Happy New Year 2025

Tag: Trumps

Fox will have full coverage of Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress

President Donald Trump will address a Joint Session of Congress on Tuesday, March 4 at 9 p.m. ET.

The forum is not officially a State of the Union address, which traditionally comes during the second, third and fourth year of a presidency.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., invited Trump earlier this month to address Congress on Tuesday.

“Thanks to your strong leadership and bold action in the first days of your presidency, the United States is already experiencing a resurgence of patriotism, unity, and hope for the future,” Johnson wrote in a letter to Trump first obtained by Fox News Digital.

HONORING TRUMP: SPEAKER JOHNSON SAYS FLAGS TO FLY FULL-STAFF AT US CAPITOL DURING PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION

President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

“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,” the speaker wrote.

“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.”

Fox News Channel, Fox News Digital and Fox News Go will have live coverage of the event Tuesday evening.

Fox News Channel will also preview the speech during its primetime and afternoon programming.

Will Cain will have the latest on the “Will Cain Show” at 4 p.m. ET.

Following him, join Dana Perino, Greg Gutfeld, Judge Jeanine Pirro and the hosts of “The Five” for more coverage leading up to the event.

VA DEM SLAMS DOGE FANS; COMPARES JOB CUTS TO HOLOCAUST: ‘FIRST THEY CAME FOR THE JEWS…’

President Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969) gives his State of the Union address to Congress in Washington, D.C., January 1960. Behind him, on the left, is Vice President Richard Nixon and House Speaker Sam Rayburn, D-TX. (Keystone/Getty)

Chief political anchor Bret Baier continues the coverage at 6 p.m. ET on “Special Report,” followed by “The Ingraham Angle” with Laura Ingraham at 7 p.m. ET; before Jesse Watters offers a curtain-raiser just before the address at 8 p.m. ET on “Jesse Watters Primetime.”

While it is officially an address to a joint session, historically, these speeches tend to follow the same customs as the official State of the Union forums.

The latter are required by the Constitution under Article II Sec. 3 – which stipulates that a president must provide Congress with information about the state of the Union and offer legislative recommendations.

Before the audiovisual and digital ages, the addresses tended to come in print form.

Former President Woodrow Wilson delivered the first address in-person since former President John Adams.

The title itself, “State of the Union,” was standardized by former President Harry S. Truman in the 1940s. Truman also offered the first televised State of the Union, as radio gave way to TV.

Former President Lyndon Baines Johnson began the tradition of a primetime address.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Then-President Bill Clinton delivering his State of Union address, framed by Vice President Al Gore, left, and House Speaker Newt Gingrich, on Capitol Hill. (Photo by Diana Walker/Getty Images)

During such addresses, when all three branches of government are typically present, one member of the president’s cabinet is named “designated survivor” – and stays home from the address in case terrorism or another catastrophe leads to the deaths of all assembled in the chamber.

The U.S. Senate keeps records of each designated survivor going back to 1984, when former HUD Secretary Samuel Pierce Jr. was designated the potential leader of the nation if former President Ronald Reagan and everyone else in attendance perished.

Notable designated survivors have included then-future New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo during former President Bill Clinton’s 1999 address, former Commerce Secretary Bill Daley – son of the famed Chicago Democratic Party boss – in 1998, and then-Attorney General Eric Holder in 2009.

Most recently, former President Joe Biden’s education chief, Miguel Cardona, was 2024’s designated survivor.

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.

Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.

Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to [email protected].

March 2, 2025
Lawsuits targeting DOGE are meant to stop Trump’s agenda, experts say

With countless legal challenges to the Trump administration’s federal spending actions, legal experts say plaintiffs in these suits are attempting to block President Donald Trump’s agenda as the courts navigate conceivably new territory.

“I think this is a continuation of the warfare that we’ve seen over the past four-plus years during the Biden administration,” Zack Smith, Senior Legal Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital.

“The only difference now is that the instigators of the lawfare are outside of government, and they’re trying to use different advocacy groups, different interest groups to try to throw up obstructions to Donald Trump’s actions.”

LAWSUIT TRACKER: NEW RESISTANCE BATTLING TRUMP’S SECOND TERM THROUGH ONSLAUGHT OF LAWSUITS TAKING AIM AT EOS

The Trump administration so far has become the target of more than 90 lawsuits since the start of the president’s second term, many of which are challenging the president’s directives. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The Trump administration so far has become the target of more than 90 lawsuits since the start of the president’s second term, many of which are challenging the president’s directives.

Plaintiffs ranging from blue state attorneys general to advocacy and interest groups are specifically challenging Trump’s federal spending actions, including the administration’s attempt to halt federal funding to various programs and the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) efforts to slash excess government spending.

Smith said he suspects these plaintiffs are attempting to “slow down” the Trump administration’s progress and agenda via these lawsuits “even if they know or suspect their lawsuits will ultimately not be successful.”

UC Berkeley Law Professor John Yoo told Fox News Digital that the plaintiffs in the spending cases are showing “political weakness” by seeking judicial recourse rather than going to Congress.

“I think that what you’re seeing is political weakness, because, if they had popular support, they should go to Congress,” Yoo said. “That’s the branch for which the Founders expected to be responsible in containing or reacting to any expansion of presidential power that went too far.”

JUDGE BLOCKS DOGE FROM ACCESSING EDUCATION DEPARTMENT RECORDS

Despite the public outcry from conservatives that judges blocking Trump’s federal spending actions are “activist judges,” Yoo said the judges are “confused.”

“There’s a lot of confusion going on in the lower courts,” he said. “I think they misunderstand their proper role.”

Smith said that in the cases at hand, many judges are “interposing their own views of what [are] appropriate actions for the executive branch of government,” saying this is “not the proper role of a judge.”

Plaintiffs ranging from blue state attorneys general to advocacy and interest groups are specifically challenging Trump’s federal spending actions. (Leigh Green for Fox News Digital)

“And yet you see some of these judges who are issuing these TROs, they’re being very aggressive, and they’re impeding on core executive branch functions when it really should be the president and his advisers who get to make important decisions,” Smith said.

Smith added he hopes the Supreme Court is “taking a skeptical eye towards some of these actions by these judges.”

Both Smith and Yoo said they expect these challenges to eventually make their way up to the Supreme Court, with Smith saying the high court “is going to have to confront some questions that it’s been trying to skirt for several years now.”

JUDGE ORDERS TRUMP OFFICIALS TO SIT FOR DEPOSITIONS IN LAWSUIT OVER DOGE ACCESS TO FEDERAL DATABASES

“This has to go to the Supreme Court because you’re seeing confusion in the lower courts about what is the proper procedural way to challenge spending freezes,” Yoo said.

On Wednesday, Chief Justice John Roberts paused a federal judge’s order that required the Trump administration to pay around $2 billion in foreign aid funds to contractors by midnight. Smith called the move by Roberts “actually pretty stunning.”

Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday paused a federal judge’s order that required the Trump administration to pay around $2 billion in foreign aid funds to contractors by midnight. (Shawn Thew-Pool/Getty Images)

“And I think a reasonable interpretation of that would be that the justices, particularly the Chief Justice, is kind of sending a shot across the bow to some of these judges that, ‘Look, if you keep this up, we’re going to step in and intervene,’” Smith said.

Yoo said he expects the Trump administration to ultimately prevail on many of the suits launched against him, saying that “he’s really, in many ways, following the decisions of the Roberts Court itself about how far executive power goes.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Now, just because Trump won an election doesn’t mean he gets to do whatever he wants — he has to achieve his mandate through constitutional processes, which I think he’s doing,” Yoo said.

“He’s litigating, he’s appearing at the Supreme Court, so he’s not ignoring the courts. He’s doing what you should do if you’re the president and you have the responsibility to execute the law,” Yoo continued.

Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz contributed to this report.

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

March 1, 2025
Senate advances nomination of Kash Patel, Trump’s pick for FBI director

The Senate voted Tuesday along party lines to advance the nomination of Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s pick for FBI director, clearing a procedural hurdle to set up a final vote on the controversial Trump ally to lead the federal law enforcement agency.

Lawmakers in the Upper Chamber voted 48-45 to advance Patel’s nomination, as Democrats hold concerns that he would operate as a loyalist for the president and target the administration’s political enemies.

This sets up a final confirmation vote later in the week. Some of Trump’s other more controversial picks — including new Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — have received enough support from Republican lawmakers seeking to fall in line to push the president’s agenda.

KASH PATEL’S NOMINATION TO LEAD FBI CLEARS FIRST MAJOR SENATE HURDLE

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s choice to be director of the FBI, appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

A former intelligence and Defense Department official in Trump’s first term, Patel has supported reshaping the FBI, including by expanding its role to carry out Trump’s mission targeting immigration.

He has been a vocal critic of past FBI investigations into Trump, including on Trump’s mishandling of classified documents, his attempts to overturn the 2020 election and debunked allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Patel has been panned for his lack of management experience compared to past FBI directors and for his many incendiary past statements, including calling investigators who probed Trump “government gangsters” and claiming that at least some defendants charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot were “political prisoners.”

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s choice to be director of the FBI, appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Democrats have also criticized Patel for supporting false claims about voter fraud in the 2020 election and his refusal to affirm that former President Joe Biden defeated Trump in that year’s election. But Patel has still received support from many Republicans, including moderates.

“I’ve spoken to multiple people I respect about Kash Patel this weekend—both for and against. The ones who worked closely with Kash vouched for him. I will vote for his confirmation,” Louisiana GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy said Tuesday on X.

PATEL CAMP DECRIES DURBIN ACCUSATIONS AS ‘POLITICALLY MOTIVATED’ ATTEMPT TO DERAIL FBI CONFIRMATION

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s choice to be director of the FBI, appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Patel said at his confirmation hearing last month that Democrats were taking some of his comments out of context or misunderstanding his point, including when he proposed shutting down the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. and turning it into a museum for the “deep state.” Patel also denied the accusation that his book’s inclusion of a list of government officials who he claimed were part of the “deep state” constituted an “enemies list,” pushing back on that allegation as a “total mischaracterization.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 along party lines last week to advance his nomination to the full Senate.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

February 19, 2025
Musk opens up about dinner party that soured when Trump’s name was invoked: ‘Like methamphetamine and rabies’

DOGE’s Elon Musk opened up in an interview alongside President Trump with Fox News Sean Hannity about a dinner party where he said he realized how “real” Democratic animosity toward Trump can be.

“I happened to mention the president’s name and it was like they got shot with a dart in the jugular that contained like methamphetamine and rabies,” Musk said in the Tuesday night interview while recounting a situation where he mentioned Trump’s name at a dinner party and quickly received pushback.

Musk imitated people at the party going crazy and questioned why they couldn’t have a normal conversation.

“It’s like they’ve become completely irrational,” Musk said, adding in the interview that he didn’t realize the severity of “Trump Derangement Syndrome” was until he attended that dinner party.

ELON MUSK SAYS MILLIONS IN SOCIAL SECURITY DATABASE ARE BETWEEN AGES OF 100 AND 159

President Donald Trump and DOGE head Elon Musk sit down with Fox News host Sean Hannity for their first joint interview. (Fox News)

During another point in the interview, Hannity asked if Musk would recuse himself from DOGE efforts if there was ever a conflict of interest.

“If there’s a conflict he won’t be involved,” Trump said. “I wouldn’t want that and he won’t want it.”

EXPERT REVEALS MASSIVE LEVELS OF WASTE DOGE CAN SLASH FROM ENTITLEMENTS, PET PROJECTS: ‘A LOT OF FAT’

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk takes his seat at the inauguration ceremony. (Saul Loeb/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

“Right, and also I’m getting sort of a daily proctology exam,” Musk added. “It’s not like I’ll be getting away for something in the dead of night.”

Musk and Trump sat down for a wide-ranging interview with Hannity where they discussed the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) work, the first 100 days of the Trump administration and more. It marks the duo’s first joint television interview.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

President Donald Trump walks with his granddaughter Carolina as he attends the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Pool via AP)

“He’s been so unfairly attacked,” Musk said of Trump during the interview. “It’s really outrageous.”

“I’ve spent a lot of time with the President, and not once have I seen him do anything mean or cruel or wrong.”

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to [email protected].

February 19, 2025
Howard Lutnick confirmed as Trump’s Commerce secretary

The Senate confirmed Howard Lutnick on Tuesday to serve as President Donald Trump’s U.S. Secretary of Commerce.

The Republican-controlled Senate voted to confirm Lutnick on Tuesday, less than a week after senators voted to invoke cloture on his nomination. He needed a simple majority for a full senate confirmation, getting confirmed on a 51- 45 tally on Tuesday.

Lutnick passed his procedural vote last week after the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee voted 16-12 to motion for cloture on February 5.

Lutnick said he aligns with Trump’s “trade and tariff agenda” which seeks to remedy trade imbalances by imposing reciprocal tariffs. His confirmation indicates a milestone for Trump’s “America First” policy agenda.

US WILL BE ‘FLOODED WITH JOBS’ AS FOREIGN NATIONS AVOID TARIFFS, TRUMP SAYS

Howard Lutnick, chief executive officer of Cantor Fitzgerald LP and US commerce secretary nominee for US President Donald Trump, right, and President Donald Trump during an executive order signing in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (Getty)

Lutnick, Chairman and CEO of investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald, is one of the wealthiest people to serve in a presidential administration. Lutnick vowed to divest his financial interests upon confirmation to remain impartial.

TRUMP’S BILLIONAIRE COMMERCE SECRETARY PICK VOWS TO SELL ALL HIS BUSINESS INTERESTS IF CONFIRMED

“My plan is to only serve the American people. So I will divest — meaning I will sell all of my interests, all of my business interests, all of my assets, everything,” Lutnick said. “I’ve worked together with the Office of Government Ethics, and we’ve reached agreement on how to do that, and I will be divesting within 90 days upon my confirmation.”

During his confirmation hearing on January 29, Lutnick said he would sell his businesses and elect someone else to lead them once confirmed. Lutnick aligned closely with Trump’s trade and tariff policies during the hearing. He said it’s “nonsense” that tariffs create inflation and advocated for reciprocity.

Howard Lutnick, U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee to be commerce secretary, testifies before a Senate Commerce Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Jan. 29, 2025. (Reuters)

“We are treated horribly by the global trading environment. They all have higher tariffs, non-tariff trade barriers and subsidies. They treat us poorly. We need to be treated better. We can use tariffs to create reciprocity,” Lutnick said.

Trump last week directed federal agencies to explore the implementation of reciprocal tariffs to remedy tariff imbalances imposed by countries who sell American products. The presidential memorandum directed Lutnick to study reciprocal trade relations within 180 days. Lutnick said Thursday he will have the report ready by April 1.

Trump also announced last week a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports from all countries, adding up to a 35% tariff for Chinese steel and aluminum imports. The tariffs are set to begin March 12.

Trump nominated Lutnick to serve as commerce secretary two weeks after he was elected. Lutnick was a co-chair of Trump’s 2024 presidential transition team.

Howard Lutnick, Chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald and Co-Chair of the Trump 2024 Transition Team speaks at a rally for former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden in New York on Oct. 27, 2024. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

“I am thrilled to announce that Howard Lutnick, Chairman & CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, will join my Administration as the United States Secretary of Commerce. He will lead our Tariff and Trade agenda, with additional direct responsibility for the Office of the United States Trade Representative,” Trump said in the announcement.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Trump praised Lutnick’s leadership during the presidential transition and said he “created the most sophisticated process and system to assist us in creating the greatest Administration America has ever seen.”

Deirdre Heavey is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

February 19, 2025
Trump’s Daytona 500 visit draws criticism from David Hogg

Join Fox News for access to this content

Plus special access to select articles and other premium content with your account – free of charge.

By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News’ Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive.

Please enter a valid email address.

Having trouble? Click here.

Democratic National Committee (DNC) Vice Chair David Hogg took heat on social media on Monday as he criticized President Donald Trump for his appearance at the Daytona 500.

Trump was at Daytona International Speedway for the event and became the first president to be at the race twice. He was in the presidential limousine, “The Beast,” as it led drivers on a pace lap before the green flag dropped. He also delivered a personal message to racers as well.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

President Donald Trump, center, greets drivers at the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Pool via AP)

As Trump said the spirit of NASCAR and its fans will “fuel America’s Golden Age,” Hogg claimed the president’s decision to go to the race was nothing more than a “publicity stunt.”

“Driving in circles for a multi million dollar publicity stunt while claiming you care so much about ‘efficiency’ as thousands are illegally fired from their jobs and prices continue to climb is the perfect symbolism for the Trump admin,” Hogg wrote on X.

The DNC official faced criticism for his remarks.

ELON MUSK’S 1-WORD REACTION TO TRUMP’S DAYTONA 500 LAP IN ‘THE BEAST’

Hogg took over as the DNC vice chair earlier this month. He rose to prominence as a survivor of the 2018 Parkland, Florida, school shooting and founded a political action committee in 2023, which he said aims to help young progressives get elected to Congress and state legislatures across the country.

President Donald Trump rides in the presidential limousine known as “The Beast” as he takes a pace lap ahead of the start of the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Pool via AP)

Trump praised NASCAR drivers during his appearance at the race.

“They have a lot of courage doing this. I see it and I’ve been here,” the president told FOX Sports’ Jamie Little. “They have a lot of guts, as they would say.”

Trump, who was joined on the track by his granddaughter, highlighted the progress of the United States since he started his second term as president.

David Hogg, an American gun control activist, speaks during the Texas Democratic Party Convention in El Paso, Texas, at the El Paso Convention Center on Friday, June 7, 2024. (GABY VELASQUEZ/ EL PASO TIMES / USA TODAY NETWORK)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“I think it’s fantastic. I think it’s great for the country,” he said. “The country is doing well again. We have spirit all over the world. There’s spirit again, we brought it back and it’s been less than four weeks. You’ll see what we do in a little period of time. It’s gonna only get better. But this is very exciting.”

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

February 18, 2025
Trump’s Daytona 500 visit draws Elon Musk’s reaction

Elon Musk, the billionaire mogul in charge of Tesla, X, SpaceX and the Department of Government Efficiency, had one word to describe President Donald Trump’s time at NASCAR’s Daytona 500.

Trump was a fixture in the pre-race festivities on Sunday. He rode in “The Beast” as it went around Daytona International Speedway for one lap. He also had a special message for the drivers, which was broadcast on their radios before the green flag flew.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

President Donald Trump, center, greets drivers at the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Pool via AP)

“This is your favorite president. I’m a big fan,” he said. “I’m a really big fan of you people. (How) you do this, I don’t know. But I just want you to be safe. You’re talented people and great people and great Americans. Have a good day. Have a lot of fun and I’ll see you later.”

Musk reacted on X.

“Awesome,” he wrote.

Trump and the contingency of people who flew on Air Force One with him for the race were three for a few laps. However, rain delayed the restart for a few hours.

It was William Byron who drove his car to Victory Lane on Sunday night. It was the second straight year he won the Daytona 500.

RYAN PREECE THOUGHT OF DAUGHTER AS CAR FLEW THROUGH AIR IN SCARY WRECK AT DAYTONA 500

President Donald Trump rides in the presidential limousine, known as “The Beast,” as he takes a pace lap ahead of the start of the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Pool via AP)

Trump applauded the courage drivers have going at speeds of nearly 200 mph to win a race.

“They have a lot of courage doing this. I see it, and I’ve been here,” the president told FOX Sports’ Jamie Little. “They have a lot of guts, as they would say.”

Trump, who was joined on the track by his granddaughter, highlighted the progress of the United States since he started his second term as president.

William Byron celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“I think it’s fantastic. I think it’s great for the country,” he said. “The country is doing well again. We have spirit all over the world. There’s spirit again, we brought it back and it’s been less than four weeks. You’ll see what we do in a little period of time. It’s gonna only get better. But this is very exciting.”

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

February 17, 2025
Meet Trump’s Russia-Ukraine negotiation team

President Donald Trump announced a team of four U.S. officials will work on negotiating with Russia and Ukraine to end the war that has raged between the two nations since 2022.

We “agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s Nations,” Trump posted to Truth Social on Wednesday about Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately.”

“I have asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of the CIA John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and Ambassador and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, to lead the negotiations which, I feel strongly, will be successful,” Trump posted to Truth Social on Wednesday, announcing that Russia was ready to hash out negotiations over the ongoing war.

Negotiations over ending the war reportedly kicked off “immediately,” with Trump previewing on Wednesday that he believes they will reach “a cease fire in the not too distant future.”

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

President Donald Trump’s negotiation team, from left, national security advisor Mike Waltz, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff. (Getty Images)

Fox News Digital took a look at the team of U.S. officials Trump tapped to lead the negotiations as they get underway.

US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff

Steve Witkoff is a real estate mogul who served as a key figure in striking a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel ahead of Trump taking office. (Chris Kleponis/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Witkoff was tapped as the special envoy to the Middle East and served as a key figure in striking a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel ahead of Trump taking office, according to Trump’s recent remarks to the press and sources who spoke with Fox News Digital.

Witkoff traveled to Israel in January to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem before it was announced a ceasefire had been reached between Israel and Hamas.

Witkoff recently also traveled to Russia to secure the release of U.S. citizen Marc Fogel, who had been in Russian custody since 2021 when he was arrested for possession of marijuana at an airport.

FREED AMERICAN HOSTAGE MARC FOGEL LANDS IN US AFTER YEARS IN RUSSIAN CAPTIVITY

Witkoff, similar to Trump, is a real estate mogul, who founded real estate firm the Witkoff Group in 1997.

National Security Advisor Michael Waltz

Michael Waltz is a longtime Trump ally and a decorated retired Green Beret who also served in the National Guard as a colonel. (John Nacion/Getty Images)

As national security advisor, Trump appointed Mike Waltz, who served as a Republican U.S. congressman representing Florida from 2019 to 2025.

Waltz said during a recent interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that conversations to end the war between Ukraine and Russia have weighed heavy on leaders across the globe.

RUSSIA SAYS US RELATIONS ‘ON THE BRINK OF A BREAKUP,’ WON’T CONFIRM TRUMP-PUTIN TALK

“We need to get all sides to the table and end this war,” he said in the interview. “And it has come up in conversations with President Xi, with Prime Minister Modi, with leaders across the Middle East. Everybody is ready to help President Trump end this war. Let’s get all sides to the table and negotiate.”

Waltz is a longtime Trump ally and a decorated retired Green Beret who also served in the National Guard as a colonel.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe

Newly minted CIA Director John Ratcliffe also will lead negotiations on reaching peace in Russia and Ukraine. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Newly minted CIA Director John Ratcliffe also will lead negotiations on reaching peace in Russia and Ukraine. Ratcliffe served as director of national intelligence from 2020 to 2021, during the first Trump administration.

Ratcliff warned during his Senate confirmation hearing to lead the CIA that the nation’s premier foreign intelligence agency was falling behind nations such as Russia and China at leveraging technology for intelligence purposes.

OBAMA OFFICIALS, TRUMP CRITICS TARGET HEGSETH’S UKRAINE ‘CONCESSIONS’ AS ‘BIGGEST GIFT’ TO RUSSIA

“We’re not where we’re supposed to be,” Ratcliffe told the Senate Intelligence Committee in January.

Ratcliffe served in the U.S. House as a Republican representing Texas from 2015 to 2020.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio

Marco Rubio, the first member of Trump’s Cabinet to be confirmed and sworn in under his second administration, serves as the nation’s 72nd secretary of state. (Evan Vucci/The Associated Press)

Rubio, the first member of Trump’s Cabinet to be confirmed and sworn in under his second administration, serves as the nation’s 72nd secretary of state.

Rubio headed to the Munich Security Conference on Thursday – a high-profile annual conference focused on security issues at the international level – where he and Vice President JD Vance met with Zelenskyy on Friday.

Trump announced that he also spoke with Zelenskyy on Wednesday and that the Ukraine leader wanted to reach a peace deal.

“He, like President Putin, wants to make PEACE. We discussed a variety of topics having to do with the War, but mostly, the meeting that is being set up on Friday in Munich, where Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead the Delegation. I am hopeful that the results of that meeting will be positive. 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!” Trump wrote.

Rubio served as a Republican U.S senator representing Florida from 2011 to 2025, which included serving as a senior Senate Foreign Relations Committee member, and vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the media when asked about the negotiations that President Donald Trump views Putin as both a “great competitor” and “at times an adversary.” (AP/Evan Vucci)

Russia and Ukraine have been at war since February 2022, when Russia invaded its neighboring nation. Trump said on the 2024 campaign trail that he would end the war if re-elected, while claiming it would never have begun if he had been in the Oval Office at the time.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the media on Wednesday when asked about the negotiations that Trump views Putin as both a “great competitor” and “at times an adversary.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“I believe this nation views Putin and Russia as a great competitor in the region, at times an adversary,” Leavitt said when asked how Trump views Russia and Putin. “But as the president has said, as well, he enjoys having good diplomatic relations with leaders around the world. Finding that common ground, also calling them out when they are wrong. Leading from a position of peace through strength. That’s the president’s greatest strength.”

February 17, 2025
Israeli military experts weigh in on Trump’s ‘all hell’ threat to Hamas and what it could look like

TEL AVIV, Israel — As the first phase of the fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement nears completion, Israel is mulling its next steps against the backdrop of President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to unleash “hell” unless all the hostages are released.

Fox News Digital spoke to Israeli military experts to see how they viewed what would be in store for Hamas if the ceasefire deal collapses.

“The only alternative is the resumption of the war in Gaza with all the forces that can be allocated,” Maj. Gen. Yaakov Amidror (res.), a former Israeli National Security Council chief and currently a fellow at the Washington-based JINSA think tank, told Fox News Digital.

“Because we have a ceasefire in Lebanon, we can use huge forces inside Gaza to end Hamas. This is one of the reasons why Hamas didn’t break the truce until now, they understand the alternative is a full-blown war for which they are not ready,” he added.

RUBIO, NETANYAHU AFFIRM ‘COMMON STRATEGY’ FOR GAZA, SET SIGHTS ON IRAN IN JOINT STATEMENT

IDF forces are seen operating in Rafah, a city in the Gaza Strip. (IDF Spokesman’s Office)

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Jerusalem and insisted that the two countries were working in lockstep.

“We have a shared strategy, which cannot always be detailed to the public, including when the gates of hell will open. And they will open if all our hostages are not returned, every last one of them,” Netanyahu said.

Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus (ret.), a former IDF international spokesperson and now a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, says Hamas’s refusal to return all the hostages, coupled with the prevailing political realities in the Middle East and Trump’s willingness to reshuffle the deck, will necessitate the IDF’s resumption of fighting in Gaza “at a higher intensity and with less restrictions and limitations.”

“The aim will be to defeat Hamas and to take control over the Gaza Strip. I believe that Hamas’s center of gravity is the distribution of humanitarian aid and in the next round of fighting Israel will seek to take ownership of that,” he added.

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu answer questions during a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House on Feb. 4, 2025. (REUTERS/Leah Millis)

Former IDF military intelligence chief Amos Yadlin similarly told Fox News Digital that “never in history have two entities been at war and one is helping the other survive with food, fuel and everything else.”

He also noted that the Biden administration had “basically embargoed heavy bombs, [but] Trump has already lifted this and will not limit Israel in using them.”

Israel received a U.S. shipment of 2,000-pound MK-84 munitions overnight Saturday, with Defense Minister Israel Katz saying the development “serves as further evidence of the strong alliance between Israel and the United States.”

ISRAEL’S UN AMBASSADOR SLAMS PALESTINIAN PLAN FOR GAZA, DEMANDS PA FIRST ‘CONDEMN HAMAS’

Hamas terrorists take up positions ahead of a hostage release in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Feb. 8, 2025. (AP)

Trump’s words and deeds have given the impression that he will fully back Israel’s goal to defeat the Palestinian terror group militarily, Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Giora Eiland, a former head of the Israeli National Security Council, told Fox News Digital.

“But this misses the point, as we have already been fighting there for 16 months. The only significant leverage left, which was prevented by the Biden administration, is to interrupt all flow of equipment, fuel, food, water and other essential matters into the enclave,” Eiland said.

“This is the only thing that can cause real concern in Gaza and which might persuade the leadership to agree to release the hostages.”

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces has increased troop reinforcements and mobilized reservists in the Southern Command to prepare for “any scenario.” When asked to share with Fox News Digital information regarding Hamas’s remaining weapons stockpile, the IDF declined to comment.

Hamas initially possessed an estimated 17,000 mid- and long-range missiles, with the former able to hit targets between seven and 14 kilometers away and the latter beyond 15 kilometers, according to Maj. Gen. Tamir Hayman (res.), executive director of the Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies and another former head of the IDF’s Military Intelligence Directorate.

TRUMP’S GAZA RELOCATION PROPOSAL SPARKS HEATED DEBATE AMONG PALESTINIANS: ‘NO LIFE LEFT HERE’

Israeli combat engineers have worked to destroy terrorist targets and locate terrorist tunnels in the “Philadelphia Corridor” along a small strip of land at the border between Egypt and Gaza. (TPS-IL/File)

“In terms of Hamas’s long-range missiles, the current capabilities are minor, if at all. Mid-range was probably reduced to approximately less than 100 total, and for short-range capabilities such as mortars and drones, it’s hard to estimate,” he told Fox News Digital.

Hayman agrees that “all hell” might entail President Donald Trump giving carte blanche to Israel to use 2,000-pound bombs or greater leeway to demolish swaths of territory using bulldozers and other heavy machinery to prevent Hamas from regenerating.

Israel might also change its fighting strategy to ensure Hamas is no longer able to regroup by retaking territory evacuated by troops in Gaza, according to Brig. Gen. Yossi Kuperwasser (res.), a former head of research in the IDF’s Military Intelligence Directorate.

“Israel could mount an attack in a different way than we saw till now. Instead of taking control of areas and then leaving them, we would keep control, minimizing Hamas’s ability to rule over the population in Gaza and thus its ability to survive,” he told Fox News Digital.

Palestinians return to their homes in Gaza City, Feb. 2, 2025, after a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. (Ali Jadallah/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The long-term presence of Israeli boots on the ground would likely be a precondition for actualizing Trump’s vow to “take over” and transform Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” an assertion Trump made alongside Netanyahu at the White House on Feb. 4.

Meir Ben Shabbat, head of the Misgav Institute for National Security & Zionist Strategy and former head of the Israeli National Security Council, told Fox News Digital that Israel must push for “the collapse of Hamas rule, the demilitarization of Gaza and the creation of conditions to prevent this area from posing a threat to the security of Israeli citizens.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

He said these conditions are “essential to ensure that this round of fighting will be the last,” he added. “To achieve this, Israel will have to resume fighting at a time that suits it.”

On Sunday, Netanyahu informed special envoy Steve Witkoff during a meeting that he would convene the Security Cabinet on Monday to discuss phase 2 of the agreement.

Amelie Botbol is a freelance journalist based in Tel Aviv. Her articles have appeared in the New York Post, Canada’s National Post, and the Washington Times. Amelie can be followed on X @DatReporter

February 17, 2025
Netanyahu will reportedly hold a security meeting at Trump’s deadline

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will reportedly hold a meeting at 12:00 p.m. eastern on Saturday, President Donald Trump’s deadline for Hamas, to discuss the rest of the ceasefire agreement, his spokesperson confirmed to Fox News.

In a statement, Prime Minister Netanyahu warned that Israel is “preparing with full intensity for what comes next, in every sense,” TPS-IL reported.

Earlier on Saturday, Hamas released three more hostages, including American citizen Sagui Dekel-Chen. Their release was almost delayed “indefinitely” by the terror group due to alleged ceasefire violations by Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

TRUMP DEMANDS HAMAS RELEASE REST OF ISRAELI HOSTAGES

Trump then said on Monday that if Hamas did not return all of the remaining hostages by noon, Israel should cancel the ceasefire and “let all hell break out.”

“If all the Gaza hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12 p.m., I would say cancel the ceasefire,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “Let all hell break out; Israel can override it.”

When Trump made the statement, it was unclear if he meant 12 p.m. eastern or Israeli time. The time of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s meeting indicates that Israel understood Trump’s deadline as 12 p.m. eastern, making it 7 p.m. local time.

Israeli hostages Iair Horn, 46, left, Sagui Dekel Chen, 36, center left, and Alexander Troufanov, 29, right, are escorted by Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters as they are handed over to the Red Cross in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, Feb. 15. (AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)

HAMAS FREES 3 MORE HOSTAGES IN EXCHANGE FOR MORE THAN 300 PRISONERS AS PART OF CEASEFIRE DEAL WITH ISRAEL

On Thursday, Hamas announced it would release hostages on Saturday as planned. The group eventually named the hostages set to be released. Iair Horn and Sasha Troufanov were released alongside Dekel-Chen. All three men were taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks.

While Trump was the one who originally suggested the deadline, he said on Saturday in a post on Truth Social that the United States would “back” any decision that Israel made regarding further actions.

“Hamas has just released three Hostages from GAZA, including an American Citizen. They seem to be in good shape! This differs from their statement last week that they would not release any Hostages,” Trump wrote. “Israel will now have to decide what they will do about the 12:00 O’CLOCK, TODAY, DEADLINE imposed on the release of ALL HOSTAGES. The United States will back the decision they make!”

President Donald Trump (left) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right). (Getty Images/Fox News Digital)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Last week, Trump expressed outrage over the condition of the hostages released by Hamas, all of whom looked frail and gaunt. Trump said that the three men “looked like Holocaust survivors” and “like they haven’t had a meal in a month.”

Israel and Hamas are engaged in a ceasefire deal that went into effect on Jan. 19. Throughout the six-week deal, Hamas is expected to release 33 hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

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

February 15, 2025