Happy New Year 2025

Tag: Trump

After raucous first week in office, Donald Trump to keep his foot on the gas

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Following a torrid first week in office, President Donald Trump does not have a very busy public schedule on Monday. That does not mean there won’t be plenty of action. The 47th president is known to spring major actions and announcements without much notice.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION NEEDS MORE PLANES TO CARRY OUT DEPORTATIONS: REPORT

President Donald Trump speaks to the media after signing executive orders in the Oval Office on Jan. 23, 2025. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)

The president starts off the week by attending a House GOP Conference meeting at Trump National Doral Miami at a time to be determined. The GOP January retreat is an opportunity for Republicans to game-plan their approach to implementing their shared agenda with President Trump. Major policy initiatives that are likely to be addressed are the president’s sweeping border security and ongoing deportation initiatives, increasing domestic energy production and advancing a new tax plan.

House Speaker Mike Johnson told Politico that he expects to have a “blueprint” for a massive reconciliation package in place after the retreat. The House Budget Committee, which is tasked with writing the instructions on the bill, is set to meet next week.

Johnson sent a letter to the president to address a joint session of Congress on March 4, 2025. In the letter, Johnson wrote, “Your administration and the 119th Congress working together have the chance to make these next four years some of the most consequential in our nation’s history.”

He went on to write, “To that end, it is my distinct honor and great privilege to invite you to address a Joint Session of Congress on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, in the Chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives, to share your America First vision for our legislative future. I eagerly await your response.”

SPEAKER JOHNSON INVITES TRUMP TO ADDRESS CONGRESS AMID BUSY FIRST 100-DAY SPRINT

House Speaker Mike Johnson shakes hands with President-elect Donald Trump on Nov. 13, 2024. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Another event that is key to an early Trump priority will be a hearing at the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation titled “Fees and Foreign Influence: Examining the Panama Canal and Its Impact on U.S. Trade and National Security.” The committee is headed by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

In his inaugural address, Trump said, “China is operating the Panama Canal. And we didn’t give it to China, we gave it to Panama, and we’re taking it back.”

Newly confirmed Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to visit Panama this week. According to the State Department, the trip will include visits to the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Guatemala and El Salvador.

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Confirmation hearings continue in the Senate this week with Tulsi Gabbard, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Kelly Loeffler and Kash Patel all appearing.

Continued immigration and deportation activities are expected to continue with border czar Tom Homan and the acting deputy attorney general, Emil Bove, traveling to Chicago on Sunday to witness the stepped-up enforcement actions.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

January 26, 2025
Colombia’s Gustavo Petro quickly backtracks after Trump threats over deportation flights

Colombian President Gustavo Petro offered his presidential plane to repatriate migrants coming back from the U.S. on Sunday, following stern warnings made by President Donald Trump.

The move came after Trump hit the Central American country with retaliatory measures in response to Petro’s refusal to accept deportation flights. In a statement translated from Spanish, the Colombian government said that the plane will help facilitate a “dignified return.”

“The Government of Colombia, under the direction of President Gustavo Petro, has arranged the presidential plane to facilitate the dignified return of the compatriots who were going to arrive in the country today in the morning, coming from deportation flights,” the translated statement read.

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President Donald Trump issued stark warnings to Colombian President Gustavo Petro over the weekend. (Getty Images)

“This measure responds to the Government’s commitment to guarantee decent conditions.”

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.

Andrea Margolis is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Readers can send story tips to [email protected].

January 26, 2025
Trump admin touts purging ‘worst’ illegal immigrants from US streets: ‘working tirelessly’

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The Trump administration rolled out a social media thread on Sunday highlighting the “worst criminals” arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since President Donald Trump was sworn-in as the nation’s 47th president last week.

“Under President Trump’s leadership, ICE agents are working tirelessly to protect our communities. From illegal alien child rapists to gang members and individuals with suspected ties to ISIS, here are some of the worst criminals arrested,” the White House X thread reads.

The post shows nine different illegal immigrants who have already been convicted of vicious crimes, such as child rape, or have alleged links to gangs and terrorists organizations and other serious crimes. The nine illegal immigrants highlighted in the thread include their photos, as well as short biographies explaining their crimes.

“MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN: Edgar De La Cruz-Manzo, a convicted child rapist and Mexican national, was arrested by ICE Seattle on January 25, 2025,” one post reads.

ICE ARRESTS 3 TREN DE ARAGUA GANG MEMBERS IN MASS DEPORTATION PUSH

Compilation photo of illegal immigrants arrested by ICE under Trump administration. (White House )

Another explains: “MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN: A Mexican national wanted for murder with an active INTERPOL Red Notice was arrested by ICE Los Angeles on January 24, 2025.”

“MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN: A Jordanian national with suspected ties to ISIS was arrested by ICE Buffalo/Rouses Point on January 24, 2025,” another post reads.

TRUMP’S ICE NABS CHILD SEX OFFENDERS AMONG 530+ ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CAUGHT IN SINGLE DAY

Trump’s 2024 campaign prominently focused on the immigration crisis under the Biden administration, vowing to deport illegal immigrants, including those with long rap sheets in other nations, cartel members and others with alleged ties to terrorism.

Less than a week back in the Oval Office, Trump touted that he is keeping his campaign promises with a series of directives and policies to secure the border.

President Donald Trump speaks about the economy during an event at the Circa Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

BORDER ENCOUNTERS DROP SHARPLY AS TRUMP LAUNCHES CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

“Within hours of taking the oath of office, I declared a national emergency at our southern border. I sent active duty troops on the border to help repel the invasion. Tom Homan is leading the charge. You know that. We like Tom Homan. Doing a great job. We immediately halted all illegal entry and began sending every border trespasser and violator back to the places from which they came. I signed an order that will designate the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. It’s a big deal, it’s a big deal. Biden didn’t want to do that,” he said from Las Vegas during a rally on Saturday. “Biden didn’t know he was alive. He didn’t want to do it.”

A senior GOP strategist who spoke to Fox Digital about efforts to secure the border and remove dangerous illegal immigrants, remarked that the Biden administration could have done the same, but “did nothing about it.”

INDIANA ATTORNEY GENERAL FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST SHERIFF FOR DEFYING FEDS ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

“The most absurd part of all of this is that it’s clear the Biden administration knew EXACTLY where these pedophiles, murderers, and rapists were and did nothing about it,” the strategist said. “President Trump was given a mandate to execute his America First agenda and that starts with restoring the rule of law, securing our borders, and punishing known criminals.”

Other illegal immigrants arrested by ICE include a convicted sex offender from Ethiopia who was arrested in New Orleans on Friday; a Brazilian national convicted of vehicular manslaughter who was arrested by ICE Boston; and a Honduran national arrested by ICE Seattle who was found with cocaine, fentanyl, and a gun.

A group of over 100 migrants attempting to enter the US illegally rush a border wall Thursday, March 21, 2024. In the process the migrants knock down Texas National Guardsmen before they are halted by the border wall. (James Breeden for New York Post / Mega)

Law enforcement agencies stretching from ICE, to the DEA and U.S. Marshals, have been on an arresting blitz since Trump’s first day in office on Jan. 20. The Trump administration deputized thousands of federal agents on Thursday evening to aid agencies such as ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection in efforts to arrest illegal immigrants.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reported that on Thursday alone, law enforcement nationwide arrested more than 500 illegal immigrants, and deported hundreds of others.

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“The Trump Administration arrested 538 illegal immigrant criminals including a suspected terrorist, four members of the Tren de Aragua gang, and several illegals convicted of sex crimes against minors,” she posted to X last week.

“The Trump Administration also deported hundreds of illegal immigrant criminals via military aircraft. The largest massive deportation operation in history is well underway. Promises made. Promises kept,” Leavitt added.

January 26, 2025
Trump strikes back with retaliatory measures against Colombia for rejecting deportation flights

President Donald Trump pushed back on Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Sunday after Petro’s regime refused to allow U.S. deportation flights to land in his country.

“I was just informed that two repatriation flights from the United States, with a large number of Illegal Criminals, were not allowed to land in Colombia. This order was given by Colombia’s Socialist President Gustavo Petro, who is already very unpopular amongst his people,” Trump wrote on social media.

“Petro’s denial of these flights has jeopardized the National Security and Public Safety of the United States, so I have directed my Administration to immediately take the following urgent and decisive retaliatory measures:
-Emergency 25% tariffs on all goods coming into the United States. In one week, the 25% tariffs will be raised to 50%.

-A Travel Ban and immediate Visa Revocations on the Colombian Government Officials, and all Allies and Supporters.

-Visa Sanctions on all Party Members, Family Members, and Supporters of the Colombian Government.

-Enhanced Customs and Border Protection Inspections of all Colombian Nationals and Cargo on national security grounds.

-IEEPA Treasury, Banking and Financial Sanctions to be fully imposed.

These measures are just the beginning. We will not allow the Colombian Government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the Criminals they forced into the United States!” he wrote.

This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates.

Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to [email protected], or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.

January 26, 2025
Trump floats gutting the IRS, moving agents to the border armed with guns

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President Donald Trump floated moving nearly 90,000 IRS agents hired under the Biden administration to the border to patrol the area while armed with guns.

“On day one, I immediately halted the hiring of any new IRS agents. They hired, or tried to hire, 88,000 new workers to go after you. And we’re in the process of developing a plan to either terminate all of them or maybe we’ll move them to the border. And I think we’re going to move them to the border,” Trump said during a rally at Circa Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday evening.

“Where they’re allowed to carry guns, you know, they’re so strong on guns, but these people are allowed to carry guns, so we’ll probably move them to the border,” he continued. Certain special IRS agents are permitted to carry firearms as part of their duties, according to IRS Code, 26 U.S. Code § 7608.

Trump joined supporters in Las Vegas this weekend after touring destruction in North Carolina left by Hurricane Helene in September, as well as California, where he toured Los Angeles and met with local leaders about the wildfires that have ripped through the area this month.

TRUMP VOWS TO DELIVER ON ‘NO TAX ON TIPS’ CAMPAIGN PROMISE DURING LAS VEGAS SPEECH: ‘100% YOURS’

President Donald Trump speaks about the economy during an event at the Circa Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/John Locher)

While floating moving the thousands of IRS agents to the border, Trump also suggested ending income tax across the board, saying his plans on tariffs could fill the financial gaps.

“How about just no tax,” he said to cheers, while he chuckled. “You could do that. You know if the tariffs work out like I think, a thing like that could happen, if you want to know the truth.”

‘FLOODING THE ZONE’ TRUMP HITS WARP SPEED IN FIRST WEEK BACK IN OFFICE

“Years ago, 1870 to 1913, we didn’t have an income tax. We had, what we had is tariffs, where foreign countries came in and they stole our jobs, they stole our companies, they stole our product. They ripped us off. And, you know, they used to do numbers. And then we went to tariff, a tariff system. And the tariff system made so much money. It was when we were the richest from 1870 to 1930. Then we came in with the – brilliantly came in – with an income tax,” he continued, explaining the Great Depression rocked the U.S. shortly after moving away from the tariff system of the 1800s and early 1900s.

Immigrants try to pass over razor wire after crossing the border into El Paso, Texas. (John Moore/Getty Images)

Democrats in 2022 approved $80 billion in funding for the IRS, including to hire roughly 87,000 new agents across a 10-year period as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. President Joe Biden signed the legislation into law that year.

IRS BANNED FROM BUYING GUNS, AMMO WITH TAXPAYER FUNDS UNDER NEW BILL FROM SEN. ERNST

Trump’s Vegas speech focused on taxes, hearkening back to his June campaign rally in the state when he first announced he would eliminate taxes on tips.

President Donald Trump departs after speaking about the economy during an event at the Circa Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/John Locher)

“Any worker who relies on tips [as] income, your tips will be 100% yours,” Trump said on Saturday in the city that is run by service workers at flashy hotels and casinos and restaurants.

IRS documents (Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

DEMOCRATS HIRE ARMY OF AGENTS AT IRS TO SQUEEZE HONEST TAXPAYERS FOR GREEN NEW DEAL

Trump also touted that a handful of his campaign promises are already unfolding into real results, including withdrawing from the World Health Organization (WHO) and dismantling some federal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices.

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“We got rid of the woke crap,” Trump said Saturday. “A lot of crap… you know, these people were petrified of it. I’ll tell you, these companies, they run these big companies, they were petrified of it.”

Fox News Digital’s Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.

January 26, 2025
Trump State Sec Rubio announces US prisoner released from Belarus amid election

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday announced the release of a U.S. citizen who had been imprisoned in Belarus as controversy looms over the Eastern European nation’s ongoing election.

Crediting President Donald Trump’s leadership, Rubio said in a post on X that “Belarus just unilaterally released an innocent American, ANASTASSIA Nuhfer, who was taken under JOE BIDEN!”

Rubio added that Christopher Smith, State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary for Eastern Europe and Policy and Regional Affairs, “from our team did a great job on this.”

“PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH,” Rubio, who served 14 years on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee before he was sworn in as Trump’s new Secretary of State last week, wrote.

RUBIO DEMANDS ANSWERS WITH 2 MORE AMERICANS REPORTEDLY HELD BY TALIBAN

Marco Rubio during his swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Oliver Contreras/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

No further information was immediately released about Nuhfer or her release, as some social media users marveled about not knowing an American had been jailed in Belarus during former President Joe Biden’s administration.

Meanwhile, Belarus is holding its national election on Sunday. President Alexander Lukashenko, a loyalist of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, only faces token opposition and is expected to get another term on top of his three decades in power.

Lukashenko’s more consequential opponents, many of whom are imprisoned or exiled abroad by his unrelenting crackdown on dissent and free speech, are calling the election a sham – much like the last one in 2020 that triggered months of protests that were unprecedented in the history of the country of 9 million people.

The crackdown saw more than 65,000 arrests, with thousands beaten, bringing condemnation and sanctions from the West, according to the Associated Press.

The country holds nearly 1,300 political prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, founder of the Viasna Human Rights Center.

Since July, Lukashenko has pardoned more than 250 people. At the same time, authorities have sought to uproot dissent by arresting hundreds more in raids targeting relatives and friends of political prisoners.

Belarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko, center, visits the Minsk Automobile Plant in Minsk, Belarus, on Jan. 21, 2025. (Belarus’ Presidential Press Service via AP, File)

Authorities detained 188 people last month alone, Viasna said. Activists and those who donated money to opposition groups have been summoned by police and forced to sign papers saying they were warned against participating in unsanctioned demonstrations, rights advocates said, according to the AP.

HAMAS RELEASES 4 FEMALE HOSTAGES AS PART OF ISRAEL CEASEFIRE DEAL

Opposition leader-in-exile Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who fled Belarus under government pressure after challenging the president in 2020, told the AP that Sunday’s election was “a senseless farce, a Lukashenko ritual.”

Voters should cross off everyone on the ballot, she said, and world leaders shouldn’t recognize the result from a country “where all independent media and opposition parties have been destroyed and prisons are filled by political prisoners.”

“The repressions have become even more brutal as this vote without choice has approached, but Lukashenko acts as though hundreds of thousands of people are still standing outside his palace,” she said.

The European Parliament urged the European Union to reject the election outcome. EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas called the vote “a blatant affront to democracy.”

Belarus’ exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya pauses as she speaks during a press conference, on the day of Belarus’ presidential election, before the start of the “March of the Belarusians” in Warsaw, Poland, on Jan. 26, 2025. (Agencja Wyborcza.pl/Robert Kowalewski via REUTERS )

Shortly after voting in Minsk on Sunday, Lukashenko told journalists that he did not seek recognition or approval from the EU.

“The main thing for me is that Belarusians recognize these elections and that they end peacefully, as they began,” he said.

Media freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders filed a complaint against Lukashenko with the International Criminal Court over his crackdown on free speech that saw 397 journalists arrested since 2020. It said that 43 are in prison.

Two years after the demise of the Soviet Union, Lukashenko took office in 1994 and has earned the nickname of “Europe’s Last Dictator.” His iron-fisted rule had been cemented through subsidies and political support from Russia, a close ally.

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He let Moscow use his territory to invade Ukraine in 2022, and even hosts some of Russia’s tactical nuclear weapons, but he still campaigned with the slogan “Peace and security,” arguing he has saved Belarus from being drawn into war.

“It’s better to have a dictatorship like in Belarus than a democracy like Ukraine,” Lukashenko said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Danielle Wallace is a breaking news and politics reporter at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on X: @danimwallace.

January 26, 2025
Homan warns daily migrant arrests will ‘steadily increase’ as Trump admin targets non-violent illegal aliens

Border Czar Tom Homan warned that daily deportation numbers are set to rise in the coming weeks as President Trump’s administration begins to expand its operations.

Homan made the comment during a Sunday appearance on ABC News’ “This Week” with host Martha Raddatz. The border chief says the administration is currently only targeting violent illegal aliens, but that will soon change.

“You’re going to see the numbers steadily increase, the number of arrests nationwide as we open up the aperture,” Homan said. “Right now, it’s concentrating on public safety threats, national security threats. That’s a smaller population. So we’re going to do this on a priority basis. That’s President Trump’s promise. But as that aperture opens, there’ll be more arrests nationwide.”

“When you talk about the aperture opening, the estimates of those who have been convicted or arrested in the past are 700,000 to over a million. So after you do that, then you go after everybody who is there illegally?” Raddatz asked.

TRUMP DHS REPEALS KEY MAYORKAS MEMO LIMITING ICE AGENTS, ORDERS PAROLE REVIEW

Incoming Trump ‘border czar’ Tom Homan speaks with Fox News. (Fox News)

“If you’re in the country illegally, you’re on the table because it’s not okay to, you know, violate the laws of this country. You got to remember, every time you enter this country illegally, you violated a crime under Title Eight, the United States Code 1325, it’s a crime,” Homan responded.

TRUMP DHS REPEALS KEY MAYORKAS MEMO LIMITING ICE AGENTS, ORDERS PAROLE REVIEW

“So if you’re in a country illegally, you got a problem. And that’s why I’m hoping those who are in the country illegally, who have not been ordered removed by the federal judge, should leave,” he added.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt released this image Friday, writing on X that “deportation flights have begun.” A Mississippi lawmaker is proposing paying bounty hunters to help deport illegal immigrants. (White House)

The statement comes after Homan warned sanctuary cities across the U.S. that their policies will not prevent deportations, and will instead endanger communities, federal agents and illegal aliens.

‘NATIONAL EMERGENCY’: TRUMP DECLARES AMBITIOUS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN IN INAUGURAL ADDRESS

Sanctuary cities are defined by a policy of not turning over illegal aliens to federal authorities when they are arrested. The aliens are then often released back into the community.

Homan urged officials in sanctuary cities to help with the effort on “Fox & Friends” last week. “Work with us, because you’ve forced us into the community.”

He continued, “Here’s what’s going to happen. We’ll find the bad guy, but when we find him, he’s going to be with others, others that may not be a criminal priority. But guess what? If they’re in the United States illegally, they’re going to be arrested, too.”

President Donald Trump vowed mass deportations of illegal aliens. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

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“I want to save lives. A secure border saves lives,” Homan said. “When President Trump locks this border down, less women and children will be sex trafficked in this country, less aliens would die making that journey. Under President Biden, we’ve had a record number of people die crossing that border [and a] 600% increase in sex trafficking.”

Fox News confirmed Sunday that Tom Holman is in Chicago with Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove to observe and support the immigration process here in the city.

Fox News’ Matthew Finn contributed to this report.

Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to [email protected], or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.

January 26, 2025
Inside the Oval Office: What Biden décor did Trump ditch?

When a new president moves into the White House, they have free rein to redecorate as they see fit.

As President Donald Trump participated in inaugural ceremonies on Monday, dozens of staffers worked furiously at the White House to move former President Biden’s personal items out and Trump’s in.

Some of the decor seen in the Oval Office belongs to the president – such as the family photos both Biden and Trump displayed behind the Resolute Desk. But other items, like portraits of former presidents, the tables, chairs and curios belong to the White House Collection and are selected by the president to be featured during their term.

The look of the Oval Office, from the carpet to curtains and artwork on the walls, is entirely the president’s choice. Here’s a look at what Trump has kept and what he’s ditched from his predecessor:

‘TIP OF THE SPEAR’: TRUMP RAMPS UP UNSCRIPTED MEDIA BLITZ AFTER YEARS OF RECLUSIVE BIDEN DUCKING QUESTIONS

Kept: The Resolute Desk

Executive Orders regarding trade lay on the Resolute desk in the Oval Office of the White House on March 31, 2017, in Washington, D.C. (Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)

All but three U.S. presidents since 1880 – LBJ, Nixon and Ford – have used the famous desk that was gifted to President Rutherford B. Hayes by Queen Victoria that year. Trump used it in his first term, as did Biden, and Trump was pictured signing a flurry of executive actions at the desk on his first day in office on Monday.

Removed: President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s portrait

President Joe Biden sits underneath a portrait of former President Franklin D. Roosevelt while meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office at the White House on Sept. 1, 2021, in Washington, D.C. This was the two leaders’ first face-to-face meeting and the first by a Ukrainian leader in more than four years. (Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images)

When Biden assumed office, he hung a large portrait of progressive hero FDR over the fireplace, which became the focus of the room. Biden’s intent was to honor Roosevelt, who guided the nation through the Great Depression and World War II, as the U.S. faced another crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic.

FOX EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP SHARES LETTER BIDEN LEFT FOR HIM

Trump has removed the portrait and replaced it with one of President George Washington, which hung in the Oval Office during Trump’s first term, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Kept: Bust of Martin Luther King Jr.

A sculpted bust of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., adorns a table for an early preview of the redesigned Oval Office awaiting President Joseph Biden at the White House in Washington, DC. (Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

A bust of civil rights hero Martin Luther King Jr. displayed by both Trump and Biden will remain in the Oval Office for Trump’s second term, according to the Journal.

Swapped: Family photos

President Donald Trump after signing executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Thurs., Jan. 23, 2025. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

A collection of Trump family photos now sits on a small table behind the Resolute desk. Among them is a picture of the president’s mother, Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, and a portrait of his father, Fred Trump. Also displayed are a photo of Trump’s eldest three children in formal evening wear; a photo of Trump with his daughter Ivanka when she was a girl; and a photo of Trump with first lady Melania Trump when their son Barron was a baby.

WHY TRUMP’S HOLDING WEEKEND RALLY IN LAS VEGAS LESS THAN A WEEK INTO NEW ADMIN

Biden family photos were previously arranged on this table, including one of his adult children, Beau, Hunter and Ashley Biden.

Kept: Benjamin Franklin portrait

Natalie Harp, an aide to U.S. President Donald Trump, and White House Communications Director Steven Cheung (R) listen as President Trump signs a series of executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on Jan. 23, 2025, in Washington, D.C. A portrait of Benjamin Franklin hangs on the wall in the background. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

A portrait of Benjamin Franklin that Biden added to the Oval Office to signify his focus on science will remain there during Trump’s term, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Removed: Robert F. Kennedy bust

Robert F. Kennedy Bust behind President Joe Biden during a meeting with Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Petr Fiala in the Oval Office of the White House on Monday April 15, 2024 (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Trump has swapped out a bust of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that Biden placed near the fireplace in favor of a sculpture of President Andrew Jackson called, “The Bronco Buster,” by Frederic Remington. The Jackson sculpture also featured in the Oval Office during Trump’s first term, according to the Journal.

Returned: Winston Churchill bust

British Prime Minister Theresa May (L) and President Donald Trump meet beside a bust of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the Oval Office of the White House on Jan. 27, 2017 in Washington, D.C. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

A bust of Winston Churchill that Biden had removed is back at Trump’s direction. The bronze bust by British American artist Jacob Epstein has been the focus of past controversy. Then-London Mayor Boris Johnson had claimed that President Obama removed the bust upon taking office in 2009 – but the White House refuted that claim in 2012, observing that the bust had been placed just outside the Oval Office in the White House’s Treaty Room.

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Returned: Andrew Jackson portrait

President Donald Trump speaks to the media after signing executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C, on Jan. 23, 2025. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)

A new painting of President Andrew Jackson provided by the White House art collection features prominently in Trump’s Oval Office, according to WSJ. Trump has long admired the nation’s seventh president, a populist and disruptive figure whose election Trump once said “shook the establishment like an earthquake” – not unlike his own victories.

Returned: U.S. military flags

President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., US, on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. Flags representing different branches of the U.S. military are seen in the background. (Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Trump is one again prominently featuring flags representing each branch of the armed services in the Oval Office.

Chris Pandolfo is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital. Send tips to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @ChrisCPandolfo.

January 26, 2025
A look at the Trump family’s business empire

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on President Trump’s priorities and plans to tackle the Washington bureaucracy.

President Donald Trump and his business background have long been talked about before his foray into politics.

The twice-elected president and members of his family have ties to businesses in sectors ranging from cryptocurrency and real estate to beverages and apparel.

Here are some businesses tied to Trump or members of his family.

Trump Organization

The “Trump World Tower” located on 845 United Nations Plaza, in New York City on Feb. 17, 2024. ( CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

The Trump Organization is the company for which Trump and his family are best known. Sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., both executive vice presidents, have managed it since 2017, according to the Trump Organization website.

The company boasts numerous highly valuable hotels, golf courses, commercial buildings and other pieces of real estate. It also deals in licensing Trump’s name.

The Trump Organization and the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust will “continue to hold all of its (and President Trump’s) investments and business assets in a trust managed by his children” while the president sits in the White House, according to an ethics plan obtained and published by USA Today.

The document also said Trump will “have no role in any of the day-to-day decision making concerning or involving the company.” His investments will be “independently managed by outside financial institutions.”

Other measures the company plans to take during Trump’s term were also detailed in the document, according to USA Today.

$Trump meme coin

President Donald Trump’s X account promoting his new meme coin $TRUMP is seen on a mobile phone screen. (Hakan Nural/Anadolu via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Trump’s meme coin, $TRUMP, debuted on Jan. 17. They are “fungible crypto assets created and tracked on the Solana blockchain,” according to the meme coin’s website.

Over three years, 1 billion of $TRUMP is expected to become available, the website said. Initially, 200 million of the meme coins were up for grabs.

$Melania meme coin

The Melania Trump Token meme logo is displayed on a smartphone. (Omar Marques/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Following the release of $TRUMP, the president’s wife, Melania Trump, released the crypto token $MELANIA.

Her meme coin is “intended for collecting and entertainment purposes only,” according to its website.

MELANIA TRUMP LAUNCHES CRYPTOCURRENCY MEME COIN AFTER PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP LAUNCHES HIS OWN

Trump Media & Technology Group

The Truth social network logo is seen on a smartphone. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration / Reuters Photos)

Trump’s social media network, Truth Social, falls under Trump Media & Technology Group Corp.’s umbrella.

Filings submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in December showed he put his 114.75 million shares of the company into the “Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust.”

Ticker Security Last Change Change %

DJT TRUMP MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY GROUP CORP 32.71 -0.84 -2.50%

The trustee of the trust is Trump Jr. He holds “sole voting and investment power over all securities owned by the Trust,” according to an SEC filing.

TRUMP TRANSFERS ALMOST $4 BILLION OF HIS TRUTH SOCIAL PARENT COMPANY SHARES TO A TRUST IN SURPRISE MOVE

Trump Media went public under the ticker “DJT” in the spring of last year. The company has a market capitalization north of $7 billion.

Lara Trump’s athletic clothing brand

Lara Trump, the wife of Eric Trump, rolled out her LT Brand by Lara Trump Collection activewear line in November of last year. (Photographer: Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Lara Trump, the wife of Eric Trump, rolled out her LT Brand by Lara Trump Collection activewear line in November of last year. It includes leggings, sports bras, shirts and other clothing.

“As a triathlete, former track runner, wife, mother, and entrepreneur, I wanted to create something that reflects my passions, beliefs, and lifestyle,” she said on Instagram. “LT Brand combines style, comfort, and performance, all while supporting American workers and factories.”

World Liberty Financial

Donald Trump gestures at the Bitcoin 2024 event in Nashville, Tennessee, on July 27, 2024. (Reuters/Kevin Wurm/File Photo / Reuters Photos)

World Liberty Financial serves as a decentralized finance platform.

The platform says on its website that DT Marks DEFI LLC “own approximately 60% of the equity interests in WLF Holdco LLC, which holds the only membership interest in World Liberty Financial.” That entity has ties to Trump and “certain of his family members,” according to the site.

“None of Donald J. Trump, his family members or any director, officer or employee of Trump Organization or of DT Marks LLC is an officer, director or employee of, WLF Holdco LLC or World Liberty Financial, Inc., except that Eric Trump serves as one of the managers on the board of managers of WLF Holdco LLC. DT Marks DEFI LLC along with certain family members of Donald J. Trump also holds 22.5 billion $WLFI tokens, and DT Marks DEFI LLC is entitled to receive fees from World Liberty Financial, Inc. pursuant to a service agreement, equal to 75% of $WLFI token sale proceeds after deduction of agreed reserves, expense and other amounts,” the website also said.

Trump and his two oldest sons posted about the project on social media in the lead up to its roll-out, FOX Business previously reported.

Trump Winery

Eric Trump serves as the president of Trump Winery, a winery that spans 1,300 acres in Charlottesville, Virginia. ( Dylan Rives/Getty Images for SOBEWFF / Getty Images)

Eric Trump serves as the president of Trump Winery, a winery that spans 1,300 acres in Charlottesville, Virginia, according to its website.

The winery says on its website that it is a “registered trade name of Eric Trump Wine Manufacturing LLC, which is not owned, managed, or affiliated with Donald J. Trump or any of his affiliates.” It produces a variety of wines, including red, white, sparkling and rose.

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In addition to wine, Trump Winery began a foray into ciders last year, according to an Instagram post from the president’s second-oldest son.

The winery unveiled a sparkling “Presidential Reserve” wine on Inauguration Day. It only made 4,547 cases of the $245 wine.

January 26, 2025
Ukrainian human rights lawyer, Nobel Prize winner urges Trump to show strength and end the war

President Donald Trump is calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to “make a deal” to end the “ridiculous” war with Ukraine, which started nearly three years ago. During his 2024 campaign, Trump often spoke about ending major world conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine war, invoking former President Ronald Reagan’s “peace through strength” doctrine. Now that he’s in office, Trump is making it clear that it’s time for Putin to come to the table.

“I’m not looking to hurt Russia,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform. In the post, Trump threatens “high levels of taxes, tariffs and sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States.” This threat comes days after reports that Putin was starting to get concerned about his country’s economy as the war with Ukraine continues.

TRUMP CALLS ON PUTIN TO MAKE A DEAL, END ITS WAR AGAINST UKRAINE OR FACE MORE ECONOMIC PRESSURE

Oleksandra Matviichuk, a Ukrainian human rights lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize winner, believes now is the time for Trump to show strength and bring an end to the war.

LEFT: Human rights attorney and Nobel Peace Prize winner Oleksandra Matviichuk RIGHT: President Donald Trump (Ukrinform/NurPhoto/Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“Russia’s relentless invasion demands lasting international security guarantees. Any peace deal must confront Russia’s hostility to safeguard Ukraine and the very foundations of freedom and democracy,” Matviichuk said in a statement.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Matviichuk emphasized the need to not only end the war that began in February 2022, but also to block Putin from achieving his “geopolitical goal,” as she believes the Russian leader has no interest in peace.

“When we design this peace process, we have to design security guarantees, which will make this [geopolitical] goal for Putin impossible to achieve,” Matviichuk said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy talks during a joint press conference with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola in Kyiv Ukraine, on May 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

On Thursday, Trump told reporters at the White House that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has already told him he’s ready to negotiate an end to the war.

UKRAINE: HOW THE WAR SHIFTED IN 2024

In his first sit-down interview since returning to the White House, Trump told “Hannity” that Zelenskyy has “had enough.” However, while Trump condemned Putin, he said that Zelenskyy is “no angel,” chastising the Ukrainian leader for fighting instead of making a deal.

Reuters reported in November that Putin is open to discussing a peace plan. He reportedly could agree to freeze the conflict along the current lines.

Russian President Vladimir Putin use state-run media to spread the Kremlin’s message. (ALEXEI NIKOLSKY/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)

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Since Putin’s 2022 invasion, civilians in Ukraine have had to adjust to life during war. Matviichuk, who is based out of Kyiv, describes it as living in “total uncertainty.” However, her focus has been on exposing Russia’s atrocities. Nearly three years into the war, she has cataloged approximately 80,000 Russian crimes.

“We don’t want to live in Putin’s world,” Matviichuk said. “We want to live in a world where democracy and rule of law and freedom are respected.”

Ashley Carnahan and Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.

Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.

January 26, 2025