Happy New Year 2025

Tag: Trumps

Trump’s Justice Department order to drop charges against NYC Mayor Eric Adams sparks mass resignations

Several senior Justice Department officials resigned in protest Thursday rather than comply with an order to drop a bribery case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

The acts of resistance came amid President Donald Trump’s effort to overhaul the agency, which he said has been weaponized against political opponents, Reuters reported.

The six resignations include Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon, Trump’s pick to temporarily lead the office prosecuting Adams, who resigned her post on Thursday, according to the memorandum by Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, a Trump appointee.

SENATE CONFIRMS PAM BONDI AS US ATTORNEY GENERAL

U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon, via Southern District of New York

“I remain baffled by the rushed and superficial process by which this decision was reached,” Sassoon wrote in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Adams, a Democrat who said he was targeted by the Biden administration, has been willing to work with the Trump administration crackdown to curb illegal immigration. Adams pleaded not guilty to charges that he accepted bribes from Turkish officials.

“Rather than be rewarded, Adams’s advocacy should be called out for what it is: an improper offer of immigration enforcement assistance in exchange for a dismissal of his case,” Sassoon wrote to Bondi.

Adams’ lawyer Alex Spiro said in an email to Reuters that the charges against his client are a “sham.”

“If SDNY had any proof whatsoever that the mayor destroyed evidence, they would have brought those charges—as they continually threatened to do, but didn’t, over months and months,” Spiro wrote. “This newest false claim is just the parting shot of a misguided prosecution exposed as a sham.”

In his Thursday memo, Bove wrote that Sassoon had refused to comply with what he called his office’s finding that the case against Adams amounted to weaponization of the justice system.

“Your resignation is accepted…you lost sight of the oath that you took when you started at the DOJ,” he wrote.

“Your office has no authority to contest the weaponization finding,” wrote Bove, Trump’s former personal criminal defense lawyer. “The Justice Department will not tolerate the insubordination.”

DOJ DIRECTS FBI TO FIRE 8 TOP OFFICIALS, IDENTIFY EMPLOYEES INVOLVED IN JAN. 6, HAMAS CASES FOR REVIEW

The seal for the Justice Department is photographed in Washington, Nov. 18, 2022. The Justice Department has announced three arrests in a complex stolen identity scheme that officials say generates enormous proceeds for the North Korean government, including for its weapons program. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

After Sassoon refused to dismiss the case, the Trump administration directed John Keller, the acting head of the Justice Department’s public corruption unit, to do so, according to people familiar with the matter.

Keller also resigned on Thursday, two people familiar with the matter said, as well as Kevin Driscoll, a senior official in the department’s criminal division.

Three other deputies in the Justice Department’s public corruption unit – Rob Heberle, Jenn Clarke, and Marco Palmieri – also resigned on Thursday over the Adams case, a person familiar with the matter said.

A Justice Department official confirmed Keller’s and Driscoll’s resignations, and did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the other three.

On Monday, president-elect Trump said he would consider a pardon for New York City Mayor Eric Adams. (Getty Images)

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House. Since taking office in January, Trump has fired more than a dozen federal prosecutors who pursued cases against him.

In a statement to Fox News, Bove said he concluded that the prosecution against Adams had to be dismissed in order to “prioritize national security and public safety over continuing with a case that has been tainted from the start by troubling tactics.”

“There is no room at the Justice Department for attorneys who refuse to execute on the priorities of the Executive Branch – priorities determined by the American people,” he said. “I look forward to working with new leadership at SDNY on the important priorities President Trump has laid out for us to make America safe again.”

Fox News’ David Spunt contributed to this report.

February 14, 2025
Trump’s nominee for small business chief primed for final vote after clearing procedural hurdle

President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Small Business Administration, former Sen. Kelly Loeffler, passed a key procedural vote in the Senate on Thursday, clearing the path for her final confirmation vote.

The Senate’s vote this afternoon to invoke cloture ended the debate on the Georgia Republican’s nomination, as she now moves on to the confirmation stage.

The final cloture vote was 51-43 in favor of invoking cloture.

“Like President Trump, Senator Loeffler left behind a successful career in the private sector to advance the America First agenda,” Loeffler spokeswoman Caitlin O’Dea told Fox News on Jan. 28.

TRUMP’S COMMERCE NOMINEE PASSES KEY HURDLE

“Should she be confirmed, she will continue the practice of donating her federal salary to charities and nonprofits across the country — and put her full focus on working to make the Small Business Administration a gateway to the American Dream for entrepreneurs across the country.”

Loeffler, whose net worth is estimated at roughly $1 billion, previously donated her annual Senate salary of $174,000 between 2019 and 2021 to more than 40 Georgia charities and nonprofits.

Those organizations included food banks, faith groups and organizations opposed to abortion, foster care/adoption groups as well as organizations promoting health care, agriculture, education, law enforcement and disaster relief.

Loeffler previously worked at several top financial firms, including Intercontinental Exchange. Her husband, Jeffrey Sprecher, whom she met at ICE, is the current chairman of the New York Stock Exchange.

Loeffler also previously bought a minority stake in the WNBA Atlanta Dream, but is reportedly no longer associated with the team.

Loeffler also sparred with Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass, during her confirmation hearing over the Trump administration’s announcement that it would freeze federal funds and grants.

TRUMP LANDS KEY TULSI GABBARD CONFIRMATION FOLLOWING UPHILL SENATE BATTLE

After Trump fired SBA inspector general Hannibal Ware in January, Markey — the top Democrat on the Senate Small Business & Entrepreneurship Committee – expressed anger and called for a pause on Loeffler’s confirmation consideration.

Markey said the process should be halted “either until Inspector General Ware is reinstated or until a qualified and impartial nominee to replace him is confirmed by the Senate.”

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, the committee’s chairwoman, called Loeffler the “perfect person for the job” in an Osceola Sentinel-Tribune column.

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Then-Sen. Kelly Loeffler speaks at a campaign event at the Cobb County Republican Party Headquarters in Marietta, Georgia on Nov. 11, 2020. (REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage)

“Throughout her career, she rose through the ranks at multiple companies due to her determination and grit. She also started many businesses and knows what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur,” said Ernst.

“Most importantly, she knows what it means to be overrun by Washington’s bureaucratic overreach — and that the government must instead get out of the way so businesses can thrive.”

Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy and Deidre Heavey 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].

February 13, 2025
What could Trump’s reciprocal tariffs look like?

The Lonski Group President John Lonski breaks down President Donald Trump’s economic agenda during an appearance on ‘Varney & Co.’

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order imposing reciprocal tariffs on U.S. trading partners, effectively raising duties on imports to match those levied on America’s exports.

“Today is the big one: reciprocal tariffs,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, ahead of the announcement. His executive order starts a process that could lead to reciprocal tariffs being imposed within weeks after the White House’s trade and economic team studies America’s trading relationships, an official told reporters on a conference call.

The Trump administration aims to complete its trade review by April 1 and plans to target what it calls the most “egregious” issues first, including countries with large trade surpluses with the U.S. and the highest tariff rates on American goods. The president’s tariffs would match other countries’ higher tariff rates and aim to counter other trade barriers like burdensome regulations, value-added taxes, government subsidies and exchange rate policies and to negotiate with some countries to reduce those barriers.

A new analysis by Goldman Sachs economists led by Jan Hatzius looked at how the reciprocal tariffs could work and found that they would likely increase the average tariff levied on imports to the U.S., though they could help reduce trade uncertainty as well.

TARIFFS COULD FACTOR INTO FED’S RATE-CUT PLANS AMID INFLATION CONCERNS, EXPERTS SAY

President Donald Trump is planning to roll out a plan for reciprocal tariffs on U.S. trading partners. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

“If applied at the product-specific level (e.g., the U.S. tariff on cars from the EU would equal the same rate the EU applies on cars from the U.S.), the U.S. weighted average tariff rate might rise by about 2 [percentage points], we estimate. If applied at the country level, the effect could be smaller,” the Goldman economists wrote.

“While a reciprocal tariff policy poses risks, it is also possible that it could incrementally reduce trade policy uncertainty once announced.

VOTERS REJECT TRUMP’S TARIFF PUSH; MOST BELIEVE POLICY WILL HURT ECONOMY

“President Trump’s comments suggest that he views this policy as an alternative to the 10-20% universal tariff he has discussed in the past,” the economists wrote. “If U.S. tariffs are set to match foreign tariff rates, it would theoretically make it less likely that U.S. tariffs would rise substantially further. It might also ultimately lead some trading partners to reduce tariffs (and theoretically a reduction in U.S. tariffs as well).”

They also said there are risks related to reciprocal tariffs in the event the Trump administration attempts to equalize non-tariff barriers (NTBs) to trade, which they note are “difficult to quantify but could result in a greater increase.”

“The main risk is that the Trump administration could consider value-added taxes (VATs) in the calculation, which would raise the average effective tariff rate by 10pp further,” the economists wrote. “However, while President Trump has criticized VATs in some countries, there is no indication at this point that the reciprocal tariff policy he plans to announce would include VATs in the calculation.”

Reciprocal tariffs would equalize U.S. tariffs on imports with those faced by American exporters overseas. (Reuters/Carlos Barria / Reuters Photos)

While the reciprocal tariffs may be the latest step in Trump’s efforts to reshape U.S. trade policy, the report noted that there will likely be further developments as the president’s term progresses.

“Of course, even if President Trump views reciprocal tariffs as an alternative to more sweeping measures at the moment, we are entering only the fourth week of a four-year presidential term, and it seems likely there may be many further tariff announcements even if he does announce reciprocal tariffs this week,” the Goldman economists noted.

TRUMP TARIFFS PROMPT WARNINGS FROM TRADE GROUPS

Tariffs are taxes on imported goods or services. (Reuters/Mike Blake / Reuters Photos)

Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, told reporters Wednesday “reciprocal tariffs are absolutely a high priority for the president and have been forever” and signaled that discussions about them had begun with foreign trading partners.

“Our trading partners charge us way more in tariffs than we charge them. And it’s something he talked about before, and there’s going to be a lot more action on it today. We even started to have negotiations with other countries,” he said.

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Hassett was asked what the negotiations with other countries have entailed and replied, “We were just laying the groundwork for discussions over reciprocal trade.”

He added that Howard Lutnick, Trump’s nominee to be commerce secretary, led those meetings.

FOX Business’ Kristen Altus and Reuters contributed to this report

February 13, 2025
Trump’s nominee for Commerce secretary passes key vote in the Senate

President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, passed a key procedural vote in the Senate on Thursday, clearing the path for his final confirmation vote.

The Senate’s vote this afternoon to invoke cloture ended the debate on Lutnick’s nomination and paved the way for his confirmation as Commerce secretary. Senators advanced his nomination by a 52-45 vote. Republicans control the Senate by a 53-47 majority.

Lutnick, Chairman and CEO of the investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald and a co-chair of Trump’s 2024 presidential transition team, needed a majority vote to bring his final confirmation vote to the Senate floor.

The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee voted 16-12 on February 5 to advance Lutnick to the procedural vote. Lutnick testified for over three hours before the Senate Commerce Committee on January 29.

TRUMP LANDS KEY TULSI GABBARD CONFIRMATION FOLLOWING UPHILL SENATE BATTLE

President Donald Trump, from left, speaks as Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick listen and Rupert Murdoch listen in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Washington, as Trump prepares to sign an executive order. (AP)

If confirmed, Lutnick will become one of the wealthiest people to serve in a presidential administration, along with Elon Musk and Trump himself. During Lutnick’s confirmation hearing, he committed to selling all of his interests and assets if confirmed.

TULSI GABBARD SWORN IN AT WHITE HOUSE HOURS AFTER SENATE CONFIRMATION

“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.”

President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla., as Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick listens. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (AP Newsroom)

Lutnick said selling his businesses would prevent a conflict of interest.

“Upon confirmation, my businesses will be for sale and someone else will lead them going forward,” Lutnick added.

Trump announced Lutnick’s nomination two weeks after he was elected president.

“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.

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, DC, US, on Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Getty)

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

With Lutnick teed up to lead Trump’s “Tariff and Trade agenda,” he faced questions during his confirmation hearing about tariff policy. Lutnick said the argument that tariffs create inflation is “nonsense.”

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, October 27, 2024. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

“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.

Lutnick testified that he shares Trump’s stance on tariffs, adding he prefers an “across-the-board” strategy to “country-by-country” tariffs.

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Trump on Monday announced 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 go into effect on March 12.

Deirdre Heavey is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

February 13, 2025
Roughly 75,000 federal employees agree to Trump’s buyout offer

Roughly 75,000 federal employees have accepted President Donald Trump’s deferred resignation program, after the U.S. Office of Personnel Management offered more than 2 million federal civilian employees buyouts in January to leave their jobs or be forced to return to work in person.

Employees who accepted the so-called “fork in the road” offer will retain all pay and benefits and be exempt from in-person work until Sept. 30, a move that’s part of a broader attempt by the Trump administration to downsize the federal government.

“We have too many people,” Trump told reporters Tuesday in a press briefing. “We have office spaces occupied by 4% – nobody showing up to work because they were told not to.”

The White House confirmed to Fox News Digital that numbers had climbed to 75,000 as of Thursday morning.

JUDGE RESTORES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S BUYOUT OFFER TO FEDERAL WORKERS

Roughly 75,000 federal employees have accepted President Donald Trump’s deferred resignation program. (Fox News/Special Report)

The Trump administration’s offer faced scrutiny, and a federal judge temporarily blocked the administration’s plan from advancing amid challenges from labor union groups who voiced concerns that the law didn’t require the Trump administration to hold up its end of the deal.

However, U.S. District Judge George O’Toole of Massachusetts ruled in favor of the White House Wednesday evening, asserting the plaintiffs in the case aren’t directly impacted by the Trump administration’s offer.

They “allege that the directive subjects them to upstream effects including a diversion of resources to answer members’ questions about the directive, a potential loss of membership, and possible reputational harm,” O’Toole wrote.

“The unions do not have the required direct stake in the Fork Directive, but are challenging a policy that affects others, specifically executive branch employees,” O’Toole wrote. “This is not sufficient.”

The Trump administration praised the court’s decision, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described it as “the first of many legal wins for the president.”

‘GET BACK TO WORK’: HOUSE OVERSIGHT TO TAKE ON GOVERNMENT TELEWORK IN 1ST HEARING OF NEW CONGRESS

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described the court ruling as “the first of many legal wins for the president.” (Evan Vucci/The Associated Press)

“The court dissolved the injunction due to a lack of standing,” Leavitt said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “This goes to show that lawfare will not ultimately prevail over the will of 77 million Americans who supported President Trump and his priorities.”

The buyout program is one of several initiatives the Trump administration has unveiled to cut down the federal workforce. On Tuesday, Trump also signed an executive order instructing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to coordinate with federal agencies and execute massive cuts in federal workforce staffing numbers.

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The order instructs DOGE and federal agencies to work together to “significantly” shrink the size of the federal government and limit hiring new employees, according to a White House fact sheet on the order. Specifically, agencies must not hire more than one employee for every four that leave their federal post.

Agencies also are instructed to “undertake plans for large-scale reductions in force” and evaluate ways to eliminate or combine agency functions that aren’t legally required, the fact sheet said.

Fox News’ Andrea Margolis, Jake Gibson, Jacqui Heinrich and Patrick Ward contributed to this report.

Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House.

February 13, 2025
Trump’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ commission to target autism, chronic diseases

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FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump will sign an executive order on Thursday establishing the Make America Healthy Again Commission, which will be led by newly confirmed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Fox News Digital exclusively learned.

The commission will be chaired by Kennedy and will be “tasked with investigating and addressing the root causes of America’s escalating health crisis, with an initial focus on childhood chronic diseases,” the White House explained of the commission to Fox Digital.

Kennedy was confirmed as the nation’s leader of the U.S. Health and Human Services on Thursday, and is expected to be sworn in later in the afternoon. He will chair the upcoming mission, which will work to “restore trust in medical and scientific institutions and hold public hearings, meetings, roundtables” to receive input from health leaders.

The commission, Fox Digital learned, will focus on four policy directives to reverse chronic disease, including: providing Americans transparency on health data to “avoid conflicts of interest in all federally funded health research;” prioritizing “gold-standard research on why Americans are getting sick” in all federally-funded health research; working with farmers to ensure food is healthy, as well as affordable; and expanding health coverage and treatment options “for beneficial lifestyle changes and disease prevention.”

The commission will initially focus on childhood chronic diseases, such as autism and fatty liver disease, and also investigate adult chronic diseases, such as asthma and the U.S. average life expectancy compared to other nations.

RFK JR. VOWS HE WON’T TAKE CHEESEBURGERS AWAY, JUST HIGHLIGHT HEALTH ISSUES: ‘MY BOSS LOVES’ THEM

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., President Trump’s nominee to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services testifies during a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing for his pending confirmation on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Within 100 days of the commission’s founding, it is expected to publish “an assessment that summarizes what is known and what questions remain regarding the childhood chronic disease crisis, and include international comparisons.” Within 180 days, it’s expected to “produce a strategy, based on the findings of the assessment, to improve the health of America’s children,” Fox Digital learned.

SENATE CONFIRMS ROBERT F KENNEDY JR. TO SERVE AS TRUMP’S HEALTH SECRETARY

Kennedy and Trump vowed on the campaign trail to “Make America Healthy Again,” including directing their focus on autism among youths in recent years. The commission will investigate chronic conditions for both adults and children, including those related to autism, which the White House said affects one in 36 children.

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)

TRUMP HEALTH SECRETARY NOMINEE RFK JR. SURVIVES HEATED HEARINGS

Trump in recent months has cited autism stats while previewing his second administration, balking at the number of children currently diagnosed compared to just 25 years ago.

“When you look at, like, autism from 25 years ago, and you look at it now, something’s going on,” Trump said in December 2024 ahead of his inauguration. “Think of this: 25 years ago, autism, 1 in 10,000 children. Today it’s 1 in 36 children. Is something wrong? I think so, and Robert and I, we’re going to figure it out.”

Trump also vowed while on the campaign trail in June that he would “establish a special Presidential Commission of independent minds who are not bought and paid for by Big Pharma, and I will charge them with investigating what is causing the decades-long increase in chronic illnesses.”

TRUMP INNER CIRCLE SHARES MCDONALD’S MEAL AS DONALD JR. JOKES ‘MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN STARTS TOMORROW’

The Republican-controlled Senate voted 52–48 on Thursday to confirm Kennedy. His confirmation hearings before the Senate in late January included a few outbursts from protesters, as well as Democrats grilling him over his vaccine stances.

Kennedy, who ran for president as a Democrat in 2024 cycle before ultimately dropping out and endorsing Trump, clarified to the Senate that he is not “anti-vaccine.”

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. endorsing former President Donald Trump set off a wave of intense reactions from the mainstream media. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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“I worked for years to raise awareness about the mercury and toxic chemicals in fish. And nobody called me anti-fish. And I believe that … that vaccines play a critical role in healthcare. All of my kids are vaccinated. I’ve read many books on vaccines. My first book in 2014, a first line of it is ‘I am not anti-vaccine’ and last line is ‘I am not anti-vaccine.’ Nor am I the enemy of food producers. American farms are the bedrock of our culture, of our politics, of our national security,” he said during his hearing before the Senate Finance Committee in January.

February 13, 2025
New poll shows what Americans think of Trump’s record setting first 3 weeks

President Donald Trump took to social media on Thursday morning to showcase his frenetic pace since reentering the White House on Jan. 20.

“THREE GREAT WEEKS, PERHAPS THE BEST EVER,” the president touted.

Trump has signed 64 executive orders since his inauguration, according to a count from Fox News, which far surpasses the rate of any presidential predecessors during their first weeks in office.

While Trump is never shy about advertising his accomplishments, new polling indicates Americans are divided on the job the president is doing so far in his second administration.

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President Donald Trump speaks as Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is sworn in at the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP/Alex Brandon)

Trump stands at 48% approval and 47% disapproval in a national survey conducted for AARP.

The poll is the latest to indicate an early split when it comes to public opinion regarding Trump.

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Some surveys, including Pew Research, indicate Trump’s approval ratings are slightly underwater, while others, including a poll from CBS News/YouGuv, suggest the president’s ratings are in positive territory.

Trump’s poll position among Americans stands in stark contrast to his first term in office, when he started out underwater in surveys and remained in negative territory for all four years in the White House.

President Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts as Melania Trump holds the Bible during the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (MORRY GASH/AFP via Getty Images)

The surveys are in agreement when it comes to the massive partisan divide over Trump.

The AARP poll indicates Trump holds a net approval of 83 points with Republicans, a net disapproval of 76 points among Democrats and that he is underwater by 19 points among independent voters.

THE TRUMP POLICIES AMERICANS LOVE, AND HATE

“Trump’s ratings are stronger among men, white voters, and those without college degrees. He is seen more negatively by women, Hispanic and Black voters, and those with college degrees,” the survey’s release highlighted.

While Trump’s approval ratings for his second term are a major improvement from his first term, his numbers are below where his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, began his single term in office.

Former President Joe Biden speaks about his administration’s accomplishments during a speech on Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Biden’s approval rating hovered in the low to mid 50s during his first six months in the White House, with his disapproval in the upper 30s to low to mid 40s.

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However, Biden’s numbers sank into negative territory in the late summer and autumn of 2021, in the wake of his much-criticized handling of the turbulent U.S. exit from Afghanistan and amid soaring inflation and a surge of migrants crossing into the U.S. along the nation’s southern border with Mexico.

Biden’s approval ratings stayed underwater throughout the rest of his presidency.

Fox News’ Mary Schlageter contributed to this report

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in New Hampshire.

February 13, 2025
Senate confirms Robert F Kennedy Jr. to serve as Trump’s Health secretary

The Senate on Thursday confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary in President Donald Trump’s cabinet.

The Republican-controlled Senate voted nearly entirely along party lines to confirm Kennedy. The final showdown over his controversial nomination was set in motion hours earlier, after another party line vote on Wednesday afternoon which started the clock ticking toward the confirmation roll call.

Kennedy, the well-known vaccine skeptic and environmental crusader who ran for the White House in 2024 before ending his bid and endorsing Trump, needed a simple majority to be confirmed by the Senate.

Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was the only Republican to vote against Kennedy’s nomination. McConnell, the former longtime GOP Senate leader, suffered from polio as a child and is a major proponent of vaccines.

TRUMP HEALTH SECRETARY NOMINEE RFK JR. SURVIVES HEATED HEARINGS

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as secretary of Health and Human Services, testifies during a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing for his pending confirmation on Capitol Hill on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Kennedy survived back-to-back combustible Senate confirmation hearings late last month, when Trump’s nominee to lead 18 powerful federal agencies that oversee the nation’s food and health faced plenty of verbal fireworks over past controversial comments, including his repeated claims in recent years linking vaccines to autism, which have been debunked by scientific research.

During the hearings, Democrats also spotlighted Kennedy’s service for years as chair or chief legal counsel for Children’s Health Defense, the nonprofit organization he founded that has advocated against vaccines and sued the federal government numerous times, including a challenge over the authorization of the COVID-19 vaccine for children.

ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. LIVE ON FOX NEWS ‘THE INGRAHAM ANGLE’ 7PM ET TONIGHT

With Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee voting not to advance Kennedy, the spotlight was on Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a physician and chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP).

Cassidy issued a last minute endorsement before the committee level vote, giving Kennedy a party-line 14-13 victory to advance his confirmation to the full Senate.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., center, President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as secretary of Health and Human Services, talks with Committee Chairman Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., left, following his testimony during a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing for his pending confirmation on Capitol Hill on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Cassidy had emphasized during Kennedy’s confirmation hearings that “your past of undermining confidence in vaccines with unfounded or misleading arguments concerns me,” which left doubt about his support.

However, after speaking again with the nominee, Cassidy rattled off a long list of commitments Kennedy made to him, including quarterly hearings before the HELP Committee; meetings multiple times per month; that HELP Committee can choose representatives on boards or commissions reviewing vaccine safety; and a 30-day notice to the committee, plus a hearing, for any changes in vaccine safety reviews.

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“These commitments, and my expectation that we can have a great working relationship to make America healthy again, is the basis of my support,” the senator said.

RFK Jr. and Trump split image (Getty Images)

Earlier this week, another Republican senator who had reservations regarding Kennedy’s confirmation announced support for the nominee.

“After extensive public and private questioning and a thorough examination of his nomination, I will support Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,” GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine announced on Tuesday.

Another Republican who was on the fence, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, also voted to advance Kennedy’s nomination.

Murkowski noted that she continues “to have concerns about Mr. Kennedy’s views on vaccines and his selective interpretation of scientific studies,” but that the nominee “has made numerous commitments to me and my colleagues, promising to work with Congress to ensure public access to information and to base vaccine recommendations on data-driven, evidence-based, and medically sound research.”

Former longtime Senate GOP leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, a major proponent of vaccines, also voted to advance Kennedy’s nomination.

Kennedy, whose outspoken views on Big Pharma and the food industry have also sparked controversy, has said he aims to shift the focus of the agencies he would oversee toward promotion of a healthy lifestyle, including overhauling dietary guidelines, taking aim at ultra-processed foods and getting to the root causes of chronic diseases.

The push is part of his “Make America Healthy Again” campaign.

“Our country is not going to be destroyed because we get the marginal tax rate wrong. It is going to be destroyed if we get this issue wrong,” Kennedy said as he pointed to chronic diseases. “And I am in a unique position to be able to stop this epidemic.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at a campaign event for this independent presidential bid, on May 1, 2024 in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

The 71-year-old scion of the nation’s most storied political dynasty, launched a long-shot campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination against then-President Joe Biden in April 2023. However, six months later, he switched to an independent run for the White House.

Trump regularly pilloried Kennedy during his independent presidential bid, accusing him of being a “Radical Left Liberal” and a “Democrat Plant.”

Kennedy fired back, claiming in a social media post that Trump’s jabs against him were “a barely coherent barrage of wild and inaccurate claims.”

Then-former President Donald Trump, right, welcomes Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the stage at a campaign rally at the Gas South Arena on Oct. 23, 2024 in Duluth, Georgia. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

However, Kennedy made major headlines again last August when he dropped his presidential bid and endorsed Trump.

While Kennedy had long identified as a Democrat and repeatedly invoked his late father, former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and his late uncle, former President John F. Kennedy – who were both assassinated in the 1960s – Kennedy in recent years built relationships with far-right leaders due in part to his high-profile vaccine skepticism.

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After months of criticizing him, Trump called Kennedy “a man who has been an incredible champion for so many of these values that we all share.”

Trump announced soon after the November election that he would nominate Kennedy to his Cabinet to run HHS.

The final vote on Kennedy’s nomination came one day after another controversial pick, director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, was confirmed by the Senate in a 52-48 vote.

Fox News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this report

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in New Hampshire.

February 13, 2025
Comer, Lee roll out bicameral bill to fast-track Trump’s government reorganization plans through Congress

FIRST ON FOX: House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer and Sen. Mike Lee are introducing bicameral legislation Thursday that would fast-track President Donald Trump’s federal government reorganizations plans through Congress, Fox News Digital has learned.

Comer, R-Ky., will introduce the Reorganizing Government Act of 2025 in the House Thursday, while Lee, R-Utah, will roll it out in the Senate..

The legislation would ensure Congress takes an up or down vote on the plans submitted to Congress in order to “streamline government operations to better serve the American people.”

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It also seeks to renew and extend presidential authority to propose executive branch reorganization plans through December 2026 and restores a reorganization authority that was last in effect in 1984. Congressional aides said the bill aims to “modernize and improve government efficiency.”

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., will introduce the Reorganizing Government Act of 2025 in the House Feb. 13, 2025, while Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, will roll it out in the Senate.

Under the bill, Congress must vote on Trump’s proposed reorganization plans within 90 days by using an expedited process that cannot be filibustered.

It also expands the president’s authority to include entire executive departments — not just agencies.

The bill does prohibit, however, reorganization that would increase the size of the federal workforce or its expenditures.

“Americans elected President Trump to reform Washington, and his team is working around the clock to deliver on that promise,” Comer told Fox News Digital, adding that the federal bureaucracy “has grown dramatically in size and scope, creating unnecessary red tape.”

“We must cut through the inefficiency and streamline government to improve service delivery and save taxpayers money,” he said, adding that “Congress can fast-track President Trump’s government reorganization plans by renewing a key tool to approve them swiftly in Congress.”

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“The Reorganizing Government Act of 2025 does just that,” Comer said. “We owe it to the American people to make government efficient, effective, and accountable.”

And Lee told Fox News Digital that the bicameral legislation allows the president to use his constitutional authority to reorganize federal agencies, “eliminate weaponization” and “right-size the government to better serve the American people.”

Sen Mike Lee, R-Utah, said the bicameral legislation allows the president to use his constitutional authority to reorganize federal agencies, “eliminate weaponization” and “right-size the government to better serve the American people.” (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)

“Congress cannot afford to sit on its hands in this fight,” Lee told Fox News Digital. “Reauthorizing presidential reorganization authority is the most comprehensive tool that the president can use to restore good governance to Washington.”

The bill comes amid a significant expansion in the federal government, which GOP lawmakers say has led to “inefficiencies, redundancies, and bureaucratic obstacles.”

Its introduction also comes amid a push from the White House to shrink the size of the federal government.

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Trump signed executive orders on his first day in office to do so.

The president also tasked Elon Musk to run the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, to reduce government waste, cut the federal workforce and slash costs.

The president also tasked Elon Musk to run the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, to reduce government waste, cut the federal workforce and slash costs. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

The Office of Personnel Management offered employees across the federal government the option to resign with full pay and benefits through September in an effort to cut the workforce. Sources say at least 75,000 federal workers have taken the option to resign.

Meanwhile, DOGE has successfully canceled millions of dollars of government contracts that the administration says were a waste of taxpayer dollars.

A senior administration official told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that DOGE has worked with various agencies to cancel several contracts in the Social Security Administration, the Departments of Homeland Security and Labor, and several other areas.

Brooke Singman is a political correspondent and reporter for Fox News Digital, Fox News Channel and FOX Business.

February 13, 2025
Senate to hold final vote on RFK Jr nomination to serve as Trump’s Health secretary

The Senate is expected on Thursday to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary in President Donald Trump’s cabinet.

The final showdown over Kennedy’s controversial nomination was set in motion after the Republican-controlled Senate on Wednesday – in a 53-47 party-line vote – invoked cloture, which started the clock ticking toward the final confirmation roll call.

Kennedy, the well-known vaccine skeptic and environmental crusader who ran for the White House in 2024 before ending his bid and endorsing Trump, needs a simple majority to be confirmed by the Senate.

TRUMP HEALTH SECRETARY NOMINEE RFK JR. SURVIVES HEATED HEARINGS

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as secretary of Health and Human Services, testifies during a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing for his pending confirmation on Capitol Hill on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Kennedy survived back-to-back combustible Senate confirmation hearings late last month, when Trump’s nominee to lead 18 powerful federal agencies that oversee the nation’s food and health faced plenty of verbal fireworks over past controversial comments, including his repeated claims in recent years linking vaccines to autism, which have been debunked by scientific research.

During the hearings, Democrats also spotlighted Kennedy’s service for years as chair or chief legal counsel for Children’s Health Defense, the nonprofit organization he founded that has advocated against vaccines and sued the federal government numerous times, including a challenge over the authorization of the COVID-19 vaccine for children.

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With Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee voting not to advance Kennedy, the spotlight was on Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a physician and chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP).

Cassidy issued a last minute endorsement before the committee level vote, giving Kennedy a party-line 14-13 victory to advance his confirmation to the full Senate.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., center, President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as secretary of Health and Human Services, talks with Committee Chairman Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., left, following his testimony during a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing for his pending confirmation on Capitol Hill on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Cassidy had emphasized during Kennedy’s confirmation hearings that “your past of undermining confidence in vaccines with unfounded or misleading arguments concerns me,” which left doubt about his support.

However, after speaking again with the nominee, Cassidy rattled off a long list of commitments Kennedy made to him, including quarterly hearings before the HELP Committee; meetings multiple times per month; that HELP Committee can choose representatives on boards or commissions reviewing vaccine safety; and a 30-day notice to the committee, plus a hearing, for any changes in vaccine safety reviews.

“These commitments, and my expectation that we can have a great working relationship to make America healthy again, is the basis of my support,” the senator said.

RFK Jr. and Trump split image (Getty Images)

Earlier this week, another Republican senator who had reservations regarding Kennedy’s confirmation announced support for the nominee.

“After extensive public and private questioning and a thorough examination of his nomination, I will support Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,” GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine announced on Tuesday.

Another Republican who was on the fence, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, also voted to advance Kennedy’s nomination.

Murkowski noted that she continues “to have concerns about Mr. Kennedy’s views on vaccines and his selective interpretation of scientific studies,” but that the nominee “has made numerous commitments to me and my colleagues, promising to work with Congress to ensure public access to information and to base vaccine recommendations on data-driven, evidence-based, and medically sound research.”

Former longtime Senate GOP leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, a major proponent of vaccines, also voted to advance Kennedy’s nomination.

Kennedy, whose outspoken views on Big Pharma and the food industry have also sparked controversy, has said he aims to shift the focus of the agencies he would oversee toward promotion of a healthy lifestyle, including overhauling dietary guidelines, taking aim at ultra-processed foods and getting to the root causes of chronic diseases.

The push is part of his “Make America Healthy Again” campaign.

“Our country is not going to be destroyed because we get the marginal tax rate wrong. It is going to be destroyed if we get this issue wrong,” Kennedy said as he pointed to chronic diseases. “And I am in a unique position to be able to stop this epidemic.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at a campaign event for this independent presidential bid, on May 1, 2024 in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

The 71-year-old scion of the nation’s most storied political dynasty, launched a long-shot campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination against then-President Joe Biden in April 2023. However, six months later, he switched to an independent run for the White House.

Trump regularly pilloried Kennedy during his independent presidential bid, accusing him of being a “Radical Left Liberal” and a “Democrat Plant.”

Kennedy fired back, claiming in a social media post that Trump’s jabs against him were “a barely coherent barrage of wild and inaccurate claims.”

Then-former President Donald Trump, right, welcomes Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the stage at a campaign rally at the Gas South Arena on Oct. 23, 2024 in Duluth, Georgia. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

However, Kennedy made major headlines again last August when he dropped his presidential bid and endorsed Trump.

While Kennedy had long identified as a Democrat and repeatedly invoked his late father, former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and his late uncle, former President John F. Kennedy – who were both assassinated in the 1960s – Kennedy in recent years built relationships with far-right leaders due in part to his high-profile vaccine skepticism.

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

After months of criticizing him, Trump called Kennedy “a man who has been an incredible champion for so many of these values that we all share.”

Trump announced soon after the November election that he would nominate Kennedy to his Cabinet to run HHS.

The final vote on Kennedy’s nomination comes one day after another controversial pick, director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, was confirmed by the Senate in a 52-48 vote.

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in New Hampshire.

February 13, 2025