Happy New Year 2025

Tag: Trump

Obama officials, Trump critics target Hegseth’s Ukraine ‘concessions’ as ‘biggest gift’ to Russia

Obama officials and Trump critics are up in arms after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said a return to the Eastern European country’s pre-war borders with Russia is “unrealistic.”

Hegseth, speaking to the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Belgium on Wednesday, said “returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective.” He also called for Europe to offer Ukraine security guarantees after the war – not the U.S.

Trump administration critics accused the secretary of giving up leverage before the start of peace negotiations with Russia.

“Putin is gonna pocket this and ask for more,” Brett Bruen, director of Global Engagement under the Obama White House, told Fox News Digital.

RUSSIAN MISSILES RAINED DOWN ON KYIV JUST AHEAD OF TREASURY SECRETARY SCOTT BESSENT’S VISIT

Ukraine advocates are up in arms about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s comments they believe give up leverage before the start of peace negotiations. (DefSec Hegseth on X)

Hegseth said Wednesday that “durable peace” for Ukraine must “ensure that the war will not begin again.”

“The United States does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement. Instead, any security guarantee must be backed by capable European and non-European troops,” he said.

“If these troops are deployed as peacekeepers to Ukraine at any point, they should be deployed as part of a non-NATO mission and not covered under Article 5. There also must be robust international oversight of the line of contact. To be clear, as part of any security guarantee, there will not be U.S. troops deployed to Ukraine.”

While it is little surprise the Trump administration does not currently support Ukraine’s NATO membership, or believe Ukraine can take back all of its territory including Crimea, critics argue that Hegseth vocalizing these beliefs just as President Donald Trump fired the opening salvo in peace negotiations took them off the table as leverage.

“Why would you unilaterally surrender on some of those key strategic issues? Even if Trump ultimately wants to give ground, at least get something in return,” Bruen said.

‘NO BETRAYAL’ IN TRUMP MOVE TOWARD UKRAINE WAR NEGOTIATIONS, HEGSETH SAYS

“Anyone with any diplomatic experience would have said it is critical that we use this as part of our negotiation, as President Trump wants to have with Moscow. But the idea that we’re simply going to announce all of the things that we are not going to do goes against 70 years of our diplomacy and our military strategy.”

Michael McFaul, ambassador to Russia under the Obama administration, asked why the Trump administration appeared to be giving Russian President Vladimir Putin wins for free.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, center, made the comments while meeting with the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at the NATO headquarters in Brussels. (Johanna Geron/Pool Photo via AP)

“Why is the Trump administration giving Putin gifts – Ukrainian land and no NATO membership for Ukraine – before negotiations even begin?” he asked on X. “I’ve negotiated with the Russians. You never give up anything to them for free.”

Alexander Vindman, a Trump impeachment witness and former Europe director at the National Security Council – who continues to be a fierce Trump critic – characterized Hegseth’s comments as “complete capitulation to Putin” that justifies Russia’s wars of aggression going back to Georgia in 2008.

“This will embolden Putin and undermine the interests of peace in Ukraine and Europe. A major blow to U.S. national security,” Vindman asserted.

Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., chimed in that Hegseth’s comments show, “Trump’s foreign policy has always been Russia First. Never America and its allies first.”

The defense secretary also called on Europe to “take ownership of conventional security on the continent.”

HEGSETH WARNS EUROPEANS ‘REALITIES’ OF CHINA AND BORDER THREATS PREVENT US FROM GUARANTEEING THEIR SECURITY

“European allies must lead from the front,” Hegseth said. “Together, we can establish a division of labor that maximize our comparative advantages in Europe and Pacific, respectively.”

His comments came just before Trump called both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent traveled to Kyiv.

On Friday, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet with Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

The Putin conversation came one day after the release of American Marc Fogel, who had been detained by the Kremlin, which Trump said he saw as a sign of “good faith” by the Russians.

Trump, meanwhile, has begun pressuring Ukrainians to turn over access to rare Earth minerals in exchange for security aid. Bessent presented Ukraine with a draft deal exchanging aid for minerals on Wednesday in Kyiv, according to Zelenskyy.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s comments came just before President Donald Trump called both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, pictured here, and as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent traveled to Kyiv. (Photo by Bonnie Cash/Getty Images)

“We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s Nations,” Trump posted to Truth Social on Wednesday of his call with Putin. “We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately.”

He announced that he would asked Rubio, Director of the CIA John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to lead negotiations.

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Trump also said his call with Zelenskyy went “very well.”

“It is time to stop this ridiculous War, where there has been massive, and totally unnecessary, DEATH and DESTRUCTION. God bless the people of Russia and Ukraine!”

February 13, 2025
Trump Education nominee Linda McMahon says shutting down DOE would ‘require congressional action’

Former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) CEO Linda McMahon, tapped by President Donald Trump to head the Department of Education, is facing questions Thursday morning about her views on the agency’s future amid Trump’s quest to shutter it “immediately.”

During the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee’s confirmation hearing, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., first asked McMahon about whether she agrees the DOE would need Congressional approval to close it entirely.

“Certainly, President Trump understands that we’ll be working with Congress,” McMahon responded. “We’d like to do this right. We’d like to make sure that we are presenting a plan that I think our senators could get on board with, and our Congress could get on board with, that would have a better functioning Department of Education, but it certainly does require congressional action.”

INTO THE RING: TRUMP EDUCATION CHIEF PICK MCMAHON TO TESTIFY ON CUTTING ‘RED TAPE’ AMID DOGE SWEEPS

Trump hopes Linda McMahon will ‘put herself out of a job’ if confirmed to lead the Department of Education. (Getty Images)

Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., asked McMahon a similar question after a line of questioning about her support for Pell Grants.

“Let me just once again, get your feelings on this, that if there is a movement to abolish the Department of Education, it has to go through the United States Congress?” Sanders asked.

TRUMP EDUCATION DEPT LAUNCHES PROBE INTO ‘EXPLOSION OF ANTISEMITISM’ AT 5 UNIVERSITIES

President Donald Trump is seen in this March 2019 photo with McMahon, who worked in his first administration on the Small Business Administration. ( REUTERS/Joshua Roberts)

McMahon responded, “Yes, it is set up by the United States Congress, and we work with Congress. It clearly cannot be shut down without it.”

Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican, asked McMahon about Maine’s TRIO programs that help first-generation college students from families without higher education experience. Collins questioned how these programs could be maintained if the Department of Education were “abolish[ed]” or “substantially reorganized.”

FORMER TRUMP EDUCATION SECRETARY LAYS OUT ‘UNFINISHED BUSINESS’ FOR NEW ADMIN ON SCHOOL REFORMS

“These various things, especially the trio program, which we both agreed was just hit with a terrible blow just by regulatory action when some of the students who were applying, their applications were rejected simply because of spacing on a form. And that kind of regulatory control just cannot stand. That is just impossible.”

“If I am confirmed to be able to get in and assess programs, how they can have the best oversight possible, how we can really take the bureaucracy out of education,” she said.

McMahon, nominated to head the Education Department, is stepping into a role that Trump has suggested he is seeking to eliminate. Trump recently indicated that if McMahon is confirmed, he wants her to “put herself out of a job.”

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President Trump vowed on the campaign trail to eliminate the Dept of Education and bring the power back to the states (Getty Images)

Ahead of McMahon’s confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Trump reiterated his intention to close the department, calling for it to be shut down “immediately.”

“It’s a big con job,” Trump said. “They ranked the top countries in the world. We’re ranked No. 40, but we’re ranked No. 1 in one department: cost per pupil. So, we spend more per pupil than any other country in the world, but we’re ranked No. 40.”

Jamie Joseph is a writer who covers politics. She leads Fox News Digital coverage of the Senate.

February 13, 2025
Ukraine reports drone attack not long after Trump talks with Putin, Zelenskyy

Ukraine’s air force indicated in a Facebook post on Thursday that the Eastern European nation had been targeted in a drone attack overnight.

“85 ENEMY UAVS SHOT, 52 DRONES FAILED TO REACH THEIR TARGETS (LOCATIONALLY LOST),” the top of the post read, according to a Google translation of the Ukrainian text.

The announcement came after U.S. President Donald Trump noted on Wednesday that he had spoken to both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

TRUMP SAYS RUSSIA AGREES TO ‘IMMEDIATELY’ BEGIN NEGOTIATIONS TO END WAR IN UKRAINE

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a joint press conference with the President of the European Investment Bank (EIB) in Kyiv on Feb. 10, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine (TETIANA DZHAFAROVA/AFP via Getty Images)

In a Truth Social post, the president described his call with Putin as “lengthy and highly productive.”

During President Joe Biden’s White House tenure, the U.S. provided billions worth of assistance to Ukraine as the embattled nation has been contending with a Russian onslaught.

But Trump is pushing for an end to the years-long war between the two foreign nations.

UKRAINE REGAINING PRE-2014 BORDERS IS ‘UNREALISTIC OBJECTIVE,’ HEGSETH SAYS IN FIRST NATO VISIT

He said in the post that he and Putin “both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine.”

“We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately, and we will begin by calling President Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation, something which I will be doing right now,” he noted.

In a post later on Wednesday, Trump said his talk with Zelenskyy had gone “very well.”

PUTIN VIEWED AS ‘GREAT COMPETITOR’ BUT STILL A US ‘ADVERSARY’ AS UKRAINE NEGOTIATIONS LOOM, LEAVITT SAYS

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“He, like President Putin, wants to make PEACE,” Trump noted.

Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.

February 13, 2025
Reagan’s ‘peace through strength’ doctrine can aid Trump administration with Taiwan policy, group says

A group led by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute (RRPFI) has issued a series of takeaways following its recent visit to Taiwan. The takeaways can be seen as a roadmap of ideas for the Trump administration.

The eight-member delegation consisting of U.S. national security and business leaders concluded their strategic visit to Taiwan last month amid the presidential transition in Washington, D.C., a new administration in Taipei and ongoing Chinese coercion and aggression in East Asia.

The series of meetings was designed to strengthen ties between the United States and Taiwan across Taiwan’s political leaders and business elite. Members of the RRPFI delegation identified several key takeaways from the trip that could compliment the Trump administration’s policies toward strengthening the U.S.-Taiwan partnership.

TRUMP MUST DUMP ‘ONE CHINA’ POLICY AND RECOGNIZE ‘FREE’ TAIWAN, HOUSE REPUBLICANS SAY

The delegation said that while a number of President Donald Trump’s selections for top administration roles have expressed previously held views about policy involving Taiwan, there is a general mix of optimism and uncertainty over the direction the administration will take on security and economic matters relating to Taiwan.

A member of the Taiwanese coast guard monitors a Chinese coast guard boat as it passes near the coast of the Matsu Islands, governed by Taiwan, on Monday, Oct. 14. (Taiwan Coast Guard/AP)

Increasing defense spending, particularly with NATO allies, was a centerpiece of Trump’s first term. The delegation stressed national unity on defense and said elected officials from all parties need to live up to the intent to increase defense spending. The delegation emphasized to Taiwanese partners that the American public expects U.S. allies and partners to shoulder the primary burden of their own defense, a notion that will certainly appeal to the Trump administration.

The delegation asserted that Russia’s war in Ukraine and how the West handled it since Russia’s full-scale invasion are on the minds of Taiwanese leaders. The Biden administration used the Presidential Drawdown Authority on at least 55 occasions since August 2021 to provide Ukraine with military assistance from Department of Defense stockpiles, according to the State Department. The RRPFI delegation argue that the Presidential Drawdown Authority along with Foreign Military Sales are valuable tools for enhancing Taiwan’s capabilities and ensuring peace and stability in the region.

TAIWAN FM HAILS IMPORTANCE OF US RELATIONSHIP, SAYS GROUP VISITS ‘CONTRIBUTE TO PEACE AND STABILITY’

President Lai Ching-te meets a delegation from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute. (Official Photo by I Chen Lin / Office of the President)

At last month’s meeting, David Trulio, president and CEO of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, told Taiwanese leaders that, “especially with President Trump’s mandate in returning to office, Taiwan, the PRC, and the world are watching how the United States addresses China’s ongoing aggression in the South China Sea and malign online influence.”

He said that the security situation across the Taiwan Strait demands a continued commitment to peace through strength, including through robust partnership with Taiwan and sustained U.S. deterrence.

President Donald Trump, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping. (Getty)

TRUMP CABINET PICKS DELIGHT TAIWAN, SEND STRONG SIGNAL TO CHINA

“Taiwan has made, and is making, serious investments in its security,” Trulio told the audience.

“That said, given President Trump’s and the American public’s expectation that U.S. allies and partners shoulder the primary burden of their own defense, it is critical that Taiwan’s leaders deliver on their stated intent to increase defense spending and enhance their operational capabilities,” Trulio added.

Taiwan currently spends 2.45% of its GDP on defense, and Taiwanese leaders have expressed their intention to continue to increase their defense budget. Defense spending has increased by 80% since 2016, and their defense budget accounted for 15% of its total budget in 2024, according to Taiwan’s government.

The U.S. has been arming Taiwan for seven decades and Taiwan has consistently been one of the largest purchasers of U.S. weapons through the Foreign Military Sales process.

China’s military fired missiles into the water off eastern Taiwan on Aug. 4, 2022 in response to then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visiting the island. (China Military)

The delegation warned that not receiving weapons diminishes Taiwan’s security and enables the PRC to claim that the United States is an unreliable partner.

China takes these arm sales very seriously. China warned the U.S. that it was making “dangerous moves” by providing Taiwan with an additional $571 million in defense materials, which was authorized by then-President Joe Biden in December just prior to leaving office.

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The Chinese Foreign Ministry released a statement at the time urging the U.S. to stop arming Taiwan and to cease what it referred to as “dangerous moves that undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”

February 13, 2025
Trump budget bill faces key vote after rocky reception from House GOP

The House GOP’s proposal for a massive conservative policy overhaul has already gotten a rocky reception from Republican lawmakers, and with their current majority, Republicans will need to vote in near lock-step to pass anything without Democratic support.

“I think it’s probably going to have to be modified in some way before it comes to the floor,” House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., told Fox News Digital.

Other members of the GOP hardliner group also balked at the bill. Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., called it a “pathetic” attempt at cutting spending.

“We’ll still be accelerating towards a debt spiral,” Burlison said.

SCOOP: KEY CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DRAWS RED LINE ON HOUSE BUDGET PLAN

House Speaker Mike Johnson is navigating fraught House GOP dynamics to advance Trump’s agenda. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images, Photo by Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu via Getty Images/Fox News Channel)

House and Senate Republicans are working to use their majorities to advance President Donald Trump’s agenda via the budget reconciliation process. By reducing the threshold for passage in the Senate from two-thirds to a simple majority, which the House is already at, it allows the party in power to pass budgetary and fiscal legislation without help from the opposition.

The first step in the process is to advance a framework through the House and Senate budget committees, which then gives directions to other committees on how much funding they get to implement their relevant policy agendas.

The Senate Budget Committee approved its own plan on Wednesday night, while the House counterpart is poised to meet on their proposal Thursday morning.

It’s not immediately clear if that bill will pass, however. Four conservatives on the House Budget Committee – Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, Ralph Norman, R-S.C., Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., and Josh Brecheen – did not commit to voting for the 45-page proposal backed by GOP leaders that was released on Wednesday morning.

Roy said he was “not sure” if the legislation could advance on Thursday morning when asked by Fox News Digital.

“We’ll see,” Norman said when asked if the bill would pass out of committee.

Clyde and Brecheen similarly would not say how they felt about the proposal when leaving the speaker’s office on Wednesday afternoon.

Rep. Chip Roy is one of the Budget Committee members unhappy with the bill. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

If all four voted against the legislation, it would be enough to block the resolution from advancing to the House floor.

Other conservatives also expressed reservations. Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., told Fox News Digital, “I’m not super happy with it.”

“It just doesn’t do enough to address fiscal cuts,” Crane said.

The House’s 45-page bill would mandate at least a $1.5 trillion reduction in federal spending over the next 10 years, coupled with $300 billion in new spending for border security and national defense over the same period.

It would also raise the debt ceiling by $4 trillion – something Trump had demanded Republicans deal with before the U.S. runs out of cash to pay its debts, projected to happen by the spring if Congress does not act.

BLACK CAUCUS CHAIR ACCUSES TRUMP OF ‘PURGE’ OF ‘MINORITY’ FEDERAL WORKERS

And while hardline conservatives wanted deeper spending cuts written into the bill, Republicans on the House Ways & Means Committee are uneasy about the $4.5 trillion allocated toward extending Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017 – which expires at the end of 2025.

“Let me just say that a 10-year extension of President Trump’s expiring provisions is over $4.7 trillion according to CBO. Anything less would be saying that President Trump is wrong on tax policy,” Ways & Means Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., told The Hill earlier this week.

A member of the committee, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital, “I have some concerns regarding Ways & Means not being provided with the largest amount to cover President Trump’s tax cuts — especially [State and Local Tax deduction (SALT)] relief and a tax reduction for senior citizens, which are both also priorities of mine.”

Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, said he had not read the legislative text but that Smith believed the $4.5 trillion figure was “about a trillion off from where we need to be in order to make it work.”

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The resolution’s first big test comes at 10 a.m. ET on Thursday.

Republicans are aiming to use reconciliation to pass a broad swath of Trump’s priorities, from more funding for law enforcement and detention beds at the U.S.-Mexico border to eliminating taxes on tipped and overtime wages.

The Senate’s plan would advance border, energy, and defense priorities first while leaving taxes for a second bill.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., called that plan a “nonstarter” this week, however. House leaders are concerned that leaving tax cut extensions for a second bill could allow those measures to expire before lawmakers reach an agreement.

Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.

Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to [email protected]

February 13, 2025
‘No betrayal’ in Trump move toward Ukraine war negotiations, Hegseth says

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said President Donald Trump’s move toward negotiations with Russia to end the war with Ukraine was “no betrayal” during a visit to NATO headquarters in Belgium on Thursday.

Hegseth replied to a reporter’s question about the U.S. potentially betraying Ukraine after Trump had a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin about beginning to negotiate peace without Kyiv’s full involvement.

“There is no betrayal there,” Hegseth told reporters. “There is a recognition that the whole world and the United States is invested and interested in peace, a negotiated peace.”

Russia and Ukraine have been at war since February 2022, when Russia first invaded its neighboring nation. Trump had repeatedly said while on the campaign trail that if he was president in 2022 the war would not have broken out — vowing to end it if re-elected.

PUTIN VIEWED AS ‘GREAT COMPETITOR’ BUT STILL A US ‘ADVERSARY’ AS UKRAINE NEGOTIATIONS LOOM, LEAVITT SAYS

United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks with the media as he arrives for a meeting of NATO defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Harry Nakos)

On Wednesday, Trump said he had a “lengthy” call with Putin, which included the Russian leader agreeing to “immediately” begin negotiations over the war in Ukraine. Trump also spoke with Zelenskyy separately. After talks with both leaders, Trump said he would “probably” meet in person with the Russian leader in the near term, possibly in Saudi Arabia.

Responding to a separate question, Hegseth referred to the phone calls and pointed to Trump’s ability as a negotiator.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, right, and United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth address a media conference during a meeting of NATO defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

“I think you saw from President Trump yesterday, who himself is the best negotiator on the planet, bringing two sides together to find a negotiated peace, which is ultimately what everyone wants,” he said. “So I look forward to the ministerial today with our NATO allies to have honest conversations about where we are.”

‘LET’S DO A DEAL’: ZELENSKYY CALLS TRUMP’S TERMS ACCEPTABLE FOR SECURITY PARTNERSHIP

Hegseth also said he believes Trump is the “one man in the world capable of convening the parties together to bring peace.”

During his visit to NATO headquarters on Wednesday, Hegseth told allies that “returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective,” as Trump works to bring an end to the war.

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“He intends to end this war by diplomacy and bringing both Russia and Ukraine to the table. And the U.S. Department of Defense will help achieve this goal,” Hegseth said. “We want a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine. But we must start by recognizing that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective. Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering.”

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton and Greg Norman, along with The Associated Press, contributed to this report.

February 13, 2025
Trump needing to sign order to keep men out of women’s sports is ‘absolute insanity,’ NFL legend says

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NFL legend Brett Favre talked Wednesday about why he thought it was important to speak out and defend President Donald Trump’s executive order barring biological men from women’s sports.

Trump signed the order in the East Room of the White House last week. The NCAA followed suit and complied with the order. Some states have bucked the order and have since faced Title IX investigation from Trump’s Education Department.

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Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre speaks during a campaign rally for then-former President Donald Trump on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, at the Resch Center in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin. (Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)

Favre said in a video posted on Wednesday that his daughters would sometimes tell him to rethink posting some of the things he does on X. He said there was some good in that, but he found value in standing up for what he believes in.

“I think there’s some good in that in being quiet. But also, there’s some element of standing up for what you believe in,” Favre said. “And it’s crazy because most of it is common sense and to think we’re having a discussion that our president has to sign (an executive order) to keep men out of women’s sports is absolutely insane.

“But that’s the world we’re in right now. We bought ourselves some time in the next four years. We’ll see how that plays out. But the common sense part of our country and the decisions that are being made, right now, are becoming more stable and back to the norm. I feel like the more we speak up and back common sense thinking, the better off we’re gonna be.”

President Donald Trump, left, and Brett Favre. (AP Newsroom/IMAGN)

TRANS ATHLETE SADIE SCHREINER NOT COMPETING FOR RIT WOMEN’S TRACK TEAM AFTER TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ORDER

Trump’s order gave the federal government authority to penalize federally funded entities that “deprive women and girls of faith athletic opportunities.”

The NCAA announced a policy change a day later. “A student-athlete assigned male at birth may not compete on a women’s team,” the new policy read. The new policy still allows biological females to compete on men’s teams.

President Donald Trump signs an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women’s or girls’ sporting events, in the East Room of the White House on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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NCAA President Charlie Baker said the executive order provided a “clear, national standard.”

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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

February 13, 2025
NASCAR star Bubba Wallace responds to Trump possibly attending Daytona 500 after past feud

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President Donald Trump is rumored to be attending this year’s Daytona 500 on Feb. 16. If he shows up, he will be there to watch a driver he has a spotty history with.

Bubba Wallace, who drives the McDonald’s car for Michael Jordan’s NASCAR team 23XI Racing, engaged in a public feud with Trump in 2020.

In July 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of the George Floyd riots, Wallace made multiple posts on X, then known as Twitter, condemning Trump for promoting hate.

Trump himself attacked Wallace on social media over the driver calling for a ban on confederate flags at races and alleged that an investigation into a noose being found in his garage was a “hoax.” An FBI investigation found that the noose had been in the garage stall since October 2019, and no crime had been committed.

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Bubba Wallace, #43, wears a “I Can’t Breathe, Black Lives Matter” shirt before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, June 7, 2020 in Hampton, Georgia. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Later that year, Wallace alleged that he had been told he was “bringing politics into NASCAR,” in response to his condemnation of Trump. However, in 2024, Wallace made no political posts to speak of. Wallace previously told Fox News Digital why.

“Investing my time into that seems like a waste of time,” Wallace said at the time. “I was definitely more vocal then because our sport was in desperate need of change.”

Now, with Trump set to possibly attend the Daytona 500, Wallace feels just as indifferent as he did during the past year’s election. At the Daytona 500 media day on Wednesday, Wallace said he “couldn’t care less” if Trump showed up or not.

“We’re here to race. Not for the show,” Wallace added.

The response is in line with Wallace’s recent approach to politics. Unlike in 2020, he no longer makes any political social media posts. His feed on X is now just a curated mix of racing photos, promotional posts and photos of family.

NASCAR ICON RICHARD CHILDRESS DESCRIBES ‘GREAT’ RECEPTION FOR JD VANCE APPEARANCE AT NORTH CAROLINA RACE

Bubba Wallace, right, argues with Kyle Larson after the two crashed during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

One of the biggest reasons Wallace abandoned that habit from 2020 is because of cultural shifts in social media during that time. Wallace said there is overwhelming “negativity” on the platforms he would use to get any messages of his beliefs out.

“Social media nowadays is just a way for people to hide behind a screen and voice their opinions on things they don’t really know about,” Wallace previously told Fox News Digital.

“It’s just too much negativity that it’s going to take years and years and years to get rid of, and we don’t have time for that,” Wallace said of the current culture of social media. “Now, with being a dad and trying to be the best that I can be here for my race team and my team here, that’s where I’m investing my energy so that’s all you can really ask for.”

For Wallace, the impact of becoming a father has been a transformative experience for him in such a short amount of time. Since his son was born, Wallace has two top-10 finishes in the three races he has competed in. He is also looking at life through a lense he was not looking through before.

“You have your kid at home and a full family to provide for now, so it’s crazy to go through all that,” Wallace said.

Meanwhile, if Trump shows up, it will be two major sporting event appearances for the president within the span of a week.

Last Sunday, Trump became the first sitting president in U.S. history to attend a Super Bowl when he traveled to the Superdome in New Orleans to watch the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.

Trump previously served as grand marshal for the 2020 Daytona 500 and gave the command for drivers to start their engines. He also took a parade lap around the 2 1/2-mile speedway in his armored limousine, leading the 40-car field before the green flag. The presidential motorcade remained on the apron in the corners instead of taking to the high-banked turns.

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President Donald Trump, accompanied by Ivanka Trump, speaks before signing the National Security Presidential Memorandum to Launch the “Women’s Global Development and Prosperity” Initiative. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Thousands cheered, and a band played patriotic music when Air Force One flew over the famed track, a flyover that was simultaneously shown on big screens. Trump’s presence energized fans and caused huge headaches because of logistical issues at entrance points.

Trump, with first lady Melania Trump by his side, addressed the crowd before the race and called the Daytona 500 “a legendary display of roaring engines, soaring spirits and the American skill, speed and power that we’ve been hearing about for so many years.”

A notice from the Federal Aviation Administration posted Monday indicated that Trump was expected to attend the race, but NASCAR said Wednesday it had gotten no confirmation.

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February 13, 2025
President Trump, India’s Modi to tackle trade, tariff tensions at high stakes meeting

John Catsimatidis, United Refining Co. and Red Apple Group chair and CEO, recalls the moment he reportedly told New York City’s mayor the DOJ was dropping charges against him; he also talks about consumer inflation.

President Donald Trump is expected to welcome Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the White House on Thursday. As only the fourth world leader to meet with the president since beginning his second term, the meeting underscores the importance of the U.S.-India relationship.

Modi, India’s most prominent leader in decades, remains a largely popular yet polarizing figure both at home and abroad. Officials in New Delhi are optimistic that his visit will pave the way for a renewed strategic partnership. Trump and Modi are expected to cover a broad range of issues; trade and tariffs are expected to dominate it.

Reuters reported that Modi is also expected to meet with billionaire tech CEO Elon Musk, whose Starlink’s entry to the South Asian market could be discussed. The two men are said to have a friendly relationship, with Musk meeting Modi in 2023.

“Trade is by far the most important agenda, with defense and foreign policy taking a secondary position this time around,” Siddhartha Dubey, a visiting professor of journalism at Bennett University in India, told FOX Business. The countries have “no progress on a trade deal,” he said.

India, the world’s fastest-growing major economy, has been spared any tariffs so far. But the stakes remain elevated.

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President Donald Trump is shown with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Motera, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India, on Feb. 24, 2020. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

“This has been one of our strongest international partnerships in recent years,” Dubey said.

Trump and Modi enjoy a strong personal rapport, and their meeting is expected to shed more light on the evolving dynamics between the world’s most populous democracy and its most powerful one,

The U.S. is India’s largest trading partner, with trade reaching a record $129.2 billion in 2024. Currently, the trade surplus is around $35 billion in India’s favor. India is also one of the most protectionist economies, and Trump is sure to press for more access.

Dubey warned that “privately, many Indians feel Delhi could be in Trump’s crosshairs soon,” especially with the news of Trump saying he will implement reciprocal tariffs on any countries with tariffs on U.S. goods, which could include India. And most recently, he introduced a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports with no exceptions. But Modi is keen to avert a potential trade war. Over the next few days, he is expected to offer some major concessions in an attempt to move toward what the White House calls a “fair bilateral trading relationship.”

India is already showing a willingness to ease its own tariffs in what are believed to be preemptive moves to stave off U.S. tariffs. India has slashed duties on key U.S. exports. This month, for example, India cut tariffs on motorcycles in a move that benefits American company Harley-Davidson. U.S. motorcycle exports to India amounted to only about $3 million last year.

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, meets with Elon Musk in New York on June 20, 2023. (Indian Press Information Bureau/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Despite the steps India has taken to address Trump’s concerns, the country remains at risk. Trump has often criticized India as being one of the “very big tariff abusers,” and just last month he called the nation a “tremendous tariff maker.”

Trump’s top economic adviser, Kevin Hassett, echoed those criticisms on Monday, saying “India has enormously high” tariffs that act as an import barrier. During his first term, Trump railed against India’s steep tariffs, dubbing it a “tariff king.” In 2019, he revoked India’s special trade privileges, prompting India to retaliate by slapping tariffs on dozens of U.S. goods.

According to World Trade Organization data, India’s simple average tariff rate is 17%, significantly higher than the U.S. rate of about 3.3%.

“This is unfair,” Dubey told FOX Business. “And I do not believe that President Trump will turn a blind eye. India has to cut its high tariffs, there’s no question about it,” he added.

President Donald Trump signs executive orders on Monday imposing 25% tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, the latest salvo in his ongoing effort to overhaul the U.S. trading relationship with the rest of the world. (Jabin Botsford/Washington Post via Getty Images)

Nonetheless, India remains confident in being able to navigate Trump’s “America First” policies. During the upcoming meeting, Modi is anticipated to propose an increase in energy product imports from the U.S. to address the trade imbalance. India’s oil secretary says companies there are hoping to purchase U.S. liquefied natural gas after Trump lifted a ban on new export permits. As the fourth-largest importer of liquefied natural gas, India is well-positioned to further its energy trade with the U.S.

When it comes to defense imports, Reuters reports that Modi is negotiating the purchase and co-production of combat vehicles as well as finalizing a fighter jet engine deal. India is the world’s largest importer of military equipment, and Trump wants the country to buy more U.S.-made security equipment. The push comes as the U.S. and Russia are competing to secure India’s fifth-generation fighter jet deal. New Delhi is also focused on attracting greater investment from U.S. companies in manufacturing and services, particularly the insurance sector.

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Modi arrived in Washington on Wednesday after a visit to France for a global conference on artificial intelligence. During his time there, Modi met with Vice President JD Vance, further strengthening diplomatic ties. In a departure statement, Modi expressed eagerness for his meeting with “my friend, President Trump,” which is sure to present both opportunities and challenges.

Indo-U.S. trade ties have grown steadily over the years, but Modi has acknowledged that the partnership can be deepened in several critical areas, including technology, trade, defense, energy and supply chain resilience.

“Modi and his team need to do more to assuage Trump and his team that they will lift certain duties and make India a whole lot friendlier to U.S. exporters,” Dubey said.

February 13, 2025
Judicial pushback against Trump agenda likely to go to Supreme Court, experts say

President Donald Trump’s agenda has been met with a wave of lawsuits since he took office in January, and legal experts say many of them will likely end up in the Supreme Court’s hands.

“President Trump is certainly being aggressive in terms of flexing executive power and not at all surprised that these are being challenged,” John Malcolm, vice president of the Institute for Constitutional Government at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital.

Trump kicked off his second term with a flurry of executive orders and directives that have since been the targets of a flood of legal challenges. Since Trump’s day 1, more than 40 lawsuits have been filed over the administration’s actions, including the president’s birthright citizenship order, immigration policies, federal funding freezes, federal employee buyouts, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and legal action against FBI and DOJ employees.

“Many of these cases may end up on the Supreme Court, but certainly the birthright citizenship,” Malcolm said. “If there ends up being a split among the courts, that issue will certainly be taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court.”

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President Donald Trump’s agenda has been met with a wave of lawsuits since he took office in January, and legal experts say many of them will likely end up in the Supreme Court’s hands. (Getty Images)

Erwin Chemerinsky, dean at UC Berkeley School of Law, said Trump “has issued a myriad of orders violating the Constitution and federal laws” and noted that “Many already have been enjoined by the courts.”

“The crucial question is whether the president will defy these orders,” Chemerinsky told Fox News Digital.

“Almost without exception, throughout American history, presidents have complied with Supreme Court orders even when they strongly disagree with them.”

In one of the most recent developments, a Rhode Island federal judge ordered the Trump administration to unfreeze federal funds, claiming the administration did not adhere to a previous order to do so. The Trump administration appealed the order to the First Circuit shortly thereafter, which was ultimately denied.

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“Judges ordering the federal government to spend billions of dollars when the administration is saying that that is not in the best interests of the United States, I would expect that issue to be on a fast track to the U.S. Supreme Court,” Malcolm said.

Many of these lawsuits have been filed in historically left-leaning federal court jurisdictions, including Washington federal court and D.C. federal court. Various challenges have already been appealed to the appellate courts, including the Ninth and First Circuits, which notably hand down more progressive rulings. The Ninth Circuit, in particular, has a higher reversal rate than other circuit courts.

Despite the variety of ongoing legal challenges, Malcolm said he believes the Trump administration is on more solid footing when it comes to cases concerning firing political appointees. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

“Judge shopping is nothing new,” Malcolm said. “So I’m not at all surprised that these lawsuits challenging the Trump administration are being filed, for the most part, in the bluest of blue areas where the odds are high that the judge who’s going to be considering the issue has a liberal orientation.”

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“Almost without exception, throughout American history, presidents have complied with Supreme Court orders even when they strongly disagree with them,” Chemerinsky said. (AP Photo)

Despite the variety of ongoing legal challenges, Malcolm said he believes the Trump administration is on more solid footing when it comes to cases concerning firing political appointees. On Monday, Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden to lead the Office of Special Counsel, sued the Trump administration in D.C. federal court after he was fired on Friday.

Malcolm said Trump’s second term will continue to see a wave of litigation as he continues to implement his agenda, similar to his predecessors, including Biden.

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Malcolm particularly noted the Biden administration’s efforts to redefine sex in Title IX as “gender identity.” A Kentucky federal judge blocked the Biden administration’s attempt in early January.

“There are a lot of these issues that end up coming up,” Malcolm said, looking back on Biden’s Title IX legal challenges. “And I suspect that the same sorts of issues will come up during the Trump administration, and they’ll be full employment for lawyers throughout his entire term.”

Haley Chi-Sing is a Writer for Fox News Digital. You can reach her at @haleychising on X.

February 13, 2025