Biden least popular living president, poll says – but who takes the top spot?
In a recent Gallup survey of adults living in the U.S., former President Joe Biden earned the lowest favorability and the highest unfavorability of all five living presidents, while former President Barack Obama was held in the highest regard. While 57% held an unfavorable view of Biden, just 39% held a favorable view of him. But Obama’s ratings were essentially the reverse, with 59% viewing the 44th president favorably versus just 36% who viewed him unfavorably. TRUMP HAS HIGHER APPROVAL RATING THAN AT ANY POINT DURING FIRST TERM: POLL Biden, who served as vice president during Obama’s two terms, had just concluded his own White House tenure when the poll was conducted from Jan. 21-27. President Donald Trump was inaugurated on Jan. 20. The current commander in chief and former President Bill Clinton were both viewed favorably by 48% in the survey. NEW POLL SHOWS WHAT AMERICANS THINK OF TRUMP’S PERFORMANCE IN SECOND TERM But while 50% viewed Trump unfavorably, just 41% felt that way about Clinton. Regarding former President George W. Bush, 52% in the poll held a favorable opinion of him, and 34% held an unfavorable view. TRUMP ADMIN DEPORTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CONVICTED OF A CRIME IS WILDLY POPULAR AMONG NEW YORK VOTERS: POLL Until recently, there had been six living presidents, but former President Jimmy Carter passed away late last year at the age of 100. “Results are based on telephone interviews conducted January 21-27, 2025, with a random sample of –1,001— adults, ages 18+, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on this sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level,” Gallup indicated.
Trump pauses enforcement of law criminalizing foreign bribery: ‘In practicality, it’s a disaster’
President Donald Trump has paused the enforcement of a law that criminalizes American businesses that bribe foreign officials in an executive order signed on Monday. The order, which directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to stop enforcing the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), is intended to further American economic growth by eliminating excessive barriers to American commerce abroad. “It sounds good on paper, but in practicality, it’s a disaster,” Trump said about the FCPA. “It means that if an American goes over to a foreign country and starts doing business over there illegally, legitimately or otherwise, it’s almost a guaranteed investigation indictment. And nobody wants to do business with the Americans because of it,” Trump continued. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION APPEALS RULING BLOCKING BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP ORDER According to the DOJ, the FCPA was enacted in 1977 to make it “unlawful for certain classes of persons and entities to make payments to foreign government officials to assist in obtaining or retaining business.” However, the act has been “stretched beyond proper bounds and abused in a manner that harms the interests of the United States.” Enforcing the FCPA also “actively harms American economic competitiveness and, therefore, national security,” the order states. TRUMP ANNOUNCES EXECUTIVE ORDER CREATING TASK FORCE TO ‘ERADICATE ANTI-CHRISTIAN BIAS’ In an effort to eliminate excessive barriers to American businesses overseas, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has also been directed, through the executive order, to review the FCPA for the following 180 days and revise reasonable enforcement guidelines. “President Trump is stopping excessive, unpredictable FCPA enforcement that makes American companies less competitive,” a White House fact sheet stated. “U.S. companies are harmed by FCPA overenforcement because they are prohibited from engaging in practices common among international competitors, creating an uneven playing field.” “The title is so lovely, but it’s an absolutely horror show for America,” Trump said. “So we’re signing it because that’s what we have to do to make it good… It’s going to mean a lot more business for America.”
‘This has to stop’: House Dem faces backlash for ‘promoting physical violence’ at DOGE protest
A Democratic congressman is facing heat from conservatives on social media after promoting the idea of a “street fight” at a protest pushing back against Elon Musk’s recent efforts to slash government waste through the newly created DOGE office. “This will be a congressional fight, a constitutional fight, a legal fight, and on days like this a street fight, yes we will stand,” Democratic Rep. Kweisi Mfume, who has represented Maryland’s 7th Congressional District since 2020, said at a rally in Baltimore on Monday outside the Social Security Office. Mfume, who was elected to fill the seat of the late Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings, added that DOGE stands for “the department of government evil.” Conservatives on social media were quick to criticize Mfume. They accused him of inciting violence and wondered aloud why more media outlets weren’t picking up the comments. ‘DOGE BOYS’: DEMS FUME OVER SPENDING CUT SPREE AT RALLY OUTSIDE TRUMP’S NEXT POTENTIAL TARGET “A ‘street fight’ to stop cuts to wasteful spending?” GOP Sen. Mike Lee posted on X. “Those are fighting words. And they’re not honorable words.” “Remember when Trump pumped his fist and said fight after someone almost blew his brains out and the press claimed it was a call to violence?” Red State writer Bonchie posted on X. “Meanwhile…” “You can almost hear the Democrat party’s 31% approval rating slide further down a hill with clips like this,” Republican communicator Matt Whitlock posted on X. “Not only are Democrats openly promoting political violence, they’re promoting political violence over funding trans surgeries in South America.” MEET THE YOUNG TEAM OF SOFTWARE ENGINEERS SLASHING GOVERNMENT WASTE AT DOGE: REPORT “WATCH: @RepKweisiMfume (D-MD) riles his supporters up for a ‘street fight’ against President Trump’s agenda on rooting out government waste and corruption,” the Trump White House’s rapid response team posted on X. “So @realDonaldTrump, what’s the plan for dealing with Congressional members who are inciting violence?” Women For America First Executive Director Kylie Jane Kremer posted on X. ” This has to stop & there should be consequences for any MOC who continues to do this.” “Dems calling for a ‘street fight,” the American Firearms Association posted on X. “Never give up your firearms because we all know these Communist Dems are thirsty for blood!” In a statement to Fox News Digital, a Mfume spokesperson said, “Congressman Mfume was talking about going neighbor to neighbor and person to person to fight to win the hearts, minds, and souls of disaffected voters who didn’t participate in the last election or who are turned off by the current process.” “He believes everybody needs to be engaged and you have to be able to fight where people are to talk with them and to get them engaged and bring them back to the fold.” The spokesperson added that Mfume is “not opposed to cutting waste, fraud, and abuse.” “He is the Ranking Member of the United States House Oversight Subcommittee on Government Operations and that has been a focus of his bipartisan work alongside Subcommittee Chair Pete Sessions for the last two years. Congressman Mfume supports many things to make government run better, including ending cost overruns at the Department of Defense, tackling the underworld of fraud and improper payments associated with government spending, and establishing a scorecard within agencies which measures their ability to curb waste – he has worked with at least a dozen inspector generals on these issues.” The Trump administration appears primed to target the Social Security Administration as part of its DOGE efforts, Fox News Digital previously reported, prompting strong pushback from Democrats who have largely opposed DOGE, arguing it represents a constitutional crisis and a threat to democracy. “We have one simple message, which is: Elon Musk, keep your hands off our Social Security,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., told the crowd in Baltimore. MAXINE WATERS, HOUSE DEMS RIPPED FOR ‘UNHINGED’ CLASH WITH SECURITY GUARD AT EDUCATION DEPT “Over the last 21 days, we have seen Elon Musk conducting illegal raids on federal agencies with his DOGE crew,” the senator said. “This is a recipe for corruption by the DOGE boys.” Musk and other Republicans have argued that a significant amount of waste exists in the federal entitlement system and pushed back on the accusation that legitimate benefits will be taken away. “At this point, I am 100% certain that the magnitude of the fraud in federal entitlements (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Welfare, Disability, etc) exceeds the combined sum of every private scam you’ve ever heard by FAR,” Musk recently posted on X. “It’s not even close.” “On no planet does @DOGE want to take away anyone’s Social Security check,” Sen. Lee posted on X. “And on no planet is violence warranted by what @DOGE is actually trying to do—stop waste, fraud, and abuse in government.” Musk responded to Lee’s post by saying, “Yeah, I can’t emphasize this enough! The goal of auditing the Social Security Administration is to stop the extreme levels of fraud taking place, so that it remains solvent and protects the social security checks of honest Americans!” Fox News Digital previously reported that, according to Just Facts, a nonprofit research institute, SSA disbursed roughly $2 billion in fraudulent or improper payments in 2022, which it calculated was enough “to pay 89,947 retired workers the average annual old-age benefit of $21,924 for 2023.” Fox News Digital’s Aubrie Spady contributed to this report
SCOOP: Trump budget chief Vought to tell GOP senators $175B needed ‘immediately’ for border security
FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump’s newly sworn in Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought will emphasize to Republican senators the urgent need for border security funding on Tuesday, telling them an immediate $175 billion is necessary. At a weekly Senate GOP lunch, Trump’s budget chief will speak to lawmakers, stressing that more money and resources are needed to secure the border and continue undoing Biden-era immigration policies, a senior administration official told Fox News Digital exclusively. NOEM, HEGSETH, BONDI PLEAD WITH CONGRESS FOR MORE BORDER FUNDING AMID LARGE-SCALE DEPORTATIONS In his presentation, Vought will detail what the administration requires for “robust and sustained” border security and immigration enforcement, according to the official. Vought will explain that given Trump’s significant actions to address illegal immigration, money is running out, and for the administration to keep enforcing the new policies and conducting operations across the country, those resources must be renewed. LORI CHAVEZ-DEREMER: THE LITTLE-KNOWN TRUMP NOMINEE WHO MAY NEED TO RELY ON DEMS The funding being sought would go toward ramping up personnel across agencies, expanding detention capacity and reinstituting the “Remain in Mexico” program. It would also include border wall construction and building border infrastructure, deploying innovative surveillance technology to the border, deporting migrants, military support for deportation operations, enhancing the Coast Guard’s role in border enforcement and giving state and local governments the financial and operational resources to deal with the effects of large-scale illegal immigration, per the official. TRUMP NOMINEE TULSI GABBARD CLEARS LAST HURDLE, HEADS FOR FINAL CONFIRMATION VOTE This will be relayed to the Republican senators by Vought during the GOP lunch. The $175 billion topline request has already been factored into Senate Committee on the Budget Chairman Lindsey Graham’s reconciliation bill, which is slated to go through the key committee this week.
DOGE slashes over $100M in DEI funding at Education Department: ‘Win for every student’
The Department of Education (DOE) is canceling more than $100 million in grants to fund diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training as part of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) sweep of “wasteful” spending. DOGE, the department led by Elon Musk to cut costs within the federal government, announced the termination of 89 DOE contracts totaling $881 million in a post on X Monday night. Of the nearly $1 billion, DOGE identified $101 million that was being used for DEI training, including teaching educators to “help students understand/interrogate the complex histories involved in oppression, and help students recognize areas of privilege and power on an individual and collective basis.” “Your tax dollars were spent on this,” Musk wrote of the DOE spending. TRUMP PUTS HIGHER EDUCATION ON NOTICE FOR ‘DANGEROUS, DEMEANING, AND IMMORAL’ DEI TEACHINGS According to DOGE, the education department spent another $1.5 million on a contractor to “observe mailing and clerical operations” at a mail center, which was also terminated in the recent spending sweep. “DEI was never about ‘equity’—it was about enforcing ideological conformity and institutionalizing discrimination. Shutting down these wasteful, divisive programs is a win for every student,” Nicki Neily, founder and president of Parents Defending Education, said in response to the spending cut. “More states need to follow suit,” Neily said. TRUMP EDUCATION DEPT LAUNCHES PROBE INTO ‘EXPLOSION OF ANTISEMITISM’ AT 5 UNIVERSITIES Erika Donalds, wife of Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, also wrote in response that “the kids can’t read.” DOGE has been leading efforts to vacuum spending within the DOE, announcing in early February the termination of three grants including one funding an institution that had reportedly “previously hosted faculty workshops entitled ‘Decolonizing the Curriculum.’” In his first slew of executive orders, President Donald Trump launched a federal review of DEI teachings and practices in educational institutions receiving federal funding. Amid the Trump-Vance crackdown on certain teachings, several colleges, such as Missouri State University and West Virginia University, have begun closing their DEI offices. Fox News’ Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
Anna Paulina Luna to lead task force on declassification of JFK assassination records, Epstein client list
EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., will lead a new task force focused on the declassification of federal secrets – including records related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and other documents in the public interest, Fox News Digital has learned. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., appointed Luna to chair the “Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets.” FBI UNCOVERS THOUSANDS OF UNDISCLOSED RECORDS CONNECTED TO JFK’S ASSASSINATION Luna is expected to focus on examining the declassification of materials in the public interest, including the client list of Jeffrey Epstein, and files relating to Sept. 11, 2001, COVID-19 origins, UFOs and more. Fox News Digital has learned that Comer and Luna are sending letters to necessary agencies to kick off the declassification investigations. Sources told Fox News Digital that Comer and Luna sent letters to the State Department, Department of Energy and the CIA for documents relating to the origins of COVID-19; the National Security Agency and CIA for records relating to JFK, MLK and RFK assassinations; the Department of Defense and the CIA for 9/11 files; and to the Justice Department for documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein. The creation of the task force comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order telling the director of national intelligence and other appropriate officials to present a plan for the full and complete release of all JFK assassination records within 15 days. He also ordered that officials immediately review the records relating to RFK and MLK assassinations and present a plan for their full and complete release within 45 days. TRUMP SIGNS ORDER TO DECLASSIFY FILES ON JFK, RFK AND MLK ASSASSINATIONS “For too long, the federal government has kept information of public interest classified and the American people are demanding greater transparency. This secrecy has sowed distrust in our institutions,” Comer told Fox News Digital, noting that the task force will “build on the Trump administration’s efforts to declassify records of national importance and ensure Americans get the answers they deserve.” “Rep. Luna is committed to shining a light on the truth and ending the era of secrecy,” Comer said. “It’s time to let the sunlight in and finally provide answers the American public has long demanded.” Luna told Fox News Digital that the federal government “has been hiding information from Americans for decades.” “We have spent years seeking information on the assassinations of President Kennedy, Senator Kennedy, Reverend King, and other government secrets without success,” Luna told Fox News Digital. “It is time to give Americans the answers they deserve, which is why I am honored to lead this bipartisan task force that seeks truth and transparency.” Luna told Fox News Digital that the task force will also investigate “UAPs/USOs, the Epstein client list, COVID-19 origins, and the 9/11 files.” “We will work alongside President Trump and his Cabinet members to deliver truth to the American people,” she said. “From this moment forward, we will restore trust through transparency.” Sources said Luna’s task force is authorized for six months. Fox News Digital is told that members of the task force will be announced in the coming weeks.
Trump on verge of next Cabinet victory with late-night Tulsi Gabbard Senate vote
President Donald Trump is on the cusp of seeing his 14th Cabinet member confirmed in former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. Gabbard is slated for a final Senate confirmation vote to be Trump’s director of national intelligence (DNI) after midnight in the early morning hours of Wednesday. This is when the 30 hours of post-cloture debate expires on her nomination. Frequently, the debate between the cloture motion and the final vote is minimized in what’s referred to as a “time agreement” between Republicans and Democrats. But with the controversial nature of Gabbard’s nomination and ongoing frustrations with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and its government audit, no such agreement is expected. NOEM, HEGSETH, BONDI PLEAD WITH CONGRESS FOR MORE BORDER FUNDING AMID LARGE-SCALE DEPORTATIONS Gabbard is expected to be confirmed and has already amassed support from hesitant Republicans who voted against Trump’s Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, requiring Vice President JD Vance to break the tie in the upper chamber. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who are often considered the conference’s moderate members, have both already come out in support of Gabbard. Both lawmakers voted against confirming Hegseth. LORI CHAVEZ-DEREMER: THE LITTLE-KNOWN TRUMP NOMINEE WHO MAY NEED TO RELY ON DEMS Collins is a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and voted in favor of the nomination, helping advance it to the full Senate floor. Gabbard also snagged the backing of key Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Todd Young, R-Ind., despite the latter being uncertain before the committee vote. TRUMP NOMINEE TULSI GABBARD CLEARS LAST HURDLE, HEADS FOR FINAL CONFIRMATION VOTE Young is also on the Intel Committee and ultimately voted to advance her to the floor, but only after some prodding and discussions with Chairman Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Vance, who operated rigorous operations to ensure the nomination got through. SCHUMER REVEALS DEM COUNTER-OFFENSIVE AGAINST TRUMP’S DOGE AUDIT Some concerns that followed Gabbard through her confirmation hearing were her past meeting with former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, her previous FISA Section 702 stance and her past support for NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. But these worries were apparently quelled by her answers and the persuasive support of both Cotton and Vance.
Missouri AG sues Starbucks over ‘race-based’ hiring, DEI initiatives
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey sued Starbucks on Tuesday for using “race-based hiring practices” in alleged violation of anti-discrimination laws. Bailey’s lawsuit alleges that Starbucks violates the Missouri Human Rights Act. The lawsuit highlights programs Starbucks offers to promote “BIPOC” employees, referring to Black, indigenous and people of color. It also targets the company for “setting and tracking annual inclusion and diversity goals of achieving BIPOC representation of at least 30 percent at all corporate levels and at least 40 percent of all retail and manufacturing roles by 2025,” according to a draft of the lawsuit obtained by Fox News Digital. “With Starbucks’ discriminatory patterns, practices, and policies, Missouri’s consumers are required to pay higher prices and wait longer for goods and services that could be provided for less had Starbucks employed the most qualified workers, regardless of their race, color, sex, or national origin,” Bailey claimed in a statement. Starbucks did not respond by press time to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. TRUMP ADMIN HITS BACK AS ACLU LAUNCHES LAWSUIT ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP: ‘READY TO FACE THEM’ “As Attorney General, I have a moral and legal obligation to protect Missourians from a company that actively engages in systemic race and sex discrimination,” Bailey said. “Racism has no place in Missouri. We’re filing suit to halt this blatant violation of the Missouri Human Rights Act in its tracks.” Bailey’s lawsuit relies on the Supreme Court ruling that federal law prohibits discrimination based on race in college admissions, arguing that the decision also applies to hiring practices. TRUMP DHS REPEALS KEY MAYORKAS MEMO LIMITING ICE AGENTS, ORDERS PAROLE REVIEW By allegedly linking its hiring practices to race and gender quotas, Starbucks has “blatantly violated the law,” the lawsuit claims. “Additionally, the company discriminates based on race and gender when it comes to board membership. All of these actions are unlawful,” Bailey’s office said in a statement. The lawsuit comes just weeks after news that Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol warned the company’s employees about incoming layoffs in March. In a message to employees, he highlighted how the company aims to deliver on its “Back to Starbucks” strategy, a series of changes announced last year that aims to enhance customers’ in-store experience, but also said it needs to strive for better efficiency, which will ultimately result in layoffs. “We have recently begun the work to define the support organization for the future. We are approaching this work thoughtfully, but it will involve difficult decisions and choices. I expect that, unfortunately, we will have job eliminations and smaller support teams moving forward,” Niccol wrote.
As Democrats regroup outside DC, GOP attorneys general adopt new playbook to defend Trump agenda
GOP state attorneys are taking on a renewed role during President Donald Trump’s second administration as “freedom’s front line,” Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) incoming executive director Adam Piper told Fox News Digital, arguing that Democrats – deflated from losing control of both houses of Congress – are turning to left-leaning state attorneys to “undermine” the White House’s America First agenda. Right now, there are 29 Republican attorneys general in the United States who are “uniquely qualified to be the tip of the spear, to be freedom’s front line and be a foundation for the future and a foundation for freedom every single day,” Piper told Fox News Digital. “These men and women are working tirelessly to ensure their states are the safest places possible. But they’re also working tirelessly to defend freedom, to help President Trump to ensure the American people have the system of government they voted for, they expect, and they deserve one that is free and one that is fair.” In Trump’s first three weeks in office, Democratic attorneys general have sued the Trump administration on several matters related to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). That includes New York Attorney General Letitia James leading 19 state attorneys in suing over DOGE leader Elon Musk’s access to Treasury Department records. U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer issued a preliminary injunction in that case Saturday. TRUMP HAS HIGHER APPROVAL RATING THAN AT ANY POINT DURING FIRST TERM: POLL Democratic attorneys general also partnered with the country’s largest federal labor unions to sue over Trump’s deferred resignation offer that would allow workers eight months of paid leave if they agree to leave their jobs voluntarily. In turn, Montana’s Republican attorney general, Austin Knudsen, led 22 states in an amicus brief Sunday asking the court to deny a motion for a temporary restraining order and allow Trump to manage the federal workforce how he sees fit. U.S. District Judge George O’Toole in Boston federal court on Monday proceeded to push back the deadline a second time on Trump’s “Fork in the Road Directive,” which gives most federal employees the option to resign with pay and benefits until Sept. 30. “During the Biden administration, Republican AGs were the last line of defense. We were the goal line stand, keeping the equivalent of a ‘tush push’ out of the end zone,” Piper told Fox News Digital. “During the Trump administration, we have to play offense, defense and special teams,” he continued. “We have to be freedom’s front line. Working with the administration to ensure this DOGE regulatory reform agenda gets done, that we return to America’s Golden Age. But we also have to play defense and special teams. You’re going to see Democratic AGs take our playbook, bastardize it, and push back on the Trump administration. You will see states like New York and California get more aggressive, and Republican AGs are there to defend the rule of law, to promote freedom, and to ensure we work with President Trump to return America’s Golden Age.” As for the DOGE injunction led by James, Piper said it equates to “partisan gamesmanship from Democratic attorneys general who want to do everything possible to thwart President Trump’s agenda.” “This is why Republican attorneys general are so critical to the success of the Trump administration in pushing back against Democratic attorneys general and their attempts to crowbar what President Trump and his team are trying to accomplish in Washington, D.C., which is returning freedom to the American people, returning government efficiency, eliminating fraud, waste and abuse,” he said. REPUBLICAN AGS BACK TRUMP FEDERAL EMPLOYEE BUYOUT AS JUDGE DECIDES ‘FORK IN THE ROAD’ DIRECTIVE’S FATE Regarding James, in particular, Piper noted how New York’s attorney general led cases against Trump during his 2024 re-election campaign that are now defunct and have failed. “A lot of her push back on the Trump administration is more about political theater than it is the rule of law in a court of law,” he said. “And today and moving forward, you will see Republican attorneys general being President Trump’s best friend from a policy standpoint. We will be his best champion from a policy standpoint. There’s no more effective elected official in the United States than the state attorney general. We’re more effective than the members of Congress, more effective than U.S. senators, more effective than even governors… You know, we can push back on some of this lawfare that you’ll see from Democratic attorneys general.” The Republican Attorneys General Association has seen alumni advance to the federal level in the Department of Justice. Most notably, that includes the newly sworn-in U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. Piper said he also hopes to see the Senate confirm Aaron Rice, an alum of the Texas Attorney General’s Office, to join the DOJ’s Office of Legal Policy. He noted 51 Republican attorneys general or staff alumni held Senate confirmed positions in the first Trump administration. “Republican attorneys general and their staffs are truly America’s farm team. You know where the best incubator of talent to ensuring President Trump has known conservative fighters who are willing to fight every day for the American people,” Piper said. “And from Attorney General Bondi. There’s no better person to be the attorney general of the United States of America.” As RAGA looks ahead, Virginia Attorney General Jason Myares is defending his office this year in what’s expected to be a competitive race, and then 30 attorneys general races will be on the ballot in 2026. “There’s an urban myth that Richmond goes the opposite way of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. We are going to make sure that myth is just an urban myth and just a fable. Attorney General Jason Myers is truly one of our best when you look at the issues across the board. We will have probably an uphill battle,” Piper said. “Virginia is a state the Republicans carried by two points four years ago. We have to have a good ground game. We
Heritage president reacts to ‘Project 2025′ promptly dropping from liberals’ lips as DOGE takes ax to DC
FIRST ON FOX: In the heat of the 2024 election cycle, the name Project 2025 was on the lips of Democrats and mainstream media figures everywhere, until it was not. President Donald Trump’s win ushered in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and its de-facto leader, Elon Musk. At the same time, Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., and Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, launched DOGE committees in Congress, and Project 2025 appeared to fall to the political wayside. Trump himself repeatedly dispelled allegations he and Project 2025 – a thousand-page policy proposal product of the conservative Heritage Foundation – were joined at the political hip. Meanwhile, Heritage leaders past and present, like Reagan Attorney General Edwin Meese and Heritage President Kevin Roberts, rejected claims there has been anything radical about Project 2025. The quadrennial work has been published under various titles and compositions since the 1980 presidential cycle, with some exceptions. PROJECT 2025 REMAINS NONPARTISAN, TRUE TO 1980S GOOD-GOVT INCEPTION DESPITE WILD OUTCRY: KEY FIGURES Roberts, who wrote the foreword to Project 2025, said voters’ collective voices ushered in Trump and DOGE’s current work, not necessarily the policy proposals of Washington’s conservative “do-tank” or scholars inside-the-beltway writ-large. “The American people delivered a clear mandate in November: dismantle the bloated, unaccountable bureaucracy that is the Deep State. And the latest polling – a 53% approval rating – confirms overwhelming support for President Trump’s efforts to do just that,” he said. When asked about liberals’ panic over Project 2025 and how it has been muted with the rise of DOGE, Roberts suggested the left will latch onto anything to make an issue out of it if they believe they can make gains. “The Left has no new ideas—just unpopular ones. When they fail to win on substance, they simply choose to attack. First, it was Project 2025. Now, it’s DOGE. Different name, same baseless fearmongering,” Roberts said in a Monday interview. “But make no mistake: the American people are ready for real change, and we’re not backing down.” Nonetheless, Project 2025 became styled as a “right-wing boogeyman” talking point on the left. TRUMP PLANS FIRST PRESIDENTIAL VISIT TO HELENE-RAVAGED NC Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., founded the “Stop Project 2025 Task Force” last year, comparing the project to a “Blitzkrieg” and saying that lawmakers must understand it and “prepare ourselves accordingly.” At the Democratic National Convention, both Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., and Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, D-Philadelphia, held up copies of Project 2025 on stage. “It is a radical plan to drag us backwards, bankrupt the middle class, and raise prices on working class families like yours and mine,” said Kenyatta, who has since been elected DNC vice chairman along with gun control activist David Hogg. The Project’s rumored reputation became fodder for constituents at town halls as well, including in one swing-seat congressional race where a Republican’s incredulous response led to a viral moment, according to Politico. PROJECT 2025 ISSUES BLISTERING RESPONSE TO HARRIS VIA DOZENS OF INDEPENDENT FACT CHECKS New Jersey Rep. Tom Kean Jr. was asked about Project 2025 at such an event and responded he had never read the document. “The first time I’ve ever heard of being supportive of it was when I was accused of supporting it,” Kean reportedly replied. One of Trump and Musk’s more recent major endeavors – taking an ax to USAID – is more a project of DOGE, while Project 2025 suggests a more measured approach to rein in the agency’s expenditures and politicization. That project section, authored by former agency COO Max Primorac, describes USAID as having been “deformed” by the Biden administration to pursue a “divisive political and cultural agenda.” Primorac suggests the next administration “scale back” USAID’s global footprint and return it to pre-COVID budget levels while “deradicalizing” its programs and cutting its international affairs accounts. Additionally, former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli wrote in Project 2025 that the president should “pursue legislation to dismantle the Department of Homeland Security” and that it has not “gelled into one DHS” as was its goal when founded after 9/11. DOGE MEETS CONGRESS: GOP LAWMAKER LAUNCHES CAUCUS TO HELP MUSK ‘TAKE ON CRAZYTOWN’ Cuccinelli had argued that breaking up DHS along “mission[-related] lines” would lead to a more effective government apparatus. Instead, Trump and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem have expanded DHS’ role versus the Biden administration, including the addition of former ICE acting Director Tom Homan as border czar. DOGE’s ruminations about reforming or trimming the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) – which have enraged the likes of its proverbial “founder” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. – were, however, mirrored in the policy proposal anthology. “Elon Musk and the guy who wrote Project 2025, Russ Vought, are trying to kill the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau,” Warren said Monday. “If they succeed, CEOs and Wall Street will once again be free to trick, trap and cheat you.” Vought did not write Project 2025. He was credited as the author for Chapter 2, which analyzes the executive office of the president. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Former Chase-Manhattan Bank Vice President Robert Bowes called CFPB “highly politicized, damaging, and utterly unaccountable” in a section of the project he authored. “It is unconstitutional. Congress should abolish the CFPB and reverse Dodd–Frank Section 1061, thus returning the consumer protection function of the CFPB to banking regulators,” Bowes wrote. Recent media headlines have tried to tie DOGE to the project, with critical stories headlined “Project 2025 Architect” in reference to people like Vought. Roberts said Trump’s team should be the beneficiary of such headlines, in that “he and his team deserve the credit” – and that it is a welcome sight that people who embody Heritage’s guiding principles are being tapped for top positions in the new administration. “Heritage is thrilled to see President Trump appoint so many hardworking patriots who put America First. Russ is one of the great statesmen of our age—a brilliant, principled leader with the vision and intellect