‘Mind-boggling’: Space Force chief fires off dire warning about Chinese capability to knock out US satellites
“Mind-boggling” is the word Space Force Gen. Chance Saltzman used to describe China’s explosive advances in space as he warned the U.S. is on a path to losing its dominance in orbit. Testifying before the bipartisan U.S.-China Commission on Thursday, Saltzman said China is “heavily investing” in both ground-based and space-based weapons designed to disable enemy satellites, including kinetic strikes, radio-frequency jamming and directed energy weapons. The U.S., meanwhile, is “resource limited” and still weighing “which ones we could get the most utility out of,” he said. The general’s testimony came as Congress weighs how to counter growing Chinese aggression in space and whether the Space Force has the tools to keep pace. China increased its military spending by 7% this year, stockpiling anti-satellite missiles and claiming to possess directed energy weapons that use concentrated energy beams to jam satellite signals. THE US IS NOT READY FOR A NUCLEAR SHOWDOWN WITH CHINA, KEY CONSERVATIVES WARN TRUMP There’s also a risk if China were to destroy a satellite in orbit, an action that could trigger a global catastrophe, Saltzman warned, pointing to lingering debris from Russia’s 2021 anti-satellite missile test and China’s 2007 test, which continue to threaten spacecraft safety. China’s space-based targeting capabilities have “grown most impressively” in recent years, Saltzman said, with hundreds of satellites now dedicated to tracking U.S. assets in orbit. That expansion has given the Space Force a “new mission set”: to deny China the ability to surveil American satellites in real time. Yet Saltzman warned the U.S. is falling behind. The Space Force budget has shrunk in absolute terms, even as space becomes an increasingly contested military domain. Lawmakers, he said, still operate with an “out of sight, out of mind” mindset. “It’s just still a low priority in terms of the policy regime,” Saltzman said. “The modern battlefield has to account for the space domain. If we can’t continue to protect our use of the domain – and we can’t deny an adversary – that’s going to be tied to the military objectives in any of the other domains. LASERS, SPACE RADARS, MISSILE INTERCEPTORS: DEFENSE LEADERS LAY OUT VISION FOR TRUMP’S ‘GOLDEN DOME’ PROJECT “I believe we have more missions unfunded than funded,” Saltzman said, adding that Space Force still lacks the size and capabilities needed to carry out its expanding responsibilities. The U.S., for example, does not have an operational quantum satellite, but China does. Quantum satellites can enable ultra-secure communications and advanced navigational technologies. China’s investment in space-based tech for long-range precision strikes and reusable launch vehicles “represent an inflection point in space access that may result in China overtaking U.S. leadership,” Saltzman said. Just weeks ago, Space Force Vice Chief of Operations Gen. Michael Guetlein revealed that China has been practicing satellite “dogfighting,” a sign of its growing ability to conduct complex operations in orbit. Space Force has observed “five different objects in space maneuvering in and out and around each other in synchronicity and in control,” he said. “That’s what we call dogfighting in space,” Guetlein said. “They are practicing tactics, techniques and procedures to conduct on-orbit operations from one satellite to another.”
Ex-Biden official running in blue state gubernatorial race must tackle key issue amid skyrocketing costs
California gubernatorial candidate and former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said the state may need to rein in its Medicaid program as it faces concerns about costs partly related to those in the country illegally using the system. Becerra, a Democrat who previously served as the Golden State’s attorney general, explained his stance in an interview with Fox 11 Los Angeles this week. “I believe we should eventually get there,” he said about allowing people to enroll in Medi-Cal even if they’re undocumented. HOUSE REPUBLICANS GRILL HHS SECRETARY BECERRA OVER MIGRANT CHILDREN: ‘WOULD NOT WANT TO BE YOU’ “Can we afford to do it? That’s where a governor has to decide… if we can’t afford it, we have to be realistic. If we can’t afford it, how do we do it?” he added. “But when you do the scrub… this is where it’s important, if you don’t have the dollars to do it, how do you do it? You need the money. California needs a balanced budget. You scrub it. If you find a way, you do it and don’t delay. But if you scrub it and you can’t figure out how to do it, then that’s the reality and that’s the choices we have,” the former Biden official continued. The overall Medi-Cal program was originally expected to cost $6 billion until a California budget official revealed that it’s projected to cost $9.5 billion this fiscal year. The governor’s office then asked for two separate loans, totaling $6.2 billion. ALLEGED MS-13 GANG LEADER LINKED TO NEARLY A DOZEN MURDERS, ON THE RUN FOR YEARS NABBED IN LONG ISLAND: DOJ When asked by KCRA, Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is term-limited and will leave office in January 2027, said that while illegal immigrants in the program are not the whole issue, it’s a contributing factor. “That’s partial,” Newsom said last month. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “With tough fiscal choices ahead, Governor Newsom, jointly with Pro Tem McGuire and Speaker Rivas, will evaluate proposals to rein in long-term spending – including in Medi-Cal – while working to protect the core health and social services Californians rely on,” Newsom spokesperson Izzy Gardon said in a statement to Fox News Digital. The governor and his office have said rising costs have led to higher than expected Medicaid costs in other states that do not allow illegal immigrants to enroll. “Immigration status doesn’t matter,” according to the California Department of Health Care services website, but Republicans have staunchly criticized allowing illegal immigrants in the program. COLLEGES IN ICE’S DEPORTATION CROSSHAIRS SHELLED OUT DISCOUNTS, FINANCIAL AID TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS: GOP REP “Even Jerry Brown refused to expand Medi-Cal to all illegal immigrants because he knew it was fiscally irresponsible and unsustainable,” California Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones tweeted last month. “Now under Newsom, legal residents are paying the price both financially and in reduced access to healthcare. The public deserves answers: Why are the costs so much higher than what Newsom promised? What is Newsom’s plan to fix the financial disaster he created?” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The 2026 California governor’s race is expected to be contentious, as Becerra, former Rep. Katie Porter, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis are already in the race on the Democratic side. Reports swirl that former Vice President Kamala Harris could make her comeback into politics after losing the 2024 election by running for governor. On the Republican side, Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco is currently in the race, and many others are expected to join him.
NY lawmakers call for transit chief’s ouster, float reforms after Duffy decries subway ‘s—hole’
New York State Republicans are demanding the ouster of the city’s transit chief, citing poor subway service despite an infusion of cash from Gov. Kathy Hochul’s “congestion pricing” Manhattan toll zone. A press conference came on Wednesday, days after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy visited Dover, N.J., to assess a massive sinkhole that had closed down I-80. Republicans are also calling for an audit of the entire transit agency. There, Duffy criticized Hochul for failing to rescind congestion pricing and said New York officials need to get a better handle on subway crime. “If you want people to take the train, to take transit, then make it safe, make it clean, make it beautiful, make it wonderful, don’t make it a s—hole, which is what she’s done,” he said. “We don’t have to be at war over this,” Hochul reportedly said in that regard. NY LAWMAKERS BLAST MTA AFTER COMMENTS ‘DISMISSIVE’ OF CRIME ISSUE State Sen. Steve Chan, R-Bath Beach, announced a bill at the Albany conference that would add two more members to the state-owned MTA’s board: one representing NYPD transit police and another representing the transit police union. Chan, a retired NYPD sergeant and immigrant from Hong Kong, condemned a string of dangerous incidents on the rails in and around his Brooklyn district, including the nationally reported case of a passenger set on fire in nearby Coney Island. “If it takes two men two days to dig a half a hole, then how long would it take one guy to dig a hole?” Chan asked at the presser. “The question can be answered by [MTA Chair] Janno Lieber, because that’s what he does every year: dig himself a hole,” he said. “The motto of the MTA seems to be, ‘the higher the cost, the less we have to offer you.’ So every year around this time, the MTA comes with their hand with a tin cup, ‘We need more money,’ and year after year, the Democrats in Albany bend the knee to a mismanaged, misguided and bloated, lackluster transit system.” Chan said that during his decades as a cop, he saw the best and worst of the subways, but today they’re leaning toward the worst. He said there was once a time only a few years ago when solo passengers could feel safe underground at 3 a.m., but not today. “I know private companies that could run the MTA better. I bet I can take a company and give them one single bus line. They’ll turn a profit right away.” Chan lamented what he called a criminal “free-for-all” in the subway system, arguing that claims of reduced crime are the result of lax enforcement and downgraded charges. SUBWAY MAYHEM SPURS CUOMO TO URGE HALT TO NEW NYC DRIVING TAX Sen. Bill Weber, R-Clarkstown, said his constituents north of the city have had to pay a surtax to the MTA for what he called inefficient service and have to choose whether to brave the indirect transit options or the congestion pricing tolls. He suggested the MTA is blaming NJTransit, which operates MTA trains that pass through the Garden State on their way to either Spring Valley or Port Jervis, and he also called for Lieber’s ouster. “Two bills that I’m proposing today … will bring more money back into the pockets of Rockland [County] taxpayers and hopefully will get the MTA moving in the right direction,” he said. Sen. Jack Martins, R-Mineola, added that he hopes the MTA succeeds but has long doubted it. “Their success is our success. Their success is New York State’s success,” he said, calling the agency’s $19.9 billion budget an appropriation without results. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “[For] every dollar that comes out [of a New Yorker’s] pocket that goes to fund the MTA, and frankly, we get nothing for it. It’s time for congestion pricing to be repealed. It’s time for an audit and a real audit that goes into the waste, fraud and abuse that exists at the MTA.” Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt, R-Niagara Falls, closed the conference by saying the GOP caucus wants the MTA to succeed, and that harsh criticism should not be misconstrued as wishing for failure. “[But] every time we throw them more money, we’re part of the problem. If we want accountability, the easiest way is to say, ‘The spigot’s turned off until you show us that you’re willing to make changes with the billions of dollars that you get, then we can have a conversation about other things we can do financially.’” In a statement to Fox News Digital, a top MTA official rejected the collective claims and criticized Martins in particular. “The LIRR is operating with record on-time performance and crime on the subway is down 24% since last year. And the MTA has a balanced operating budget, so it’s mind-boggling how some politicians are apparently not capable of reading a budget,” MTA chief of policy John J. McCarthy said. “Mr. Martins has a track record of being wrong. He fought improvements on the LIRR, opposing the Third Track Expansion Project [in Nassau County] – a project that only moved forward when Martins left office.” “Now Mr. Martins is back in office, the project is done, and he is trying to make believe there is no improvement – meanwhile it only happened because he was out of the picture.” An MTA official acknowledged that NJ Transit does run service to Rockland and Orange counties and that it could be better, in regard to Weber’s critique.
Pentagon watchdog opens probe into Hegseth’s use of Signal to discuss Houthi attack plans
The Pentagon’s inspector general has launched an investigation into whether Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated department policy by discussing military attack plans in a private Signal chat, following a report by The Atlantic. The probe will examine whether Hegseth improperly discussed operational plans for a U.S. offensive against the Houthis in Yemen and will also review “compliance with classification and records retention requirements,” according to a memo from Inspector General Steven Stebbins. The investigation was launched after the top Republican and Democrat on the Senate’s Armed Services Committee requested it last week. “This chat was alleged to have included classified information pertaining to sensitive military discussions in Yemen,” Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and ranking member Jack Reed, D-R.I., wrote in a letter to Stebbins. “If true, this reporting raises questions as to the use of unclassified networks to discuss classified and sensitive information.” TRUMP TEAM’S SIGNAL SNAFU SPARKS DEBATE OVER SECURE COMMS: ‘RUSSIA AND CHINA ARE LISTENING’ A memorandum addressed to Hegseth asked him to designate two points of contact for the investigation and said it would take place in Washington, D.C., and U.S. Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Florida. Hegseth sent details related to an offensive campaign against Yemen’s Houthi rebels last month to principal advisers of the president via a Signal app chat national security adviser Michael Waltz had started. The chat unintentionally included Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg. Stebbins is the acting Pentagon watchdog after President Donald Trump fired 17 inspectors general, including the Defense Department’s IG, shortly after taking office. Hegseth’s Signal messages revealed F-18, Navy fighter aircraft, MQ-9s, drones and Tomahawks cruise missiles would be used in the strike on the Houthis. TRUMP OFFICIALS ACCIDENTALLY TEXT ATLANTIC JOURNALIST ABOUT MILITARY STRIKES IN APPARENT SECURITY BREACH “1215et: F-18s LAUNCH (1st strike package),” Hegseth said in one message notifying the chat of high-level administration officials that the attack was about to kick off. “1345: ‘Trigger Based’ F-18 1st Strike Window Starts (Target Terrorist is @ his Known Location so SHOULD BE ON TIME – also, Strike Drones Launch (MQ-9s)” he added, according to the report. “1410: More F-18s LAUNCH (2nd strike package)” “1415: Strike Drones on Target (THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP, pending earlier ‘Trigger Based’ targets)” “1536 F-18 2nd Strike Starts – also, first sea-based Tomahawks launched.” “MORE TO FOLLOW (per timeline)” “We are currently clean on OPSEC” – that is, operational security. Waltz later wrote that the mission had been successful. “The first target—their top missile guy—was positively ID’d walking into his girlfriend’s building. It’s now collapsed.” Trump administration officials have insisted that nothing classified was shared over the chat. “No locations. No sources & methods. NO WAR PLANS,” Waltz wrote on X last week. Government officials frequently use Signal to communicate, even for sensitive information, as they don’t always have access to a sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF).
Father of Marine vet murdered in Mexico praises Trump admin sanctions on Sinaloa cartel: ‘Palpable’ momentum
The father of a 31-year-old Marine veteran from Arizona who was murdered at an illegal checkpoint while driving to the beach in Mexico in 2024 said he did not expect Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to reference his son’s name when announcing new sanctions against the Sinaloa cartel this week. Doug Quets, a U.S. military veteran himself, whose son, Nicholas Quets, served for four years in the Marines, said he was “really humbled and pleasantly surprised” that Bessent remembered him, as well as another American, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena. Camarena was abducted, tortured and killed in 1985. Bessent named both men in a video statement released Monday – what would have been Nicholas Quets’ 32nd birthday – that announced Treasury Department sanctions against six individuals and seven entities allegedly involved in a money-laundering network supporting the Sinaloa cartel. “I had full faith in President Trump… I knew we weren’t forgotten, but when the secretary mentioned my son’s name, no, I was not. I was not expecting that,” Doug Quets told Fox News Digital. “I have the faith in a lot of different levels of our government and in God that things could be done, because in fact, if you apply, if you pursue these problems and you confront these problems, they’re basically bullies, right? And so if you let the bullies go, they become bolder and bolder. But if you confront them, you can defeat them. So the momentum against these groups is palpable right now. I mean, you can feel it, you know that that’s occurring. And that’s only because of the United States deciding to do something about it.” SINALOA CARTEL SLAPPED WITH TRUMP ADMIN SANCTIONS IN BLOW TO DRUG EMPIRE Quets noted the contrast between the Trump administration’s message and what he heard from officials on both sides of the border five and a half months ago. He said his grieving family was told repeatedly by officials in the wake of Nicholas’ slaying in the Mexican state of Sonora that “we’re sorry, but there’s nothing that can be done.” “That, to me, is just infuriating because [as] somebody that’s spent a lot of time providing security for others and promoting welfare, the knowledge that nothing can be done against bullies and criminals, that perspective is wrong. You just have to confront it,” Quets told Fox News Digital. “We can win any fight. And we can win this fight. And knowing that President Trump is taking it very seriously, yeah, that gives me hope, gives my family hope that this will come to a good ending for so many people. It’ll never come to good ending for me, the things we want back, you know, they’re not coming back, but we can protect your family. We can protect other families.” Quets praised Trump for using “all instruments of U.S. national power” against the cartels and described receiving “overwhelming” support from the National Security Council, Justice Department and the FBI. “It’s moving, it never moves as fast as you want as a parent, but he has taken our case very seriously, and I’m super happy for that. And everything we discussed, he has moved out on and as fast, I’m convinced, as fast as he could,” Quets said. About three weeks ago, Attorney General Pam Bondi said she had a “powerful and emotional phone call” with Judge Enrique Camarena, the son of murdered DEA Special Agent Camarena, following the extradition of his alleged killer, Rafael Caro Quintero. Quintero was among 29 defendants taken into U.S. custody in February to face prosecution in the United States for cartel-related crimes dating back to the 1980s. FAMILY OF MARINE VETERAN MURDERED IN MEXICO BACKS TRUMP, VANCE AFTER SILENCE FROM BIDEN-HARRIS ADMIN Quets declined to reveal updates about his son’s case amid the active investigation but welcomed those extraditions as a sign of the growing momentum from U.S. agencies in confronting this “evil.” “I am pleased. I’m not surprised because I did know it could be done. And I did feel like it would be done under President Trump, but I’m pleased that these extraditions have started,” Quets said. Nicholas Quets, who was employed by Pima County, Arizona, in water reclamation and ran his own side business as a welder at the time of his death, was making a drive many Americans had made before down to the Mexican beach town of Rocky Point when he was murdered on Oct. 18, 2024, during the height of the election campaign, after evading an illegal checkpoint in Caborca, according to his father. The family later learned the route had become more treacherous with rival cartels fighting over the area, and two elderly American women were killed at a similar checkpoint about a month beforehand, though that story received little news coverage at the time. Nicholas Quets was pursued by cartel members on an about seven-mile chase before they ran his 1996 Ford F-250 into a cement median, and the alleged cartel members “shot him in the back as cowards,” according to Doug Quets. Just days after his son’s murder, Doug Quets said he met with vice presidential candidate and then-Sen. JD Vance, of Ohio, while he was campaigning in Arizona. Trump also met with the grieving father, who praised both Republicans for their humanity in speaking with him for about 15 minutes each while they were in the “fight of their lives” in the swing state. Doug Quets said he was ignored by Democratic vice-presidential candidate and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’ team when he made a campaign stop in the state. Trump later invited the Quets family to a rally in nearby Arizona, and Doug Quets said Trump unexpectedly introduced him to the crowd and invited him on stage to speak. “There was no script, there was nothing else. President Trump just put all his blind faith in me to just tell the truth,” Quets said. “Nick was an innocent U.S. citizen driving to the beach and was executed
Chip Roy follows Trump’s lead with bill to ‘beat China’ on trade
FIRST ON FOX: A key House Republican lawmaker is moving to bring more manufacturing back to the U.S. after President Donald Trump unveiled sweeping tax penalties on imports. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, policy chair of the House Freedom Caucus, introduced a bill Thursday aimed at providing tax incentives to companies that move their supply chains to the U.S. – so long as their output levels stay consistent in the move. Roy told Fox News Digital he specifically had China in mind when crafting the legislation. PENCE GROUP LASHES OUT AT TRUMP TARIFFS AHEAD OF ‘LIBERATION DAY’ EVENT: ‘TAX ON AMERICAN CONSUMERS’ “China is angling to surpass the United States as the world’s leading superpower, both politically and economically. If we want to preserve our strength and freedom as a nation, we cannot rely on adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to keep our shelves stocked and our economy prosperous,” Roy said. “There is no time to waste. Congress must act swiftly and collaborate with the Trump administration to revise the tax code to incentivize the reshoring of foreign manufacturing to the United States. The BEAT CHINA Act will do just that, and I look forward to working with House leadership on this important matter.” TRUMP, SENATE GOP BUDGET LEADERS HUDDLE AT WHITE HOUSE ON RECONCILIATION BILL Trump’s plan involves a 10% blanket tariff on all imports into the U.S., as well as reciprocal tariffs ranging between 10% and nearly 50% on both adversaries and allies – though in most cases, the U.S. rate is lower than the foreign country’s. “April 2, 2025, will forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn. The day America’s destiny was reclaimed. And the day that we began to make America wealthy again,” Trump said in remarks announcing his plan Wednesday. The plan levies a 34% reciprocal tariff against China specifically, compared to the 67% in tariffs that Beijing has slapped on Washington, according to White House data. Roy’s legislation would affect leases and purchases of commercial space, making companies eligible for bonus depreciation by making non-residential real property purchases by qualifying manufacturers considered 20-year property instead of 39-year property. It would also allow companies to exclude gains earned from selling off assets in their country of origin from gross taxable income, among other provisions.
President Trump, conservatives celebrate ‘absolutely massive’ Florida special elections sweep
President Donald Trump and other leading conservatives are celebrating a special election sweep in Florida, calling it a “huge win for America” and a rebuke to Democrat hopes for an upset in the deep red state. The races, in Florida’s 1st and 6th Congressional Districts, which Trump carried by 37 and 30 points in last year’s presidential election, are being viewed as early referendums on the opening couple of months of Trump’s second tour of duty in the White House. Republican candidates Jimmy Patronis and Randy Fine each won their elections soundly by margins of 15 and 14 percent, respectively. Patronis, a former Florida chief financial officer under Gov. Ron DeSantis, replaces former Rep. Matt Gaetz and Fine, a state senator, will replace Mike Waltz, the current national security adviser for the Trump administration. Though both races were in solidly red districts, the Democratic candidates far outraised the GOP, with the party pouring in millions of dollars in hopes of using frustrations with the early Trump administration to ride to victory and cut into the GOP’s miniscule majority in the House. FORMER DESANTIS OFFICIAL DEFEATS DEM FOR MATT GAETZ’S HOUSE SEAT Trump took to Truth Social on Tuesday night to celebrate both wins, calling Patronis’ victory a “great WIN against a massive CASH AVALANCHE.” “Both Florida House seats have been won, big, by the Republican candidate,” the president wrote, adding, “The Trump endorsement, as always, proved far greater than the Democrats forces of evil.” “CONGRATULATIONS TO AMERICA!!!” he said. In response to another Trump post Tuesday night which simply said, “RANDY FINE WINS!!!” Fine responded, “Because of you, Mr. President. I won’t let you down.” GOP STATE SENATOR WINS FLORIDA SPECIAL ELECTION, EXTENDS GOP HOUSE MAJORITY Republican influencer Charlie Kirk pointed out that Patronis won, despite his opponent raising $6.5 million compared to Patronis’ $2.1 million. Influencer Benny Johnson also brought up the fundraising differential, pointing out that Fine won despite Democrats investing over $10 million for his opponent. “Absolutely massive win,” said Johnson. “HUGE win for the Trump agenda, as we now have an extra Republican vote in the House,” commented social media personality Nick Sortor. “Democrats poured over $10 million into the race, but still got blown out of the water.” SCOOP: TRUMP ALLY DONALDS SHOWCASES CAMPAIGN CASH SURGE SINCE ANNOUNCING FLORIDA GOVERNOR RUN Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Florida, who is currently running to be Florida’s next governor, also chimed in, calling the victories a huge win. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Thank you to the thousands of Floridians who showed-up for our nation during this Special Election,” Donalds wrote. “This is a huge win for America, saves our House Majority, & helps us to pass the Trump Agenda.”
FLASHBACK: Unearthed photo shows smiling Obama touring SpaceX alongside ‘Nazi nepo baby’ Elon Musk
Before Elon Musk waded into the political arena with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), becoming a key target of Democrats in Congress and on the campaign trail, he was once considered an ally of former President Barack Obama and other Democrats. On April 15, 2010, Elon Musk was pictured with President Barack Obama while the president visited Cape Canaveral, Florida, Kennedy Space Center, while touring the “SpaceX launch pad.” Now, SpaceX is one of the leaders in space travel, and it was mostly recently credited for bringing NASA astronauts stuck on the International Space Station back home. “By the mid-2030s, I believe we can send humans to orbit Mars and return them safely to Earth. And a landing on Mars will follow. And I expect to be around to see it,” Obama said at the time, according to a news release. WHY ELON MUSK HANDED OUT MILLION DOLLAR CHECKS IN WISCONSIN “But I want to repeat – I want to repeat this: Critical to deep space exploration will be the development of breakthrough propulsion systems and other advanced technologies. So I’m challenging NASA to break through these barriers. And we’ll give you the resources to break through these barriers. And I know you will, with ingenuity and intensity, because that’s what you’ve always done,” he added. The billionaire and advisor to President Donald Trump recently shared a 2011 clip from Obama expressing the need to crack down on excess government spending. LIBERAL WINS FIRST MAJOR 2025 STATEWIDE BATTLEGROUND ELECTION IN RACE TURNED INTO TRUMP-MUSK REFERENDUM “Obama sounds exactly like [DOGE]!!” Musk posted on March 13. In 2022, Musk said he pulled away from the Democratic Party, and he quickly rose to prominence beyond the business world and into the political arena after his purchase of X, formerly known as Twitter, and his support for Trump in 2024. “In the past, I voted Democrat because they were (mostly) the kindness party. But they have become the party of division & hate, so I can no longer support them and will vote Republican,” Musk famously tweeted in May 2022. He donated to Obama multiple times during his 2008 and 2012 campaigns, according to Federal Election Commission records, further emphasizing the change over time of where he has placed his resources. In recent months, Musk has faced an onslaught of vile attacks from left-wing activists and Democratic lawmakers comparing him to the late Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. In February, “Squad” member Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., referred to Musk as a “Nazi nepo baby, a godless lawless billionaire, who no one elected.” Former left-wing Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., said Musk is “incompetent. He’s a thief. He’s a Nazi. And people don’t trust him.” This attack prompted Musk to say, “I’ve had enough. Lawsuit inbound.” In addition to verbal attacks against Musk, there have been at least “80 incidents of arson or vandalism against Tesla vehicles and 10 incidents of vandalism against Tesla dealerships, charging stations and facilities throughout the U.S. and Canada,” according to a resolution introduced by Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo. ‘WIDE-SCALE DOMESTIC TERRORISM’: ELON MUSK URGES AUTHORITIES ‘GO AFTER THE GENERALS’ BEHIND TESLA ATTACKS CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP In Tuesday’s special elections, Musk played a key role in the financial backing and rallying for Republican Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schmiel, who lost to Democrat Susan Crawford. Meanwhile, Musk’s proximity to the president because of DOGE has led the two to be lumped together on the campaign trail. “Donald Trump and Elon Musk were crushed in Wisconsin. Keep the pressure on,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies, D-N.Y., posted to X on Tuesday night. Obama’s office declined to comment for this story.
Dem congressman lashes Musk in opening salvo of populist bid in 2026 swing-state Senate race
Striking a populist theme and showcasing that he is a fighter, Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas on Thursday declared his candidacy in the 2026 race to succeed retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a fellow Democrat, in the key swing state of New Hampshire. “What I hear from people, they want someone who shows up, someone who listens and someone who isn’t afraid to take on the big fights, and more importantly today, who knows how to win them,” Pappas said in a campaign launch video posted on social media. Using clips of a listening tour he made through all 10 of New Hampshire’s counties last month as he ramps up toward running for the Senate, Pappas said voters feel like “the system’s rigged.” “You think about the Social Security office that’s going to be closed in Littleton, drastic cuts to Medicaid, all in the name of giving big tax breaks to billionaires like Elon Musk,” he argued, as he pointed to President Donald Trump’s top donor and the world’s richest person, who is leading the administration’s controversial downsizing of the federal government workforce. WHY THIS LONGTIME DEMOCRATIC SENATOR ISN’T RUNNING FOR RE-ELECTION NEXT YEAR Pappas emphasized, “I do get angry, because when you’re talking about public service, you should be focused on how you can help people, how you can make people’s lives better.” The four-term congressman, who represents the eastern half of the state, is the first major candidate in the race to succeed the 78-year-old Shaheen. RISING DEMOCRATIC PARTY STAR CRITICAL OF SCHUMER’S LEADERSHIP LAUNCHES SENATE RUN IN KEY BATTLEGROUND Shaheen, the first woman in the nation’s history elected governor and to the Senate, announced last month that she would not seek a fourth six-year term representing New Hampshire when she is up for re-election next year. The seat is one of the Senate Republicans’ top targets as they aim to expand their 53-47 majority in the chamber in next year’s midterms. For its part, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) instantly took aim at Pappas as being out of step with everyday New Hampshire voters. “Chris Pappas supports biological males competing in women’s sports, wants to ban gas-powered vehicles, and voted to raise taxes on hard-working Granite Staters,” NRSC regional press secretary Nick Puglia charged in a statement. “Pappas is extremely out of touch, and New Hampshire families deserve better.” Additionally, Fox News obtained a memo from the NRSC to donors making the case that the GOP can flip the seat. “Our internal polling data in New Hampshire demonstrates a favorable political environment for Republicans in this toss-up Senate race,” the NRSC argued in the memo. “With a registration advantage, edge on the generic ballot, stronger enthusiasm among our voters, and alignment with independents on core party policy issues, Republicans are well positioned to flip this open Senate seat in New Hampshire regardless of who either party nominates.” ONLY ON FOX NEWS: SENATE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN CHAIR REVEALS HOW MANY SEATS HE’S AIMING FOR IN 2026 In the race for the GOP Senate nomination in New Hampshire, former longtime Gov. Chris Sununu told Fox News Digital last month that he was holding a dialogue with national GOP leaders about potentially running. Sununu, who enjoys a large national profile thanks to his regular appearances the past few years on the cable news networks and Sunday talk shows, said he expected to make a decision in the coming weeks. However, Sununu noted that while “the door’s open” to running, he emphasized “it’s not open a lot, to be honest.” The former governor’s comments in recent interviews are a switch from last year, when he repeatedly said he would not seek to run for the Senate in 2026. A POPULAR FORMER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR MULLS SENATE RUN Four years ago, Sununu expressed interest in running for the Senate against his predecessor as governor, Democrat Sen. Maggie Hassan, who was up for re-election in 2022. The popular governor was heavily courted by national Republicans to take on Hassan. However, on Nov. 9, 2021, Sununu announced that he would instead run for a fourth term as governor, upsetting many Republicans in the nation’s capital. He also heavily criticized the Senate. “They debate and talk and nothing gets done,” he said at the time. Sununu is not the only Republican mulling a Senate bid in New Hampshire. Former Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts, who later narrowly lost to Shaheen in New Hampshire in the 2014 election, is seriously considering a 2026 run. Brown, who served four years as U.S. ambassador to New Zealand during President Donald Trump’s first administration, has been holding meetings with Republicans across New Hampshire for a couple of months and has met multiple times with GOP officials in the nation’s capital. TOP POLITICAL HANDICAPPER REVEALS DEMOCRATS CHANCES OF WINNING BACK THE SENATE MAJORITY Pappas may not have the Democratic Senate primary in New Hampshire all to himself. Sources close to Rep. Maggie Goodlander in New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District said last month that the first-term representative is considering a Senate run. Pappas, in his launch video, highlighted his Granite State roots, his business background and his record on Capitol Hill. Pappas, a former state representative and county treasurer who later served on New Hampshire’s five-member executive council before winning election to Congress in 2018 — including a re-election victory in 2022 over now-White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt — hails from a family that has owned and operated the famed Puritan Backroom restaurant and conference center for over a century. The restaurant, in Manchester, for decades has been a must-stop for White House hopefuls campaigning in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary. “I learned about serving the community, running our family business, which has been around for over 100 years, every day at the restaurant, you need to bring hard work and determination to get the job done,” Pappas highlighted in his video. However, Brown took to social media to take aim at Pappas, in a possible preview of a potential general election
Top House Republican backs Byron Donalds for Florida governor
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is backing Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., for Florida governor. “Byron Donalds is a principled conservative leader who Floridians can trust as their next Governor,” Johnson said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital, which was first reported by Politico Playbook. “In Congress, Byron has been tenacious in standing up for Florida and President Trump’s America First agenda. I have no doubt he will bring that same fighting spirit with him as Governor, working every day to improve the lives of Florida families. My good friend Byron Donalds has my full support,” Johnson added. SCOOP: TRUMP ALLY DONALDS SHOWCASES CAMPAIGN CASH SURGE SINCE ANNOUNCING FLORIDA GOVERNOR RUN The Sunshine State Republican thanked Johnson for his support, calling him a “good friend” in a post on X. “From local Tea Party Activism to the State House & the halls of Congress to my candidacy for Governor of Florida, my fight for the Sunshine State has been unwavering. Together, we are Making America Great Again,” Donalds added. The congressman announced his gubernatorial bid in February after President Donald Trump had already pledged to endorse him if he chose to run. ‘SHOW OF FORCE’: TRUMP ALLY KICKING OFF CAMPAIGN IN RACE TO SUCCEED FLORIDA GOV DESANTIS “Byron Donalds would be a truly Great and Powerful Governor for Florida and, should he decide to run, will have my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, BYRON, RUN!” Trump declared in a February Truth Social post. Last month Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., endorsed Donalds’ gubernatorial bid. Current Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is serving his second consecutive term, is not eligible to run again in 2026. DESANTIS REBUKES REPUBLICANS FOR BACKING BILL FOR CARBON SEQUESTRATION TASK FORCE: ‘ABSOLUTELY EMBARRASSING’ CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The Florida constitution stipulates, “No person who has, or but for resignation would have, served as governor or acting governor for more than six years in two consecutive terms shall be elected governor for the succeeding term.”