Trump visits Qatar as country’s jet offer puts spotlight on nation’s growing influence in Washington
The deepening U.S. relationship with Qatar is drawing fresh scrutiny this week as President Donald Trump began a Middle East tour amid reports that he may accept a free jet from the Qatari royal family to replace his current plane as Air Force One. The prospect has drawn bipartisan pushback, which Trump has met with indifference. “Qatar is not, in my opinion, a great ally. I mean, they support Hamas. So what I’m worried about is the safety of the president,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., told reporters on Tuesday. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told Fox News, “I think it’s not worth the appearance of impropriety.” TRUMP DEFENDS QATAR JUMBO JET OFFER AS TROUBLED BOEING FAILS TO DELIVER NEW AIR FORCE ONE FLEET “[The Qataris] said to me, ‘we would like to, in effect, we would like to make a gift. You’ve done so many things. and we’d like to make you a gift to the Defense Department,’ which is where it’s going. and I said, ‘Well, that’s nice.’ Now, some people say, ‘Oh, you shouldn’t accept gifts for the country.’ My attitude is, why wouldn’t I accept the gift? We’re giving to everybody else, why wouldn’t I accept a gift?” Trump explained to Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Tuesdsay. U.S. relations with Doha have come a long way since 2017, when Trump accused Qatar of harboring terrorism: “The nation of Qatar, unfortunately, has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level,” Trump said at the time. From there, Qatar became a major non-NATO ally to the U.S. in 2022 under President Biden and is home to Al Udeid Air Base, one of the U.S.’ largest Middle East bases and a key hub for U.S. Central Command operations. Qatar has been at the forefront of peace and hostage negotiations, especially in the war between Israel and Hamas. An Israeli delegation traveled to Doha on Tuesday to hash out a potential agreement on a hostage exchange and ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. “Qatar is an indispensable security and energy partner to the United States. It’s a strategic partnership that has grown stronger and more expansive over time,” Ali Al-Ansari, media attaché at the Qatari embassy, told Fox News Digital. “His highness the Amir and President Trump have a longstanding relationship over many years, and both leaders have the shared goals of peace, security and stability.” “Qatar is working closely with the president and his team to advance these shared goals, whether in Gaza, Ukraine, Congo or other areas of instability.” TRUMP SAYS HE’LL DROP SANCTIONS ON SYRIA IN MOVE TO NORMALIZE RELATIONS In March, weeks of negotiations led by U.S. and Qatari mediators led to the release of American George Glezmann, who had been imprisoned by the Taliban in Afghanistan for more than two years. Doha’s negotiators were also involved in the U.S.-Hamas deal to release the last living American hostage, Edan Alexander, on Monday. “They’re very smart at making themselves useful,” said Michael Makovsky, CEO of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America. The Trump Organization has cinched a new deal to build a luxury golf resort in Qatar, partnering with Qatari Diar, a real estate company backed by that country’s sovereign wealth fund. “Their financial connections to people in Trump’s orbit, their making themselves useful as our mediators, communicating that strategically, the Qataris have been very effective at making themselves important,” Makovsky added. And despite its relatively small population – less than 3 million – Qatar controls over 10% of the world’s natural gas reserves. “They have an enormous amount of influence as a result of the money they spend,” said Jonathan Schanzer, executive director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Energy Secretary Chris Wright praised Qatar as a “valued energy partner” – the second-largest producer of liquid natural gas in the world. “I look forward to building on this new era of U.S.-Qatari relations together,” he said. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff has praised Qatar as a valued partner in negotiations. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kans., joined Trump officials in defending Qatar during a Senate hearing on campus antisemitism recently. As a witness described links between the Qataris donating billions to universities and antisemitic protests, Marshall shot back: “Qatar has been a great ally to America. So I don’t know why you’re attacking them.” But others are skeptical. “The Qataris have been sponsoring a wide range of terror groups for decades,” said Schanzer. “It’s been a bipartisan decision to turn a blind eye to the problem.” Israel supporters have long accused Qatar of funding Hamas. Prior to the outbreak of war after Oct. 7, 2023, Doha for years sent millions of dollars per month to the Gaza Strip to prop up Hamas’ governing structure there. They’ve also spent billions in the U.S., including an aggressive lobbying operation in Washington. “We have seen them invest billions of dollars into higher education. We know that they’re investing in K-12 education in this country,” said Schanzer. “They’re buying up parcels of valuable real estate. They are … spending massive amounts of money in states like Texas and South Carolina, where you have the defense industry and the energy industry.” “Over the last two decades or so they have spent a lot of money, expended a lot of effort, and it’s now paying dividends.” Schanzer said he was pleased the discussion over the Boeing plane had spurred a national conversation over Qatar’s influence in the U.S. “This is a longstanding problem that has gone unaddressed by Barack Obama, by Joe Biden, by George W. Bush and by Trump.”
New House bill would make Trump ban on transgender troops permanent
FIRST ON FOX: A new House GOP bill would make President Donald Trump’s executive order banning transgender troops in the military a permanent federal policy. Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., is introducing the legislation this week and told Fox News Digital that his office has been in contact with the Trump administration on the measure. “What we had with this trans movement was we had a bunch of people coming in, signing a six-year contract, and then starting the surgeries and starting the hormone replacements … they weren’t fit for service, so they spent four or five years on the taxpayer’s dime getting these surgeries and these chemicals and all this stuff, and then by the time they could really actually serve, they were ready to get out,” Moore told Fox News Digital. He said the bill would benefit both taxpayers in funding the military and overall recruitment to the armed forces. ANTI-ABORTION PROVIDER MEASURE IN TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ COULD SPARK HOUSE GOP REBELLION “I think in many ways the taxpayers get a much bigger bang for their buck, No. 1,” said Moore, a veteran. “And No. 2, I think that if I’m looking at joining, these guys are really focused on fighting, and if I’m in the foxhole with these guys, these are people I’ve trained with, they’re capable. You’ve got to have that on a battlefield.” A source familiar with his office’s discussions with the administration showed Fox News Digital an email that suggested tacit approval of the bill from the White House Office of Management and Budget, Pentagon, Department of Homeland Security and National Security Council. The bill is titled the Readiness Over Wokeness Act, according to draft legislation previewed by Fox News Digital. The text said the bill would “prohibit individuals with gender dysphoria from serving as members of the Armed Forces.” It would enact a similar ban on people with “a history of gender-affirming care including cross-sex hormone therapy or sex reassignment or genital reconstruction surgery as treatment for gender dysphoria or in pursuit of a sex transition.” BROWN UNIVERSITY IN GOP CROSSHAIRS AFTER STUDENT’S DOGE-LIKE EMAIL KICKS OFF FRENZY Trump signed an executive order banning transgender people from serving in the U.S. military shortly after he was sworn in for his second term. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth followed suit by enacting the order, including discharging current transgender personnel. The ban was challenged in court but recently upheld by the Supreme Court this month in a decisive victory for Trump. “No More Trans [at the Defense Department],” Hegseth wrote on X soon after the order came down. Trump instituted a similar policy during his first term, though it was later reversed by former President Joe Biden. But it would be much harder for a future Democrat administration to reverse Moore’s bill if it passed the House and Senate and was signed into law by Trump. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for additional comment.
House Democrat to introduce reparations push, declares ‘moral obligation’ to send trillions to Black Americans
A House Democrat plans to introduce a resolution calling for the U.S. to spend trillions of dollars on reparations for Black Americans this week. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Penn., plans to introduce the Reparations Now Resolution on Thursday. Lee met with other lawmakers and activists on Capitol Hill on Tuesday at an event titled “Why We Can’t Wait: Advancing Reparative Justice in Our Lifetime.” She argues that reparations are a “moral and legal obligation” for Americans. “This is a moment in time where societies are shaped [and] new societies are built. We should be the ones who are shaping it,” said Lee. “Their real intention is to build up whatever comes next in their image,” she said, referring to the Trump administration, “and we better fight like hell to make sure that we’re building it in our image.” Lee added that “it took nothing but a stroke of a pen,” for President Donald Trump to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs across the federal government. ‘TIPPING THE SCALES’: HOUSE GOP LEADERS RIP ACTBLUE AFTER DEM FUNDRAISING GIANT HIT WITH SUBPOENA “That’s why we recognize that the fight to restore Black folks has to be so much more substantive,” she added. Lee’s resolution cites U.S. slavery, Jim Crow laws, and other racially discriminatory laws and policies to justify spending trillions of dollars supporting the descendants of Black Americans in the U.S. BLACK CAUCUS CHAIR ACCUSES TRUMP OF ‘PURGE’ OF ‘MINORITY’ FEDERAL WORKERS Lee’s push comes after Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., introduced her own legislation in February calling for a federal commission to study U.S. slavery and reparation proposals. “We are in a moment of anti-Blackness on steroids and we refuse to be silent,” Pressley said at the time. “We will not back down in our pursuit of racial justice.” The bill aims to create a federal commission charged with investigating the enduring impacts of slavery and its aftermath, along with developing concrete proposals for reparations to African Americans who are descendants of slaves, Pressley said. Democratic politicians in blue states, including California, in recent years have floated reparations as a way to atone for what proponents describe as a legacy of racist policies that created disparities for Black people in housing, education and health. HOUSE DEMS ORGANIZE RAPID RESPONSE TASK FORCE AND LITIGATION GROUP TO COMBAT TRUMP AGENDA Democrats on the Hill and in California have pushed for passage of reparations legislation, with other cities and states proposing ideas for reparations.
House Republicans spark outrage with bilingual post as GOP infighting intensifies
People pilloried the House GOP in response to a tweet from the House Republicans X account that declared, “We need to get Americans off the sidelines.” As the post has been inundated with backlash, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., was among those who weighed in. “Americans got off the sidelines and handed us the majority in November. It’s the House GOP that is not passing President Trump’s executive orders, making DOGE cuts permanent, and hasn’t completed the big beautiful bill. Getting ratioed in comments is how Americans feel,” Greene wrote. REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE AIRS FRUSTRATIONS, WARNS THAT SHE REPRESENTS A ‘NOT HAPPY’ REPUBLICAN BASE BlazeTV host Auron MacIntyre slammed House Republicans, writing, “How about you pass one decent bill you clowns.” “Americans got off the sidelines to get you elected. You’re squandering it,” Mark Mitchell of Rasmussen Reports declared in a post. Separately, a bit less than an hour before sharing that widely-panned post, the House GOP X account tweeted a post that included both English and Spanish — that post also sparked criticism. HOUSE REPUBLICANS FACE DOWN DEM ATTACKS, PROTESTS TO PULL ALL-NIGHTER ON TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ “House Republicans believe in every American’s potential to thrive by embracing the power of work. Los Republicanos en la Cámara creemos en que cada ciudadano americano tiene el potencial de prosperar y beneficiarse de las oportunidades de trabajo,” the post read. Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, fired back, “Is this a joke, @HouseGOP? We’re in America. We represent Americans. We don’t pander in foreign languages. Speak English.” In another tweet, the congressman declared, “‘Press 2 for English’ is a losing message, @HouseGOP.” “America First! Now press one for English,” MacIntyre wrote, adding, “You don’t hate the Republican Party enough.” HOUSE REPUBLICANS UNVEIL NEW FOOD STAMP WORK REQUIREMENTS FOR TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ Conservative commentator Matt Walsh of the Daily Wire wrote, “Fire everyone associated with this account.
Trump meets with Syria’s interim president after pledging to lift sanctions on war-torn country
President Donald Trump met with Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Riyadh on Wednesday, a day after lifting all sanctions on Syria, marking a major shift in policy. The last time a meeting between the two countries’ leadership was with former President Bill Clinton in 2000. Trump met with al-Sharaa for an informal chat on the sidelines of the Gulf Cooperation Council, where he was set to address leaders as part of his four-day regional tour. TRUMP SAYS HE’LL DROP SANCTIONS ON SYRIA IN MOVE TO NORMALIZE RELATIONS Trump stated at the summit this was a step toward peace and rebuilding relations with Syria’s government. “We are currently exploring normalizing relations with Syria’s new government, as you know, beginning with my meeting with President Ahmed Al-Shara and Secretary Rubio’s meeting with the Syrian Foreign Minister in Turkey after discussing the situation with Crown Prince Mohammed,” Trump said at the broader summit. “I’m also ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria to give them a fresh start. It gives them a chance for greatness. The sanctions were really crippling, very powerful,” he said. Syrians were seen and heard celebrating the announcement by Trump that he would move to lift sanctions on the beleaguered Middle Eastern nation. TRUMP’S MIDDLE EAST TOUR BEGINS WITH SYRIA LOOMING AS STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITY A statement from Syria’s Foreign Ministry called the announcement “a pivotal turning point for the Syrian people as we seek to emerge from a long and painful chapter of war.” Trump says he feels strongly that this new endeavor will give Syria a great chance at a fresh start. “I felt very strongly that this would give them a chance,” said the president. “It’s not going to be easy anyway, so it gives them a good, strong chance. And it was my honor to do so, so we will be dropping all of the sanctions on Syria, which I think really is going to be a good thing.” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also scheduled to meet with his Syrian counterpart later in the week.
The Great Biden Coverup: Aides debated whether to put the president in a wheelchair
There is something deeply fascinating about Hill Republicans (sometimes stammering) and media conservatives (sometimes shouting) ripping President Trump for accepting a $400 million luxury jet from Qatar. But he’s not the only president in trouble. More on that in a moment. Daily Wire founder Ben Shapiro called the deal “skeezy,” saying the gift isn’t coming “out of the goodness of their sweet little hearts…’It’s an equal opportunity influencer – as long as you can help whitewash their image or smooth over the fact that they are in fact the world’s largest proponents of terrorism on an international scale.” FREE RIDE: ALLIES, EVEN LAURA LOOMER, TURN ON PRESIDENT TRUMP FOR ACCEPTING LUXURY JET FROM QATAR National Review, under the headline “Poison Plane,” said in an editorial: “For one thing, the plane is a potential security threat, given all of the possible places to hide listening devices within a jumbo jet. Assuming that issue could be dealt with through an extensive security sweep, there are the ethical concerns… “Making matters worse is that Qatar is no friend. Its government funds Al Jazeera, the anti-American propaganda channel. It funneled billions of dollars to Hamas, helping the terrorist group build up the infrastructure that allowed it to carry out the October 7 attacks. After the attacks, Qatar issued a statement calling ‘Israel alone responsible’ for the massacre… “There is absolutely nothing good that can come of an American president feeling he owes something to this terrorist-loving government.” Veteran conservative radio host Erick Erickson points out that Attorney General Pam Bondi was a lobbyist for Qatar, paid $119,000 a month: “I don’t think that we should agree with Pam Bondi saying, ‘Oh, yes, Qatar can gift this to the Department of Defense on condition it goes to the Trump Presidential Library.’” And uber-Trump defender Laura Loomer called the deal a “stain” on his presidency. But the president isn’t backing down, saying he would have to be “stupid” to pass up saving big bucks by accepting the gift.” BIDEN AIDES ALLEGEDLY FRETTED THEN-PRESIDENT WOULD NEED WHEELCHAIR IF RE-ELECTED, NEW BOOK REVEALS Now to the former president. A new book out today, by CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson, unearths devastating new material about the coverup of Joe Biden’s declining health. Now we’ve all known since the disastrous debate against Trump that Biden’s mental acuity had dramatically dropped, and this is the main reason he was sequestered from the press and even from much of his own staff. But in a piece on Axios – wonder how it obtained an advance copy of the book – the authors reveal some stunning news: “Joe Biden’s physical deterioration was so severe in 2023 and 2024 that advisers privately discussed the possibility he’d need to use a wheelchair if he won re-election.” In “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again,” the authors cite “the significant degeneration of his spine — and his aides’ alarm over it as Biden sought a second term at age 81.” The book also reveals “the White House’s determination to conceal the reality of Biden’s condition, at the risk of his own health, while he faced a tough reelection bid against Donald Trump.” Think about that for a second. While Trump has used poor judgment in accepting the Qatar plane, this is far worse. Yes, FDR was in a wheelchair, but the press agreed never to show him that way – that ain’t happening today. And he wasn’t 81. GEORGE CLOONEY WAS ‘SHAKEN’ WHEN BIDEN FAILED TO RECOGNIZE HIM AT STAR STUDDED FUNDRAISER: AUTHORS In the Guardian, which also got the book in advance, these on-the-record quotes from top Harris adviser David Plouffe – that the campaign was an F—ing nightmare, that Biden F—-d us, he totally F—-d us – hey, I’m just quoting here – shows the depth of intense anger at the former president for running again. And they’re furious that he’s doing a rehab tour on The View and BBC. They want him to get off the stage – hopefully not tripping – and stay there. Biden aides believed it was politically untenable to have Biden use a wheelchair amid his re-election campaign. Of course they did. It would be political suicide. SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE’S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY’S HOTTEST STORIES His White House doctor Kevin O’Connor, pleading for more rest time, would tell the staff, “I’m trying to keep him alive, and you’re trying to kill him.” O’Connor “privately said that if he had another bad fall, a wheelchair might be necessary for what could be a difficult recovery,” the authors report. One fall away. Biden didn’t even recognize George Clooney, who had raised a record-breaking sum for him, and had to be prompted on who he was. Then Clooney wrote the New York Times op-ed urging Biden to drop out. The rest, as they say, is history.
DHS chief Noem accuses lawmakers of ‘committing felonies’ at Newark ICE facility: ‘They should be censured’
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Tuesday called out members of Congress for allegedly assaulting law enforcement officers during a heated altercation outside a Newark immigration detention center last week. Noem criticized the lawmakers for defending their actions as a supposed “oversight.” Appearing on ‘Jesse Watters Prime,’ Noem accused the lawmakers of committing criminal behavior. “This wasn’t oversight. This was committing felonies. This was going out and attacking people who stand up for the rule of law. And it was absolutely horrible,” Noem said. “I can’t believe they act like this and then they defend it. And then they’re doing these acts of violence to get people out of detention centers that are rapists, that are murderers, that are people that are [from] foreign terrorist organizations that have been out there victimizing our communities in the United States of America,” she went on. DEM LAWMAKERS DEFEND ‘STORMING’ OF ICE FACILITY, SAY TRUMP ADMIN IS ‘LYING AT ALL LEVELS’ U.S. Reps. Rob Menendez Jr., Bonnie Watson Coleman and LaMonica McIver – all New Jersey Democrats – stormed ICE’s Delaney Hall detention facility’s gate in Newark on Friday, demanding they be allowed to conduct an “oversight visit.” “These members of Congress storming into a detention facility goes beyond bizarre political stunt and puts the safety of our law enforcement agents and the detainees at risk,” a DHS statement to Fox News said. “Members of Congress are not above the law and cannot illegally break into detention facilities. Had these members requested a tour, we would have facilitated a tour of the facility.” The three lawmakers were outside the facility with a group of protesters when the gates opened to allow an ICE bus in. The lawmakers then rushed through the gates and past security, DHS said. “What are they trying to do?” Noem questioned. “Release these people back into the country so that there could be more Laken Rileys? So there can be more Jocelyn Nungarays? I just don’t understand what their point is. They have completely lost their minds.” DHS SAYS ‘ARRESTS ARE STILL ON THE TABLE’ AFTER NEW JERSEY HOUSE DEMS CAUGHT ON CAMERA ‘STORMING’ ICE FACILITY She called for the trio to be censured and formally rebuked by the House of Representatives. “It’s astounding to me that someone would even vote for someone to put them in a place of leadership when they perpetuate something as hypocritical and as criminal as what these individuals did,” she said. “I hope that the rest of the members of the House of Representatives will hold them accountable,” Noem continued. “They shouldn’t be allowed to be on the committees that they’re on — in fact, one of them (McIver) is supposed to be conducting oversight over ICE and instead she’s assaulting them.” “They don’t deserve to be in the House,” Noem added. “They should be censured by it.” In a press conference earlier, Coleman denied the accusations that they were trying to illegally enter the facility and claimed that ICE was “out of control.” McIver said the three lawmakers had waited more than two hours to gain access to the facility to conduct an oversight visit. She said all three of them were also assaulted by ICE personnel. “There are people who are supposed to be officers, who are supposed to protect us, and they have done none of that,” McIver told reporters. “If they can treat three members of Congress like that, just imagine how they can treat people on the street each and every day, both undocumented and people who are citizens here in this country.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP McIver doubled down in a post on X, saying that “none of this had to happen.” “We arrived at Delaney Hall to do our jobs — period,” she wrote. “Instead of facilitating congressional oversight, as they are obligated to do, ICE created chaos.” Fox News’ Bill Melugin and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
Trump continues to defend Qatar gifting US $400M jet: ‘We should have the most impressive plane’
President Donald Trump continued to defend his decision to accept a $400 million jet from Qatar during an exclusive interview with Sean Hannity on Air Force One on Tuesday. Trump has received backlash for planning to accept the jumbo Boeing 747-8 jet from the Qatari royal family since news of the gift broke on Sunday. “Now, some people say, ‘oh, you shouldn’t accept gifts for the country.’ My attitude is, why wouldn’t I accept the gift? We’re giving to everybody else? Why wouldn’t I accept the gift?” the president said to Hannity. TRUMP DEFENDS QATAR JUMBO JET OFFER AS TROUBLED BOEING FAILS TO DELIVER NEW AIR FORCE ONE FLEET The luxury jet, which was offered to the United States because of delays in Boeing’s production of the new Air Force One fleet, will serve as a temporary method of transportation so that the current presidential plane doesn’t have to be flown. Trump has said AF1 is nearly 40 years old and looks “much less impressive” when compared to the planes in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar. “You know, we’re the United States of America. I believe that we should have the most impressive plane,” Trump told Hannity. TRUMP CLARIFIES OWNERSHIP OF AIRCRAFT IN DEFENSE OF QATAR’S GIFT In addition to Boeing running behind on delivering the new fleet, the jumbo jet is a gift to the Department of Defense for “a job well done” in successfully defending Qatar “for many years,” Trump added on Truth Social a few hours after the interview. “Why should our military, and therefore our taxpayers, be forced to pay hundreds of millions of Dollars when they can get it for FREE from a country that wants to reward us for a job well done,” he wrote. Trump has said the plane will be retired to the presidential library once Boeing delivers its new AF1 fleet. The president will be in Qatar on Wednesday for the next stop of his three-day visit to the Middle East, marking his first major international trip of his second term. He spent Tuesday in Saudi Arabia meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Buttigieg says ‘right now I’m not running for anything’ during Iowa stop
CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA – Pete Buttigieg pushed back against criticism from President Donald Trump on the job he did as transportation secretary in former President Biden’s administration and declined to say if Biden experienced cognitive decline during his final years in the White House, as he took questions from reporters on Tuesday night. Buttigieg, speaking with reporters after headlining a town hall with veterans in this eastern Iowa city that sparked more speculation that the 2020 Democratic presidential contender is mulling another White House run in 2028, told Fox News that ‘right now I’m not running for anything.” Buttigieg won the 2020 Iowa presidential caucuses and came in a close second in the New Hampshire presidential primary before Biden surged to claim the party’s nomination and later the White House. While Iowa’s caucuses for half a century kicked off both major political parties’ presidential nominating calendars, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) demoted the Hawkeye State on their 2024 schedule, and it’s unclear if Iowa will regain its early state status in the 2028 calendar. LESS THAN FOUR WEEKS INTO TRUMP’S SECOND TERM, DEMOCRATS ALREADY EYEING 2028 PRESIDENTIAL RACE But Buttigieg’s visit, along with his announcement in March that he would pass on a 2026 run for a Democrat-controlled open Senate seat in battleground Michigan, his adopted home state, are seen as signals of his interest in a potential 2028 national run. Buttigieg told a Substack author in a live interview hours before the town hall that when it comes to 2028, he would consider “what I bring to the table.” But asked by Fox News if the trip to Iowa – where he also gathered with staffers from his 2020 campaign and was followed around by a videographer from his political group Win the Era – was the beginning of an assessment period, Buttigieg said “right now, I’m not running for anything and part of what’s exciting and compelling about an opportunity like this is to be campaigning for values and for ideas rather than a specific electoral campaign. So that’s what I’m about.” Told that audience members who said they voted for him in 2020 and would be interested in backing him again if he runs in 2028, Buttigieg said “of course it means a lot to hear that people who supported me then continue to believe in what I have to say.” The Cedar Rapids event was hosted by VoteVets, a progressive group that represents veterans and military families in the political process. The group told Fox News that 1,800 people attended the event. WATCH: TRUMP TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY LAYS OUT NEW PLAN TO UPGRADE AGING AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM The trip by Buttigieg came as he’s faced incoming fire in recent days from Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy over a surge in flight delays and cancellations at New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport, which is one of the three major airports that services the New York City metropolitan area. Duffy blames his predecessor at the Department of Transportation and the Biden administration for what he claims was a failure to upgrade the busy airport’s air traffic control system. And Trump, last week, also chimed in, claiming that during his tenure as transportation secretary Buttigieg “didn’t have a clue. And this guy is actually a contender for president?” Trump added. “I don’t think he’s going to do too well.” The president’s jabs came a few days after Buttigieg, pointing to Trump’s underwater approval ratings in national polling, said in a social media post that “Donald Trump is the most unpopular 100-day-mark president in modern American history.” WATCH: TRUMP TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY LAYS OUT NEW PLAN TO UPGRADE AGING AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM The Trump administration argues that Buttigieg oversaw a rocky transition of the Newark airport’s airspace to the Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control (Tracon) last July. And Duffy, who earlier this week unveiled a major plan to overhaul the nation’s aging air traffic control system, claims the Biden administration is to blame for the recent problems, including air traffic control equipment outages. “Maybe when you work from home, or maybe when you work from Michigan as a secretary, maybe you’re not focused on the real issues that are taking place throughout the airspace,” Duffy said, as he took aim at Buttigieg, who lives in Michigan. Buttigieg, responding, told reporters on Tuesday night that “when you’re the secretary of transportation, you have a tough job and your responsibility is to fix tough problems. You don’t have time to indulge in trying to point fingers or blame other people.” “What I can tell you is we inherited a shrinking air traffic control workforce. We turned it into a growing air traffic control workforce,” he added. “My successor is, of course, not asking for my advice, but my advice would be to making sure that it grows and actually delivering the technological change that’s needed.” Buttigieg’s Iowa trip also came on the same day that excerpts from a new book offered details on Biden’s supposed mental and physical decline during his last two years in the White House. Asked whether Biden experienced cognitive decline, Buttigieg would only say that “every time I needed something from him from the West Wing, I got it.” But he said “maybe” when asked whether the Democratic Party would have been better off if Biden had not run for re-election in 2024. “Right now with the benefit of hindsight, I think most people would agree that that’s the case.” Biden dropped out of the race last July, one month after a disastrous debate performance with Trump sparked a chorus of calls from fellow Democrats for the then-81-year-old president to end his re-election bid. He was replaced at the top of the ticket by then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who ended up losing in November to Trump.
House Republicans face down Dem attacks, protests to pull all-nighter on Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’
Three key committees in the process of putting together President Donald Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill” are expected to work through the night to advance their respective portions of the Republican agenda. The House Agriculture Committee, the Energy & Commerce Committee and the Ways & Means Committee are all holding meetings aimed at advancing key parts of Trump’s bill. Sources told Fox News Digital they expected the Energy & Commerce and Ways & Means meetings, which began on Tuesday afternoon, to last upwards of 20 hours each. The Agriculture panel’s markup is also expected to last into Wednesday. Democrats on each committee, meanwhile, have prepared a barrage of attacks and accusations against GOP lawmakers looking to gut critical welfare programs. ANTI-ABORTION PROVIDER MEASURE IN TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ COULD SPARK HOUSE GOP REBELLION Sparks flew early at the Energy & Commerce Committee meeting with protesters both inside and outside the room repeatedly attempting to disrupt proceedings – with 26 people arrested by Capitol Police. Protesters against Medicaid cuts, predominately in wheelchairs, remained outside the budget markup for several hours as representatives inside debated that and other critical facets under the committee’s broad jurisdiction. Inside the budget markup, Democrats and Republicans sparred along party lines over Medicaid cuts. Democrats repeatedly claimed the Republican budget proposal will cut vital Medicaid services. Many Democrats shared how Medicaid services have saved their constituents’ lives and argued that millions of Americans could lose coverage under the current proposal. Meanwhile, Republicans accused Democrats of lying to the American people about Medicaid cuts – a word Kentucky Republican Rep. Brett Guthrie, Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, deterred his colleagues from using. Tensions arose when the word was repeated as Democrats called it a mischaracterization of their testimonies. Republicans have contended that their bill only seeks to cut waste, fraud, and abuse of the Medicaid system, leaving more of its resources for vulnerable populations that truly need it. That committee was tasked with finding $880 billion in spending cuts to offset Trump’s other funding priorities. Guthrie told House Republicans on a call Sunday night that they’d found upwards of $900 billion in cuts. Democrats have seized on Republican reforms to Medicaid, including heightened work requirements and shifting more costs to certain states, as a political cudgel. At one point late in the evening, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., made an appearance at the Energy & Commerce panel’s meeting. “I just want to mention our Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries is here because of his concern about Medicaid. Thank you,” the committee’s top Democrat, Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., said. But tensions remain between moderate Republicans and conservatives about the level of cuts the committee is seeking to the former Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act green energy tax subsidies. The meeting at the Ways & Means Committee, the House’s tax-writing panel, had relatively little fanfare but was equally contentious as Democrats attempted to offer amendments to preserve Affordable Care Act tax credits and changes to the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap. At one point, Reps. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, and Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., got into a heated exchange over SALT, with Suozzi pushing Van Duyne on whether she’d ever been to New York. Van Duyne earlier called Texas a “donor state” in terms of taxes, arguing, “We should not have to pay to make up for the rich folks in New York who are getting raped by their local and state governments.” Suozzi later pointed out Van Duyne was born and went to college in upstate New York – leading to audible gasps in the room. Van Duyne said there was “a reason” she left. BROWN UNIVERSITY IN GOP CROSSHAIRS AFTER STUDENT’S DOGE-LIKE EMAIL KICKS OFF FRENZY “We’re sorry you left New York, but in some ways it may have worked out better for all of us,” Suozzi said. The SALT deduction cap, however, is still a politically tricky issue even as House lawmakers debate what Republicans hoped would be the final bill. The legislation would raise the $10,000 SALT deduction cap to $30,000 for most single and married tax filers – a figure that Republicans in higher cost-of-living areas said was not enough. Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., threatened to vote against the final bill if the new cap remains. As the committee’s marathon meeting continued, a group of blue state Republicans are huddling with House GOP leaders to find a compromise on a way forward. Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., hinted at tensions in the meeting when he posted on X that Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., a member of the SALT Caucus and Ways & Means Committee, “wasn’t involved in today’s meeting” because her district required “something different than mine and the other most SALTY five.” Malliotakis had told Fox News Digital she was supportive of the $30,000 cap. She’s also the only member of the SALT Caucus on the critical tax-writing panel. The Agriculture Committee, which began its meeting on Tuesday evening, saw Democrats waste no time in accusing Republicans of trying to gut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), colloquially known as food stamps. Rep. Adam Gray, D-Calif., accused Republicans of worrying that “somebody is getting a meal they didn’t deserve or kids are getting too fat” instead of more critical issues. Republicans, like Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, touted the bill’s inclusion of crop insurance for young farmers, increasing opportunity for export markets, and helping invest in national animal disaster centers aimed at preventing and mitigating livestock illness. He also said Republicans were working to “secure” SNAP from waste and abuse. House and Senate Republicans are working on Trump’s agenda via the budget reconciliation process, which allows the party in power to sideline the minority by lowering the Senate’s threshold for passage to a simple majority, provided the legislation at hand deals with spending, taxes or the national debt. Trump wants Republicans to use the maneuver for a sweeping bill on his tax, border, immigration, energy and defense priorities. Two sources familiar with