Former ESPN personality Sage Steele denies Trump press secretary rumors
Sage Steele, the veteran sportscaster best known for her decade-plus career at ESPN, has shot down swirling rumors she wants to be press secretary in the new Trump administration, labeling the murmurings as “fake news.” President-elect Donald Trump has been quickly filling his incoming Cabinet since he stormed to election victory last week, but he has yet to name someone to be his top public spokesperson at the White House. Axios reported Wednesday that Steele along with CNN contributor and Bush White House official Scott Jennings, as well as Republican National Committee spokesperson Elizabeth Pipko are all “vying” for the much-coveted role. Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt and former Trump administration official Monica Crowley are also “in the mix,” according to Axios. SAGE STEELE IS OFF THE SIDELINES AND SPEAKING HER MIND Trump attorney Alina Habba said Thursday that she is not considering the role of press secretary. Steele, 51, has been a public supporter of the president-elect and stumped for him on the campaign trail, appearing at an event in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, last month. However, she took to X on Thursday to deny she was interested in the press secretary role. “Not sure how these rumors began about me ‘vying’ to be Press Secretary, but it’s definitely fake news! I haven’t had a single conversation with anyone about that job, and have no desire to do so!” Steele wrote. SAGE STEELE UNLEASHES ON ‘TERRIBLE’ BIDEN, SAYS HE ‘TRAILED OFF’ DURING CHAT BEFORE TAPING ESPN INTERVIEW “Honestly, it was the honor of a lifetime to be a small part of @TeamTrump during the campaign – something I NEVER imagined – but I wholeheartedly believe in @realDonaldTrump @JDVance & am excited to find ways to continue to serve. It took me years to not be afraid to speak up. That fear is gone forever, and I hope others are beginning to feel the same. LFG!” In 2023, Steele left ESPN after 15 years at the network where she hosted its flagship program “SportsCenter as well as “NBA Countdown,” among other roles. In April 2022, Steele filed a lawsuit against ESPN alleging the network violated her free speech rights after she was punished in 2021 for speaking out against parent company Disney’s COVID vaccine mandate and knocked former President Barack Obama for identifying as Black instead of biracial. They settled the lawsuit, and she left the network last August. “Having successfully settled my case with ESPN/Disney, I have decided to leave so I can exercise my first amendment rights more freely,” Steele wrote last August. “I am grateful for so many wonderful experiences over the past 16 years and am excited for my next chapter!” In March, Steele was named the first podcast host on Bill Maher’s Club Random Studios podcast network. Karoline Leavitt appears to be the leading name for press secretary after she worked as the Trump campaign’s national press secretary throughout the high-stakes election cycle. Alina Habba, Trump’s legal spokesperson and adviser, was also viewed as a frontrunner for the position but said Thursday she would “be better served in other capacities.” Other names being floated include Trump adviser and ally Jason Miller, campaign spokesperson and adviser Steven Cheung and former Trump administration official Monica Crowley. Fox News’ Joseph A. Wulfsohn and Emma Colton contributed to this report.
Lara Trump says she’d ‘love to consider’ filling Rubio’s Senate seat if asked by DeSantis
Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump told FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo that she would “seriously consider” serving in the U.S. Senate if Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis asks her to fill the vacancy that will arise when Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., resigns to serve as secretary of state. She told Fox News’ Sean Hannity that she “would love to serve the people of Florida” and “would love to consider” filling the seat if asked. President-elect Donald Trump tapped Rubio to fill the Cabinet-level role, and if Rubio is confirmed by his colleagues and resigns from the Senate, DeSantis will have the opportunity to select a temporary replacement to fill the seat until a special election is held. FETTERMAN HAILS RUBIO AS ‘STRONG CHOICE’ FOR SECRETARY OF STATE, SAYS HE WILL VOTE TO CONFIRM HIM Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said on “Hannity” that he “would be like over-the-top excited” and that Republicans “could not do better … than Lara Trump.” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., who served as the Sunshine State’s governor prior to DeSantis, said he hopes DeSantis chooses Lara Trump, according to Axios. HERE’S WHAT HAPPENS TO SEN. RUBIO’S SEAT IF HE BECOMES SECRETARY OF STATE AND WHO COULD REPLACE HIM In a post on X, he declared that she “would be a GREAT Senator and represent Floridians well!” Republicans won the Senate and House majorities during the 2024 elections. Rubio has served in the Senate since 2011. TRUMP’S FIRST CABINET PICKS DECIDEDLY NOT ISOLATIONISTS: UKRAINE, ISRAEL BREATHE A SIGH OF RELIEF “As Secretary of State, I will work every day to carry out his foreign policy agenda,” the senator said in a post on X, referring to Trump. “Under the leadership of President Trump we will deliver peace through strength and always put the interests of Americans and America above all else. I look forward to earning the support of my colleagues in the U.S. Senate so the President has his national security and foreign policy team in place when he takes office on January 20,” he noted.
Biden concludes foreign diplomacy in region where US influence overshadowed by China
In what could potentially be President Biden’s last foreign diplomacy trip, he will soon head to South America to meet with global leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping. Biden will first travel to Lima, Peru, for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, where he is slated to meet with Xi, possibly their final encounter as heads of state, according to a senior administration official. Biden’s attendance at the summit is expected to be followed by a stop in Brazil early next week, where the Group of 20 summit, a gathering of the nation’s foremost economic powers, is being held. While in Brazil, Biden will also become the first sitting U.S. president to make a visit to spots in the Amazon rainforest. Biden’s foreign diplomacy curtain call in South America comes as the U.S.’s influence in the region has been getting overshadowed by China’s, experts have argued. GOP REP SOUNDS ALARM ON GROWING CHINESE INFLUENCE IN CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA The U.S.’s contemporary policy toward the region has shifted over the last century, from focusing on issues related to the political stability of the region to now on issues of illegal immigration and narcotics and how they impact the country domestically. Meanwhile, China has been taking advantage of the holes left open by the U.S. due to this shift in priorities. For example, South American countries have turned to China when the U.S. has failed to establish trade agreements with them, the Wall Street Journal reported. Near the start of the Biden administration, Uruguay and Ecuador’s attempts to develop free-trade agreements with the U.S. were stymied, so they turned to China. While Ecuador’s priority is to establish a trade agreement with the U.S., its ambassador said the country is “prioritizing alternatives” while the U.S. transitions to the Trump administration. The U.S. still holds more trade agreements in South America than China, but the communist nation has expanded its influence in other ways. Beijing has invested in parts of South America with projects like ports in places such as Peru that trade in Chinese currency, and satellites in Las Lajas, Argentina. China has also established mineral and foodstuff purchases in the region, seen potentially as an effort to fortify resources ahead of any conflict in the South China Sea in light of the increased global tensions surrounding Taiwan. TAIWAN EYES $15B MILITARY PACKAGE IN SIGNAL TO TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IT IS ‘SERIOUS’ ON DEFENSE: REPORT Meanwhile, the U.S. International Development Finance Corp., a federal agency that directs investments in developing countries, invested $30 million in funding for a critical mineral mine in Brazil. However, under the investment’s current mandate, all Latin American countries, except Bolivia, Honduras, Nicaragua and Haiti, are considered to be too wealthy to benefit from the investment. Under President-elect Donald Trump, relations with South America could continue to worsen as his threats of tariffs have create concern among global trade leaders. Biden and Xi’s meeting while in Peru will be the pair’s third in-person meeting since Biden took office. According to a senior administration official, the two are expected to discuss a range of issues covering military-to-military communications, human rights, fentanyl, artifical intelligence, climate change, cybersecurity, Taiwan and the incoming Trump administration. The White House did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Tennessee governor backs Trump plan to nix Department of Education, sees bellwether on new school choice bill
Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee told Fox News Digital that he believes President-elect Donald Trump’s decisive victory signals success for a second school choice bill introduced to the state legislature this week after his first proposal failed this year. Lee said he agreed with Trump’s promises to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, echoing the president-elect’s concern over the federal bureaucracy becoming entrenched with gender and race ideology rather than learning. “I think it is a great idea to dismantle the Department of Education federally. And I’m a strong believer that policy at the state level should be handled by states, that states know best,” Lee told Fox News Digital. “In this case, states certainly know best. We know best in Tennessee what our children need and how best to educate our kids. The parents of this state should be given a greater influence on how their kids are educated, and that will happen if the federal Department of Education is dismantled and those funds are delivered to states to be used in a more efficient and more effective way.” Lee said the political environment on the ground in the state is not what it was months ago when the first school choice proposal failed in the state legislature. Since then, the election saw a wave of pro-school choice candidates win at the state-level, and Trump succeeded in his bid for the White House. TRUMP PLANS TO SHIFT SCHOOL FUNDING CONTROL TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES, HAS YET TO PICK DOE SECRETARY “President Trump has long believed that school choice is important for the people of this country and that education freedom is something that all Americans could have. He’s talked about it. He campaigned on it,” Lee said. “One thing is very evident about what happened last week. And President Trump is very clear about what his policies are, and Americans were very clear about their acceptance of those policies last week. They, with a strong mandate, said we like what we hear. We want him to execute on those things and that President Trump has a significant understanding and a clear understanding and is the leader, frankly, on the issue of school choice. All of those things benefit us as we move into this next session.” Lee’s new school choice bill, titled the Education Freedom Act of 2025, was jointly introduced to the state House and Senate on Wednesday. Drawing from funding already approved by the state legislature, the bill would allow the state Department of Education to award up to 20,000 scholarships – valued at about $7,000 each – for the next school year to be spent on tuition, tutoring, technology and examination expenses. The first 10,000 scholarships would be set aside for low-income students whose parents might not otherwise afford to send their children to institutions other than the public schools in their districts. Democrats have painted school choice as disenfranchising low-income students, but Lee said he feels the opposite. “Every kid is unique. Every kid has different learning styles. Every kid has a different life situation. And every family ought to have the opportunity to choose the best path for their kid,” the governor said. “In particular, I don’t think that only the wealthy families that can afford a private option, that those families should be the only ones and those children should be the only ones that have that option for choice.” “Oftentimes, opponents will say that school choice initiatives hurt public schools. I think that’s just the opposite,” Lee said. “This legislation that we’re actually bringing forth is an education policy initiative. It’s not just an Education Freedom Scholarship bill. It includes historic funding for public schools, bonuses for teachers, for public school teachers. We will include alongside with this legislation a teacher pay raise plan that will put us in the top 15 states for teacher pay raise in the country.” BETSY DEVOS JOINS TRUMP’S CALL TO ‘DISBAND’ THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND ‘RE-EMPOWER’ FAMILIES Lee noted that about 30 states already have school choice, 12 of which have universal school choice, and several of those states have passed their initiatives in recent years. “Americans are in growing numbers, and now the majority of Americans, as evidenced by the past elections, have come to believe that school choice is the way of the future,” Lee said. “It is the answer to challenging the status quo. It is the way that we take America’s rankings and educational outcomes that used to be the top in the world from way down the list as it relates to other countries back up into the outcomes that we hope for this country.” “This is a way to challenge and change and bring innovation into an education system that’s grown stale and bloated and bureaucratic,” Lee said. “And we see it happening all across America. We believe it’s going to happen in Tennessee. It is an incredibly important moment in our country for parental rights and for the future of children and their education.” Lee said his schooling growing up in Tennessee happened before the U.S. Department of Education was established in 1979. “We knew how to do it then. We know how to do it now,” Lee said, explaining that Tennessee created a funding formula that “uniquely recognizes the needs of children with disabilities, with dyslexia and with English as a second language. “We know how to fund education for Tennessee children. We know much better than they do in a bureaucratic institution like the federal Department of Education. I think President Trump is exactly right. I think it’s a great idea.” “As a governor, I would welcome the partnership with President Trump in allowing states to choose and determine how best to spend education dollars for their kids,” he added. If Trump goes through with eliminating the U.S. Department of Education, experts expect the process could take several years. With Cabinet nominations underway, Fox News Digital asked Lee who he would like to see as Trump’s
Trump goes full MAGA as he picks allies and loyalists to fill his second administration
As he aims to turn the nation’s capital upside down, President-elect Trump is turning to allies and supporters of his MAGA movement and America First agenda as he quickly moves to assemble his second administration. The former and future president is clearly placing plenty of emphasis on loyalty as he makes increasing provocative picks for top cabinet posts. And unlike eight years ago, when the first-time politician first took control of the White House, he is not in the market for establishment types or those who served in his first administration, but in his mind, proved disloyal. Case in point – This week’s announcement from the president-elect that he was nominating as attorney general Rep. Matt Gaetz, the controversial conservative lawmaker from Florida who has been one of Trump’s biggest defenders in Congress as he’s repeatedly claimed the criminal investigations into Trump were “witch hunts.” WHAT HAPPENS TO THE POTENTIALLY DAMAGING GAETZ HOUSE ETHICS REPORT? In making his announcement – which sent shock waves through the nation’s capital – Trump highlighted that “Matt played a key role in defeating the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, and exposing alarming and systemic Government Corruption and Weaponization.” Gaetz, following the nomination, stepped down from Congress, ahead of a potential damaging report by the House Ethics Committee into sexual misconduct allegations that the lawmaker has denied. GAETZ FACES POTENTIAL GOP SENATE OPPOSITION TO HIS CONFIRMATION On Wednesday afternoon, the president nominated his former rival in the presidential race – turned staunch advocate – Robert Kennedy Jr., as Health and Human Services Secretary. Kennedy endorsed Trump shortly after suspending his campaign, and has since hit the campaign trail while touting his plans to “Make America Healthy Again” under a potential Trump presidency. In making the announcement, Trump said “I am thrilled to announce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health,” Trump turned to another loyalist – former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate turned MAGA rock star who this year became a Republican and a top campaign trail surrogate for the former president – as his pick for Director of National Intelligence. A day earlier, Trump named combat veteran, Army National Guard officer and Fox News Channel host Pete Hegseth, another major supporter, as his choice for Defense Secretary. In announcing that Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York was his pick to serve as ambassador to the United Nations, Trump noted that “Elise is a strong and very smart America First fighter… She was the first Member of Congress to endorse me and has always been a staunch advocate.” TRUMP PICKS THIS FORMER DEMOCRAT TURNED REPUBLICAN TO LEAD THE NATION’S INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES And Trump called former Rep. Lee Zeldin of New York, whom he is aiming to install as Environmental Protection Agency administrator, “a true fighter for America First policies.” He named South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a conservative firebrand and MAGA-world star who has long been a fierce Trump ally and supporter, as his choice for Homeland Security secretary. Noem will work with Stephen Miller, whom the president-elect has picked as his incoming deputy chief of staff for policy. Miller was the architect of much of the first Trump administration’s hard-line policy on immigration and border security. She will also collaborate with Thomas Homan, who, as acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement director during the first administration, was often the face of Trump’s controversial immigration policies. The president-elect has named Homan as his incoming “border czar.” And Trump named Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida as his choice for Secretary of State. Rubio was a rival to Trump during the combustible 2016 Republican presidential nomination battle, but over the years has become a strong Trump ally in the Senate. Trump also named Rep. Michael Waltz of Florida as his national security adviser. Waltz, a former Army Green Beret, is a longtime Trump ally. VANCE IS THE FRONT-RUNNER, BUT HERE’S WHO ELSE MAY RUN FOR THE 2028 GOP PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION Dan Eberhart, an oil drilling chief executive officer and a prominent Republican donor and bundler who raised big bucks for Trump’s 2020 and 2024 campaigns, noted that Trump is in a very different situation than he was eight years ago, when he first won the White House. “He’s got a stronger mandate because he won the popular vote, and he won all seven swing states,” Eberhart emphasized. “I also think he knows what he wants, and he knows better how to get what he wants out of Washington. He’s going to have a more cohesive, more MAGA team, that’s hopefully able to accomplish more.” A leading strategist in Trump’s political orbit, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, told Fox News that “one thing that is noticeable this time around is that instead of a team of rivals who are all over the place ideologically, Trump is largely bringing people on who are aligned with his America First agenda.” Matt Mowers, a veteran Republican consultant and 2020 GOP congressional nominee in New Hampshire who worked on Trump’s 2016-2017 transition and served in the first Trump administration, told Fox News that Trump has “decided he needs everyone aligned.” “What he’s doing is he’s choosing a lot of people who aren’t just going to undo the Biden polices but really try to take a hammer to the bureaucracy… which is what he calls the ‘deep state,’” Mowers added. Those whom the president-elect feels have not shown their loyalty to him appear to be iced out. Trump this past weekend announced in a social media post that he would not ask former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley – who served as ambassador to the U.N. in his first administration – and former Rep. Mike Pompeo of Kansas – who served as CIA director and then Secretary of State in
Trump ally Sen. Tim Scott’s new mission to help incoming president: ‘increase the majority’
EXCLUSIVE – The incoming chair of the Senate Republican campaign committee says his game plan for the 2026 elections is simple: “increase the majority.” Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, after his fellow GOP lawmakers in the Senate chose him to chair the National Republican Senatorial Committee over the next two years, told reporters that his “passion” is to make sure that President-elect Trump “does not have two years with a Republican majority in the Senate, he has four years in control.” In his first interview following his election as NRSC chair, Scott told Fox News Digital this week that “what we’re going to do is defend the seats that we have and expand the map so that we can increase the majority brought to us by the Trump victory.” JD VANCE IS THE HEIR APPARENT TO TRUMP, BUT HERE ARE SOME OTHER REPUBLICANS WHO MAY RUN FOR PRESIDENT IN 2028 Republicans won back control of the Senate in last week’s elections, ending four years of majority control by the Democrats. And it’s expected that once a mandated state recount is completed in the Senate contest in Pennsylvania – where GOP challenger Dave McCormick leads Democratic Sen. Bob Casey by roughly 25,000 votes – the Republicans will hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate come January. While not as favorable as the 2024 Senate map, the 2026 electoral landscape does give the Republicans some opportunities to flip seats. Democratic Sens. Jon Ossoff of Georgia and Gary Peters of Michigan are up for re-election in two years in key battleground states Trump flipped last week. And Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire will be up for re-election in a perennial swing state that Trump lost but over-performed from his 2020 showing. In Virginia, where Trump lost by just five points last week, Democratic Sen. Mark Warner will be up for re-election. HERE ARE THE DEMOCRATS WHO MAY EVENTUALLY RUN FOR THE WHITE HOUSE IN 2028 “How do you expand the map,” Scott said. “You look at Georgia, and Michigan, and New Hampshire, and Virginia. And if you’re stretching – take a look at New Mexico and Minnesota. President Trump was very competitive in those states.” But Republicans will also have to play defense. GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine is up for re-election in a reliably blue state. And Sen. Thom Tills of North Carolina is also up in 2026, in a battleground state Trump narrowly won. Scott emphasized that “the good news is as long as Susan Collins is running, I think we have a shot to win. Last time she won by several points. This time she’ll win by several points. Thom Tillis staying in North Carolina is good for our party.” In the 2022 election cycle, when the Republicans blew a chance to win back the majority, NRSC chair Sen. Rick Scott of Florida was criticized for a hands-off approach in the GOP Senate primaries. This past cycle, outgoing NRSC chair Sen. Steve Daines of Montana got involved in Senate Republican nomination battles. Asked if the NRSC will take sides in competitive Republican Senate primaries during his tenure the next two years, Scott told Fox News “I think the best thing for us to do is have a family conversation next year about what we’re looking at. How we’re going to defend that map and then make the best decisions we can as it relates to making sure that we end up with more seats than we currently have.” “Thank God we’re at 53. I’d like to see 55,” Scott added. Asked if 55 seats was his goal, Scott joked “if it were up to me, we’d have 100 seats.” Scott last year unsuccessfully ran for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, before ending his bid and endorsing Trump. The senator was a high-profile surrogate for Trump on the campaign trail this year. In last week’s election, unlike in 2016 and 2020, Trump outperformed many of the GOP’s Senate candidates. Scott said he wants Trump to participate as much as he can in the 2026 Senate contests. “Every day and every way, President Trump, I know you have a full-time job. I’m going to ask you to have two full-time jobs. Let’s expand this map,” Scott emphasized. He said “that means that every single day we need President Trump on the campaign trail, doing fundraisers, talking to folks, because this is President Donald J. Trump’s party, and we need to make sure we expand it, from the man to the movement. We need him to do it.” A big part of Scott’s duties as NRSC chair will be fundraising. The senator was a top Republican fundraiser during the 2022 cycle, when he easily cruised to re-election in red-state South Carolina. “We have to have more resources than we’ve had in the past so we are competitive in the states where we can win. I think we can win in more states than ever. President Donald Trump has actually given us a lot of runway. It’s our responsibility to have the resources to win those seats,” Scott said. The rival Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee was chaired during the 2022 and 2024 cycles by Peters, who won’t be signing up for a third tour of duty as he is up for re-election in Michigan. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who easily won re-election last week in blue-state New York, is making a pitch to chair the DSCC. Senate Democrats will hold their leadership elections later this year. David Bergstein, the DSCC communications director for the past couple of election cycles, highlighted that “in a challenging political environment, Democrats made history. We won multiple races in states won by Trump. We dramatically over-performed the presidential results. And for the first time in over a decade, Senate Democrats have won multiple races in states won by the opposite party’s presidential nominee.” “The outcome of this cycle puts Senate Democrats in the strongest possible position to reclaim the majority in 2026,” Bergstein touted.
Fox News Politics: The ‘real work begins’
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump transition, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… -RNC files two lawsuits in Pennsylvania amid Sen Bob Casey refusing to concede race -Who are Trump’s top contenders to lead comms team, interact with the media? -Democrat senator reacts to Gaetz nomination: ‘Red alert moment’ Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., is planning to make ushering in President-Elect Donald Trump’s immigration agenda the first item on his to-do list when he succeeds Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., in the new Congress, when Republicans will have a majority in both the upper chamber and the House. “Now the real work begins delivering on our agenda,” he said in a floor speech on Thursday. “That starts with ending the Biden-Harris border crisis and deporting illegal immigrants.” He said repairing the economy is also near the top of his list. As crucial elements of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 passed by Trump are set to expire in 2025, Thune said Republicans will take action through the budget reconciliation process to renew them…Read more ‘BIDEN-HARRIS BORDER CRISIS’: Thune says Trump’s border plan is first up in rigorous priority list for new Congress: ‘Real work begins’…Read more GOV HARRIS?: Could Vice President Kamala Harris make a run for California governor in two years?…Read more ‘DRILL, BABY, DRILL’: Trump vows to unleash US energy, undo key Biden rules in 2nd term…Read more MELANIA ‘ON THE MOVE’: Melania Trump launches ‘On the Move’ digital photo series highlighting her ‘fast-moving life’…Read more ‘UNQUALIFIED’: Democrats trash Tulsi Gabbard after Trump taps her for DNI post…Read more OUT OF THE RUNNING: Trump attorney Alina Habba not considering press secretary role…Read more GAETZ CLOSED: What happens to the Gaetz House ethics report?…Read more ‘WILL NOT LET IT STAND’: RNC files two lawsuits in Pennsylvania amid Sen Bob Casey refusing to concede race…Read more DECLARING VICTORY: California Democrat Josh Harder declares victory in House race…Read more STILL COUNTING: Size of Republican House majority to be decided by 9 remaining uncalled races…Read more COUNT ‘EM AGAIN: Pennsylvania Senate race triggers recount, with McCormick projected to win and Casey yet to concede…Read more MAJORITY NARROWS: Oregon Democrat unseats GOP incumbent in toss-up House race, narrowing Republicans’ majority…Read more ‘MOVES QUICKLY’: Trump says Thune ‘will do an outstanding job’ as Senate Majority Leader…Read more ‘PRESERVE FEDERAL RECORDS’: Top GOP senators warn DOJ to preserve Jack Smith docs in Trump cases, citing ‘past destruction’ of records…Read more DUEL OF THE MEGADONORS: Elon Musk dubs himself the ”George Soros’ of the middle’…Read more CERTIFICATION SEASON: Election calendar continues with key post-election dates…Read more TRUMPING THE TOLL: Hochul spurs bipartisan outrage over massive toll reboot, as Dems worry Trump will block it…Read more HOWARD KURTZ: Is it curtains for mainstream media?…Read more ‘ESPECIALLY EGREGIOUS’: Florida AG files lawsuit against FEMA over alleged political discrimination against Trump supporters…Read more LAPD: Newly sworn-in LAPD chief sparks backlash after revealing plan to buck Trump admin on ‘mass deportations’…Read more CULTURE WAR: Ohio House passes bill that would restrict transgender student access to school bathrooms…Read more Get the latest updates on the Trump presidential transition, incoming Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Sylvester Stallone calls President-elect Trump ‘second George Washington’ during AFPI Gala introduction
Actor and filmmaker Sylvester Stallone introduced President-elect Donald Trump at the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) Gala on Thursday with a short and sweet speech in which he called Trump the “second George Washington.” The “Rocky” actor was the final speaker of the night – only talking for about two minutes – before the president-elect took the stage at Mar-a-Lago. When starting off his speech, Stallone began speaking about his “Rocky” character and how he was “going to go through a metamorphosis and change lives, just like President Trump.” “We are in the presence of a really mythical character. Nobody in the world could have pulled off what he pulled off, so I’m in awe,” he said. ‘PENNSYLVANIA, KEEP PUNCHING’: SYLVESTER STALLONE HAS A MESSAGE FOR VOTERS He continued on by comparing Trump to George Washington and how his dedication to America changed the world. “When George Washington defended his country, he had no idea that he was going to change the world because without him, you could imagine what the world would look like. Guess what? We’ve got the second George Washington. Congratulations!” Stallone said before Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.” began playing. After a brief pause, Trump walked onto the stage to Stallone’s introduction and shook his hand while saying a few words to the actor. SYLVESTER STALLONE ON DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICANS AND RUNNING FOR OFFICE While Stallone has stayed pretty quiet about his personal politics over the years and admitted to not voting in the 2016 and 2020 elections, he did tell Variety magazine in 2016 that he liked Trump. “I love Donald Trump,” he said at the time. “There are certain people like Arnold [Schwarzenegger], Babe Ruth, that are bigger than life. But I don’t know how that translates to running the world.” Stallone did not publicly endorse Trump during the 2024 election cycle, but he did answer a FaceTime call from Fox News’ Brett Baier in October and encouraged Pennsylvania voters to “keep punching.” His speech at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday marks the first time he has publicly shared his thoughts surrounding a Trump presidency.
Democratic Colorado governor commends Trump for nominating RFK Jr. as HHS secretary
Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis praised President-elect Trump for nominating Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be the next secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. In a lengthy social media post on Thursday, Polis praised Kennedy for helping Colorado “defeat vaccine mandates” in 2019 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “He helped us defeat vaccine mandates in Colorado in 2019 and will help make America healthy again by shaking up HHS and FDA,” he wrote. “I hope he leans into personal choice on vaccines rather than bans (which I think are terrible, just like mandates) but what I’m most optimistic about is taking on big pharma and the corporate ag oligopoly to improve our health,” Polis said. RFK JR. ASKS AMERICANS TO SUGGEST POLICIES FOR NEW TRUMP ADMINISTRATION: ‘TRANSITION TEAM BELONGS TO YOU’ Trump announced his nomination of RFK Jr. for HHS secretary Thursday afternoon, igniting a firestorm of praise and critique. In his announcement, Trump promised that, with Kennedy leading the HHS, the agency would be restored as the “Gold Standard Scientific Research.” “For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health,” Trump wrote. “Mr. Kennedy will restore these Agencies to the traditions of Gold Standard Scientific Research, and beacons of Transparency, to end the Chronic Disease epidemic, and to Make America Great and Healthy Again!” Kennedy launched his presidential campaign as a Democrat and then eventually endorsed Trump. Kennedy also spoke during Trump’s historic Madison Square Garden rally last month, where he unleashed on the current state of the Democratic Party. “The Democratic Party is the party of war. It’s the party of the CIA. You had Kamala Harris giving a speech at the Democratic convention that was written by neocons. It was belligerent, pugnacious. It talked about domination of the world by the United States through our weapons of war. It’s the party today that wants to divide Americans. It’s a party that is dismantling women’s sports by letting men play women’s sports,” he said. TRUMP’S PICKS SO FAR: HERE’S WHO WILL BE ADVISING THE NEW PRESIDENT “It’s the party of Wall Street. It’s the party of Bill Gates, who just gave $50 million to Harris. It’s the party, and the Harris campaign is very proud that it received the endorsement of 50 former CIA agents and officers and of John Bolton and of Dick Cheney.” This isn’t the first time Kennedy was considered for a Cabinet position for a presidential administration. Back in 2008, then President-elect Obama reportedly strongly considered naming Kennedy to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, Politico reported at the time. Polis has been critical of a Trump presidency. He recently joined forces with Illinois Gov. J.B Pritzker to co-chair a new coalition called Governors Safeguarding Democracy. The website names “fast-moving disinformation campaigns” and “cyberthreats” as examples of “threats to our democracy.” “Donald Trump is going to bring people into his administration who are absolute loyalists to his cult of personality and not necessarily to the law,” Pritzker said, according to the New York Times. “Last time, he didn’t really know where the levers of government were. I think he probably does now. And so I think that the threat remains great.” During an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Polis said of Trump, “we’re gonna work with him and his administration however we can for our state.” Polis echoed his sentiments, writing on X that he looks forward to “partnering with him to truly make America healthy again.” “He will face strong special interest opposition on these, but I look forward to partnering with him to truly make America healthy again,” Polis added. Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner and Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.
Javier Milei first world leader to meet with President-elect Trump: ‘Greatest political comeback in history’
The president of Argentina is the first foreign leader to meet in person with President-elect Trump since Trump’s win last week. Javier Milei, known as “the Lion,” has gained notoriety worldwide for his pro-market policies that have slashed Argentine inflation since he took elected office last year. He attended the America First Policy Institute’s (AFPI) gala Thursday evening at Mar-a-Lago and will stay through the CPAC Investor Summit that ends Saturday. ARGENTINA’S MILEI BLASTS UN OVER SUPPORT FOR COVID LOCKDOWNS, APPEASING ‘BLOODY DICTATORSHIPS’ President-elect Trump and President Milei met earlier Thursday, and the encounter “went well,” according to an anonymous source via The Associated Press. He posted to social media site X, sharing his plans with President-elect Trump for the week ahead, claiming he will be the only other president in attendance at the summit. As Milei was ushered out the door to the AFPI gala Thursday, he told the Argentine outlet Clarion, “We’re going to plant the ideas of freedom high.” During his address at the gala, Milei congratulated Trump on his resounding win through an interpreter, saying “this has been the greatest political comeback in history, defying the entire political establishment, even at the risk of his own life.” He also thanked Elon Musk for his role boosting his social media site X for President-elect Trump and communication worldwide. ARGENTINA’S MILEI SHUTS UP CRITICS WITH MIRACLE TURNAROUND OF ECONOMY, STRONG SECURITY POLICIES “There is a silent or rather silent majority that has begun to make itself heard despite the enemies of freedom clinging to power through propaganda, distortion and censorship,” said Milei. “And this is why I would especially like to thank the great Elon Musk for the wonderful job he has been doing to save humanity in communication around the world.” The Argentine president then claimed that what happened in the U.S. elections last week is similar to his own election last year, with the “party of freedom” taking a victory lap. Milei is considered to be a Trump-like figure in South America, marketing black hats similar to red MAGA hats for fans labeled “las Fuerzas del Cielo” or “the Forces from Heaven.” He also famously wielded a chainsaw at a political rally, vowing to slash wasteful government spending. “I am exhilarated to be able to share with a new United States administration that same love for freedom. And I’m convinced that together we will restore it to the place it deserves,” Milei said in his remarks. President-elect Trump took the stage after Milei’s speech, thanking the Argentine president for his congratulations and commending his leadership. “And, Javier, I’d like to congratulate you on the job you’ve done for Argentina,” said Trump. “Your speech was beautiful, but the job you’ve done is incredible. Make Argentina great again. You know MAGA. He’s a MAGA person. And you know he’s doing that. He’s actually. He’s actually doing that. “You know, I’d say you’ve done a fantastic job in a very short period of time. It’s an honor to have you here.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The office of Argentine President Javier Milei did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.