Hillary Clinton leads brigade of left-wing mockery, bewilderment over Trump’s viral ‘No Kings’ protest video
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was among Democrats and Trump administration critics who took to social media this weekend to slam a satirical AI video President Donald Trump posted showing him dropping brown sludge on “No Kings” protesters. “He’s definitely not mad that 7 million Americans came out to protest him yesterday,” Clinton posted to X Sunday, accompanied by a screenshot of HuffPost’s report on Trump’s video mocking the protests against him. Millions of protesters took to the streets of cities nationwide Saturday as part of a massive “No Kings” protest denouncing Trump and his administration. The protesters argued Trump has conducted himself like a monarch as opposed to a president, taking issue with his administration’s actions on policies such as immigration and efforts to deport millions of illegal immigrants residing in the nation. Trump lampooned the protests in an AI-generated video Saturday showing him flying a military jet while wearing a crown before dumping brown sludge or sewage directly onto protesters, including liberal influencer Harry Sisson. The video played “Top Gun” theme song “Danger Zone” as the AI-generated Trump was seen dumping the sludge onto protesters. WATCH: ‘NO KINGS’ PROTESTERS AT MASSIVE NYC RALLY REVEAL MOTIVATION FOR TAKING TO THE STREETS: ‘DISGUSTING’ The video set off condemnation, mockery and confusion among liberal critics. “That plane wouldn’t have made it off the ground with your fat–s in the pilot’s seat,” Sisson posted to X in response to the video. Followed by: “Can a reporter please ask Trump why he posted an AI video of himself dropping poop on me from a fighter jet? That would be great thanks.” Kenny Loggins, the singer behind the song “Danger Zone,” also posted a response demanding his music be removed from the video as it was not authorized. JOHN CUSACK TELLS TRUMP TO ‘GO TO HELL’ AT CHICAGO ‘NO KINGS’ PROTEST “I can’t imagine why anybody would want their music used or associated with something created with the sole purpose of dividing us,” Loggins said, according to a statement shared on his X account. “Too many people are trying to tear us apart, and we need to find new ways to come together. We’re all Americans, and we’re all patriotic. There is no ‘us and them’ – that’s not who we are, nor is it what we should be. It’s all of us. We’re in this together, and it is my hope that we can embrace music as a way of celebrating and uniting each and every one of us.” “BREAKING: DISGUSTING! Donald Trump posts AI video of himself flying a fighter jet and DUMPING POOP ON THE AMERICAN PEOPLE!” X account Occupy Democrats posted in a lengthy message Monday. “In the ultimate pronouncement that “subtlety is dead,” Donald Trump responded to the 7 million Americans who marched against him yesterday by posting an AI video of himself wearing a crown, flying a fighter jet and literally sh*tting on America.” “The person who posted this has access to the nuclear codes,” gun control activist David Hogg posted in response. “‘I’m gonna take a big dookie on the protestors! I’m gonna be king!’ Sure you are lil buddy, you’re 12,” Center for New Liberalism co-founder Jeremiah Johnson posted to X. “Trump posted an AI video of himself wearing a crown and dumping shit from a ‘King Trump’ jet on No Kings protesters. This is where we are as a country,” liberal X account Patriot Takes posted. JIMMY KIMMEL LIKENS ANTI-TRUMP ‘NO KINGS’ PROTESTS TO AMERICAN REVOLUTION Trump brushed off the protests Sunday as not representative of the general population, while slamming any characterization he leads as a “king.” “I’m not a king. I work my a– off to make our country great. That’s all it is. I’m not a king at all,” he told members of the media Sunday. When asked about liberals’ responses to the video, the White House directed Fox Digital to a photo of a woman crying during Trump’s 2017 inauguration that is frequently used in memes. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson also defended Trump’s video in comments to the media on Monday arguing the video was an effective satire. “The president uses social media to make the point,” Johnson said when asked about the video during a press conference. “You can argue he’s probably the most effective person who’s ever used social media for that he is. He is using satire to make a point.”
Trump’s impending San Francisco crackdown sparks backlash from Newsom, mayor
The White House is urging California Democrats to welcome the National Guard to “clean up” San Francisco, but Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., said the deployment will “ruin one of America’s greatest cities. “ President Donald Trump told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo that the National Guard is headed to San Francisco next. In a statement shared exclusively with Fox News Digital on Monday, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said San Francisco Democrats should “welcome the President in to clean up their city.” “America’s once great cities have descended into chaos and crime as a result of Democrat policies that put criminals first and law-abiding citizens last,” Jackson said Monday. “Making America Safe Again — especially crime-ridden cities — was a key campaign promise from the President that the American people elected him to fulfill.” Meanwhile, Mayor Daniel Lurie was also elected last November with a commitment to restoring public safety to San Francisco. NEWSOM SUES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OVER CALIFORNIA NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT ORDER TO OREGON “Since January, I have said that public safety is my number one priority,” Lurie said during a public safety briefing Friday. “Over the last nine months, we have backed that up, rebuilding the ranks of our public safety agencies, strengthening coordination across departments and strategically deploying technology. It’s working, and this week proved it.” DEM GOVERNORS SUDDENLY CRACK DOWN ON CRIME AS TRUMP’S NATIONAL GUARD THREATS LOOM But the White House urged California Democrats to recognize the progress made in Memphis, Tennessee, and in Washington, D.C., where fellow Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser has acknowledged the Trump administration’s success cleaning up the nation’s capital. “We’re going to go to San Francisco,” Trump said on Sunday. “The difference is, I think they want us in San Francisco. San Francisco was truly one of the great cities of the world, and then 15 years ago, it went wrong. It went woke.” Newsom was quick to fire back in a social media post Sunday, writing, “Fact check: Nobody wants you here. You will ruin one of America’s greatest cities.” During the safety briefing Friday, Lurie noted that, last week, more than 45,000 people descended upon San Francisco for Salesforce’s “Dreamforce 2025” conference, featuring hundreds of events about advancing technology and artificial intelligence. “45,000 visitors, and no reports of any major incidents. Once again, the eyes of the world were on San Francisco, and we delivered,” Lurie said, while applauding first responders and city workers who make San Francisco “shine.” “It happened because of our close partnership with the California Highway Patrol,” Lurie said. “We are working with the appropriate state and federal enforcement agencies every day to keep our city safe, and that coordination is delivering results for San Francisco.” Newsom criticized Trump in August for “militarizing American cities” after the president deployed National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., to fight crime in the nation’s capital. Trump has since deployed troops to Chicago, Memphis and Portland. The California governor, a frequent Trump critic who is considered a likely 2028 presidential candidate, deployed California Highway Patrol “crime-suppression teams” across the Golden State in August to prevent crime and promote public safety. “While the Trump administration undermines cities, California is partnering with them and delivering real results. With these new deployments, we’re doubling down on these partnerships to build on progress and keep driving crime down,” Newsom said in a statement in August, seemingly to deter another National Guard deployment to California. Trump deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles this spring during protests rejecting deportations by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in line with another Trump mandate. In an Instagram post following the “No Kings” protests on Saturday, which erupted across the country in rejection of Trump’s sweeping, second-term agenda, Lurie thanked San Francisco law enforcement and protesters for maintaining peace. When reached for comment, Newsom’s and Lurie’s team pointed to their previous statements from their social media posts and the Friday press conference.
Battle for governor in closely watched election may be headed for a photo finish
With the November election just 15 days out, the Republican nominee in one of the nation’s only two races for governor this year is feeling confident. “The energy across the state is electric. The reception in minority communities has been great, and on being endorsed by prominent Democrats, that tells you all you need to know in terms of the people of New Jersey wanting change. And that’s what this election is all about. Change,” Jack Ciattarelli said this weekend in an interview on “Fox News Sunday.” Ciattarelli, who’s making his third straight run for Garden State governor and who nearly upset Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy four years ago, has good reason to be optimistic he can pull off victory in blue-leaning New Jersey. In a state where registered Democrats still outnumber Republicans despite a GOP surge in registration this decade, three public opinion polls released last week — from Fox News, Quinnipiac University and Fairleigh Dickinson University — indicated Ciattarelli narrowing the gap with Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rep. Mikie Sherrill in the race to succeed the term-limited Murphy. THE POLITICAL BOMB TRUMP EXPLODED IN THE NEW JERSEY SHOWDOWN FOR GOVERNOR The Fox News poll conducted Oct. 10 – 14, put Sherrill at 50% support among likely voters, with Ciattarelli at 45%. Sherrill’s 5-point advantage was down from an 8-point lead in Fox News’ September survey in New Jersey. New Jersey and Virginia are the only two states to hold gubernatorial showdowns in the year after a presidential election, and the contests traditionally grab outsized attention and are viewed as political barometers ahead of the following year’s midterm elections. CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING And this year, they’re being viewed, in part, as ballot-box referendums on President Donald Trump’s unprecedented and combustible second-term agenda. While Democrats have long dominated federal and state legislative elections in blue-leaning New Jersey, Republicans are very competitive in gubernatorial contests, winning five out of the past 10 elections. And Trump made major gains in New Jersey in last year’s presidential election, losing the state by only six percentage points, a major improvement over his 16-point deficit four years earlier. Ciattarelli, interviewed by Fox News Digital last week in Bayonne, New Jersey, noted that he “made big gains” in his 2021 showing “in Hudson County and Passaic County,” two long-time Democratic Party strongholds. “And the President did very, very well in ’24 in those very same counties. And if you take a look at who’s been endorsing me, including some very prominent Democrats here in Hudson County, people want change,” Ciattarelli emphasized. But Ciattarelli is also aiming to energize Republican base voters in what’s likely to be a low-turnout election. Multiple sources confirmed to Fox News that Trump will hold a tele-rally with Ciattarelli ahead of Election Day. Trump’s teaming up with Ciattarelli may help energize MAGA supporters, many of whom are low propensity voters who often skip casting ballots in non-presidential election years. And last week, Ciattarelli was joined at a jam-packed diner stop in Saddle Brook, New Jersey, by Vivek Ramaswamy, the MAGA rock star who is running for governor next year in his home state of Ohio. Ramaswamy, the multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur and conservative commentator who pushed an “America First 2.0” platform as he ran for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination before ending his bid and becoming one of Trump’s top supporters and surrogates, told Fox News Digital that a Ciattarelli win this year would “set the table for even bigger and more decisive victories, hopefully in places like Ohio next year.” And this week another well-known Republican politician in MAGA world is headed to New Jersey. Fox News has learned the Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, a top House ally of the president who has Trump’s backing as he runs next year for Florida governor, will team up with Ciattarelli on Wednesday. ONLY ON FOX: RAMASWAMY SAYS GOP VICTORIES IN THE 2025 ELECTIONS WOULD ‘SET THE TABLE’ FOR BIGGER WINS IN 2026 Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, commenting on why Republicans feel bullish about the New Jersey showdown, raised concerns. “New Jersey is the best place, probably, for Donald Trump to actually stop the Democratic momentum — or at least minimize the Democratic momentum that we’ve seen throughout this year,” Martin said in a Politico interview. But the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) forecasts a Sherrill victory in two weeks. “As numerous polls show her holding a strong lead and earning more than 50% of the vote, Mikie Sherrill is rising to meet the moment in this incredibly competitive race,” DGA spokesperson Izzi Levy told Fox News. “It’s clear that Mikie has the momentum, and that New Jersey voters are all-in to reject Ciattarelli for a third time this November.” Sherrill had plenty of company on the campaign trail this weekend from major Democratic Party surrogates, including two of the biggest names in the party — Govs. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Wes Moore of Maryland. “From Maryland to New Jersey, we’re united with one goal – making sure every voice is heard at the ballot box,” Moore wrote on social media. “Proud to stand with @MikieSherrill and community members in Newark to get out the vote. Let’s finish strong this November!” And former President Barack Obama endorsed Sherrill and starred in a new ad for the party’s nominee. CIATTARELLI WELCOMES TRUMP’S HELP IN FINAL STRETCH IN BATTLE FOR NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR While Trump isn’t on the ballot, he’s loomed large over the New Jersey gubernatorial election. At the second and final debate two weeks ago, Sherrill charged that her GOP rival had “shown zero signs of standing up to this president. In fact, the president himself called Jack 100% MAGA, and he’s shown every sign of being that.” Asked whether he considered himself part of the MAGA movement, Ciattarelli said he was “part of a New Jersey movement.” HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE 2025 ELECTIONS When asked to grade the president’s performance
Reporter’s Notebook: Government shutdown stalls as Democrats demand Obamacare subsidy extension
Government shutdowns can be pretty boring. Until a shutdown impacts you. There’s a missed paycheck. Flight delays. You can’t visit the Smithsonian. Questions about food and drug safety. You get the idea. But until you reach that tipping point, most Americans are ho-hum about government shutdowns and interpret the infighting between Democrats and Republicans as de rigueur on Capitol Hill. So they don’t pay much mind to them. However, Democrats engineered a scheme in advance of this fall’s government shutdown. They would transmogrify the shutdown into something Americans care about: healthcare. DEMOCRATS STRUGGLE FOR COHESIVE MESSAGING STRATEGY AMID SHUTDOWN STANDOFF Democrats know that healthcare consistently polls well with voters. Democrats have known for months that many people who receive their healthcare coverage via “Obamacare exchanges” would absorb a marked price spike with their premiums early next year. Moreover, notices informing people about the impending price increase would start to hit mailboxes in mid-October. So Democrats have pleaded with Republicans to subsidize Obamacare to defray looming price increases. Obamacare subsidies and the government shutdown aren’t directly connected. But Democrats believed they could link the two. And then, after people snored off to sleep about the government shutdown on Oct. 1, they were rudely awakened by a notice in the mail that their healthcare premiums were about to jump. Say what you will about the tactics, but it was a shrewd strategy by Democrats to seize on an issue important to their base. Moreover, it gave the party the opportunity to show voters that it’s “fighting” against President Donald Trump. That’s something which didn’t happen in the March funding round. In fact, the Democrats’ lack of fighting is what set a match to an internecine fight among Democrats about how to combat the president. The public and the government are absorbing the flames of that internal conflagration now, but Democrats may have found a way to salve those wounds. “Fighting for healthcare is our defining issue,” said House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., in an exclusive sit-down interview with Fox News. “Shutdowns are terrible and there will be families that are going to suffer. We take that responsibility very seriously. But it is one of the few leverage times we have.” That’s why healthcare is the linchpin to the shutdown. But enter Republicans. They believe Democrats own the healthcare crisis. They passed Obamacare in the first place. It was a Democratic Congress under President Joe Biden that boosted the subsidy to defray the cost of Obamacare in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the touchstone of the Democrats’ legislative agenda. “It is the Democrats who created that subsidy who put the expiration date on it. They did it all on their own,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. Some Republicans have even reverted to their 2010 mantra to “repeal and replace” Obamacare. That said, Johnson tried to beat back those calls from conservatives. DEMOCRATS ROLL OUT NEW CAMPAIGN ADS TARGETING REPUBLICANS OVER ONGOING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN “There’s no way to repeal and replace it because it’s too deeply ingrained right now. We have to improve it,” said Johnson. Such a declaration would have been unthinkable a few years ago. Here we have a Republican Speaker of the House arguing that Congress must sustain — even assist — Obamacare. “Obamacare has been a failure,” said Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., on Fox News. “We’ve been enduring this now for almost 15 years.” Stutzman benefited from the GOP’s plan to ditch Obamacare in 2010. It was an historic, 63-seat midterm election pickup for Republicans. Voters sent Stutzman to Washington for the first time in that midterm. The Indiana Republican added that he’s “not sure that subsidies are the answer in the long run.” “Every couple of years they need more and more subsidies to be able to prop [Obamacare] up because it’s not affordable,” said Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., on Fox Business Network. Democrats are demanding Obamacare subsidies before they agree to a Republican plan to fund the government. “It is an inflection point in this budget process where we have tried to get the Republicans to meet with us and prioritize the American people,” said Clark. But Republicans believe the need to boost Obamacare reveals flaws in the law. “Isn’t that an indictment that there’s a problem with [Obamacare]?” I asked House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. “The fact that it needs to be propped up in some form?” “No,” replied Jeffries. “The overwhelming majority of the American people, including in the Republican-run states, support an extension of the [Obamacare] tax credits.” Some Republicans reject extending the subsidies. DEMOCRATS BLAME GOP FOR OBAMACARE WOES TIED TO PANDEMIC-ERA SUBSIDIES “I’m not going to vote to extend these subsidies. They’re through the roof expensive,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. But other conservatives insist that Obamacare needs rescuing. “If you’re on [Obamacare] your premium is going to literally double. If you have your own private health insurance policy, your premium is going to go up and people already can’t afford their premiums,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. “People back at home are going, ‘Wait a minute, my premium is going to skyrocket.’” Greene is one of the most outspoken members of her party when it comes to concerns about the premium increases. In fact, she believes that Republicans allowed “Democrats to hold the moral high ground on it, because they’re talking about it.” Greene and Johnson spoke about her concerns several days ago. But Obamacare vexed the GOP for years. Former House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and others led an effort to repeal and replace Obamacare. House Republicans voted dozens of times to wipe out Obamacare in 2011 and 2012. They couldn’t push such a package through the Senate, but it made for a powerful GOP talking point. Former House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., got a little closer. Republicans had the Senate in 2016. So the House and Senate both voted for the first time to repeal and replace Obamacare, but President Barack Obama vetoed it. Republicans finally
House GOP announces $24M cash haul as government shutdown drags on
FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans’ campaign arm is announcing it brought in nearly $24 million in the months of July through September this year. More than half of that — roughly $13.95 million — came in September, as Republicans were readying for a political messaging war over federal funding. That fight is still ongoing now, more than halfway through October. The government has been shut down for 20 days as Republicans and Democrats are still in disagreement over federal spending. The National Republican Congressional Committee’s (NRCC) $13.95 million haul represents its best September in a non-election year and a 50% increase from the previous comparable September in 2023. THUNE SLAMS SCHUMER’S ‘KINGMAKER’ POLITICS, REFUSES TO ‘KISS THE RING’ IN SHUTDOWN TALKS The NRCC is ending the third quarter with nearly $46 million cash on hand and nearly $93 million raised in 2025 alone. In a statement sent to Fox News Digital, NRCC Chair Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., pointed out that House Republicans already voted to keep the federal government funded last month and touted the GOP base propelling his group ahead of the 2026 elections. “House Republicans are firing on all cylinders. Our majority funded the federal government, and we’re delivering for working families and building unstoppable momentum heading into 2026,” Hudson said. “With President Trump leading the charge and voters rallying behind our conservative agenda, we’re raising record-breaking resources to hold the House and grow our majority,” he said. Republicans are battling to keep the House in next year’s midterm elections, which have historically been unfavorable to the party in power. The GOP has held the House majority since 2023. But GOP leaders have expressed confidence in their agenda and in the White House, while arguing the Democratic Party is facing a lack of cohesion and disapproval of its policies by American voters. The NRCC outpaced its counterpart, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) in the previous quarter of 2025, raising $32.3 million compared to the DCCC’s $29.1 million. SCREAMING MATCH ERUPTS BETWEEN HAKEEM JEFFRIES, MIKE LAWLER AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CHAOS CONTINUES The DCCC ended the year with more cash on hand, however, with $39.7 million compared to the NRCC’s $37.6 million. Both groups and their allies have spent much of October battling over the government shutdown in the court of public opinion. Republicans are accusing Democrats of holding the federal government hostage by refusing to vote for their funding bill unless partisan healthcare demands are met. Democrats, meanwhile, have argued that Republicans are risking the healthcare costs of millions of Americans by not including an extension of COVID-19 pandemic-era Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire this year without congressional action. The House passed a seven-week federal funding bill largely along party lines on Sept. 19. It has been stalled in the Senate, however, where at least several Democrats are needed to hit the chamber’s 60-vote threshold to break the filibuster.
Trump returns to DC as dim outlook lingers, no end in sight for shutdown
With the federal government still closed, President Donald Trump begins the week back from Florida at the center of a political stalemate that shows no signs of easing. The standoff, now dragging into its third week, comes as the Trump administration and congressional Republicans remain at odds with Democrats over healthcare subsidies. GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN 101: WE’VE BEEN HERE BEFORE, HERE’S WHAT HAPPENS NEXT Trump has placed the blame squarely on Democrats for the shutdown that has triggered thousands of federal layoffs, frozen billions in infrastructure funding and rippled through local economies nationwide. “The Democrats are kamikazes right now. They’re kamikaze pilots right now. They have nothing going. They have no future,” Trump said during an exclusive interview on “Sunday Morning Futures.“ ‘THAT ENDS NOW:’ WHITE HOUSE VOWS REMOVAL OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM TAXPAYER BENEFITS Democrats say failure to act before November’s open enrollment could saddle millions of Americans with higher premiums. The White House argues that the Democrats’ plan includes billions for Medicaid coverage for undocumented immigrants, which Trump claims would put Americans’ healthcare at risk. Though once uncommon, government shutdowns have grown more frequent in recent decades as political brinkmanship has become a hallmark of budget negotiations. Since 1976, the U.S. government has experienced 20 shutdowns. The most recent one, the longest in U.S. history, occurred when a dispute over funding Trump’s border wall halted government operations for 34 days, spanning from December 2018 into January 2019. Senators on Thursday failed for the tenth time to break the impasse, leaving the government shutdown unresolved. Meanwhile, the House has been adjourned since Sept. 19 and is not expected to reconvene until the shutdown ends.
Through the lens: Bernie Sanders, costumed demonstrators rally against Trump at No Kings Day protest
Sen. Bernie Sanders and Bill Nye joins protesters, many in costumes, in Washington, D.C., for the No Kings 2.0 Rally to protest the Trump administration.
Trump doubles down on Colombia crackdown, calls Petro ‘lunatic,’ vows to end all US payments over drugs
President Donald Trump on Sunday doubled down on his criticism of Colombia, calling its far-left president, Gustavo Petro, a “lunatic” and the “worst president they’ve ever had” as he reiterated his vow to cut off all funding to the Latin American country over its cocaine production. Trump’s incendiary comments came while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One. The president said he was stopping all payments to Colombia because the country was producing drugs rather than fighting them. “They make drugs, they refine drugs, they make cocaine, they have cocaine factories,” Trump said. “They have no fight against drugs, and I’m stopping all payments to Colombia because they don’t have anything to do with their fight against drugs.” The president’s rhetoric marked a sharper, more personal attack on Petro, whom he had earlier accused of being an “illegal drug leader” and “encouraging the massive production of narcotics” across the country. TRUMP ENDS VENEZUELA TALKS, MILITARY OPTIONS LOOM, NEW REPORT Trump said that he would announce new tariffs on Monday, confirming an X post from Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who wrote: “President Trump … informed me that he is going to be hitting Colombia, not only their drug dealers and traders, but also where it hurts, in the wallet. He will be announcing major Tariffs against the Country of Colombia, today or tomorrow.” In a Truth Social post earlier Sunday, Trump warned that Petro “better close up” drug operations “or the United States will close them up for him, and it won’t be done nicely.” TRUMP ADMIN REVOKES COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT’S VISA OVER ALLEGED ‘RECKLESS AND INCENDIARY ACTIONS’ Trump said that Petro had “a fresh mouth toward America.” He complained that drug smuggling continues “despite large scale payments and subsidies from the USA that are nothing more than a long term rip off of America.” “AS OF TODAY, THESE PAYMENTS, OR ANY OTHER FORM OF PAYMENT, OR SUBSIDIES, WILL NO LONGER BE MADE TO COLOMBIA,” he added. The heated words come amid escalating tensions between Washington and one of its closest Latin American allies. Petro fired back on X, saying Trump’s claims distort Colombia’s record. “Trying to promote peace in Colombia is not being a drug trafficker,” Petro wrote. He suggested that Trump was being deceived by his advisers, described himself as “the main enemy” of drugs in his country and said Trump was being “rude and ignorant toward Colombia.” TRUMP UNLEASHES US MILITARY POWER ON CARTELS. IS A WIDER WAR LOOMING? Colombia’s Foreign Ministry accused Trump of threatening the country’s sovereignty, calling his remarks an “illegal intervention.” Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez added that the armed forces have “also lost men and women fighting drug trafficking.” Trump’s latest broadside against Petro raises the possibility of an expanding clash in Latin America, where the U.S. has already increased pressure on neighboring Venezuela and its leader, Nicolás Maduro. U.S. forces have stepped up counternarcotics operations across the Caribbean, deploying ships and surveillance aircraft as part of a broader crackdown on trafficking networks. Trump also authorized covert operations inside Venezuela. Unlike Venezuela, Colombia remains Washington’s top regional aid recipient, though funding has fallen to roughly $230 million this year – well below earlier peaks topping $700 million, per U.S. budget data. More cuts could affect military cooperation and undermine efforts to fight rebel groups. RUBIO SAYS TRUMP ‘WANTS TO WAGE WAR’ ON VENEZUELAN DRUG TRAFFICKERS: ‘BLOW THEM UP IF THAT’S WHAT IT TAKES’ But coca cultivation reached an all-time high last year, according to the United Nations, and there has been fresh violence in rural areas where the government spent years battling insurgents before reaching a peace deal a decade ago. In September, the Trump administration accused Colombia of failing to cooperate in the drug war, although at the time Washington issued a waiver of sanctions that would have triggered aid cuts. Petro, Colombia’s first leftist president, has repeatedly feuded with Trump this year. Petro initially rejected U.S. military flights of deported migrants, leading Trump to threaten tariffs. The State Department said it would revoke Petro’s visa when he attended the U.N. General Assembly in New York because he told American soldiers to disobey Trump’s orders. Petro and Trump have also been at odds over American strikes on boats in the Caribbean. The Colombian president has accused the U.S. of civilian casualties in maritime drug raids – alleging one recent strike killed a Colombian fisherman who supposedly had no ties to drug trafficking. There have been seven U.S. strikes in the region since early September that the administration says are targeting alleged drug traffickers. At least 32 people have been killed.
Trump calls Jay Jones an ‘animal,’ says ‘anybody would be put in prison for what he said’
President Donald Trump condemned Virginia Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones as an “animal” on Sunday, saying anyone else would find themselves “in prison” for his text messages wishing death on political opponents. Trump made the comments while talking to reporters aboard Air Force One, just days after Jones had repeatedly bashed the president in a campaign debate in Virginia last week. Reporters pressed Trump on whether he planned to weigh in on the attorney general contest. “You mean the one that wanted to kill some of his children and kill somebody? You mean the animal that wanted to kill somebody who should not be allowed to be running for that office?” Trump said when asked about Jones. “He’s a third-rate intellect, he’s a guy who – I’ve never seen anybody say what he said, that he wanted to kill his opponent’s children – he wanted to kill his opponent,” Trump said. “I can’t imagine anybody voting for Jay Jones. Look, you would think he’s totally discredited. I would think he wouldn’t even be allowed to do that; anybody would be put in prison for what he said.” WATCH: KAINE DEFENDS JONES AMID AG CANDIDATE’S TEXTS ENVISIONING MURDER OF GOP LEADER: ‘STILL A SUPPORTER’ “He can join a long list of attorney generals that have been suing and losing,” Trump added. ‘CONSUMED WITH HATE’: WINSOME SEARS, JASON MIYARES UNLOAD ON DEMOCRAT JAY JONES OVER VIOLENT TEXTS In messages first reported earlier this month, Jones texted Virginia state lawmaker Carrie Coyner in 2022, imagining a scenario where he would choose to “fire two bullets” into then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert’s head, describing Gilbert as worse than dictators Pol Pot and Adolf Hitler. Jones also referred to Gilbert’s young children as “fascists” in the exchange. Jones has since apologized for the text messages and says he is now “embarrassed” by them. LIBERAL MEDIA DOWNPLAYS SCANDAL OF DEM VIRGINIA AG HOPEFUL JAY JONES’ TEXTS FANTASIZING MURDER OF GOP LAWMAKER The controversy hasn’t stopped prominent Virginia Democrats from endorsing Jones, however. Virginia gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger endorsed Jones prior to the controversy and has since declined to withdraw the endorsement. Her campaign website is also still selling Jones-branded merchandise. The Republican Governors Association, which is backing Spanberger’s opponent, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, slammed Spanberger’s campaign for continuing to market Jones-branded merchandise more than a week after texts surfaced depicting him envisioning the murder of a GOP leader and his children. “Jay Jones threatened to murder his political opponent and their children, and Abigail Spanberger still fully endorses him and is trying to make money off it,” RGA Rapid Response Director Kollin Crompton told Fox News Digital. “If Spanberger is willing to put partisan politics above doing the right thing and standing up to political violence, how can she be trusted as governor?” Crompton asked. Fox News’ Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
Letitia James up against ‘by the book’ prosecutor ‘who means business,’ former Kentucky AG Cameron says
Former Republican Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron applauded the prosecutor handling Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James’ indictment on charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution, celebrating that she is prosecuting the case “by the book” in a state that hasn’t voted for a Republican presidential candidate in two decades. “Lindsey Halligan means business,” Cameron, who serves as CEO of the nonprofit 1792 Exchange, told Fox News Digital in a Tuesday Zoom interview. “And she has been tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that no one is above the law in the Eastern District of Virginia. And she certainly is heeding that call and commitment and that responsibility, which I applaud.” A grand jury in Virginia indicted James Oct. 9, months after Federal Housing Finance Director Bill Pulte wrote in a criminal referral to the Department of Justice in April that James allegedly falsified mortgage records to obtain more favorable loans. Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Lindsey Halligan is the top federal prosecutor overseeing the case, following her nomination to the role by President Donald Trump in September. Halligan previously served as special assistant to the president and White House senior associate staff secretary in the early months of the administration before moving to her new role. LEGAL EXPERT CALLS OUT ‘IRONIC’ TWIST AS NY AG WHO PROSECUTED TRUMP FACES FEDERAL BANK FRAUD CHARGES Halligan also landed on the political map while serving as one of Trump’s attorneys after the FBI raided Mar-a-Lago in 2022 in search of classified documents retained at the Trump residence. The Trump-nominated federal prosecutor, who also was appointed to the job on an interm basis, has since secured separate indictments against James and former FBI Director James Comey, both of whom are longtime political foes of Trump’s. Cameron applauded that Halligan was handling the cases “by the book,” pointing to how grand juries comprised of Virginia locals determined there was enough evidence to charge the pair in both cases. MAMDANI ASSAILS TRUMP FOR ‘POLITICAL RETRIBUTION’ AGAINST LETITIA JAMES IN SWEEPING DEFENSE OF EMBATTLED AG “Whether it’s this case or the Comey case, she has been taking them to the grand jury,” he said. “And I remind people that the grand jury process is a deliberative process. It appears within the community that sit on that grand jury to ultimately make a decision about whether there’s probable cause to move forward with an indictment. And that has happened in both of these instances.” Cameron, who also is running for the Senate in Kentucky in the 2026 cycle, noted that Virginia is by no means a conservative-leaning state, with many of its residents working as employees in Washington, D.C. Virginia previously voted for a Republican presidential candidate 20 years ago in the 2004 race and is in the midst of a high-stakes gubernatorial election. “Virginia is not a hotbed for conservatism,” he said. “This is a jury or grand jury of peers that ultimately makes this indictment. And when you look at the facts that are alleged, it seems pretty cut and dry in the context of General James and what was misrepresented on the loan documents and whether it was a primary residence versus a rental property.” “I applaud Lindsey Halligan for taking this by the book and, you know putting forth the case before the grand jury that ultimately gave them the information to make a judgment about indictment,” he continued. Cameron is the CEO of the 1792 Exchange, which is a nonprofit focused on providing information to businesses, other nonprofits and philanthropy groups to shield against “woke” corporations. It also educates “Congress and stakeholder organizations about the dangers of ESG (environmental, social, and governance) policies, and to help steer public companies in the United States back to neutral on ideological issues so they can best serve their shareholders and customers with excellence and integrity,” according to the group’s website. SOCIAL MEDIA ERUPTS AS RESURFACED AG JAMES POSTS COME BACK TO HAUNT HER: ‘NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW’ Cameron served as the Republican attorney general of Kentucky from 2020 to 2024, providing him unique insight on the James case as a top state prosecutor himself. James came under investigation over a Norfolk, Virginia, home she purchased in 2020, which she identified on mortgage documents and a Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac form as a property that would serve as her primary residence. Federal officials claim that the home was listed as such to secure more favorable loans, while pointing to state law that requires the New York attorney general to reside in the Empire State. Prosecutors of the case said James’ “ill-gotten gains” from the mortgage documents sit at “approximately $18,933 over the life of the loan.” James has denied wrongdoing, claiming that any errors were not intended to deceive a lender, but were mistakes. She, as well as Democrat allies, have instead claimed the indictment is an example of Trump “weaponizing” the Justice Department against political foes. “I will not bow. I will not break. I will not bend,” James said earlier in October during a campaign stop for socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. “You come for me, you’ve got to come through all of us. Every single one of us. We’re all in this together.” LETITIA JAMES’ OWN WORDS COME BACK TO HAUNT HER AFTER FEDERAL BANK FRAUD CHARGES FILED “I know what it feels like to be attacked for just doing your job,” James said, while reprimanding those who “weaponize justice for political gain.” Cameron noted that James’ office has prosecuted similar cases at the state level, which he said exposes the “hypocrisy” of claims the case is political weaponization at the hands of the Trump administration. James’ office previously has prosecuted cases involving mortgage fraud entwined with money laundering, deed theft cases, and mortgage fraud schemes, a review of previous press releases from James’ office show. “This is not weaponization,” he said. “This is about no one being above