Republican lawmakers stand firm against Musk’s ‘Kill the Bill’ assault on Trump’s agenda
The Big, Beautiful Bill became the big, throbbing migraine for Congressional Republicans this week. That’s thanks to the big, ugly brawl between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk. It started Tuesday with a hangup between Congressional Republicans and Musk over the Big, Beautiful Bill. Musk characterized it as a “disgusting abomination.” He then turned on all 215 House Republicans who voted yes on the bill last month. “You know you did wrong,” declared Musk. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., tried to call Musk to foam the political flames. MUSK SAYS TRUMP WOULD HAVE LOST 2024 ELECTION WITHOUT HIM AS ‘BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’ FEUD CONTINUES “I called Elon last night. He didn’t answer. “But I hope to talk to him today,” said Johnson. Surely the world’s richest man would have the bandwidth for the Speaker of the House. But the hangup was only starting. Rather than returning the Speaker’s call, Musk returned political fire. Not by phone. But on his own communication platform. ELON MUSK WARPATH AGAINST TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ RATTLES HOUSE GOP On X, Musk posted an iconic picture of Uma Thurman in a yellow jumpsuit, wielding a sword from a Quentin Tarantino movie poster. “KILL the Bill,” read Musk’s caption. Reach out and touch someone? How about reach out and call your senator or representative? Musk’s influence – and rapid pivot – frightened Congressional Republicans. “To say that it’s a problem or that it has created a bigger challenge for us, is true,” said House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington,” R-Tex. “He’s got a big voice. He’s got a big audience. And more importantly, it’s a credible voice. But he’s wrong on this issue.” Still, Republicans weren’t budging as Musk demanded lawmakers craft a new piece of legislation. “Elon, look,” said an exasperated Johnson. “We don’t have time for a brand new bill.” ELON MUSK POSTS ‘KILL BILL’ MEME IN LATEST PUSH TO NIX TRUMP’S BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL The Speaker added that Congressional Republicans “can’t go back to the drawing board and we shouldn’t.” The political contretemps started simmering as Republicans quickly became incensed with Musk. “Give us some productive feedback that we can operate on. I can’t operate on platitudes,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., of Musk’s vague criticism about the size of the legislation and deficit spending. Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, is one of the two House Republicans who voted no on the Big, Beautiful Bill last month. “Part of the goal with Musk and conservatives like me that have had reservations about the bill is make it better,” said Davidson. “The disappointing thing is this bill does grow deficits in this Congress.” Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., was the other House GOPer who voted nay. He says Musk learned how Congress operates the hard way. DAVID MARCUS: MUSK VS. MAGA ON BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL, BUT GOP NEEDS BOTH “Trust was misplaced. And so I think he has a right to be upset with our leadership,” said Massie. But Democrats suddenly made strange bedfellows with Musk. They viewed Musk’s opposition as an opportunity to help them sidetrack the legislation. “He’s not my cup of tea, to put it mildly. But Republicans are already listening to him,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., of Musk. But at least one Democrat called out his colleagues for their inconsistency with Musk. “We’ve been dumping all over Musk and vandalizing Teslas,” said Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn. “And now suddenly, now we might be more back into him.” This all came as the Trump Administration asked Congress to chip away at spending. Budget Director Russ Vought sent lawmakers a $9.4 billion “rescissions” request. This measure asks that lawmakers claw back money it already allocated. “$9.4 billion is a teardrop in the ocean,” said Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C. “If we can’t get this now, then God help us on getting the true deficit numbers down.” The rescissions plan targeted foreign aid and public broadcasting. “You’ve sent us a rescission package worth $9 billion that goes after Big Bird and Cookie Monster,” lamented Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wisc., at a hearing with Vought. WHITE HOUSE STANDS BY TAX BILL AFTER MUSK CALLS IT A ‘DISGUSTING ABOMINATION’ The Congressional Budget Office analysis of the Big, Beautiful Bill found that it adds $2.3 trillion to the deficit over a decade. But Republicans say those figures are wrong. The CBO also issued an analysis – specific to President Trump’s tariffs. The CBO projects a $3 trillion decrease in deficits over the next decade because of the tariffs. The CBO cannot evaluate the tariffs under the One Big, Beautiful Bill – because, well, they’re not part of the legislation. But, proponents of the One Big Beautiful Bill say that measure, coupled with the tariffs, decreases deficits by $500 billion over the next decade. Some Republicans believe that the CBO estimate about the deficit is what set off Musk. “I think their assumptions are wrong. We have long complained about it,” said Johnson. But remember, this is the CONGRESSIONAL Budget Office. And REPUBLICANS run Congress. “Why are you not getting the numbers that you want?” asked yours truly of the Speaker. “They use a different scoring,” replied Johnson. “Would you consider a rescission for the CBO in the legislative branch appropriations bill?” I followed up. “I would,” answered Johnson. But the CBO is the least of Johnson’s worries as the battle between the president and Musk went supernova on Thursday. “What is the message you need to hear from him to make sure you are on the same page?” I asked Johnson of Musk – who still hadn’t connected. “I just want to answer any questions Elon has and make sure he fully understands this is not a spending program,” said Johnson. “Do you think he just misperceives this?” I inquired. “I do,” said Johnson. Senate Republicans who are noes on the bill applauded Musk’s staunch opposition to the One Big, Beautiful Bill. “We both seem to be on the same wavelength and that we’re very, very skeptical,”
Harvard sues Trump admin over foreign student ban, describes it as ‘government vendetta’
Harvard filed an amended complaint in federal court on Thursday arguing that the Trump administration’s decision to ban entry to foreign students with F and J visas if they plan to attend the Ivy League is unconstitutional. Over 7,000 students at Harvard hold F-1 or J-1 visas. Without those certifications, they can’t study, teach, or conduct research in the U.S. The ban also affects their families and dependents. According to the university’s lawsuit, the proclamation “lacks any lawful basis” and does not apply to any broad group of immigrants. “Nonimmigrants may enter the country unabated, as long as they do not attend Harvard,” the complaint states. TRUMP IS DOWN BUT NOT OUT IN COURT BATTLE OVER HARVARD’S FOREIGN STUDENT VISAS Harvard argues the measure does not target a “class of aliens,” but instead singles out Harvard-bound students, calling it a “government vendetta” rather than a national security measure. In April, a federal task force led by the Trump administration sent the university a list of demands, including ideological screening of students and faculty, “viewpoint diversity” quotas in hiring and admissions, and punishment of student activist groups. The administration also demanded Harvard report foreign funding sources and allow government oversight of internal policies. When Harvard refused, the government froze $2.2 billion in research funding. Trump later posted on Truth Social that Harvard should lose its tax-exempt status if it continued to “push radical ideology.” In another post, he accused the school of hiring “woke, Radical Left, idiots” and claimed it was no longer a great university. TRUMP ACCUSES HARVARD OF BEING ‘VERY SLOW’ TO TURN OVER FOREIGN STUDENT INFO The Department of Homeland Security revoked Harvard’s SEVP (Student and Exchange Visitor Program) certification a few days later, which allows the school to sponsor international students, but a federal judge blocked that decision. Harvard now says that the administration is using Trump’s proclamation to do what the courts have already stopped. The government claims Harvard failed to provide complete information on its international student population, but the university says it has submitted all records required by law and that the revocation is a pretext. “There is no lawful justification for the government’s unprecedented actions,” the university said in Thursday’s filing. The amended complaint also reveals that Harvard is being represented by Robert Hur, the former special counsel who interviewed former President Joe Biden. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin responded to the lawsuit by saying it “seeks to kneecap the President’s constitutionally vested powers under Article II. It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students. “The Trump administration is committed to restoring common sense to our student visa system; no lawsuit, this or any other, is going to change that. We have the law, the facts, and common sense on our side.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP International students now face uncertainty as the legal battle wages on. Jing, a 23-year-old Chinese graduate student interning in Asia, told The Associated Press: “It is tiring; we all feel numb now.” Another student, Yonas Nuguse from Ethiopia, who was accepted after surviving war and a school shutdown, also told The AP, “I hope the situation is temporary and I can enroll on time.” Fox News’ Louis Casiano and David Spunt contributed to this report.
Fetterman disses Dems for suddenly embracing Musk amid Trump fallout
Maverick Democratic Sen. John Fetterman dissed members of his own party Thursday for suddenly backing Elon Musk during his feud with President Donald Trump. Democrats have found an unlikely ally in Musk this week, given his public rejection of Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” and a subsequent call for Trump’s impeachment. The president has championed the legislation as fulfilling his key campaign promises, including border security, American energy production and tax cuts. The megabill is under consideration by both a Republican-led White House and Congress. But it has faced hiccups in the Senate this week as Republicans, including some who helped pass the bill through the House, have indicated they do not support the bill in its current form. Every House Democrat voted against the bill. ELON MUSK WARPATH AGAINST TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ RATTLES HOUSE GOP The national debt is at $36,214,501,400,213.64 as of June 5, according to the latest numbers published by the Treasury Department. GOP SENATORS EXPRESS ‘CONCERNS,’ ‘SKEPTICISM’ OVER TRUMP’S SPENDING BILL AFTER MUSK RANT Amid the setbacks, Musk has thrown a wrench into the Republican’s reconciliation process through a series of fiery posts on X, the platform he bought in 2022. And Democrats were quick to coalesce behind Musk‘s rejection of the bill, seizing on the GOP’s intraparty conflict despite their outright rejection of Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) this year. In the first of several posts targeting the bill, and then Trump directly, Musk said, “I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.” Fetterman, who has built a reputation for bucking his own party on issues like immigration and support for Israel, was quick to call out the inconsistency of his fellow Democrats Thursday. “The Dems, we’ve been dumping all over Musk and vandalizing Teslas or whatever, and now, suddenly, we might be more back into him,” Fetterman said. Democrats began staging protests at Tesla dealerships early into Trump’s second term. Tesla vehicles and dealerships have also been targeted this year in a string of violent attacks against the company, another business owned by Musk. Trump’s Justice Department labeled the attacks “domestic terrorism.” And while the Pennsylvania Democrat said Musk is right for rejecting Trump’s megabill, Fetterman said Thursday Democrats have to decide what they think of Musk and stick with it. “It wasn’t that long ago that Tesla was like the virtue-signaling kind of accessory for Dems,” Fetterman said. “I would never want to vandalize Teslas, and the ‘big, beautiful bill’ is wrong for America. So, from my perspective, I’ve just tried to be consistent through that.” Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., was one Democrat who acknowledged this week that Democrats should work with Musk on their shared objective to stop Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.” And GOP Rep. Tim Burchett piled on the criticism of Democrats’ inconsistencies, telling Fox News Digital, “It’s kind of ironic to me that, a week ago, the Democrats hated Elon Musk’s guts … and now they’re basing everything they have on him.” Fox News Channel’s Chad Pergram and Fox News Media’s Dan Scully contributed to this report.
‘Gone too far’: GOP lawmakers rally around Trump after Musk raises Epstein allegations
House GOP lawmakers are accusing Elon Musk of going “too far” after he suggested President Donald Trump was “in the Epstein files.” “Hopefully we never have to answer questions about tweets like that from Elon again,” said Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, calling Musk’s comments “not helpful.” “Elon crossed the line today,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital, Musk referenced late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein in relation to Trump Thursday as part of a larger tirade against the president and Republican leaders over their budget reconciliation bill. HOUSE GOP TARGETS ANOTHER DEM OFFICIAL ACCUSED OF BLOCKING ICE AMID DELANEY HALL FALLOUT The tech billionaire accused Republicans of adding to the national debt — currently nearing $37 trillion — with legislation they’ve called Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.” “Time to drop the really big bomb. [Trump] is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!” Musk wrote on X. “Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.” Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, said Musk had “gone too far.” NATIONAL DEBT TRACKER: AMERICAN TAXPAYERS (YOU) ARE NOW ON THE HOOK FOR $36,214,501,400,213.64 AS OF 6/5/25 “There’s just no need for this,” Nehls said. “Those conversations should be taking place behind closed doors.” Some Republicans argued that any damning information about Trump and Epstein would have already been revealed if it existed. “What I would say is, if Joe Biden had Donald Trump in the Epstein logs, there’s no question it would have come out during the campaign,” Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital. “So, I don’t know what’s prompting it. I think it’s all unfortunate.” Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., questioned why Musk would let his young son, nicknamed “X,” around Trump if he believed he was closely associated with a pedophile. “The Biden administration would have put it out. There’s nobody that Democrats hate more than Donald J. Trump, and he’s handing them their lunch every day. So, I don’t put much faith into it,” Burchett said. “Why would he let his kid hang out with the president if that was true? That just doesn’t make any sense. And now he’s calling for his impeachment. I mean, it’s just going off to the deep end.” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., who is leading a task force on declassifying federal investigations, including Epstein’s, told reporters she did not think Musk’s suggestion held water. “Speaking to Jeffrey Epstein, I will be very specific that I do believe that if President Trump was in the Epstein files, they would have released it during the primary, and they didn’t,” Luna said. MEET THE TRUMP-PICKED LAWMAKERS GIVING SPEAKER JOHNSON A FULL HOUSE GOP CONFERENCE “So, the fact is, is that I do not believe that President Trump is in the Epstein files, the way that it’s being implied, but either which way, this is why we continue to push for transparency.” Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., however, stood apart in his answer in calling for more transparency into the Epstein files. “Facts will bear out whatever they will,” Norman said. “The Epstein files are bound to come out, and let it come out. We ought to see it. America has a right to know, just like they do with the John F. Kennedy files, the Bobby Kennedy files.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt attributed Musk’s tirade to Trump’s bill, which is focused on working- and middle-class tax relief and not benefiting Musk and his companies enough. “This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted. The President is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation and making our country great again,” Leavitt said. Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., told Fox News Digital, “I could not tell you what Elon Musk’s motivations are, but I can tell you what we’re going to do, which is avoid a $4 trillion tax increase on the American people. And while it’s well-known the two men were acquainted, a source familiar with the matter pointed out that Trump had kicked Epstein out of his Palm Beach Golf Club. Trump had permanently banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago for hitting on a teenage daughter of a club member, according to a book, “The Grifter’s Club.” “The administration itself released Epstein files with the President’s name included. This is not a new surprise Elon is uncovering. Everyone already knew this,” the source said. “If Elon truly thought the President was more deeply involved with Epstein, why did he hang out with him for six months and say he ‘loves him as much as a straight man can love a straight man?’” Fox News Digital has also reached out to Musk for comment via his office at Tesla.
Chinese chemical bust by border officials underscores multifront effort by CCP to undermine US
Mexican drug cartels are getting help from the Chinese to build their drug empire that feeds off American consumers. Border patrol officials intercepted 50,000 kilos of precursor chemicals this week used in the process of manufacturing methamphetamines, sent from China and intended for members of the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico. In addition to providing the cartels with the chemicals needed to make illicit drugs, Chinese entities are also one of the foremost actors in helping them launder their proceeds, according to the Treasury Department. “For far too long, the Mexican drug cartels have raked in billions of dollars at the expense of our local communities leaving nothing but addiction, death and despair in their wake,” said Chad Plantz, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge in Houston. “This initiative provides HSI with a game-changing method to stay one step ahead of the cartels by disrupting the flow of chemicals that they depend on to produce illicit narcotics.” ‘COMING FOR US’: EXPERT SOUNDS ALARM ON CCP’S MISSION TO ‘KILL AMERICANS’ AFTER FBI MAKES SHOCKING ARRESTS The seizure was part of an ongoing initiative launched in 2019 to identify suspicious shipments of precursor chemicals from China, India and other countries that are destined for Mexican drug cartels. Since the initiative was established, officials have interdicted more than 1,700,000 kilograms of chemicals used to manufacture methamphetamines and fentanyl, including a seizure this past March of 44,000 kilograms of precursor chemicals at the Port of Houston, destined for the Sinaloa Cartel. Immigration officials’ bust comes amid news of a spate of other incidents involving Chinese nationals or individuals working for China who have engaged in espionage efforts, ranging from agroterroism and selling military secrets, to infiltrating U.S. universities and utilizing American-based products to sow political divisions online. In the latest incident, two Chinese nationals were charged with allegedly smuggling a “dangerous biological pathogen” into the U.S. to study at a University of Michigan laboratory. This happened amid controversy over the Trump administration’s effort to intensify visa scrutiny for Chinese nationals trying to enter the United States. CHINESE OFFICIAL REPORTEDLY SEEKING TALKS WITH TRUMP ON FENTANYL INGREDIENTS AMID TRADE WAR Last month, an expansive investigation by a group of Stanford students detailed how there is a culture of students and faculty at their school doing work for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The report highlighted how some students want to work with the Chinese government, such as through sharing intellectual property or aligning their research priorities with Chinese interests, while others are sometimes coerced into doing work for the CCP, particularly if they have family back in Beijing. Meanwhile, just this week, reports of Chinese efforts to steal U.S. state secrets or sow political divisions have surfaced. On Friday, the Department of Justice indicted two Chinese nationals and a lawful permanent resident for conspiring to traffic sensitive American military technology to the CCP. Over the weekend, a British businessman was arrested for attempting to smuggle sensitive U.S. military components to China. American artifical intelligence company OpenAI this week also shutdown a Chinese-linked influence operation that was utilizing its ChatGPT product to generate social media posts and sow political division related to U.S. politics online. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “The new visa policy is long overdue,” Congresswoman Michele Steel said. “After four years of willful ignorance – or gross incompetence – under the Biden administration, President Trump has wasted no time in directing his administration to take the decisive, necessary action to finally thwart the pervasive and growing threat of Chinese communist espionage.”
Democrats begin to embrace Musk amid Trump spat after party railed against him as a ‘dictator’
Democrats are moving to embrace former Department of Government Efficiency leader Elon Musk as he publicly spats with President Donald Trump, despite many party voters and lawmakers railing against Musk for months as a “fascist” or “dictator” for taking a hatchet to the federal government’s overspending and fraud within the Trump administration. “If Biden had a big supporter criticize him, Trump would have hugged him the next day,” Democrat California Rep. Ro Khanna posted to X on Thursday of Musk’s criticisms of the “big, beautiful bill.” “When we refused to meet with @RobertKennedyJr, Trump embraced him & won. We can be the party of sanctimonious lectures, or the party of FDR that knows how to win & build a progressive majority.” Khanna told Politico on Wednesday that Democrats should “ultimately be trying to convince [Musk] that the Democratic Party has more of the values that he agrees with.” WHITE HOUSE STANDS BY TAX BILL AFTER MUSK CALLS IT A ‘DISGUSTING ABOMINATION’ “A commitment to science funding, a commitment to clean technology, a commitment to seeing international students like him,” he added. Democrat New York Rep. Ritchie Torres told the outlet on Wednesday, “I’m a believer in redemption, and he is telling the truth about the legislation.” Torres said Musk has “done an enormous amount of damage” and “there are Democrats who see his decimation of the federal workforce and the federal government as an unforgivable sin.” “Couldn’t agree with Elon more: kill the bill,” Jon Favreau, who served as former director of speech writing for former President Barack Obama, posted to X in response to Musk calling on lawmakers to “kill” the legislation. JONATHAN TURLEY WARNS DEMOCRATS ‘SHREDDING’ THEIR OWN BELIEFS WITH ‘DANGEROUS’ ANTI-MUSK CAMPAIGN Musk is in the midst of publicly trading barbs with Trump over the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which is sweeping legislation currently making its way through Congress and aims to fund the president’s agenda. “I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore,” Musk posted to X on Tuesday. “This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.” In addition to Democrats who don’t support the bill, Musk has also found himself aligned with members of the House Freedom Caucus, which is considered the most conservative voting bloc within the lower chamber, as well as staunch fiscal conservatives in the Senate, such as Republicans Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Wisconsin Sen. Ron. Johnson, who have publicly rebuked the legislation. Some Democrats posting messages favorable of Musk’s comments on the “big, beautiful bill” come after many left-wing voters and lawmakers, as well as federal employees, slammed Musk for months as an unelected billionaire who was helping shape White House policy. Many also took issue with Musk on inauguration day for delivering what dozens of media outlets described as a “Nazi-style salute” to Trump supporters. “If you’re cool and want to defend the ‘Sieg Heils’ and the Nazi salutes … whatever you want to do, that’s on you,” Democrat New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Coretz said in January following the gesture. “I’m on the opposite side of that. I’m not with the Nazis.” “I never imagined we would see the day when what appears to be a Heil Hitler salute would be made behind the Presidential seal,” New York Rep. Jerry Nadler tweeted in January. “This abhorrent gesture has no place in our society and belongs in the darkest chapters of human history. I urge all of my colleagues to unite in condemning this hateful gesture for what it is: antisemitism.” “He’s incompetent. He’s a thief. He’s a Nazi. And people don’t trust him,” former Democrat New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman said of Musk in March. “He’s a Nazi nepo baby who breaks everything he touches,” Massachusetts Democrat Rep. Ayanna Pressley said in February as Musk announced cuts to the federal government via DOGE. “And right now he’s locked himself in a room with grandpa’s Social Security check.” Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey referred to Musk as a “dictator” at an anti-DOGE rally in February. TESLA HYPOCRISY: DEMS CONTINUE INVESTING IN ELON MUSK COMPANY DESPITE PAINTING HIM AS VILLAIN Fiscal conservatives in Congress have spoken out against the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as one that will increase the U.S. debt ceiling by trillions, including Senate Republicans bucking support for the legislation after its passage in the House last month. “I want the tax cuts to be permanent. But at the same time, I don’t want to raise the debt ceiling $5 trillion,” Paul told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “The GOP will own the debt once they vote for this.” Trump has admonished the criticism from fiscally conservative Republicans, arguing that Paul, for example, was on the verge of siding with the “Radical Left Democrats” and encouraging a 68% tax hike on Americans if he voted against the legislation. Musk, since stepping down from his DOGE role in May after his 130 predetermined days as a special government employee ended, ramped up his criticism of the bill on Wednesday, including encouraging lawmakers to “kill the bill.” On Thursday, Trump directly addressed Musk’s comments, saying in an Oval Office meeting with the chancellor of Germany that he was “disappointed” by Musk’s attacks on the legislation and said he was unsure how their friendly relationship would fare through the criticisms. Trump added that Musk’s disapproval of the bill was allegedly tied to its cuts to electrical vehicle mandates. Musk is the CEO of electric vehicle company Tesla. MUSK SAYS TRUMP WOULD HAVE LOST 2024 ELECTION WITHOUT HIM AS ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ FEUD CONTINUES “I’m very disappointed because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here, better than you people. He knew everything about it. He had no problem with it,” Trump said Thursday. “All of a sudden, he had a problem. And he only developed the problem when he found out that we’re going
WATCH: Republican senators react to Musk v. Trump feud: ‘He’s not the CEO here’
Republican senators John Cornyn of Texas and Roger Marshall of Kansas shared their thoughts on the sudden, escalating feud between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump, with one senator saying Musk needs to realize “he’s not the CEO here.” After denying “outlandish” Democratic claims that the Trump-backed “big, beautiful bill” would result in cuts to Medicaid and SNAP benefits if passed, Cornyn addressed whether he believes Trump is wise to threaten to cancel all of Musk’s companies’ government contracts. Musk and Trump have been locked in an escalating war of words over their disagreement about the president’s proposed budget bill, which is being considered by the Senate. In an X post Tuesday, Musk said: “I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.” ELON MUSK POSTS ‘KILL BILL’ MEME IN LATEST PUSH TO NIX TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ Musk then asserted Thursday afternoon that Trump “is in the Epstein files” and “that is the real reason they have not been made public.” Meanwhile, Trump has said Musk is “wearing thin” during his leadership at DOGE and asserted he “asked him to leave.” “I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!” Trump said on Truth Social. The president also said Thursday “the easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ FACES RESISTANCE FROM REPUBLICAN SENATORS OVER DEBT FEARS “I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!” Cornyn stopped short of criticizing either side, telling Fox News Digital Musk “has done a great service to the nation” and “I’m grateful to President Trump for bringing him on board and initiating DOGE.” Even through Musk’s spat with the president, Cornyn said the Department of Government Efficiency is “going to now be a permanent part of our discussions up here.” “Everybody believes, or understands, I should say, that the federal government is too big and too bloated and inefficient, and Elon and DOGE was very effective, I thought, at pointing out some of the most egregious examples of that,” the Texas Republican said. RADICAL NEW DOGE TRANSPARENCY POWERS COULD HIT CONGRESS AFTER ELON MUSK EXIT Marshall responded to the controversy by telling Fox News Digital, “We appreciate what Elon did for the government, but it’s time to move on. “What Elon doesn’t realize is that he’s not the CEO here. “Working for Congress, working for the people back home is so much different than being a CEO. [When] you’re a CEO, you tell people jump, they say, ‘How high do you got to go?’ But President Trump is working with a board.” Marshall described the president’s role as “working with a board of a big business.” “There’s 435 across the Capitol way here. There’s 100 in the Senate. We’ve all got opinions. And, right now, this bill, I think 90% of the folks up here, Republicans, thinks that it’s where it needs to be,” he said. Though acknowledging “there’s opportunities for improvement” and “I agree with Elon that we’re still spending too much money, that we need more cuts, I’ve learned a long time ago to stay locked in on my goal. And I am locked in on getting this one big, beautiful bill across the line.” ‘AMERICAN HERO’ OR ‘FAILURE’: ELON MUSK’S DOGE DEPARTURE DIVIDES CAPITOL HILL “I can guarantee you we’re not paying any attention to this little feud going on,” he concluded. Regarding Democratic accusations that the bill will drastically cut Medicaid and SNAP benefits, Marshall said, “We’re going to do the right thing, but protect it for those who need it the most.” He posited that the Medicaid system is rife with illegal aliens and other individuals using the program “fraudulently.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Addressing the rest of those not using the system fraudulently, the senator said, “We’re not going to take grandma out of the nursing home. We’re going to make sure that she has her Medicaid. “Persons with disabilities, I will fight to keep their Medicaid for them, children as well. But, on the other hand, there’s probably 7 million healthy American men out there, working age, that really should be working and not on Medicaid, not on food stamps,” he added. “So, let’s help those people get a job.”
Former top Hochul aide’s unearthed family connections to CCP raises alarm bells
EXCLUSIVE: A former top aide in New York Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office is the daughter of a former Chinese journalist whose archived biography says he worked for the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) “Education Department of the News Bureau of the Central Propaganda Department” as a deputy director and served in multiple leadership roles at state-run media outlets, a Fox News Digital investigation found. Fan Xiaojiang, or Elaine, is currently serving as the chief of staff for Democrat Scott Stringer’s mayoral campaign and has been involved in Democrat politics in New York for more than a decade, including serving as Hochul’s director of Asian affairs between October 2021 and November 2023, according to her Linkedin profile. The latest campaign finance filing shows that she has been paid more than $120,000 by the Stringer campaign since last August. Stringer’s campaign declined to comment for this story. Fan, who is originally from Beijing, was recognized by the City University of Hong Kong’s Centre for Communication Research in a 2021 press release promoting her role in the Hochul administration. The press release called her an “alumnus” and boasted about her being “one of the very few Asian-American leaders who hold a senior position in the state’s government.” BOMBSHELL REPORT SUGGESTS ‘CHINESE SPIES’ INFILTRATING PRESTIGIOUS US UNIVERSITY: ‘WIDESPREAD CAMPAIGN’ The press release went on to quote professor Jonathan Zhu, a former supervisor, who said that “Elaine is the third generation of a journalist’s family in China, with her grandfather and father each playing a distinguished role in the respective eras of the nation’s history.” Fox News Digital can now exclusively confirm that this press release was referring to Fan Dongsheng, her father, and Fan Changjiang, her late grandfather. When reached for comment on whether Elaine’s father influenced her to go into the media, Zhu confirmed to Fox News Digital that Dongsheng was her father and said, “Although I have never eyewitnessed what Fan Dongsheng told his daughter about career choice, his influence on her is obvious and imaginable.” He went on to say that Dongsheng visited the university that his daughter attended a “few times, including a talk to our faculty members and graduate students on his experience in launching and operating Huasheng Monthly, one of the earliest online news websites in China.” Prior to jumping into state government in 2014 as the “Queens Borough Director & Citywide Asian American Affairs” for Stringer’s comptroller office, Elaine was the “Chief Reporter” for Ming Pao Daily News for almost a decade between 2005 and 2015, according to her Linkedin profile. A few years before she joined the media outlet, the Jamestown Foundation, a nonpartisan defense policy think tank, sounded the alarm about the media outlet being “heavily influenced” by the Chinese government and revealed that sources told them that the Chinese Consulate in New York was their “true boss.” This would not be the first time that someone from the Fan family would work for a media outlet influenced by the Chinese government. Fan’s father served as the president and editorial director of China Press, or Qiaobao, in New York between 1999 and 2005, according to multiple archived online bios. COZY TIES BETWEEN TOP NEWSOM ALLY AND CCP OFFICIAL UNEARTHED ON NETWORKING SITE: ‘SHE HELPED ME A LOT’ China Press was not only designated by the State Department during President Donald Trump’s first term as “state-backed propaganda” and a “foreign mission,” but the Hoover Institution also sounded the alarm, saying in a 2020 report that the “state-owned China News Service and the Overseas Chinese Office of the State Council dispatched editorial personnel to the United States” to found Qiaobao. The elder Fan also served as the “director of the Special Editorial Department of the Chinese News Agency,” which now refers to the Xinhua News Agency, a top state-run propaganda outlet, according to the Hoover Institution. Multiple bios said he was also the deputy director of the “Education Department of the News Bureau of the Central Propaganda Department.” According to a Chinese government website reviewed by Fox News Digital, the CPD is the “organization primarily responsible for monitoring content to ensure that China’s publishers, in particular its news publishers, do not print anything that is inconsistent with the Communist Party’s political dogma.” After leaving state-owned media, Dongsheng held multiple leadership roles at the Cheung Kong School of Journalism and Communication at Shantou University, a Chinese university that has sections on their website that promote the CCP “Party Building Work” and hosted a themed life meeting a few years ago on “Strive like an outstanding Communist Party member” The editor of China Brief at the Jamestown Foundation expressed deep concerns when Fox News Digital reached out about Fan’s familial ties to the CCP, saying she “comes from an illustrious family of CCP journalists.” “Her grandfather was one of the more prominent propagandists of the CCP’s struggles from the 1930s onwards, while her father worked for a range of party publications managed under the central propaganda department in Beijing,” Arran Hope told Fox News Digital. “This included a stint in the United States, where her daughter now works as chief of staff to mayoral candidate Scott Stringer, following a stint as a reporter for another party outlet here. Fan has not distanced herself from her family legacy, quite the opposite. In 2017, for example, she delivered a speech at a journalism school in the PRC (People’s Republic of China) named in her grandfather’s honor.” SCHUMER SPOTTED POSING FOR PHOTO WITH CCP OFFICIAL AS WARNINGS SWIRL ABOUT CHINA INFLUENCE “More concerning for New York City’s voters, she appears to be actively involved in the party’s United Front system, which seeks to promote the party’s preferences and control both within and without the PRC. She has given speeches at events organized by the PRC Consulate in New York that celebrate United Front organizations in the city,” he continued. “These events call for promoting reunification with Taiwan as well as advocating for the ‘motherland’ and its interests. To have somebody whom PRC diplomats clearly view favorably
White House backs major legislation to speed up deportations
EXCLUSIVE: The White House is backing legislation to expedite the timeline for executing removal orders for illegal immigrants. The Rapid Expulsion of Migrant Offenders who Violate and Evade (REMOVE) Act, led by senators Marsha Blackburn, Ted Budd and Ted Cruz would give the Department of Justice a quick 15-day timeframe to finish “removal proceedings” after the process has “commenced.” “Under Joe Biden’s failed leadership, we saw the largest wave of illegal immigration in our nation’s history, forcing communities across Tennessee and America to bear the consequences,” Blackburn said in a statement Thursday, when the bill was introduced. “With a record number of illegal aliens now living in the United States, President Trump must have every tool necessary to remove them quickly from our country. Our REMOVE Act would require these illegal aliens to begin removal proceedings within 15 days of a Notice to Appear being served,” she added. ICE TOUTS RECORD-BREAKING IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT DURING TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff for policy, said the bill will help with the administration’s deportation goals, adding the administration is aiming for 3,000 arrests daily. Immigration and Customs Enforcement broke single-day arrest records Tuesday and Wednesday with well over 2,000 arrests. “Under the Biden Administration, the American people witnessed a full-scale invasion of our country that directly threatened our national security and sovereignty. With untold millions of illegal aliens in the U.S. due to Democrats’ open-border policies, we must take strong, decisive measures to remove those who have been ordered to be removed from the United States,” Miller, who’s also a Homeland Security advisor for the White House, said in a statement. VICE PRESIDENT VANCE VOWS TRUMP ADMIN WILL ‘USE EVERYTHING’ IT CAN TO INCREASE NUMBER OF CRIMINAL DEPORTATIONS “The REMOVE Act is critical legislation that will help us fulfill our mass deportation operation and get gang members, cartels, and violent criminals off the streets. Passing this legislation, in conjunction with the largest mass deportation investment in American history provided by our One Big Beautiful Bill, will ensure we permanently secure the border. Thank you to Senator Blackburn for her leadership.” Millions of people were estimated to have entered the country illegally during the Biden administration, including through the southern border. ‘PROMPT REMOVAL’: TRUMP DHS EXPANDS EXPEDITED DEPORTATION POWERS AS OPERATIONS RAMP UP Federal authorities have stressed removing those with criminal convictions and ties to gangs like MS-13 and Tren de Aragua, which the administration designated as foreign terrorist organizations. Others have been encouraged to self-deport before facing a potential arrest, and the federal government will pay for their exit flight and provide $1,000 after their exit from the United States is confirmed. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE During Trump’s first 100 days in office, over 65,000 illegal immigrants were removed from the country, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “Now, President Trump is stepping in to restore order. I’m proud to stand with Senator Blackburn and my colleagues to fast-track the removal of those who have been ordered to be removed. It’s time we uphold the integrity of our immigration system to protect our nation,” Budd stated. A Pew Research Center poll from March indicated the majority of American adults back deportations of illegal immigrants to at least some extent, including 32% who back the removals of all of them, regardless of whether another crime was committed.
Would Donald Trump have won the 2024 presidential election without Elon Musk’s help?
As the once-strong alliance between President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk rapidly disintegrates, the two titans are not only trading fire over the president’s “big, beautiful” tax cuts and spending bill. Trump and Musk, who spent the first four months of the president’s second administration as a special White House advisor steering the recently created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), are also blasting each other over which one of them should get the credit for Trump’s decisive 2024 election victory. The president, speaking with reporters Thursday, argued, “I think I would have won” even without Musk’s help on the campaign trail last year. Musk, the world’s richest person and the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, went all in for Trump last summer and autumn. MUSK UNLEASHES EPSTEIN CLAIM AGAINST TRUMP AFTER BEING BOOTED FROM DOGE He endorsed the GOP presidential nominee in July right after the assassination attempt against Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. Musk became the top donor of the 2024 election cycle, dishing out nearly $300 million in support of Trump’s bid through America PAC, a Trump-aligned super PAC. Much of the money was used for get-out-the-vote efforts and ads in the crucial battleground states as Trump and Kamala Harris faced off for the presidency. TRUMP SAYS HE’S ‘VERY DISAPPOINTED IN MUSK FOR OPPOSING ’BIGGEST TAX CUTS IN HISTORY’ Musk concentrated much of his efforts on Pennsylvania. He joined Trump for the first time on the campaign trail at an Oct. 5 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, then held five town halls in the Keystone State later in October. And Musk set up a war room of sorts in Pittsburgh. Trump, mentioning how Musk campaigned for him in Pennsylvania, pointed to his White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, who was co-chair of Trump’s 2024 campaign. The president noted that “Susie would say I would have won Pennsylvania easily anyway.” Musk, apparently watching Trump’s comments in real time, quickly fired back on X, which Musk renamed after buying Twitter. “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,” Musk wrote. “Such ingratitude.” MUSK-TRUMP ‘BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL FEUD SPIRALS OUT OF CONTROL Tom Eddy, the GOP chairman in Erie County, a longtime crucial swing county in northwestern Pennsylvania, told Fox News that Musk “helped Trump significantly. I really think so. He had money and he had a name.” But Eddy added that “my gut feeling would be that Trump is basically saying, ‘Look. I won the election. These people helped me, but I won.’ That’s what he’s trying to bring across.” Veteran Republican strategist John Brabender, who served as a media consultant to the 2024 Trump campaign, told Fox News Digital that “Elon and many others played an important role in helping the president win states all across America.” “But the bottom line is there’s only one constant and one person who is most responsible, by far, and that’s President Trump. That’s who people voted for,” Brabender added. Longtime Republican consultant Dave Carney, a veteran of numerous GOP presidential campaigns over the past few decades, said the president and Musk are both right. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Carney, who steered Preserve America, another top-spending Trump-aligned super PAC, told Fox News that Trump “might have won without the help, but you can’t underestimate how important that help was.” Pointing to Preserve America, Musk’s America PAC and MAGA Inc, which was the main Trump-aligned super PAC, Carney said they all deserved “a tremendous amount of credit” and “just made it easier” for Trump to sweep all seven battleground states and win the White House. Carney also highlighted the Musk-aligned super PAC’s “unprecedented field effort, mail and other communications … to turn out these low-propensity Trump voters.”