New House resolution asserts Trump’s use of centuries-old law to crack down on Tren de Aragua is ‘essential’
EXCLUSIVE: A House Resolution affirming the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to crack down on those suspected to be Tren de Aragua gang members will be introduced on Monday. “Coloradoans already know the truth: Tren de Aragua (TdA) is a terrorist organization active in our communities right now,” Rep. Jeff Crank, who’s introducing the resolution, told Fox News Digital in an exclusive statement. “I fully support President Trump’s executive order to designate them as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and to begin deporting these horrific terrorists. It is essential to our national security that known terrorists are quickly detained and deported out of our country by our law enforcement professionals,” the Republican, who took office in January, continued. AURORA AUTHORITIES ‘DECLINED’ TO HELP SEARCH FOR 2 ILLEGAL ALIENS WHO ESCAPED COLORADO DETENTION FACILITY: ICE Specifically, the resolution says that the House of Representatives agrees with using the Alien Enemies Act to transport those who are part of a designated foreign terrorist organization. In addition, it “endorses the complete elimination of these organizations from the United States to protect the nation’s territory, safety, and security.” The resolution is co-sponsored by Reps. Lauren Boebert, Sheri Biggs, Tom Tiffany and Michael Guest. Tren de Aragua, as well as some cartel groups, were recently listed as a foreign terrorist organization by President Donald Trump, and some of the alleged members from MS-13 were brought to the Center for Terrorism Confinement in El Salvador. JUDGE BOASBERG SHOULD ‘RECUSE’ HIMSELF FROM TRUMP DEPORTATION CASE, GOP LAWMAKER ARGUES Since then, court cases have continued to make waves including U.S. District Court for D.C. Judge James Boasberg’s legal tension with the administration over using the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, as Boasberg brought forth a temporary restraining order on using the law to deport the alleged members. The act was signed into law by former President John Adams as a measure during times of war. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE Colorado has been on the frontline of gang activity by the Venezuelan organization, including issues at apartments in Aurora. “Now, we are learning that the command and control for TdA in the entire United States of America is right here in Colorado,” Derek Maltz told Denver 7 last month, which was verified by DEA Rocky Mountain Division to Fox News at the time. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CHARGED IN NIKE SHOE HEIST AS CARTELS ROB US CARGO TRAINS Other legislation introduced by Colorado lawmakers has taken aim at policies in Colorado that opponents argue serve as a sanctuary for criminals. Rep. Gabe Evans introduced the “Unhandcuffing Police to Locate and Interdict Foreign Transgressors (UPLIFT) Act” in late February, which would give more power to local authorities to work with the federal government on immigration enforcement. “State laws have a national impact because if federal law enforcement uses information from a criminal justice database, and Colorado provided that information, the state and local cops in Colorado who provided that information can get in trouble,” Evans told Fox News Digital at the time. “And so the feds don’t want to get their state and local partners in trouble.”
Johnson faces uphill battle keeping GOP divisions from derailing Trump budget bill
House GOP leaders’ aim to sync up with the Senate on a massive bill advancing President Donald Trump’s agenda is on the rocks as of Monday morning, with fiscal hawks worried the upper chamber’s version will not go far enough to reduce the national deficit. House Republican skeptics are worried specifically about the Senate plan requiring a baseline of $4 billion in spending cuts, while the House plan calls for a $1.5 trillion minimum. Two conservatives told Fox News Digital they would oppose the bill if it came to a House vote this week, while two others suggested they were leaning strongly against it. “The Senate proposal is not serious and is an insult to the American people,” Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., who said he is leaning “against” the measure, told Fox News Digital. HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS CHAIR URGES JOHNSON TO CHANGE COURSE ON SENATE VERSION OF TRUMP BUDGET BILL That is coupled with at least three GOP lawmakers declaring on social media this weekend that they are against the legislation – while even more have aired public concerns. “It’s dead on arrival,” Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital last week. “We have to stay with what we worked so hard to put over there, which is a bare minimum. When they talk about changes and talk about putting, basically, a teardrop in the ocean as far as cuts – we’re not going to go along with that.” When asked on Monday morning about whether he felt the same, Norman replied emphatically via text message, “YES.” House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., shared similar concerns about the gap in the House and Senate’s minimum for spending cuts. “At this point, I would vote against it,” he said. Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., another critic of excessive government spending, told Fox News Digital he had not made his mind up on the bill but said there were “not enough cuts” in the Senate version. House GOP leaders are arguing that passing the Senate version does not impede the House in moving forward with its own more fiscally conservative version in any way. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has pitched House passage of the Senate bill as a necessary step to allow Republicans to enact Trump’s agenda. However, doubts over spending cuts are even extending beyond the House GOP’s right-most flank. House Budget Committee Vice Chair Rep. Lloyd Smucker, R-Pa., voiced his own issues with the bill in a private call with House Republicans on Sunday, two people familiar with discussions told Fox News Digital. Smucker’s office said it would not comment on internal deliberations, but pointed Fox News Digital to the lawmaker’s statement on Saturday. “The Senate’s passage of the amended House resolution is a critical step forward. However, with $5.8 trillion in costs and only $4 billion required savings in their instructions, I cannot vote for it. We can and must do better.” Committee Chair Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, called it “unserious,” but added he was open to working with House and Senate leaders and the White House to ease those concerns. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who sources said also raised concerns on the Sunday call, posted on X of the bill, “If the Senate’s ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ budget is put on the House floor, I will vote no.” In addition to opposing the gap in baseline spending cuts, some conservatives who oppose the bill are also wary of the Senate, signaling it would use the current policy baseline method to factor in the cost of extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts. TED CRUZ CLASHES WITH KEY DEMOCRAT OVER ‘SECOND PHASE OF LAWFARE’ THROUGH FEDERAL JUDGES’ ORDERS The scoring tool essentially means the cost of making Trump’s tax cuts permanent would be factored at $0, because it extends current policy rather than counting it as new dollars being added to the federal deficit. “I’m very wary of this budget gimmick, especially paired with a measly $4 billion floor in spending cuts,” Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., told Fox News Digital. “The fiscally responsible way to extend and pay for tax cuts is through significant spending cuts, which is exactly what House Republicans instruct in our budget resolution.” Congressional Republicans are working on a massive piece of legislation that Trump has dubbed “one big, beautiful bill” to advance his agenda on border security, defense, energy and taxes. Such a measure is largely only possible via the budget reconciliation process. Traditionally used when one party controls all three branches of government, reconciliation lowers the Senate’s threshold for passage of certain fiscal measures from 60 votes to 51. As a result, it has been used to pass broad policy changes in one or two massive pieces of legislation. The House’s framework passed in late February and included some new funding for defense and border security, along with $4.5 trillion for extending Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and implementing newer Trump proposals like no taxes on tipped wages. The framework also called for between $1.5 trillion and $2 trillion in spending cuts, dependent on how much Trump’s tax policies would add to the national deficit – something that was key to winning support from deficit hawks. It also raised the debt limit, something Trump has specifically asked Republicans to deal with, by $4 trillion. The Senate’s version, which passed in the early hours of Saturday, would raise the debt limit by $5 trillion. MEET THE TRUMP-PICKED LAWMAKERS GIVING SPEAKER JOHNSON A FULL HOUSE GOP CONFERENCE Trump himself has endorsed both the House and Senate versions of the bill. Passing a framework then allows lawmakers to craft actual policy to match the framework’s federal spending guidelines, led by the respective committees of jurisdiction. Those policy plans are all brought back together into another massive bill. The Senate and House must pass identical versions before it gets to Trump’s desk for a signature – something the House speaker said would be done by Memorial Day. In a letter to House GOP colleagues on Sunday,
Appeals court blocks Trump from firing federal board members, tees up Supreme Court fight
A federal appeals court voted en banc Monday to block President Donald Trump’s firings of two federal board members, reversing an appellate court ruling and clearing the way for the Trump administration to appeal the case to the Supreme Court. Judges for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit voted 7-4 Monday to restore the positions of National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) member Gwynne Wilcox and Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) member Cathy Harris – two Democratic appointees who were abruptly terminated by the Trump administration earlier this year. The majority cited Supreme Court precedent in Humphrey’s Executor and Wiener v. United States as the backing for their decision, noting that the Supreme Court had never overturned or reversed the decades-old precedent regarding removal restrictions for government officials of “multimember adjudicatory boards” – including the NLRB and MSPB. They noted that the Supreme Court has not yet overturned these precedents, or instructed lower courts to act otherwise. APPEALS COURT BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN’S DEPORTATION FLIGHTS IN ALIEN ENEMIES ACT IMMIGRATION SUIT “The Supreme Court has repeatedly told the courts of appeals to follow extant Supreme Court precedent unless and until that Court itself changes it or overturns it,” judges noted in their opinion. Monday’s ruling from the full panel means that both Wilcox and Harris can return to their positions, at least for now. It is likely to spark intense backlash from the Trump administration, which has lobbed accusations of so-called “activist judges” that have slowed or halted some of Trump’s executive orders and actions. Also on Monday, the appeals court rejected the Trump administration’s request for an administrative stay, which would have allowed their removals to remain in place while the challenge continued to play out in federal court. The panel found that the administration had not demonstrated a strong likelihood of success on the merits of its appeals, nor did it show irreparable injury if they did not grant the stay – the legal requirements needed to satisfy an emergency court intervention. The en banc ruling reverses a decision reached just 10 days earlier by a three-judge panel for the same appeals court. That panel ruled 2-1 in favor of the Trump administration and allowed the firings to proceed, prompting plaintiffs to file a request for the appeals court to hear the case again en banc, or with all appellate court judges present. The appellate court’s decision to hear the case again, even after a three-judge appellate panel from the same court ruled on the issue late last month, is likely to be met with intense scrutiny by Trump and his allies. It also all but ensures that the Trump administration will move quickly to appeal the matter to the Supreme Court for emergency review. JUDGE BOASBERG POISED TO HOLD TRUMP ADMIN IN CONTEMPT, TAKES DOWN NAMES OF DHS OFFICIALS: ‘PRETTY SKETCHY’ Since taking office, Trump has signed more than 300 executive orders and actions, including sweeping personnel moves, the restructuring of federal agencies, and the creation of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE – a temporary agency that has drawn scrutiny for its broad oversight powers and access to sensitive government data. Critics argue that the flurry of early executive actions warrants an additional level of legal scrutiny, and judges have raced to review a crushing wave of cases and lawsuits filed by terminated employees or brought on behalf of agency employees. The Trump administration has appealed its early losses to the Supreme Court – a strategy it appears poised to continue in the NLRB and MSPB terminations.
EXCLUSIVE: House Freedom Caucus chair urges Johnson to change course on Senate version of Trump budget bill
EXCLUSIVE: House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., said he would oppose the Senate’s version of sweeping legislation to advance President Donald Trump’s agenda if it was voted on in his chamber this week. “At this point, I would vote against it,” Harris told Fox News Digital in an interview on Monday morning. He is also calling for the House and Senate to get to work on their own versions of the plan, after the latter passed an amended version of the former’s legislation in the early hours of Saturday morning. The Maryland Republican, who leads the House GOP’s most conservative group, is the highest-ranking GOP lawmaker to come out against the legislation so far. TRUMP HATING NY ATTORNEY GENERAL LETITIA JAMES VOWS WAR WITH PRESIDENT-ELECT IN DIVISIVE NEWS CONFERENCE It comes as other fiscal hawks voice concerns about the Senate’s version of the legislation – specifically, that it mandates at least $4 billion in spending cuts, compared to $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion in the House. “I mean, if the Senate actually is able to deliver on meaningful deficit reduction, we could just pass the Senate amendments to the House budget resolution,” Harris said. “But again, I’m not willing to do that until I see what the deficit reduction, the actual deficit reduction that the Senate has in mind, is.” Congressional Republicans are working on a massive piece of legislation that Trump has dubbed “one big, beautiful bill” to advance his agenda on border security, defense, energy and taxes. ‘LOSING THEIR MINDS’: DEM LAWMAKERS FACE BACKLASH FOR INVOKING ‘UNHINGED’ VIOLENT RHETORIC AGAINST MUSK They can pass such a measure via the budget reconciliation process. Traditionally used when one party controls all three branches of government, reconciliation lowers the Senate’s threshold for passage of certain fiscal measures from 60 votes to 51. As a result, it has been used to pass broad policy changes in one or two massive pieces of legislation. The House’s framework passed in late February, and included some new funding for defense and border security, along with $4.5 trillion for extending Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and implementing newer Trump proposals like no taxes on tipped wages. The framework also called for between $1.5 trillion and $2 trillion in spending cuts, dependent on how much Trump’s tax policies would add to the national deficit – something that was key to winning support from deficit hawks. It also raised the debt limit, something Trump has specifically asked Republicans to deal with, by $4 trillion. The Senate’s version would raise the debt limit by $5 trillion. In a letter to House GOP colleagues on Sunday, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said lawmakers would vote on the Senate’s amended version this week. However, Johnson insisted that the Senate’s passage of its framework simply allows the House to begin working on its version of the bill passed in February – and that it does not impede their process in any way. “The Senate amendment as passed makes NO CHANGES to the House reconciliation instructions that we voted for just weeks ago. Although the Senate chose to take a different approach on its instructions, the amended resolution in NO WAY prevents us from achieving our goals in the final reconciliation bill,” the letter said. “We have and will continue to make it clear in all discussions with the Senate and the White House that—in order to secure House passage—the final reconciliation bill must include historic spending reductions while protecting essential programs.” Johnson’s office pointed back to the letter when reached for comment on Monday. Passing a reconciliation framework, which merely outlines top-line spending figures, allows Congress to move on to the next step of actually crafting policy to accompany those top-lines. However, conservatives like Harris have countered that they see no need to vote on the Senate’s version of the bill to begin work in the House. “They just think that we have to keep the train moving forward. But again, if we just begin to craft the actual reconciliation packages, that keeps the train moving forward as well,” Harris said. He left the door open to supporting the Senate’s work, despite ruling out support for its immediate offering. “I still think that we should just ask the Senate to begin crafting their reconciliation bill, and then if they deliver on their promise of deficit reduction, then I’m fine with their budget resolution,” Harris said.
Blue state sheriffs combine forces to fight back against sanctuary laws
A group of five Minnesota sheriff’s offices inked cooperation agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs (ICE), bringing an opposite approach to immigration enforcement in a state with widespread sanctuary policies. Minnesota’s Cass, Crow Wing, Freeborn, Itasca and Jackson counties sheriffs’ offices have all entered 287g agreements with ICE since President Donald Trump took office, allowing the federal immigration agency to delegate some authority to the offices to perform immigration enforcement functions, according to a report by the Sahan Journal. The agreements allow for increased cooperation between the local law enforcement agencies and ICE, including programs that focus on identifying and processing illegal immigrants that are already in custody and are eligible for deportation. Another program allows for a “task force model,” which brings the local agencies in to serve as a “force multiplier” for ICE, the report said. JD VANCE TORCHES MEDIA, DEMS’ ‘DISGRACEFUL SET OF PRIORITIES’ ON DEPORTATION OF ACCUSED MS-13 GANG MEMBER Some local law enforcement officers will also have the opportunity to participate in 40-hour ICE training sessions under the agreements, the report notes, while agencies participating in the program are required to keep in regular contact with their nearest ICE field office when carrying out any immigration enforcement. The agreements come in a state that has seen widespread use of so-called “sanctuary” policies that limit or prohibit a local jurisdiction’s ability to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, with the latest Center for Immigration Studies data showing 12 Minnesota counties that have passed rules limiting cooperation with ICE. The five sheriff’s offices inking agreements with ICE over the last few months brings the total number of offices participating in 287g in the state to seven, the Sahan Journal report notes, with the five new counties joining Sherburne and Kandiyohi counties, which have long had cooperation agreements with ICE. IOWA AG LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION AFTER SHERIFF REFUSES TO WORK WITH ICE JUDGE ORDERS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO RETURN MAN MARYLAND MISTAKENLY DEPORTED TO EL SALVADOR PRISON The agreements have already led to a growth in immigrant detentions, with a Freeborn County jail deputy telling the Sahan Journal that there has “definitely” been an “uptick” in immigration inmates since the county entered the agreement. However, the program is not without critics, with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office cautioning local agencies to consider potential drawbacks. “While 287g agreements are sometimes touted as a tool for getting violent offenders off the street, studies have shown that large numbers of people detained through 287g-related enforcement have committed only misdemeanors or traffic violations,” a spokesperson for Ellison’s office told the Sahan Journal. Fox News Digital has reached out to Walz’s office for comment.
Gov. DeSantis’ new DOGE task force gains momentum as universities, localities commit to being audited
Local jurisdictions and public universities in Florida are latching on to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ new state-level DOGE Task Force, including through formal resolutions, independent committees and additional resources supporting the new initiative. DeSantis announced the creation of “Florida DOGE” in February, a program similar to the one led at the federal level by Elon Musk. The audit intends to utilize artificial intelligence and other measures to uncover hidden waste, review state university and college operations and spending, eliminate “redundant” boards or commissions, and examine entities’ spending habits. The initiative intends to ensure financial compliance with all state laws, provide recommendations and submit referrals to the appropriate enforcement agencies when necessary. The governor subsequently sent out official guidance in March to various counties and municipalities, as well as to public colleges and universities, requesting they confirm their willingness to comply with the audit. The guidance also ordered the appointment of a proxy to be the primary point of contact throughout the initiative. DEMOCRATIC SENATOR STATES HE ‘DOES NOT BELIEVE’ DOGE IS TACKLING WASTE IN FEDERAL AGENCIES In response, some of Florida’s largest jurisdictions and public institutions – like Hillsborough County, the City of Jacksonville, and Florida Atlantic University – have signaled their willingness to comply with the audit. Their efforts include passing formal resolutions and creating independent committees to support the governor’s initiative. “Completing this DOGE audit is a no-brainer when you consider the inefficiencies we’ve already stumbled across – like old, forgotten bank accounts sitting there with millions of dollars just gathering dust,” said Hillsborough County Commissioner Joshua Wostal, who helped spearhead the resolution affirming the county’s willingness to open its doors. In Jacksonville, the city created a “Duval DOGE” task force that has already begun conducting meetings and is zeroing in on tens of millions of dollars in capital improvement projects that have sat idle since 2023, according to WJXT Channel 4 in Jacksonville. This week, the “Duval DOGE” task force also launched a website to track the work being done with the ongoing audit. ELON MUSK SAYS DOGE WILL INVESTIGATE ‘STRANGELY WEALTHY’ LAWMAKERS: ‘NOBODY CAN EXPLAIN THAT’ However, while residents in Jacksonville have been supportive of the effort, others have pushed back. “DOGE is a misnomer, catchy misnomer for let’s see what we can take away from the working class, the needy, the elderly. We don’t need it,” Duval County resident Russell Harper said during a city hall meeting about the new “Duval DOGE” committee. Other residents complained that the “Duval DOGE” lacked adequate Democratic representation and was just an effort to gain favor with political elites. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives at public colleges and universities will also be part of the audit. The governor’s DOGE task force aims to ensure that no state funds support these programs, in line with a resolution passed by the state board of education last year prohibiting such spending. Florida DOGE also intends to “abolish” 70 redundant boards and commissions around the state, per a February press release from the governor’s office announcing the new audits. “Florida was DOGE before DOGE was cool,” DeSantis spokesperson Brian Wright said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Over the past five years, Florida, under Governor Ron DeSantis, has eliminated dozens of unnecessary boards, lifted needless regulations, and reduced spending. Florida has paid down 41% of our state’s debt, strengthened our economy, and increased our rainy-day fund by nearly $10 billion – all without raising taxes.” Wostal said the new DOGE audit was a better response than just raising taxes to pay for needed services. “Instead of the knee-jerk response of raising taxes – putting even more strain on already stretched households – it’s time for the government to turn the lens inward,” he said.
House plows ahead on Trump agenda after Johnson strikes deal with GOP rebels who paralyzed House
House Republicans are set to advance two key bills backed by President Donald Trump this week after House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., resolved a weekslong standoff with Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., over the issue of remote voting for new parents in Congress. The House is poised to vote this week on the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, which requires proof of citizenship in the voter registration process; and the No Rogue Rulings Act (NORRA) by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., which would limit district court judges’ ability to issue orders blocking Trump policies nationwide. Both were expected to get a vote last week, but those plans were derailed amid a standoff over House procedure that ground business-as-usual to a halt. “Speaker Johnson and I have reached an agreement to bring back a procedure called live/dead pairing, which dates back to the 1800s. It will be open for the entire conference to use when unable to vote (e.g., new parents, bereaved, emergencies, etc.),” Luna wrote on X Sunday evening. ANNA PAULINA LUNA FORCES HOUSE LEADERSHIP’S HAND ON PROXY VOTING AS GOP WAR ESCALATES “Thanks to [Trump] and his guidance, as well as all of those who worked to get this change done, this is becoming the most modern, pro-family Congress we’ve ever seen.” Johnson’s office confirmed to Fox News Digital that the speaker announced a deal had been reached with Luna on a Republican lawmaker-only call on Sunday afternoon. The compromise they agreed to invokes an old congressional custom that essentially cancels out an absent new mother’s vote by “pairing” it with a vote by someone on the other side of the issue. Neither vote would count, but their stances on the issue would be noted in the Congressional Record. Johnson’s office said they also reached an agreement on boosting accessibility for young mothers in the Capitol as well. The House floor was left paralyzed last Tuesday afternoon when a small group of GOP lawmakers upended their leaders’ effort to quash a bill by Luna that would have allowed new parents to vote by proxy for 12 weeks surrounding their child’s birth. Luna was readying to force a vote on her legislation via a discharge petition, a mechanism allowing lawmakers to force bills into House consideration provided they can get signatures from a majority of the chamber. Johnson, who believes proxy voting is unconstitutional, attached language to kill discharge petitions to an unrelated measure that was up for a vote on Tuesday afternoon. If passed, it would have allowed for consideration and likely passage of the NORRA Act and SAVE Act last week. ANNA PAULINA LUNA RESIGNS FROM HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS, SAYS ‘MUTUAL RESPECT’ WAS ‘SHATTERED’ Instead, it was an embarrassing blow to House GOP leaders on a normally sleepy procedural vote. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The standoff comes as the House is also trying to reckon with the Senate’s reconciliation framework, which will allow Republicans to begin working on policy and monetary changes that will become part of a massive bill advancing Trump’s agenda on defense, energy, the border, and taxes. Republican leaders are poised to move forward with that legislation as planned – despite concerns from fiscal hawks about discrepancies between the Senate and House’s views on the issue.
Poll position: Where Trump stands with Americans 11 weeks into his 2nd White House term
It is 11 weeks into his second administration, and President Donald Trump is not slowing down. The president has signed 111 executive orders since his inauguration on Jan. 20, far outpacing any of his immediate predecessors in the White House. “More than any in American history,” Trump touted a week ago. Trump has been expanding the powers of the presidency, as he has upended long-standing government policy and made major cuts to the federal workforce through an avalanche of executive orders and actions. WHY TRUMP, MUSK, FACE BLAME OVER BALLOT BOX SET BACKS LAST WEEK While Trump regularly showcases his performance steering the nation, some of the latest national public opinion polls suggest Americans may not be so pleased with the job he’s doing as president. The president stands at 43% approval and 53% disapproval in a Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted March 31-April 2, and he is also underwater – at 46%-51% – in a Wall Street Journal poll in the field March 27-April 1. While a survey from the Daily Mail, which was also conducted over the past week, suggested Trump’s approval rating is in positive territory, the majority of the national public opinion surveys in the field since mid-March indicate Trump in negative territory. WHERE TRUMP STANDS IN THE LATEST FOX NEWS NATIONAL POLL Trump has seen his numbers edge down slightly since the start of his second term, when an average of his polls indicated the president’s approval rating in the low 50s and his disapproval in the mid-40s. Contributing to the slide are increasing concerns over the economy and inflation, which was a pressing issue that kept former President Joe Biden’s approval ratings well below water for most of his presidency. Additionally, the latest surveys were conducted nearly entirely before Trump’s blockbuster tariff announcement last week, which sparked a trade war with the nation’s top trading partners, triggered a massive sell-off in the financial markets, and increased concerns about a recession. When asked about the market plunge, the president told reporters on Sunday evening, “Sometimes you have to take medicine to fix something.” Daron Shaw, a politics professor and chair at the University of Texas who serves as a member of the Fox News Decision Team and is the Republican partner on the Fox News poll, calls the economy “the 800-pound gorilla.” According to the Reuters/Ipsos poll, only 37% of Americans approve of the job the president’s doing on the economy, with 52% giving him a thumbs down. Trump’s numbers on the economy are slightly better in the Wall Street Journal poll – 44% approval and 52% disapproval – but still underwater. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING, ANALYSIS, AND OPINION ON PRESIDENT TRUMP Shaw suggested that over the past week the president has been “slowly losing the argument that tariffs are part of a larger program that will bring down prices.” “He’s got his work cut out for him….he’s losing the narrative,” Shaw said of Trump. “He’s got to make the case that tariffs are part of a larger economic plan that’s going to deal with problems that people feel.” The only issue where Trump is in positive territory in the Reuters/Ipsos and Wall Street Journal polls is immigration and border security, which, along with inflation, was another top issue that helped catapult him back into the White House. However, Shaw noted that Trump’s success has blunted the importance of the issue. “The broader narrative is that he’s had success on border security and has essentially tabled that as an issue,” he argued. “One of the problems of succeeding is that it’s something that you no longer really talk about. It’s no longer at the top of people’s issue priorities. So one of his dominant issues has been neutralized by his success on the issue.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP While Trump’s poll numbers are edging down in most surveys, they are still superior to ratings during his first term in office. Trump’s poll numbers were almost entirely in negative territory in most surveys for the entirety of his first term in office. “Keep these numbers in perspective. The numbers he’s averaging right now are still higher than he was at any point during his first presidency,” veteran Republican pollster Neil Newhouse told Fox News. Newhouse emphasized that Trump’s Republican “base is strongly behind him,” which was not the case at the start of his first term in the White House.
Trump’s 12th week in office to be dominated by tariffs fallout, Netanyahu visit
President Donald Trump’s 12th week in office is likely to center around the fallout from last week’s announcement of several new tariffs and a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “HANG TOUGH,” Trump said on social media Saturday while defending new U.S. tariffs, adding that “it won’t be easy, but the end result will be historic.” The comments come as much of Trump’s 12th week in office promises to center around the president’s decision last week to announce new tariffs on dozens of countries around the world, a policy he argued will eventually “supercharge” the economy as part of his “economic revolution.” STEPHEN MILLER SAYS AMERICANS HAVE TO UNDERSTAND HOW ‘BADLY’ WE’VE BEEN RIPPED OFF AS A COUNTRY But concerns remain about the economic pitfalls of the new tariffs, most notably after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq saw their worst plunge of the decade late last week. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 2,231.07 points, or 5.5%, on Friday, adding to the concern over Trump’s trade policies. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the tariffs a “massive assault on American families” during an appearance on CNN over the weekend, arguing that the policy will only serve to “help the billionaires.” Nevertheless, Trump appeared ready to double down on his tariff push in the week ahead, vowing the trade plan will be a “win” in the long run. TRUMP’S CHINA TARIFFS FACE LEGAL CHALLENGE FROM CONSERVATIVE GROUP CALLING THEM ‘UNLAWFUL’ “We are bringing back jobs and businesses like never before. Already, more than FIVE TRILLION DOLLARS OF INVESTMENT, and rising fast! THIS IS AN ECONOMIC REVOLUTION, AND WE WILL WIN,” Trump wrote Saturday on Truth Social. Meanwhile, Trump is set to host Netanyahu at the White House on Monday, when the two leaders are likely to discuss not only the 17% tariff the president placed on the longtime U.S. ally but also the ongoing expansion of the Israeli invasion of Gaza. Trump is also likely to keep a close eye on Congress in the week ahead as GOP lawmakers push forward to advance the president’s multitrillion-dollar spending agenda. The Senate adopted Trump’s budget blueprint over the weekend, which will now require approval from the House in order to push forward toward the budget reconciliation process. But doubts remain that Trump’s agenda can clear the lower chamber this week, with the GOP holding a slim majority that has strong disagreements among factions of the party. “The Senate is free to put pen to paper to draft its reconciliation bill, but I can’t support House passage of the Senate changes to our budget resolution until I see the actual spending and deficit reduction plans to enact President Trump’s America First agenda,” Rep. Andy Harris, the House Freedom Caucus chair, wrote on X on Saturday.
Federal judge calls deportation of Salvadoran man in Maryland ‘wholly lawless’
A federal judge’s 22-page decision on Sunday called the deportation of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia “wholly lawless.” Abrego Garcia, 29, was deported to an El Salvadoran megaprison last month for being an alleged MS-13 gang member. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered the Department of Homeland Security and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to return Abrego Garcia to the U.S., where he was living in Maryland. “Although the legal basis for the mass removal of hundreds of individuals to El Salvador remains disturbingly unclear, Abrego Garcia’s case is categorically different—there were no legal grounds whatsoever for his arrest, detention, or removal,” Xinis wrote. “Nor does any evidence suggest that Abrego Garcia is being held in CECOT at the behest of Salvadoran authorities to answer for crimes in that country. Rather, his detention appears wholly lawless,” she continued. TRUMP ADMIN SUSPENDS LAWYER IN CASE OF MARYLAND MAN MISTAKENLY DEPORTED FOR FAILING TO ‘ZEALOUSLY ADVOCATE’ Also on Sunday, Attorney General Pam Bondi doubled down on the Trump administration’s decision to deport Abrego Garcia. “We have to rely on what ICE says,” Bondi said in a “Fox News Sunday” interview. “We have to rely on what Homeland Security says. They’re our clients, and I firmly believe in the work they are doing, and we’re going to make America safe again. That was President Trump’s directive to all of us.” VANCE DOUBLES DOWN AFTER TRUMP ADMIN ADMITS ‘ERROR’ SENDING MAN TO SALVADORAN PRISON The White House has remained firm in its decision to deport Abrego Garcia following a report from The Atlantic that federal attorneys said that there was an “administrative error” in bringing him to CECOT men’s prison in El Salvador. Court filings also show Abrego Garcia came to the U.S. in 2011 at the age of 16 after fleeing gang threats in El Salvador, the outlet reported. Abrego Garcia later married a U.S. citizen and worked in construction to support her, their son and her two children from a previous relationship. The allegations about his affiliation with MS-13 stem from a 2019 arrest outside a Maryland Home Depot store, where he and other young men were looking for work, according to The Associated Press. Abrego Garcia was arrested in Baltimore on March 12 after working a shift as a sheet metal apprentice in Baltimore and picking up his 5-year-old son, who has autism and other disabilities, from his grandmother’s house, his lawyers’ complaint stated. Fox News Digital’s Taylor Penley, Brie Stimson, Bill Mears and The Associated Press contributed to this report.