EXCLUSIVE: The Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard has been terminated over concerns about the border, recruitment concerns and an "erosion of trust," a senior DHS official confirmed to Fox News.
Adm. Linda Lee Fagan has been terminated by the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Benjamine Huffman, the official said.
Fagan has demonstrated leadership deficiencies, operational failures and an inability to advance the strategic objectives of the Coast Guard.
These include the failure to address border security threats, insufficient leadership in recruitment and retention, mismanagement in acquiring key acquisitions such as icebreakers and helicopters, excessive focus on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and an "erosion of trust" over the mishandling and cover-up of Operation Fouled Anchor.
Fagan served as the 27th Commandant of the Coast Guard starting on June 1st, 2022. She was tasked with overseeing all global Coast Guard operations and 42,000 active-duty, 7,000 reserve and 8,700 civilian personnel, as well as the support of 21,000 Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers.
President Donald Trump pulled the security clearances of more than 50 national security officials who said Hunter Biden’s laptop had "all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation."
A total of 51 former national security officials released a public letter in 2020 claiming that even though the laptop did not have "any evidence of Russian involvement," it looked like a "Russian information operation."
The letter came after the New York Post reported they had emails showing Hunter Biden coordinated for Joe Biden to meet with a top executive at Ukrainian energy company Burisma months before pressuring Ukrainian officials to oust a prosecutor investigating the company.
Included on the list are former director of National Intelligence James Clapper Jr., former directors of the Central Intelligence Agency Michael Hayden, John Brennan, former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, and former National Security Advisor John Bolton.
Fox News Digital previously reported that federal investigators with the Department of Justice were aware that Hunter Biden’s laptop was not manipulated and contained "reliable evidence."
Republican lawmakers including Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina have previously suggested withdrawing the security clearances of these officials.
The order was one of more than 200 executive orders Trump approved on Inauguration Day, joining directives like withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement that the U.S. initially entered under former President Barack Obama’s administration in 2015.
Trump previously withdrew the U.S. from the agreement during his first term in 2020.
Other executive orders Trump signed on day one include rescinding nearly 80 executive orders and memoranda issued under Biden, issuing a regulatory and hiring freeze upon the federal government, preventing "government censorship" of free speech, and directing every department and agency to address the cost of living crisis.
President Donald Trump arrived at the Commander-in-Chief Ball shortly after 10 PM ET on Monday, and shared his First Dance with first lady Melania Trump – his first of three ball appearances that night.
Shortly after the band played "Americans, We," Trump was introduced by an emcee at the Walter Washington Convention Center in Mount Vernon Square, D.C.
For his first dance, Trump and first lady Melania Trump danced to a contemporary rendition of Julia Ward Howe’s 1861 Civil War anthem "Battle Hymn of the Republic."
The song was the clarion call of the Union Army of the Potomac – and the opposite number to the Confederate Army’s "Dixie."
In brief remarks, Trump told the crowd the election was a "tremendous win" and that a big reason he won was "my relationship with you (the American people)."
At the military themed ball, he praised his Pentagon chief nominee Pete Hegseth.
Trump also spoke at two other balls later in the night, another located at the Washington Convention Center and the final one located at Union Station.
The Liberty Ball was sandwiched between the Commander-in-Chief Ball and the Starlight Ball.
While the Commander-in-Chief ball was geared towards service members, the Liberty Ball is set to include a wide-range of Trump supporters. It is being headlined by Trump's address, but, also similar to the Commander-in-Chief Ball, will include some musical performances as well. Those performances will include country singer Jason Aldean, rapper Nelly, and the Village People.
At the Liberty Ball – also held at the convention center – Trump shared another first dance with Mrs. Trump.
Several members of the Trump family then took the stage, along with Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance. They danced to "Unchained Melody" by the Righteous Brothers.
Trump told the Liberty Ball crowd it had been "a hell of a day."
The balls follow a jam-packed day of events that included President Trump's formal swearing-in ceremony, an inaugural parade at Capital One Arena, an Oval Office signing ceremony, and much more.
During the day's events Trump signed a slew of executive orders related to border security, diversity, equity and inclusion, Jan. 6, energy and the climate, and the federal workforce.
The number of orders he signed outnumbered how many Trump signed during his first day in office in 2017, as well as the number that President Biden signed during his first day as president.
The Liberty Ball is set to include a wide-range of Trump supporters. It is being headlined by Trump's address, but, also similar to the Commander-in-Chief Ball, will include some musical performances as well.
Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., slammed President Trump on Monday night for pardoning more than 1,000 people involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, riots.
Trump signed pardons for approximately 1,500 defendants who were charged with crimes stemming from the riot at the U.S. Capitol, fulfilling a promise he made in December to act quickly and pardon them.
Trump also commuted the sentences of six people on Monday, including the leaders of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys extremist groups.
But Pelosi called the move "shameful" and said to remember the "courage" of law enforcement "heroes" who "ensured that democracy survived."
"The President's actions are an outrageous insult to our justice system and the heroes who suffered physical scars and emotional trauma as they protected the Capitol, the Congress and the Constitution," Pelosi, who didn’t attend Trump’s inauguration on Monday, said in a statement posted to X.
"It is shameful that the President has decided to make one of his top priorities the abandonment and betrayal of police officers who put their lives on the line to stop an attempt to subvert the peaceful transfer of power," Pelosi wrote.
The Justice Department reported that approximately 140 police officers were assaulted during the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. That included law enforcement members from both the U.S. Capitol Police and about 60 from the Metropolitan Police Department.
"Tonight I'm going to be signing on the J6 hostages, pardons to get them out," Trump said at the parade at Capital One Arena. "I'm going to the Oval Office, and we'll be signing pardons for a lot of people."
So far, judges or a jury after a trial have convicted roughly 250 people who faced charges for their involvement in the riot, and more than 1,000 had pleaded guilty to crimes as of January.
President Trump's youngest son Barron, 18, stepped into the spotlight at his father's inauguration on Monday.
Standing at a towering 6'9", many attendees and viewers remarked about how mature the younger Trump has become since his father first took office back in January 2017.
At 10 years old, Barron Trump was often the victim of cruel jokes and rumors from his father's critics. His mother, Melania Trump, attempted to shield him from unwanted scrutiny, though sometimes to no avail.
On Monday, the first son commanded respect from onlookers as he stood by his father's side during the inaugural ceremonies. Here's a look at how Barron Trump has grown up since 2017.
At 10 years old, Barron Trump became the first son to reside in the White House since John F. Kennedy, Jr. in 1961.
Barron, who turned 11 in March of 2017, also lived at Trump Tower in New York at the same time, attending Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School on the Upper West Side.
Beginning in 2016, rumors swirled about Barron Trump possibly having autism, which comedian Rosie O'Donnell amplified. In 2024, Melania Trump said that the rumors deeply impacted her son, who was bullied at school.
"I was appalled by such cruelty," Melania Trump wrote in her memoir. "It was clear to me that she was not interested in raising awareness about autism. I felt that she was attacking my son because she didn’t like my husband."
"There is nothing shameful about autism (though O’Donnell’s tweet implied that there was), but Barron is not autistic," she added. "Barron’s experience of being bullied both online and in real life following the incident is a clear indication of the irreparable damage caused."
Barron turned 12 years old in March 2018 and continued to be a common target for Trump's enemies.
Actor Peter Fonda called for officials to "rip Barron Trump from his mother's arms and put him in a cage with pedophiles." He later apologized for the remarks.
"I tweeted something highly inappropriate and vulgar about the president and his family in response to the devastating images I was seeing on television," Fonda said in the statement shortly after. "Like many Americans, I am very impassioned and distraught over the situation with children separated from their families at the border, but I went way too far."
Barron was 13 years old when his family permanently relocated to Mar-a-Lago in 2019. That year, Trump said he would have a "hard time" allowing his son to play football.
"I just don't like the reports that I see coming out having to do with football — I mean, it's a dangerous sport and I think it's really tough," Trump said at the time. "I thought the equipment would get better, and it has. The helmets have gotten far better, but it hasn't solved the problem."
During a 2019 House Judiciary Committee impeachment hearing, Stanford law professor Pamela Karlan remarked that then-President Trump could "name his son Barron, he can’t make him a baron."
Melania Trump was upset that her young son was mentioned at the hearing.
"A minor child deserves privacy and should be kept out of politics," the first lady tweeted at the time. "Pamela Karlan, you should be ashamed of your very angry and obviously biased public pandering, and using a child to do it."
As Trump was fighting for his re-election bid in 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic rocked the United States, Barron Trump continued to attend school and stayed out of the public spotlight. In 2020, "Jeopardy" host Ken Jennings apologized for a joke he told about Barron in 2017.
"Barron saw a very long necktie and a heap of expired deli meat in a dumpster," Jennings tweeted at the time. "He thought it was his dad & his little heart is breaking."
"Hey, I just wanted to own up to the fact that over the years on Twitter, I've definitely tweeted some unartful [sic] and insensitive things," Jennings wrote in 2020. "Sometimes they worked as jokes in my head and I was dismayed to see how they read on screen."
Barron Trump was 14 years old when his father left office in January. He lived with his mother at Mar-a-Lago full-time and stayed out of the spotlight.
In July 2021, he was seen leaving Trump Tower with Melania Trump.
Barron Trump was 16 when FBI agents raided his father's Florida estate. He kept a low profile during this year, but he was seen in public with both of his parents at the funeral of Ivana Trump, Trump's first wife, in July 2022.
As President Trump's campaign kicked up again in 2023, Barron was still absent from the public spotlight. In August of that year, his father's mugshot was released.
Barron Trump matriculated at New York University (NYU) in the fall of 2024. He graduated from Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach in May, and was seen attending classes at NYU'S Stern School of Business.
In November, he also voted for the first time, casting a ballot for his father in Florida.
Barron looked sharp as he attended his father's inauguration on Jan. 20. Later during the day, he waved to the crowd after his father mentioned his role in the 2024 campaign.
"I have a very tall son named Barron. Has anyone ever heard of him?" Trump said to cheers, as the first son waved at attendees.
"He knew the youth vote. You know, we won the youth vote by 36 points… He said, ‘Dad, you got to go out, do Joe Rogan, do all these guys,’" Trump recalled. "We did, we did. And Joe Rogan was great."
The 18-year-old also wowed attendees when he shook hands with President Biden and then-Vice President Kamala Harris, with some social media users speculating that he may pursue a political career in the future.
"Barron Trump just shook hands with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris," one X user wrote. "This kid will be our President one day. Bet on it."
"Barron Trump is a natural," another said of Barron. "Totally owned the moment."
Fox News Digital's Brooke Curto and Kyle Schmidbauer contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump pardoned nearly all Jan. 6 defendants on Monday night, after promising at his inaugural parade to sign an executive order on the matter.
Sitting at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, Trump signed off on releasing more than 1,500 charged with crimes stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol. The order requires the Federal Bureau of Prisons to act immediately on receipt of the pardons.
"Tonight I'm going to be signing on the J6 hostages, pardons to get them out," Trump said at the parade at Capital One Arena in Washington. "I'm going to the Oval Office and we'll be signing pardons for a lot of people."
Those pardoned include Enrique Tarrio, the former Proud Boys chairman, who faced a sentence of 22 years in prison for seditious conspiracy. Tarrio's attorney told the Associated Press he expects Tarrio to face release Monday evening.
Trump previously promised that he would be "acting very quickly" on his first day in office to pardon to the so-called "hostages."
Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called Trump's pardon "shameful," and said to remember the "courage" of law enforcement "heroes" who "ensured that democracy survived."
"The President's actions are an outrageous insult to our justice system and the heroes who suffered physical scars and emotional trauma as they protected the Capitol, the Congress and the Constitution," Pelosi, who didn’t attend Trump’s inauguration Monday, said in a statement posted to X, formerly known as Twitter.
"It is shameful that the President has decided to make one of his top priorities the abandonment and betrayal of police officers who put their lives on the line to stop an attempt to subvert the peaceful transfer of power," Pelosi said.
The pardon was one of more than 200 executive orders Trump was expected to sign on Inauguration Day. Other directives he signed on Monday include withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement that the U.S. initially entered under former President Barack Obama’s administration in 2015.
Trump previously withdrew the U.S. from the agreement during his first term in 2020.
On Monday morning, then-President Joe Biden issued a series of pardons just hours before Trump’s swearing in at the U.S. Capitol. Those pardoned by Biden include former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, retired Gen. Mark Milley, whom Trump has accused of committing treason. Others Biden pardoned were those involved in the Jan. 6 Select Committee investigation that conducted a probe into the attack.
"The issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that any individual engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense," Biden said in a statement. "Our nation owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless commitment to our country."
Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump, while signing a flurry of executive orders from the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office of the White House as the now 47th President of the United States, discovered a letter from his predecessor inside one of the desk’s drawers with the help of a Fox News reporter.
Trump was in the process of signing one of many executive orders on Monday after returning to the White House when Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked if President Biden left him a letter.
"He may have. Don’t they leave it in the desk? I don’t know," Trump told Doocy before discovering a white envelope with the number "47" written on it. "Thank you, Peter. It could have been years before we found this thing."
Trump then teased everyone in the room by suggesting they all read the letter together, before pulling back the reigns.
In leaving the letter for Trump, Biden kept with the now 36-year tradition of the departing commander in chief, writing a note to the incoming president.
As he left the White House in 1989 after two terms in office, President Ronald Reagan started the tradition – leaving a note for his successor, George H. W. Bush, who also happened to be his vice president.
Four years later, despite losing to then-Gov. Bill Clinton of Arkansas, outgoing President Bush left Clinton a note in the Oval Office. The tradition has carried on to this day.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was confirmed unanimously by the Senate to be the next secretary of state, making him the first of President Trump's Cabinet picks to receive congressional approval.
Rubio, a senator since 2011, was confirmed during a floor vote by the full Senate Monday night, several hours after Trump took his oath of office earlier in the day. The full Senate floor vote occurred following a separate vote by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which also voted unanimously in favor of Rubio's nomination Monday.
Rubio enters his role as secretary of state with a strong foreign policy background as a longtime member of the Senate's Foreign Relations and Intelligence Committees. He is also a first-generation Cuban American.
His road to confirmation has been less controversial than many of Trump's other Cabinet picks. At Rubio's first confirmation hearing last week in front of the Foreign Relations Committee, the committee's top-ranking Democrat, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, said she thought Rubio possessed "the skills" and is "well-qualified" to serve as the next secretary of state. She echoed this sentiment Monday evening as well before the full Senate vote.
"I've had a good working relationship with Sen. Rubio for many years, and I was very impressed during his hearing by his grasp of policy," Shaheen said Monday evening. "While we may not always agree, I believe he has the skills, knowledge and qualifications to be secretary of state."
Rubio expressed during his initial confirmation hearing last week that under Trump the State Department's "top priority" will be to put America first.
"This will not be easy," Rubio said. "And it will be impossible without a strong and a confident America that engages in the world, putting our core national interests, once again, above all else."
Rubio will face some major challenges heading into his new role, notably the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Rubio described the fighting between Ukraine and Russia as a "stalemate" that "has to end" during his confirmation hearing last week, adding that under Trump's proposed peace deal both countries will have to make "concessions." Meanwhile, despite Trump's past criticisms of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Rubio called the alliance "very important" and insisted that Trump was also a NATO supporter.
On Gaza, Rubio supported Israel's actions to defend itself against Hamas but stopped short of indicating one way or the other if he thought Israel's annexation of parts of the West Bank was something he supported.
"The idea would be that there not be conflict and the people could live side-by-side with one another without being in conflict and with the ability to pursue prosperity," Rubio said. "Sadly and unfortunately the conditions for that to exist have not been in place for a substantial period of time."
Rubio also repeatedly singled out China during his remarks in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week. "We welcomed the Chinese Communist Party into this global order. And they took advantage of all its benefits. But they ignored all its obligations and responsibilities," Rubio posited at his hearing. "Instead, they have lied, cheated, hacked and stolen their way to global superpower status, at our expense."
While Rubio did not face significant opposition to his confirmation, some Trump-aligned Republicans have expressed disdain over Rubio's willingness to certify the results of the 2020 election that Trump alleged was "stolen" from him. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who has been an outspoken supporter of less U.S. intervention, also questioned Rubio's hawkish stance on American intervention amid his confirmation to be secretary of state.
President Trump bucked tradition on Monday when he did not place his hand on the Bible while taking the oath of office during his second inauguration.
Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath, telling Trump, who was walking toward him, to raise his right hand and repeat the words he was about to say.
Trump then raised his right hand, and as Roberts said, "I, Donald John Trump," first lady Melania Trump was seen approaching with a stack of Bibles.
Rather than place his left hand on the Bibles, he kept his hand by his side and continued to take the oath of office as his family filed in behind him.
Melania Trump held two Bibles — one was the Lincoln Bible and the other was her husband's personal Bible that was given to him by his mother when he was a child. Trump did place his hand on both those Bibles when he took the oath of office in 2017.
Trump's team did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment on why the president did not place his hand on the Bibles.
Vice President JD Vance did place his hand on the Bible while he was sworn in.
Some people on social media say Roberts rushed the oath, while others appeared to be in disbelief that Trump did not place his hand on the Bibles, which is a tradition dating back to the very first inauguration of President George Washington.
While it is traditional for the incoming president to place a hand on the Bible while taking the oath of office, there is nothing in the U.S. Constitution that requires them to do so.
In fact, presidents "shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation," according to Article VI of the Constitution. The same article states, "...no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States."
Article II of the Constitution also says the president must take the oath before entering office, though there is no mention of religion.
The Constitution lays out the exact language to be used in the 34-word oath of office: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
Many judges have tacked on four little words, "so help me God." It is not legally or constitutionally required, unlike other federal oaths that invoke the words as standard procedure. Historians have been at odds over whether President Washington established precedent by adding the phrase on his own during his first acceptance, but contemporary accounts mention no such ad-libbing.
Abraham Lincoln was reported to have said it spontaneously in 1861, and other presidents over the years have followed suit. A Bible is traditionally used, with the president placing one hand on it while raising the other during the oath of office.
The Constitution also does not require the president or members of Congress or federal judges to be sworn in by a Supreme Court justice, though they just have for inaugurations, most of the time.
When Washington took the first oath of office in 1789, the Supreme Court had not yet been formed, so New York’s highest-ranking judge did the honors at Federal Hall on Wall Street.
Four years later, Associate Justice William Cushing swore in Washington for a second term, beginning the Supreme Court tradition.
Fox News’ Shannon Bream and Bill Mears contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON, DC— Several hundred protesters gathered in Washington, D.C. as President Trump was being sworn into office on Monday and several told Fox News Digital they braved the frigid temperatures to speak out against "colonialism" and "fascism" they believe is coming under Trump’s term.
"I’m coming out because I think it's important to make a stand against the country's slide towards fascism and against war and genocide and to just show that people are going to keep fighting no matter what attacks come down, and we know that they're going to happen," Gregory, who said he traveled from New Orleans to attend the We Fight Back rally at Meridian Hill Park in Washington, D.C., told Fox News Digital.
"We know the conditions are going to keep getting worse. We've just got to keep fighting."
Maxwell, who traveled to the inauguration protest from Baltimore, told Fox News Digital, "I'm here to make a stand to say that we're not going away and that the dangers of poverty and wealth inequality, misogyny, discrimination against the LGBTQ community and immigrants who make up the people of our nation deserve to have a voice and deserve to have people stand up for them domestically and also to end imperialism and colonialism and, you know, to discontinue that oppression enacted by the United States government and that's why we're here today."
Many of the protesters brought signs and props, including one man who rolled a large guillotine replica, which he told Fox News Digital was an "art piece" that is "open to interpretation."
"I want people to know that they have the power to make themselves heard, to voice their anger and to say, you know, to send a message to the people that are above us, people that are ruling us, that, you know, we are here, we're powerful, and they better, you know, tread lightly. You know, it's just a sculpture, but it should be a little scary."
An inscription beneath the guillotine said, "come get sum."
Mara, who identifies as transgender, told Fox News Digital that Trump is a "fascist."
"It’s important for me to be here. First of all, Donald Trump, with his extreme right wing agenda, has, among other things, to label trans people as pedophiles and then execute them," Mara said. "So as a trans person, that's kind of alarming. In addition to that, he has been said not just by left-wing people, but by his own conservative generals, he's been called a fascist. So I'm out here to reject fascism and say it has no place in our America."
The signs in the crowd contained phrases that included "socialism beats fascism" and "fight Trump's agenda."
After the speeches wrapped up, many of which included rallying cries to "Free Palestine" and end Israel's "genocide" in Gaza, the group walked out of the park and marched down the local streets.
Counter-protesters showed up as the march got underway, and several individuals engaged in shouting matches.
Protests against Trump's inauguration were far more subdued than the protests that took place at the start of his first term in office and do not appear to have been violent, which it was eight years ago when hundreds of protesters were arrested.
Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on Monday, marking his return to the Oval Office with a pledge to restore America to a "golden age."
Trump addressed the nation after taking the oath of office for the second time and used his inaugural address remarks to call for a "revolution of common sense."
"I return to the presidency confident and optimistic that we are at the start of a thrilling new era of national success. A tide of change is sweeping the country," Trump said. "My message to Americans today is that it is time for us to once again act with courage, vigor, and the vitality of history’s greatest civilization."
Fox News Digital's Brooke Singman contributed to this report
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.
Here's what's happening…
- Trump fans endure frigid temps, sleet, and snow for a chance to see 47th president
- Trump vows 'new era of national success,' says America's 'decline is over' in inaugural address
President Trump said a "tide of change is sweeping the country,"striking an optimistic note as he told Americans during his inaugural address Monday that the U.S. is beginning a "new era of national success," while declaring that the country's "decline is over."
Trump addressed the nation on Monday after taking the oath of office for the second time and being sworn in as the 47th President of the United States.
"In recent years, our nation has suffered greatly. But we are going to bring it back and make it great again, greater than ever before. We will be a nation like no other, full of compassion, courage and exceptionalism. Our power will stop all wars and bring a new spirit of unity to a world that has been angry, violent, and totally unpredictable. America will be respected again and admired again, including by people of religion, faith, and goodwill," he said…Read more
BEG YOUR PARDON: GOP lawmakers pledge to investigate Biden's last-minute pardons…Read more
'THIS IS DESPICABLE': Virginia governor, AG react to Biden granting clemency to 'cop killers'…Read more
LAST-MINUTE PARDONS: High-profile Dems warned Biden against preemptive pardons before giving Fauci, Milley passes…Read more
BROTHERLY LOVE: President Biden pardons his siblings just minutes before leaving office…Read more
'DONE NOTHING WRONG': Biden pardons Mark Milley, Anthony Fauci, J6 committee members…Read more
TIME FOR TRUMP: Laken Riley Act set to become one of first bills to hit Trump's desk…Read more
BORDER BLITZ: Trump to end birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants, halt refugee flow…Read more
IN COURT: Elon Musk's DOGE faces first legal challenge within hours of Trump inauguration…Read more
PAGE REFRESH: White House website now lists Trump as president, removes Biden, Harris content…Read more
CULTURE WAR: Trump targets culture war lightning rods in early slate of executive orders…Read more
NO-SHOW MICHELLE: Former first lady skips Trump inauguration as Barack arrives solo…Read more
NEW YORK, NEW YORK: NYC Mayor Adams attends inauguration at Trump team's request…Read more
SILENCE SPEAKS VOLUMES: Former presidents mum following Trump's second inauguration…Read more
ALL THAT GLITTERS: 'New Golden Age': Republican lawmakers ecstatic as Trump takes office with slate of new orders…Read more
FEELING BLUE: Dems promise to 'stand up to' Trump but laud 'peaceful transfer of power' after speech…Read more
LONG-AWAITED MOVE: Trump national security adviser pick Waltz resigns from House, shrinking GOP majority…Read more
DONE AT DOGE: Ramaswamy launching Ohio governor run early next week, say sources…Read more
MARK MILLEY PARDONED: General at center of Afghanistan withdrawal predicted it wouldn't be a Saigon moment…Read more
CLEARING OUT: Acting FBI Director Paul Abbate retires just minutes before Trump takes office: report…Read more
WORLD OF DIFFERENCE: Trump's UN ambassador nominee says she sees 'great promise' in United Nations…Read more
Get the latest updates on the Trump administration, Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
President Trump on Monday made a number of ambitious announcements on border security and immigration, eyeing a sweeping overhaul of U.S. policy and likely fueling pushback from Democrats and immigration activists in the weeks and months ahead.
Trump used his inaugural address to outline his plans to fulfill his campaign promises to seal the southern border and launch a historic mass deportation campaign.
"First, I will declare a national emergency at our southern border. All illegal entry will immediately be halted," Trump said moments after being inaugurated. "And we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came."
Fox News had previewed Trump’s immigration moves, which include deploying the military to the border, ending Biden-era parole policies, restoring border wall construction and designating international cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
Trump also will be ending birthright citizenship for illegal immigrants, suspending refugee resettlement and creating a rapid removal process that does not allow for an asylum claim, officials told reporters.
Officials told reporters in a press call that Trump would sign an order clarifying language in the 14th Amendment and stating that the federal government "will not recognize automatic birthright citizenship for children of illegal aliens born in the United States."
Trump reiterated many of these promises in his address.
"We will reinstate my Remain in Mexico policy. I will end the practice of catch-and-release. And I will send troops to the southern border to repel the disastrous invasion of our country. Under the orders I signed today, we will also be designating the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations," he said.
"And by invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, I will direct our government to use the full and immense power of federal and state law enforcement to eliminate the presence of all foreign gangs and criminal networks bringing devastating crime to U.S. soil, including our cities and inner cities."
"As commander in chief, I have no higher responsibility than to defend our country from threats and invasions," he said. "And that is exactly what I am going to do. We will do it at a level that nobody has ever seen before."
Trump made tackling illegal immigration, including a mass deportation operation, a central theme of his 2024 campaign.
Polls showed Americans saw illegal immigration as a top issue during the 2024 election, and some Democrats in Congress recently have supported legislation to require the detention of certain illegal immigrants by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Fox News' Brooke Singman and Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
Spirits were high in the streets of Washington, D.C., this Monday as Americans from across the country converged on the nation’s capital to celebrate the second inauguration of President Donald Trump.
Fox News Digital spoke to many Trump supporters, who, despite frigid temperatures and a biting wind chill, expressed optimism and hope for the future of America under the new Trump administration.
"It’s a happy day," said a group of women from South Georgia, who were wearing huge star-spangled hats and "Make America Great Again" scarves and were standing by the Capitol building.
"It’s amazing to have freedom again," said one of the women named Tanya Garrett.
"Today is a day of freedom," chimed in another woman named Angela Anderson.
Anderson said she believes the Trump administration will bring "the respect of America back."
"I think that’s one of the greatest things," she said. "We’re going to have respect from other countries, and we’re going to prosper and bring safety on our borders and the respect for the people that there should be."
Most of the Trump supporters who spoke with Fox News Digital said that the most important thing the new president could do is move quickly to undo the damage done during the the Biden administration by securing the border, restoring the economy and American energy and projecting American strength against the nation’s enemies.
"I am very, very excited," said Rachel Quy, who traveled from Atlanta and was standing outside Union Station. "I’m Vietnamese American and I do not like communists and a lot of us who are anti-communist we hope that Trump can stop that or at least make them weaker so we can make America stronger."
In a pub just blocks away from the Capitol, the celebrations began as early as ten in the morning. As televisions showed Trump emerging from St. John’s Episcopal Church after morning services, crowds in the bar broke into cheers and applause.
"A lot of changes are going to happen," said Jeff, a Trump fan sitting by the bar who traveled for the inauguration from Alaska. "We’re going to make immigration a big deal, bringing things back to America, businesses. It’s a new era, I’m looking forward to it."
Another Trump supporter named Will, who was sitting nearby, chimed in saying he had never felt the same type of energy for another president.
"We’re from Oregon, so it’s a blue state, so it's nice to be around like-minded people," he said.
Outside, supporters lined Pennsylvania Avenue where Trump and his motorcade were expected to pass through on their way to Capital One Arena.
"We were doing much better under Trump, so we’re excited for another four years," said Philip Swinson, a construction business owner from Southern California. Standing by Swinson was his father and business partner, Brad Swinson.
"I’m almost 72 and I’m going to remember [Biden] as the worst president of my lifetime by far," said Brad. "We’re big on freedom, the Constitution, free enterprise, all the things that they seem to be pushing against, at least the Democrats [and] the deep state and I think people can see through that."
Some said that they have noticed a shift in energy in their communities, with more and more people willing to openly agree with and support Trump and his agenda.
"Anything is better than what we’ve had for the last four years," said Levi, a young man from Wisconsin. "People that were my friends that were liberals, hard-core lefties, now they’re like: ‘You know what? We’ve got to change something here.’"
"It’s been embarrassing for the last four years. We have not had anybody in charge, anybody running the show," said Deanna, from Illinois. "America has got somebody in charge now."
With President Biden now in political retirement, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is quickly becoming one of President Trump's top targets.
And Trump, minutes into his second term as president, used his inauguration address inside the U.S. Capitol to take aim at the Democratic governor of the nation's most populous state.
"Our country can no longer deliver basic services in times of emergency," Trump argued. And he pointed to "Los Angeles, where we are watching fires still tragically burned from weeks ago without even a token of defense."
Trump this month has repeatedly criticized Newsom's handling of the horrific wildfires that have razed parts of metropolitan Los Angeles, killing nearly 30 people and forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes.
The governor's press office quickly pushed back, posting on social media four photos of firefighters tackling the blazes.
Trump will head to California on Friday to get a firsthand view of the firefighting and recovery efforts.
"I’m going to go out there on Friday to see it and to get it moving back," Trump said at an inaugural eve rally in the nation's capital. "We’re going to get some of the best builders in the world. We’ll get it moving back."
Newsom, who over a week ago invited Trump to California, said in a statement on Monday following the inauguration ceremony, "I look forward to President Trump’s visit to Los Angeles and his mobilization of the full weight of the federal government to help our fellow Americans recover and rebuild."
And he emphasized "finding common ground and striving toward shared goals" with the Trump administration.
"In the face of one of the worst natural disasters in America’s history, this moment underscores the critical need for partnership, a shared commitment to facts, and mutual respect – values that enable civil discourse, effective governance, and meaningful action," the governor said.
Newsom added that "where our shared principles are aligned, my administration stands ready to work with the Trump-Vance administration to deliver solutions and serve the nearly 40 million Californians we jointly represent."
Newsom was a top surrogate on the 2024 campaign trail for Biden and later former Vice President Kamala Harris, who replaced Biden last summer as the Democrats' nominee.
The governor, who is term-limited and likely has national ambitions in 2028, was a vocal Trump critic on the 2024 campaign trail and has taken a lead in leading the Democratic Party's resistance in the wake of Trump's presidential election victory.
FIRST ON FOX:President Trump sees "great promise" for the United Nations, provided it remains dedicated to its founding mission of promoting international peace and security, according to his U.N. ambassador nominee, Elise Stefanik.
"When discussing this nomination with President Trump, the President shared with me that he sees great promise in the United Nations if it focuses on its founding mission of international peace and security. President Trump has long advocated for peace and no new wars," she will say, according to excerpts of her opening statement for Tuesday's confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, obtained by Fox News Digital.
She will pledge to support Israel – as it faces chronic criticism for the war in Gaza – and work to ensure the agency is using U.S. tax dollars to advance U.S. interests.
"As the world faces crisis after crisis, with hostages including Americans still held in Hamas' captivity, to national security challenges ranging from China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran, it has never been more critical for the United States to lead with strength and moral clarity," Stefanik plans to say.
"As a Member of Congress, I also understand deeply that we must be good stewards of U.S. taxpayer dollars. The U.S. is the largest contributor to the U.N. by far. Our tax dollars should not be complicit in propping up entities that are counter to American interests, antisemitic, or engaging in fraud, corruption, or terrorism."
"We must invest in programs that strengthen our national security and deliver results. To increase the efficacy of U.N. programs, we must drive reform. If confirmed, I will be the first U.N. Ambassador in over two decades to come directly from Congress – and I have a deep respect and understanding of the oversight and appropriations role of the legislative branch. I look forward to using my strong House and Senate relationships to deliver much needed reforms."
After Tuesday's hearing, where Stefanik will be grilled on her plans for representing the U.S. at the U.N., the Foreign Relations Committee will vote on her confirmation before it heads to a full Senate vote.
Stefanik, who currently serves as the House GOP Conference chair, is expected to sail to confirmation in the U.N. role. Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, has already said he will vote for her – they are both strong Israel supporters. She served on the Intelligence and Armed Services Committees, but she went viral for her work on the other side of the table last year when she questioned university presidents and their policies surrounding pro-Gaza protests during Education Committee hearings.
The U.N. ambassador is a Cabinet-level position, meaning Stefanik will regularly meet with the president to share updates and suggestions, if confirmed.
Both Trump and Stefanik have been critical of the U.N., and Trump slashed funding for certain U.N. agencies and programs during his first term.
Founded with a mission to promote global peace, development and respect for human rights after World War II, the U.N. relies on the U.S. for about a third of its budget. President Biden increased U.S. financial contributions to the U.N. and its sister agencies, boosting it from $11.6 billion in 2020 to $18.1 billion in 2022.
The U.S. gave about three times as much that year as the next-highest contributors, Germany, at $6.8 billion, and Japan, at $2.7 billion.
That amount of funding gives a new administration wiggle room to withhold funds to the U.N. if its global interests do not align with those of the U.S., a notion some Republicans have already pushed for.
Trump will be in office when the international body elects its next secretary-general in 2026, and the U.S. will have veto power over any candidate.
The U.N. particularly relies on the U.S. for global aid programs.
In 2022, it provided half of all contributions to the World Food Programme, and about a third of all contributions to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and the International Organization for Migration.
And critics have warned that China has infiltrated the agency – the CCP doubled the number of its nationals employed at the U.N. to nearly 15,000 from 2009 to 2021.
The men who held the nation’s highest office before President Trump have all remained mum on his taking the presidency on Monday.
All four living former presidents – Bill Clinton, George Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden – attended the inauguration ceremony, and sat behind Trump as he gave a politically charged speech about his vision for the future of the country.
None had any public well-wishes for the incoming president after the swearing-in ceremony. Asked whether they planned to put out a statement on it, none of their offices responded at press time.
Biden only addressed his supporters and staffers in remarks before boarding a government helicopter to be whisked away from Washington, D.C.
"We're leaving office, we're not leaving the fight," he told them.
Former first ladies Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush and Jill Biden all attended the ceremony alongside their husbands. Michelle Obama did not attend.
Sources reportedly close to Michelle Obama told People magazine that the former first lady intended to skip Trump's inauguration because she cannot contain her disdain for the Republican president-elect.
Hillary Clinton chuckled when Trump suggested renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. Bill Clinton told CNN of his reaction to the speech: "I think you can figure it out for yourself." The Clintons did not stay for the inaugural luncheon.
Trump and former first lady Melania Trump did not attend President Biden's inauguration in 2021. At the late President Jimmy Carter’s funeral, Obama and Trump were seen chatting and laughing like old friends despite the history of political animosity between the former Democratic president and the returning Republican.
Trump, in his address, took shots at Biden without addressing him by name.
"My recent election is a mandate to completely and totally reverse a horrible betrayal, and all of these many betrayals that have taken place, and to give the people back their faith, their wealth, their democracy and indeed, their freedom," Trump said.
In a follow-up speech to supporters, Trump called out Biden’s last-minute moves as president.
"You're going to see a lot of action on the J6 hostages," he said.
"And I was going to talk about the things Joe did today with the pardons of people that were very, very guilty of very bad crimes, like the UnSelect Committee of political thugs," he went on.
In an 11th hour move, Biden preemptively pardoned the members of the January 6th House Select Committee that investigated the role of Trump and his acolytes in the 2021 Capitol riot, along with Dr. Anthony Fauci and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mark Milley.
And just moments before leaving the White House, Biden preemptively shielded his siblings and their spouses from any prosecution.
Republican lawmakers are jubilant after President Trump was sworn in for a second term on Monday, followed by a speech promising massive policy changes in the U.S.
"President Trump’s speech was a breath of fresh aid for Americans – he will bring down costs, close the southern border, deport illegal immigrants, bring back free speech, and unleash American energy dominance," House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., told Fox News Digital. "The Golden Age of America begins today."
House GOP leaders, meanwhile, reaffirmed their promise to execute Trump’s policies as quickly as possible, with the commander in chief angling for an active first 100 days in office beginning with a sweeping set of executive orders.
"This is America’s moment of redemption, and under President Trump’s leadership, our nation will usher in a new Golden Age," said House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn. "House Republicans are fully committed to making his America First vision a reality and are ready to hit the ground running on day one."
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., meanwhile, hailed Trump’s address as "a powerful speech outlining his vision for an America that’s safe, strong, free, and full of opportunity."
Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla., chair of the House GOP Policy Committee, compared Trump’s inauguration to former President Ronald Reagan’s in 1985 – which was also held indoors.
"Like Reagan, who ushered in a renaissance of American greatness, President Trump’s inauguration marks the beginning of a new golden age in America. His vision and leadership will secure a brighter future for our nation. Today, we witness the dawn of a new era," Hern said.
Like Trump, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, called for legislative action to begin without delay. He said, "Today is a day for celebration, but our work begins immediately. There is no room for excuses. Congress must work with the president to deliver fully, not partially. I stand ready and resolved."
Meanwhile, Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, urged Congress to now work with Trump "to pass the Farm Bill, extend the Trump Tax Cuts, lock down our border, end the electric vehicle mandates, support our small businesses, and lower costs for our families and farmers."
Several of those goals were also mentioned by Trump himself during his inaugural speech in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.
"I will direct all members of my Cabinet to marshal the vast powers at their disposal to defeat what was record inflation, and rapidly bring down costs and prices. The inflation crisis was caused by massive overspending and escalating energy prices. And that is why today I will also declare a national energy emergency. We will drill, baby, drill," Trump said.
"With my actions today, we will end the Green New Deal, and we will revoke the electric vehicle mandate, saving our auto industry and keeping my sacred pledge to our great American autoworkers."
He also repeated promises to crack down on crime at the border as well as target foreign nations with high tariffs as a means to bring down the deficit.
Trump later gave roughly half an hour’s worth of further remarks in the Capitol’s Emancipation Hall.
The second speech, more freewheeling than his first, saw Trump criticize his predecessor, former President Biden, for issuing pardons to members of the former House Select Committee on Jan. 6 and others, like retired Gen. Mark Milley.
"We're going to turn our country around, and we're going to turn it around fast. And I think it was a better speech than the one I made upstairs," Trump joked in those remarks.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares lambasted President Biden after he granted clemency to the "Waverly Two," who they said admitted to being responsible for the 1998 murder of a Sussex County police officer.
"I am beyond outraged and in utter disbelief that President Biden would announce clemency for Ferrone Claiborne and Terence Richardson – two men who admitted to being responsible for brutally killing Officer Allen Gibson, a hero and dedicated servant to our community," Youngkin said in a statement.
"What makes this even more unconscionable is the Biden U.S. Attorney advised the White House not to commute these sentences as they are violent offenders."
Youngkin said "the pain and sorrow this clemency causes the Gibson family is unimaginable."
"To know that the men who took Officer Gibson’s life will walk free is not just a grave injustice- – it is a heartbreaking blow to those who continue to mourn his sacrifice. This is despicable; a grim day for justice and for the families who trust that our system will hold the guilty accountable," Youngkin said.
Youngkin's office said Claiborne and Richardson admitted in Sussex County Circuit Court to being responsible for Gibson’s brutal killing.
"The evidence presented and the details surrounding Officer Gibson's death are deeply disturbing and tragic," Youngkin stated.
Youngkin's office said then-President Obama declined to grant clemency to Claiborne and Richardson.
Under the current terms, both men are set to be released in July.
"This is despicable. I’m beyond outraged and in utter disbelief that President Biden would announce clemency for these two violent criminals," Youngkin wrote in a post on X.
Miyares echoed Youngkin's disgust and said his office would continue to seek justice for Gibson's family.
"I’m outraged by Biden granting clemency to cop killers, forcing the fallen officer’s child, Crissana, to relive this trauma. Shame on you, Joe Biden and your enabling staff. May the memory of Officer Allen Gibson & his family haunt each of you forever," Miyares wrote in a post on X.
Miyares also shared a statement from Crissana Gibson, who was outraged by Biden's decision.
"I am absolutely outraged by what has happened. My heart is shattered knowing that the men that killed my father are going to be released from prison and can walk the streets freely. This is a huge miscarriage of justice, and I am completely disgusted by the outgoing administration," she wrote. "The Virginia Attorney General's office has worked tirelessly to keep these murderers behind bars, and I am forever grateful for their dedication and hard work. I am so disappointed that the disgraceful Biden administration has failed my family, my father, and the entire law enforcement community. Neither my family nor I have ever supported the release of Richardson or Claiborne, and we denounce this decision by the outgoing failed presidency of Joe Biden and the Democratic Party’s abuse of the justice system."
Miyares said that on April 25, 1998, Allen Gibson, 25, woke up and went to work as a Waverly police officer and never returned home after he was shot with his own service weapon in the woods behind an apartment complex.
"He put on his bulletproof vest and said goodbye to his 8-year-old daughter Crissana. Officer Gibson found Terence Richardson and Ferrone Claiborne engaged in a drug deal behind an apartment building. The men attacked Officer Gibson, and Richardson disarmed Officer Gibson and fatally shot him in the stomach right below his bulletproof vest," Miyares described.
Officials said that both Claiborne and Richardson were named suspects and arrested for Gibson's murder soon after his death.
Both men are still serving a life sentence for a remaining drug trafficking charge but were acquitted by a federal jury of murder and firearms charges.
On Friday morning, Biden announced that he would commute the sentences of nearly 2,500 inmates as his presidency came to a close.
The commutations are for people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses "who are serving disproportionately long sentences" compared to what they would receive if sentenced under today's law.
However, Biden has come under bipartisan fire for who he has decided to pardon or commute sentences for.
At the end of December, he chose to commute the sentences of 37 of the 40 men on federal death row, helping them escape execution and sending them to prison for life without parole instead.
Biden also boasted about completing the "largest single-day grant of clemency" on Dec. 12 when he commuted sentences for 1,500 people and pardoned 39 others, most of whom were already serving time in home confinement because of decisions made during the COVID-19 era.
Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Pritchett contributed to this report.
The Laken Riley Act is expected to be headed back to the House after the Senate likely passes an amended version on Monday night.
The legislation is set to be one of the first pieces of legislation sent to President Trump's desk after it overcame the legislative filibuster's 60-vote threshold twice this month.
The bill, introduced in the new Congress by Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., in the Senate and Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., in the House, was named for a 22-year-old Augusta University nursing student who was found dead on the University of Georgia's campus in February.
Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old illegal immigrant, was found guilty of 10 total counts, including felony murder. He initially pleaded not guilty but was ultimately sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in November.
The measure would require ICE to arrest and detain illegal immigrants that have committed theft, burglary or shoplifting until they are deported. States would also be granted standing under the legislation to take civil action against members of the federal government that do not enforce immigration laws.
A Republican amendment that added assault of law enforcement officers to the list of crimes that would trigger ICE detainment was added last week in the Senate. The upper chamber will also vote on Monday afternoon on whether to add "Sarah's Law" as an amendment. The legislation, led by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, would require ICE to detain illegal immigrants charged with killing or seriously injuring another person.
A final vote on the immigration bill is expected around 6 p.m. in the upper chamber.
Afterward, the House will need to talk up the measure once again and approve the final version as amended by the Senate.
The prioritization of the bill ahead of Trump's swearing in on Monday came as the new president is expected to make immigration law enforcement a top goal of his administration.
Trump's administration has already revealed several actions he is taking on the first day of his term, with many addressing immigration. Incoming White House officials revealed on Monday that he would sign an executive order ending birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants, in addition to several other day-one actions tackling the border crisis.
Fox News Digital's Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
He’s now only the second American President to return to office. President Grover Cleveland served his first term from 1885 to 1889. But Cleveland lost the presidency in 1888. Cleveland won the popular vote – but lost the Electoral College to President Benjamin Harrison. However, Cleveland rallied to vanquish Harrison in 1892, returning to the White House.
So this is a second act for Mr. Trump. At least in the presidency.
For him, the president enjoys unprecedented public support. He commanded 77 million votes – but failed to reach 50 percent. But, the president did score a robust 312 electoral votes.
And so, Mr. Trump, like Cleveland, is into his second act. What’s ahead?
The expectations are astronomical.
"America issued a verdict on November 5th. They spoke loud and clear," said Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., on Fox.
"When I see peace starting to break out again around the world. They’re going to be like, ‘this is the stability that we were asking for,’" said Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., on Fox. "Daddy’s back."
Crackdowns are coming.
"When you have a wide open border, you don't have safety, security or even sovereignty," said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on NBC.
The president returns to power with more GOP unity than he had in 2016. Congressional Republicans were far from standing foursquare behind him. House Republicans had 241 seats then. His most ardent supporters on Capitol Hill were people who no longer serve. Former Reps. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., and Duncan Hunter Jr., R-Calif., were his first supporters in the House. Both were convicted on unrelated criminal matters and left Congress. Mr. Trump then pardoned them. His biggest advocate in the Senate was former Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala. Sessions left the Senate to serve as Mr. Trump’s first Attorney General. He lasted less than two years, stepping down at the president’s request.
Congressional Republicans were skeptical of Trump back then. Former House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., led the charge to unwind Obamacare. After the GOP had to pull the bill in the House, Republicans finally cobbled together the votes to kill it a month later. The bill stumbled in the Senate after the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., voted no. But the House failure on the first try told you everything you need to know about where the party stood and how much influence Mr. Trump wielded.
But lawmakers did muscle through the vaunted Trump tax cuts later in the year.
The unity is different among Republicans this time around. And the administration and lawmakers start with an agenda of slashing taxes and cleaving the deficit.
"Right now there's a discussion about whether we'll have one bill or two bills up here. The process doesn't matter to us. We just know that we've got to accomplish this for the American people," said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., on Fox. "He's way ahead of where he was eight years ago."
But one GOP senator has a warning for his colleagues.
"I think the number one priority for the Republican party should be to secure that border," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on CBS. "Get the tax cuts and spending reductions put together later."
It will be about the math. Despite their ambitious legislative ambitions to approve tranches of money for the border – but simultaneously slash spending and cut taxes. And Republicans have a miniscule majority in the House. With the resignation of former Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., to become National Security Advisor, House Republicans will be down to 218 votes. That majority dwindles to 217 when Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., resigns to become Ambassador to the United Nations – presuming she receives Senate confirmation.
So, advancing anything through the House is going to be challenging despite the goals.
Frankly, they may need help from Democrats on some issues – like avoiding a government shutdown or lifting the debt ceiling.
"Even though my colleagues have been talking about that the president got a mandate and he did electorally, that mandate does not exist in the House," said Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., on Fox. "They barely have a majority. And so if they want to work with us, I think they're going to find a willing partner."
Confirmation votes are coming soon on Trump cabinet picks.
"He needs a team that can be disruptive," said Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Penn., on Fox. "They want disrupters. They want outside the box thinking."
But some picks could be too disruptive.
Think Director of National Intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard and the selection of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., for Health and Human Services Secretary. Senate committees have not yet scheduled hearings for either of them. Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth likely has the votes for confirmation. But the Senate may need to take a procedural vote to break a Democratic filibuster to muscle through Hegseth to confirmation.
Still, Democrats are recalibrating their approach for Trump 2.0.
"I think Democrats last time around just resisted the president on everything. It was just constant outrage. And I think this time they need to shift to a different strategy of selective resistance," said Moskowitz.
So Trump’s second act is on. The issues that Grover Cleveland grappled with? Tariffs and silver policy. Mr. Trump won’t need to wrestle with the latter subject (we presume). But you know about the pending battle about tariffs and issues with China, Canada, Mexico and elsewhere.
The new president has about two years to implement his policies and get his legislative agenda through Congress. But people are expecting results.
And that’s the thing about second acts. In sports. And in politics. Only in the theatre is there a third.
