Trump to address nation about Iran as he signals war could end within weeks
President Donald Trump is expected to address the nation at 9 p.m. Eastern Time Wednesday about U.S. operations in Iran after one month of combat. The message will be an “important update” about the war, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X. The president will give an operational update on the mission known as Operation Epic Fury and is expected to reiterate the two-to-three week timeline for a drawdown of the operation that he gave in comments to reporters Tuesday, a White House official told Fox News Digital Wednesday. “He will highlight the United States Military’s success in achieving all of its stated goals prior to the operation: destroy Iran’s deadly ballistic missiles and production facilities, annihilate their Navy, ensure their terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the region and guarantee that Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon,” the official added. US EYES SEIZING IRAN’S OIL LIFELINE — BUT IT MAY NOT CRIPPLE TEHRAN Trump told reporters Tuesday he expected the mission to end in two to three weeks. He posted on Truth Social Wednesday that Iran had asked for a ceasefire, but the U.S. was not open to negotiation until the Strait of Hormuz is open for shipping. “We will consider when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear,” Trump said. “Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, said the claim that Iran had asked for a ceasefire was “false and baseless,” according to Iranian state TV. Trump has sent mixed signals in recent days, at times suggesting the conflict could end soon while also threatening intensified strikes if Iran does not meet U.S. demands. The president told multiple news outlets Wednesday that he is strongly considering pulling the U.S. out of NATO over frustrations at what he sees as insufficient military support from allied countries in the Middle East. “I was never swayed by NATO,” Trump told The Telegraph in an interview published Wednesday. European nations so far have resisted pressure to offer warships to reopen commerce in the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s oil supply typically passes. The average price of a gallon of gas surpassed $4 on Tuesday, a first since 2022. Several key European allies have moved to restrict U.S. military access as the Trump administration presses forward with operations against Iran, with Spain closing its airspace to U.S. aircraft tied to strikes and France imposing limits on certain overflights carrying military supplies. PRESIDENT TRUMP SAYS US COULD FINISH IRAN OPERATION WITHIN TWO TO THREE WEEKS “We’ve been there automatically, including Ukraine. Ukraine wasn’t our problem. It was a test, and we were there for them, and we would always have been there for them. They weren’t there for us.” Administration officials have suggested U.S. objectives in the conflict are nearing completion, raising the possibility that Trump could outline a path toward winding down operations. But at the same time, thousands of paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne division along with a task force of 2,500 Marines from the USS Tripoli have reached the Central Command theater in recent days, raising speculation of a potential ground invasion. Meanwhile the USS George H.W. Bush, an aircraft carrier with 6,000 sailors deployed Tuesday to join the USS Abraham Lincoln already in theater. Operation Epic Fury began Feb. 28. Since then, U.S. forces have struck more than 12,000 targets inside Iran and damaged or destroyed 155 naval ships, according the Central Command. Thirteen U.S. service members have died in the operations and 350 have been injured.
‘Virginia father’ charged with murdering infant daughter is illegal alien, says DHS
A “Virginia father” charged with beating his infant daughter to death is a Guatemalan illegal immigrant who was let into the country under the Biden administration, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Local outlet WUSA9 reported Tuesday that 28-year-old “Virginia father” Misael Lopez Gomez was arrested Friday for allegedly killing his own daughter. According to the outlet, the three-month-old baby was found not breathing by Fairfax County Police. Officers administered CPR, but the infant was pronounced dead at a local hospital. The medical examiner determined the cause of death to be “blunt force trauma.” Lopez Gomez is being charged with second-degree murder and felony child abuse causing serious injury, according to the Virginia Judiciary’s official website. Though his immigration status is not listed on the judiciary website, DHS told Fox News that Lopez Gomez is a Guatemalan illegal alien who admitted in an interview to crossing the New Mexico border illegally in July 2023 during the Biden administration. ILLEGAL ALIEN ALLEGED GROPING OF MINOR GIRLS AT HIGH SCHOOL BEING INVESTIGATED BY EDUCATION DEPARTMENT Fox News is told ICE has lodged a detainer – request to hold – on Lopez Gomez with Fairfax County law enforcement. This is the latest in a string of crimes committed by illegal immigrants in Fairfax County, the most populous county in Virginia and a major suburb of Washington, D.C. Fairfax County is considered a deep-blue Democratic stronghold. DHS has been pressuring new Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger to commit to having authorities honor ICE’s detainers against illegal immigrant criminals. JAYAPAL FLOATS REPARATIONS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IMPACTED BY TRUMP CRACKDOWN, DEMANDS PROSECUTIONS Despite being widely perceived as moderate during the election last year, since taking office, Spanberger has been criticized for the progressive policies she has pursued, which include an executive order barring law enforcement from cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security announced ICE had also lodged a detainer for another Guatemalan illegal alien in Fairfax County named Anibal Armando Chavarria Muy. Chavarria Muy was arrested by local authorities for second-degree murder in a machete stabbing incident. TRUMP ADMIN UNLAWFULLY TERMINATED LEGAL STATUS OF MIGRANTS WHO USED BIDEN-ERA APP, JUDGE RULES Before that, ICE also lodged a detainer for 18-year-old Israel Flores Ortiz, who is accused of sexual assault of a dozen female students at a Fairfax County high school. Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger’s office and Fairfax County officials for comment.
Trump hypes moon mission as Artemis II prepares to lift off under pressure from past failures
President Donald Trump on Tuesday celebrated NASA’s Artemis II mission, which is set to send U.S. astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit for the first time in more than five decades. “Tonight at 6:24 P.M. EST, for the first time in over 50 YEARS, America is going back to the Moon!,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Artemis II, among the most powerful rockets ever built, is launching our Brave Astronauts farther into Deep Space than any human has EVER gone. We are WINNING, in Space, on Earth, and everywhere in between — Economically, Militarily, and now, BEYOND THE STARS. Nobody comes close! “America doesn’t just compete, we DOMINATE, and the whole World is watching,” he added. “God bless our incredible Astronauts, God bless NASA, and God bless the Greatest Nation ever to exist, the United States of America!” The Artemis program was established during President Donald Trump’s first term in 2017 as part of a broader push to return American astronauts to the moon. NASA RACES TO BUILD MOON BASE AS US CHALLENGES CHINA IN NEW SPACE RACE Artemis II was previously targeted for an earlier launch but faced delays following technical issues identified during testing, including fuel and helium leaks that required additional repairs to the Space Launch System rocket. The four astronauts assigned to Artemis II — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch of the U.S., and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen — are expected to travel around the moon and back, marking the first crewed mission beyond low-Earth orbit since 1972. While the mission will not land on the lunar surface, it is designed to carry astronauts farther from Earth than any crewed mission since the Apollo era. NASA BEGINS INFRASTRUCTURE OVERHAUL UNDER ISAACMAN AS TRUMP PUSHES AMBITIOUS SPACE EXPLORATION GOALS The mission is scheduled to launch from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39B aboard NASA’s Space Launch System rocket, which the agency describes as the most powerful it has ever built. Standing about 322 feet tall, the rocket will send the Orion spacecraft and its crew into deep space for the first time, testing critical systems ahead of future lunar landing missions. NASA RETURNS HUMANS TO DEEP SPACE AFTER 50 YEARS WITH FEBRUARY ARTEMIS II MOON MISSION After launch, the crew is expected to spend several days in space, including a multi-day journey around the far side of the moon before returning to Earth for a planned splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. Artemis II follows the uncrewed Artemis I test flight and is considered a key step toward future missions, including Artemis III, which aims to land astronauts on the lunar surface. NASA has said the Artemis program is intended to support long-term lunar exploration and lay the groundwork for eventual human missions to Mars. Fox News Digital’s Michael Sinkewicz contributed to this report.
ICE pressures Spanberger as Fairfax murder suspects trigger new detainers in ‘sanctuary’ clash
Virginia Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger and local authorities in deep blue Northern Virginia are facing mounting hold requests from ICE after two more illegal immigrants were arrested for murder in Fairfax County this week. This week, ICE lodged two detainers — requests to hold — for illegal immigrants charged with murder in Fairfax County. One detainer was lodged against 28-year-old Guatemalan national Misael Lopez Gomez, who is charged with second-degree murder and felony child abuse after allegedly beating his 3-month-old daughter to death. The agency lodged another detainer for a Guatemalan national, Anibal Armando Chavarria Muy, following his arrest by local authorities for second-degree murder in a machete stabbing. The Department of Homeland Security has personally appealed to Spanberger and “Fairfax County sanctuary politicians” to not release Chavarria Muy. These cases are the latest in a string of high-profile crimes involving illegal immigrants in Northern Virginia that have rocked the community. ILLEGAL ALIEN ALLEGED GROPING OF MINOR GIRLS AT HIGH SCHOOL BEING INVESTIGATED BY EDUCATION DEPARTMENT This comes after one of Spanberger’s first actions as governor was to issue an executive order barring state and local authorities from cooperating with federal authorities for immigration enforcement. Here are some of the latest high-profile cases that have outraged Northern Virginia residents: Two ICE sources told Fox News that Misael Lopez Gomez, who was recently arrested for allegedly beating his 3-month-old daughter to death in Fairfax County, is a Guatemalan illegal alien. The sources said Lopez Gomez is believed to have entered the U.S. as a got-away during the Biden administration in July 2023. Fox News has learned ICE placed a detainer request on Lopez Gomez with Fairfax County law enforcement. According to local outlet WUSA9, the infant died from blunt-force trauma. The outlet reported Tuesday that Lopez Gomez is currently jailed without bond and is facing second-degree murder and felony child abuse charges. On Tuesday, ICE lodged a detainer request for Fairfax County to not release Chavarria Muy following his arrest in connection with a fatal stabbing on Sunday. DHS said that the killing was carried out using a machete. WUSA9 reported that officers responding to a call in Bailey’s Crossroads, Virginia, found a man inside a home with multiple stab wounds. The victim was later pronounced dead at a local hospital, according to the outlet. Chavarria Muy was later arrested for the stabbing and charged with second-degree murder. According to DHS, he is in the U.S. illegally and entered at an unknown place and time. Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis called the case “another preventable tragedy” caused by open borders policies. FORMER VIRGINIA GOVERNOR CHALLENGES SPANBERGER TO DEBATE HER REDISTRICTING FLIP-FLOP Fairfax County has also been rocked by a case involving 18-year-old Salvadoran illegal alien Israel Flores Ortiz, who is accused of sexually assaulting a dozen girls at a local high school he was attending. ICE has also lodged a detainer for Flores Ortiz following his arrest for allegedly groping a dozen female high school students at a Fairfax County high school he attended. Like Chavarria Muy, DHS has asked Spanberger to intervene to prevent local authorities from releasing Flores Ortiz back into the public. Flores Ortiz is facing 13 counts of assault and battery. He is currently being held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center without bond. According to DHS, Flores Ortiz is an illegal immigrant from El Salvador who was released into the U.S. under the Biden administration in 2024. His case has elicited disgust, outrage and fear from Fairfax County parents about the safety of schools in the area. In late February, ICE lodged a detainer for another illegal alien, Sierra Leone national Abdul Jalloh, charged with murder in connection with the fatal neck stabbing of a woman at a bus stop. The victim, Stephanie Minter, 41, of Fredericksburg, Virginia, was found dead at a local bus stop on Feb. 23 with multiple stab wounds to the upper body. DHS said that Jalloh entered the U.S. illegally in 2012. He has an extensive criminal history that includes more than 30 arrests for charges of rape, malicious wounding, assault, drug possession, identity theft, trespassing, larceny, firing a weapon, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and pick-pocketing. ILLEGAL ALIEN MURDER SUSPECT AVOIDED SYSTEM AS ICE PUSHES DEM GOVERNOR TO KEEP HIM LOCKED UP Commenting on the most recent detainer being lodged for Chavarria Muy, DHS lamented “yet another life lost in a sanctuary county at the hands of a criminal alien who should have never been here in the first place.” The agency decried Fairfax County’s policies, saying it “has a history of refusing to honor immigration detainers.” DHS asked, “When will sanctuary politicians wake up and begin putting American lives FIRST?” The White House’s rapid response social media account also chimed in, commenting, “Meanwhile, Democrats continue to block funding for [DHS], demanding changes to make ICE less effective in finding and arresting these criminals. Insane.” Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger’s office and Fairfax County officials for comment.
Alito invokes Scalia analogy in birthright citizenship fight over illegal immigration
Justice Samuel Alito invoked an analogy from late Justice Antonin Scalia Wednesday as the Supreme Court weighed whether birthright citizenship extended to children of illegal immigrants. Alito said Scalia had illustrated how to apply textualism to modern circumstances, a point he raised during high-stakes oral arguments over President Donald Trump’s effort to limit birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment, which grants most people born in the United States automatic citizenship. Textualism is a legal view that courts should read laws and the Constitution according to their plain text and original meaning. Alito said illegal immigration, similar to modern technology such as microwaves, was relatively unknown when the 14th Amendment was ratified in 1868. Alito acknowledged historical exceptions to the amendment, including children born to foreign diplomats and certain Native Americans, and he questioned whether illegal immigrants’ children could be considered a comparable modern-day exception. “Justice Scalia had an example that dealt with this situation,” Alito said. “He imagined an old theft statute that was enacted well before anybody conceived of a microwave oven. And then, afterwards, someone is charged with the crime of stealing a microwave oven. And this fellow says, ‘Well, I can’t be convicted under this because the microwave oven didn’t exist at that time.’ And he dismissed that. There’s a general rule there, and you apply it to future applications.” HOW THE SUPREME COURT’S INJUNCTION RULING ADVANCES TRUMP’S BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP FIGHT Alito said illegal immigration “was basically unknown at the time when the 14th amendment was adopted.” “So, how did we deal with that situation when we have a general rule?” Alito asked, questioning if the rule was intended to “apply to later applications that might come up.” SUPREME COURT PREPARES TO REVIEW TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ORDER ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP Solicitor General John Sauer argued to the Supreme Court in support of Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order, which would end automatic citizenship for babies born in the United States to mothers who are illegal immigrants or legal temporary visitors. “I strongly agree with the way that you framed it, that there is a general principle,” Sauer told Alito of the microwave analogy. While Sauer appeared in sync with Alito, most of the justices voiced strong skepticism of Trump’s arguments. Alito and Justice Clarence Thomas appeared to be the most likely to back Trump’s position. Justice Elena Kagan said Sauer could not argue in the way Alito suggested because the bulk of Sauer’s arguments had centered on people temporarily visiting the country, not illegal immigrants. “Your whole theory of the case is built on that group … so you can’t really be going with Justice Alito’s theory,” Kagan said. “You must be saying that there is a principle that was there at the time of the 14th Amendment.”
Iran fires back with flat denial after Trump claims Tehran requested ceasefire: ‘False and baseless’
Iran is pushing back on President Donald Trump’s claim that it requested a ceasefire, with an official calling the statement “false and baseless in a blunt public denial. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, made the remarks rejecting Trump’s claim on Wednesday, according to a report on Iranian state television. Trump made the claim about Iran requesting a ceasefire in a Truth Social post Wednesday morning. But the president indicated that the U.S. will only entertain the prospect once the Strait of Hormuz is open for ships. “Iran’s New Regime President, much less Radicalized and far more intelligent than his predecessors, has just asked the United States of America for a CEASEFIRE! We will consider when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear. Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!” Trump asserted in the post. KAROLINE LEAVITT FIRES BACK AT NBC NEWS REPORTER WHO ASKED IF TRUMP’S IRAN THREAT AMOUNTS TO A ‘WAR CRIME’ Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, however, issued its own statement saying the Strait of Hormuz “is firmly and decisively under the control” of its forces. “This strait will not be opened to the enemies of this nation through the ridiculous spectacle by the president of the United States,” it said. Iran has effectively shut the critical oil choke point, through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil passes, sending oil prices soaring. TRUMP ORDERS WAR DEPT TO POSTPONE STRIKES ON IRANIAN ENERGY SITES, CITING ‘PRODUCTIVE’ TALKS TO END WAR U.S. gas prices jumped past an average of $4 a gallon for the first time since 2022 on Tuesday. Analysts say that high fuel costs will trickle into groceries as businesses’ transportation and packaging costs pile up. Trump also told Reuters in a telephone interview ahead of his televised address Wednesday night that the U.S. would be finishing its war in Iran soon, but he wouldn’t give a timeline. “I can’t tell you exactly. … We’re going to be out pretty quickly,” he said. But once the U.S. leaves, he said, “We’ll come back to do spot hits” on targets, as needed. Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump working to clean ‘filthy’ Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, blames Biden for maintenance delays
President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he was working to clean up the “filthy” Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on the National Mall, blaming the Biden administration for neglecting the Washington, D.C., landmark. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he was working with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on the project, the latest in a series of beautification initiatives targeted by the Trump administration. SEWAGE SPILL SENDS E COLI SURGING IN THE POTOMAC RIVER NEAR DC “Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and I are working on fixing the absolutely filthy Reflecting Pool between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument,” Trump wrote. “This work was supposed to be done by the Biden Administration, but Sleepy Joe doesn’t know what ‘CLEAN’ or proper maintenance is — The President and Secretary do!” he added. Burgum confirmed the project on X. TRUMP TELLS MEXICO TO FIX CROSS-BORDER SEWAGE PROBLEM FLOWING INTO US COMMUNITIES ‘IMMEDIATELY’ “Unlike the Biden administration, @POTUS knows how to get things done! @Interior is working to Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful! Proud to work with you on this important task, Mr. President,” he wrote in a post accompanied by images of himself at the pool. In 2022, the National Parks Service posted a video on X showing a “Super-Scrubber” and vacuum cleaning the pool area. “Our facilities team cleaning up a year’s worth of trash, algae, and goose poop in the Reflecting Pool,” the post read. The pool is drained and cleaned once per year before being refilled with water. Fox News Digital has reached out to the NPS and Interior Department. On Tuesday, a federal judge ordered Trump to halt construction of his ambitious White House ballroom project. The ruling came amid a lawsuit by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which argued the project required congressional authorization before moving forward.
Trump calls for second ‘big, beautiful bill’ to fund ICE on his desk by June 1
For 47 days, Democrats have refused to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and parts of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) without sweeping reforms. President Donald Trump is now considering a move that could make both agencies shutdown-proof for the rest of his second term. The president is asking top Republicans to draft a budget reconciliation package funding ICE and CBP that could pass both chambers without any Democratic support. “We are going to work as fast, and as focused, as possible to replenish funding for our Border and ICE Agents, and the Radical Left Democrats won’t be able to stop us,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “We will not allow them to hurt the families of these Great Patriots by defunding them.” The president added that he wants the legislation on his desk by June 1. HOUSE CONSERVATIVES ERUPT OVER SENATE GOP, WHITE HOUSE DEAL AMID SAVE ACT FIGHT The budget reconciliation push comes as Republican efforts to fund ICE and the Border Patrol through regular order have stalled in the Senate due to widespread opposition from Democrats. With the Senate’s 60-vote legislative threshold in place, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., effectively has veto power over DHS appropriations if he keeps his caucus in line. The budget reconciliation process would allow Republicans to steer around Democratic opposition and pass a DHS funding bill at a simple majority threshold. Republicans narrowly passed Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act using reconciliation in June 2025 after months of intraparty squabbling. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., quickly endorsed the proposal in a joint statement released Wednesday. The GOP leaders said DHS would be funded along “two parallel tracks,” meaning that ICE and the Border Patrol would receive an influx of money through reconciliation while the rest of DHS would be funded through the normal appropriations process. “We cannot allow Democrats to any longer put the safety of the American public at risk through their open border policies, so we are taking that off the table,” Johnson and Thune wrote. The GOP leaders added that they will seek three years of immigration enforcement and border security funding, effectively preventing Democrats from using the appropriations process as leverage over the president’s immigration agenda for the remainder of his term. Though ICE and the Border Patrol received an unprecedented infusion of money through Trump’s “big, beautiful” bill, certain support staff employed by both agencies have not been paid during the seven-week shutdown. The U.S. Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Secret Service have seen a more significant lapse in appropriations, though Trump took executive action to provide back pay to TSA agents reporting to work during the funding lapse. HOUSE REPUBLICANS PASS RIVAL DHS PLAN, SETTING UP SENATE FIGHT AS SHUTDOWN SET TO BECOME LONGEST IN HISTORY A Republican aide told Fox News Digital the Senate could pass a bill funding the non-immigration parts of DHS via unanimous consent as soon as Thursday morning during a planned pro forma session. The measure would then go to the House for consideration. The anticipated vote comes after House GOP leadership rejected a Senate-passed deal on Friday including similar language, citing their objections to funding immigration enforcement outside the normal appropriations process. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., indicated to reporters Monday that Trump would ultimately get behind the Senate’s preferred approach. “The Democrats can’t create another shutdown like they did this time,” Hoeven said, if the DHS budget reconciliation bill were to be signed into law. The North Dakota lawmaker also disputed that a reconciliation package would take several months to put together. “We’ll get it done as quick as you can,” Hoeven said. “I hope it’s certainly not months.” A second reconciliation package could prove more difficult in an election year when lawmakers will have to identify spending cuts to pay for the border security and immigration funding. The strategy could also extend the funding lapse for ICE and the Border Patrol for several more months. Amid both chambers’ planned two-week recesses, Trump told the New York Post on Tuesday he is considering calling Congress back to Washington to find a solution to the DHS shutdown. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Wednesday that a “skinny reconciliation bill” funding the department would pass both chambers once Congress resumes session in mid-April if a deal has not been reached. House GOP leadership has previously voiced skepticism about funding immigration enforcement through a budget reconciliation package. Some conservatives have also complained about the precedent of letting Democrats decide which agencies receive funding through the normal appropriations process. “The problem is that what they’re doing is they’re placing the burden on the Republican Party entirely to make sure that we have border security funding and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, because they’re going to try to force it into a reconciliation bill,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade on Friday. “That’s a very difficult task. It is a high risk gamble for us to assume that we could do that.”
Poll position: Where Trump stands among Americans as he faces the nation in primetime
President Donald Trump goes before the nation in prime time on Wednesday evening to deliver what the White House says is “an important update” on the war with Iran. The president’s address comes amid the month-long attacks by the U.S. and Israel on Iran, which polls indicate are unpopular with many Americans, and a surge in gas prices as a direct result of the fighting have triggered a further slide in Trump’s standing in public opinion surveys. The political implications are clear: The strikes on Iran and the erosion of the president’s approval ratings are warning signs for the GOP as Republicans ramp up to defend their slim House and Senate majorities in this autumn’s midterm elections. Trump stood at 41% approval and 59% disapproval in the latest Fox News national poll, which was conducted March 20–23. The president’s negative 18-point margin was up from 14 points in the previous Fox News poll, which was conducted Feb. 28–March 2, as the strikes against Iran began. FOX NEWS LIVE UPDATES ON THE U.S. WAR WITH IRAN The president’s approval ratings stood in the upper 30s, with his disapproval in the upper 50s to low 60s, in the most recent national surveys from Reuters/Ipsos, AP/NORC, and Quinnipiac University. A CNN poll conducted March 26–30 and released Wednesday indicated Trump had a 35%-64% approval/disapproval rating. An average of the most recent national surveys gauging the president’s standing puts Trump just above 40%, with his disapproval in the upper 50s. WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLL SHOWS ON THE WAR WITH IRAN While Trump’s base remains extremely supportive of the president and the war, much of the slippage is coming from within the GOP, specifically those who are considered non-MAGA Republicans. “I do see in the last couple of surveys an edging down…close to a double-digit movement,” veteran Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who helps run the Fox News Poll with Democrat Chris Anderson, said, pointing to declining support for Trump among non-MAGA Republicans. Fueling Trump’s decline appears to be the surge in gas prices. The average price of gasoline in the U.S. topped $4 per gallon on Tuesday, according to national averages from AAA and GasBuddy, for the first time in four years. FOX BUSINESS: GAS PRICES TOP $4 PER GALLON The military attacks by the U.S. and Israel have resulted in the deaths of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top officials, and the decimation of the country’s military. In response, Iran has targeted energy facilities with missile and drone attacks in a number of Persian Gulf nations. It has also made the Strait of Hormuz nearly impassable to commercial shipping, bringing roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply to a halt and sending global fuel prices sharply higher. That has only exacerbated Trump’s polling woes when it comes to his performance on the economy, amid public dissatisfaction with high prices and the cost of living. A spotlight on inflation helped fuel sweeping victories by Trump and Republicans in the 2024 elections, when they won back the White House and Senate and successfully defended their slim House majority. DEMOCRATS TARGET TRUMP, GOP, OVER SURING GAS PRICES But a laser focus on affordability by Democrats, amid persistent inflation, has fueled a slew of victories and overperformances in 2025’s off-year elections and in special elections in the more than 14 months since Trump returned to the White House. According to the Fox News poll, 80% of respondents said they were concerned about gas prices, and 86% concerned about inflation and high prices. And the CNN survey spotlighted that the president’s approval rating for handling the economy sank to 31%, Trump’s lowest level ever in their polling. The White House says the surge in prices is temporary. “When Operation Epic Fury is complete, gas prices will plummet back to the multiyear lows American drivers enjoyed before these short-term disruptions,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement on Tuesday. Leavitt emphasized that “President Trump remains committed to fully unleashing American energy dominance, lowering costs, and putting more money back in the pockets of hardworking American families.” OIL HAS SURGED SINCE THE IRAN CONFLICT BEGAN, BUT GAS PRICES MAY NOT BE DONE RISING The gas price surge is giving Democrats more political ammunition to target the GOP. “BREAKING: National Gas Prices Skyrocket to $4 Per Gallon,” read the headline from an email Tuesday morning from the Democratic National Committee. The House Democrats’ campaign committee last week launched digital ads showing prices at the pump rising and an image saying “D.C. Republicans Did That!” Sources say to expect another round of ads on gas prices in the coming weeks. But Democrats have their own polling problems, as the party’s brand image has cratered to historic lows in a slew of polls over the past year. Shaw, pointing to the so-called double-haters, voters who disapprove of both Trump and the Democrats, said that group hasn’t “really swung dramatically to the Democrats” as the midterms approach. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas emphasized in a recent Fox News Digital interview that, in his opinion, Trump’s “decision to launch this military action is the most consequential decision” of his presidency. Such perceptions only increase what’s at stake when Trump addresses the nation in prime time. “The American people want to hear what the off-ramp for the war is and when it will end,” Dan Eberhart, an oil drilling chief executive officer and prominent Republican donor told Fox News Digital. Eberhart, who is supportive of the president, said: “Trump’s base is with him, but many ordinary Americans feel the war is unnecessary. Tonight is Trump’s opportunity to explain why this war matters to everyday Americans.”
Inside Supreme Court: How Trump heard birthright citizenship arguments
President Donald Trump made an extraordinary appearance Wednesday for Supreme Court arguments — an American presidential first — as his administration seeks to unwind birthright citizenship during two hours of dramatic oral arguments. The Supreme Court voiced strong pushback against efforts to restrict who can be called an American, a politically divisive case over automatic citizenship for some children born in the United States to foreign nationals. Trump, wearing a red tie and dark suit, entered the courtroom around nine minutes before the court gaveled into session and did not speak during the session, per court rules. He closed his eyes for brief times during the session, but looked alert and focused throughout his time in the courtroom, staying for the entire oral presentation by his Solicitor General John Sauer, which lasted about 65 minutes. THE SUPREME COURT IS GOING TO GIVE PRESIDENT TRUMP A MAJOR OPENING ON IMMIGRATION Chief Justice John Roberts did not acknowledge the president’s appearance. Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Attorney General Pam Bondi were in the front row of the public section and passed some notes to one another before Trump left the courtroom around 11:19 a.m. ET, seven minutes or so into the ACLU lawyer Cecilia Wang’s oral presentation. Trump left without commenting. Trump later issued a Truth Social post saying, “We are the only Country in the World STUPID enough to allow ‘Birthright’ Citizenship!” Trump heard a majority of justices taking turns expressing varying levels of skepticism at the administration’s claim that the citizenship “privilege” has been historically abused and wrongly granted to those whose mother gave birth while in the country illegally or temporarily. At issue is the executive order the president signed on his first day back in office to redefine birthright citizenship, part of a broader crackdown on immigration that has led to increased deportations and decreased admittance of refugees and asylum seekers at the border. JOHN YOO: SUPREME COURT SHOWDOWN EXPOSES SHAKY CASE AGAINST BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP In the first Supreme Court argument appearance by a sitting president, most of the bench appeared to agree with the post-Civil War’s 14th Amendment — and subsequent congressional laws and Supreme Court precedent — all support the idea of making citizens of everyone born in the country, regardless of immigration status. Roberts, appointed by Republican George W. Bush, questioned the government’s legal position when it came to the 14th Amendment’s limited exceptions to citizenship. “The examples you give to support that strike me as very quirky,” Roberts said. “You know, children of ambassadors, children of enemies during a hostile invasion, children on warships — and then you expand it to a whole class of illegal aliens who are here in the country. “I’m not quite sure how you can get to that big group from such tiny, and sort of idiosyncratic, examples.” Liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wondered how determining citizenship would be applied in practical terms if immigrant mothers gave birth. SUPREME COURT’S SHOWDOWN ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP DECISION COULD RESHAPE AMERICA “How does this work?” Jackson asked U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer. “Are you suggesting that when a baby is born, people have to have documents present? Documents? Is this happening in the delivery room? “How are we determining when or whether a newborn child is a citizen of the United States under your rule?” Conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Sameul Alito — both confirmed to the bench before Trump’s first administration — sounded mostly likely to back Trump’s position. “How much of the debates around the 14th Amendment had anything to do with immigration?” Thomas asked early in the argument, saying it was designed to give newly freed slaves citizenship, and does not necessarily apply to children of newly arrived immigrants. All lower federal courts that have heard various challenges to the birthright citizenship order have ruled against the administration. An expected definitive high-court ruling against Trump by early summer could have sweeping national implications — and possibly slow momentum — for Trump’s get-tough immigration agenda, which has become a defining feature of his second White House term.