whom Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., helped recruit into the race, will unseat him in November. Alaska is one of several states that are expected to be competitive as both parties vie for control of the Senate. The Division of Elections told The Associated Press on Saturday that it plans to appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court. The deadline for a final ruling is Tuesday so that ballots for the Aug. 18 primary can be printed on time, state attorneys have said. The senator previously told Fox News Digital that he believes Dan J. Sullivan is a Democrat plant. BEHIND-THE-SCENES BATTLES: LEGAL CHALLENGES THAT COULD IMPACT THE VOTE BEFORE ELECTION DAY BEGINS, “His primary purpose is not to win an election, it’s to confuse Alaskans and rig the vote for my opponent, the Democrat,” Sullivan said. “He’s not in it to win it. He’s in it to rig it.” The name confusion could prove particularly consequential in Alaska given its ranked-choice voting system, where voters list candidates in order of preference. If Dan J. Sullivan is allowed to stay on the primary ballot, both he and incumbent Dan S. Sullivan could advance to the general election in which the top four vote-getters will appear. Dan J. Sullivan’s attorneys have argued that there are only three qualifications to run for the Senate in the Constitution: age, citizenship and residency. PRESIDENT TRUMP STRESSES IMPORTANCE OF MIDETERM ELECTION TURNOUT He also previously said that sharing a name with the senator gave him an “instant megaphone,” but he had grown frustrated with the lawmaker and had been considering his own run for some time. The Division of Elections, however, argued that it’s not required to put him on the ballot and find a way to make it less confusing for voters. “The Constitution does not require States to place a sham candidate on the ballot and then attempt to mitigate the damage through design choices,” attorney Rachel Witty, of the Alaska Department of Law, and outside attorneys Christopher Murray and Michael Francisco wrote in court filings. Attorneys for the challenger Sullivan argued that the Constitution lays out three exclusive qualifications for the Senate, addressing only age, citizenship and residency, and claimed Beecher didn’t have the right to kick him off the ballot. Fox News’ Adam Pack, Alex Miller and The Associated Press contributed to this report.