Americans are giving a big thumbs up to some of the early actions taken by President Donald Trump during the opening weeks of his second administration.

However, a new national poll also indicates that the public also gives a thumbs down to other moves made by Trump during his avalanche of action since returning to the White House on Jan. 20.

Trump has signed 63 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.

According to a Marquette Law School Poll national survey released on Wednesday, the most popular action sampled is Trump’s executive order mandating the federal government recognize only two sexes – male and female.

Sixty-three percent of adults nationwide supported the move, with just 37% opposed, the survey indicates.

The gender order, signed by Trump hours after his inauguration, states that it will ‘defend women’s rights and protect freedom of conscience by using clear and accurate language and policies that recognize women are biologically female, and men are biologically male.’

The order required that the federal government, going forward, use the term ‘sex’ rather than ‘gender’ and mandated that ‘government-issued identification documents, including passports, visas, and Global Entry cards, accurately reflect the holder’s sex.’

It reversed a 2022 move by former President Joe Biden’s administration to allow U.S. citizens to be able to select the gender-neutral ‘X’ on their passports.

During his successful 2024 campaign to win back the White House, Trump repeatedly pledged to roll back protections for transgender and nonbinary people. His campaign spotlighted an ad which ran in key battleground states that claimed former Vice President Kamala Harris ‘is for they/them. President Trump is for you.’

The poll indicates a large partisan divide, with 94% of Republicans and two-thirds of independents but just 27% of Democrats supporting the executive order.

Another popular move, according to the poll: 6 in 10 said they favor expanding oil and gas production.

Some of Trump’s numerous actions on immigration and border security also grabbed a thumbs up.

Sixty percent said they support deporting immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally, and 59% favored declaring a national emergency at the nation’s southern border with Mexico due to migrant crossings.

However, the survey also found that 57% opposed deporting immigrants who have resided in the United States illegally for a number of years, but who have jobs and no criminal record.

Also getting a big thumbs down – Trump’s Day One pardon or commuting the sentences of nearly all the Trump supporters who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 to upend congressional certification of Biden’s 2020 Electoral College victory over Trump. Sixty-five percent opposed the move by the president.

An equal number of respondents also do not support Trump’s repeated declarations that the U.S. will take back the Panama Canal.

Additionally, Trump’s renaming of the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America is opposed by 71% of adults nationwide, according to the poll.

Fifty-seven percent of Republicans support the renaming, but backing drops to just 16% among independents and 4% among Democrats.

The Marquette Law School Poll, which was conducted Jan. 27-Feb. 5, indicates Trump starts his second term with a 48% approval rating and a 52% disapproval rating.

‘In the new poll, as in the past, approval is closely related to partisanship, with 89% of Republicans approving of Trump, a view shared by 37% of independents and 9% of Democrats,’ the poll’s release noted, as it spotlighted the massive partisan divide.

Fox News’ Mary Schlageter contributed to this report

Former aides to President Barack Obama admitted on an episode of ‘Pod Save America’ they should have done ‘some of the stuff’ President Donald Trump is doing with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 

When discussing DOGE’s initiatives to cut federal spending, the ‘Obama bros’ admitted to ‘lamenting’ their situation. Jon Lovett, a former Obama speechwriter, implied he ‘didn’t know’ the executive branch could radically cut federal spending as the Trump administration has done. 

‘Honestly, some of this is pretty annoying because it’s some of the stuff we should’ve done. We didn’t know you could do some of this,’ Lovett said. 

Jon Favreau, also a former Obama speechwriter, shared Lovett’s frustration, admitting the Obama administration tried to cut through bureaucracy and create government efficiency, but ‘it’s hard to do.’

‘We all know that government is slow. We all know government can be inefficient. We all know that the bureaucracy can be bloated. We all worked in f—ing the White House. We tried to reorganize the government. We tried to find efficiency. It’s hard to do,’ Favreau said. 

The liberal podcasters also complained about the federal government’s technology during the Obama era. 

‘The technology in the federal government, at least when we were there, sucked. There was no service in the basement of the West Wing. You couldn’t use your phone because there was no service.’ Favreau added. 

‘Pod Save America’ did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on which DOGE initiatives the Obama administration should have done. 

The podcast episode was released ahead of Trump signing an executive order on Tuesday directing agencies to coordinate with DOGE to reduce the size of the federal government. The executive order is the latest in a slew of government slashes these past few weeks, which have targeted everything from DEI funding to migrant hotel bills. 

The ‘Obama Bros’ have been on a media circuit in recent weeks, directing Democrats on how to politically engage during Trump’s second term. Former Obama spokesman and ‘Pod Save America’ co-host, Tommy Vietor, joined ‘Jesse Watters Primetime’ last month to discuss the future of the Democratic Party. 

Senate Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Caucus Chairwoman Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said she talks to Trump-aligned billionaire Elon Musk every couple of days as he spearheads the administration’s effort to slash wasteful spending. 

‘We communicate back and forth every few days or so,’ she told Fox News Digital in an interview. ‘I’ll send additional ideas that we come up with.’

According to Ernst, during a meeting at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in November, she gave Musk ‘an eight-page memorandum blueprint with a number of cost-saving ideas.’

‘He literally is taking that and running with it,’ the Iowa Republican remarked. 

She said she simply sends new ideas directly to Musk, and ‘pretty soon you’ll see a tweet out on X.’

When asked whether she thought she would ever be working to audit the government with the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, as well as the owner of X, Ernst laughed, ‘Never in a million years.’

Since Trump took office last month, DOGE has taken swift action to audit agencies and departments within the executive branch, rooting out contracts, programs and spending that Trump and Musk consider unnecessary or wasteful. 

The effort has been met by Democrats with protests, as lawmakers have shown up outside the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department of Treasury and the Department of Education to demonstrate. Some Democrats have even attempted to enter the buildings, but were prevented. 

On the other hand, Republicans have cheered the initiative. For example, Ernst told Fox News Digital that DOGE’s actions so far have been ‘tremendous.’ 

As for criticisms of how DOGE’s staffers are conducting their audit and what information they are gaining access to, the Iowa Republican maintained that it is completely legal in her opinion. ‘This is the executive branch and they are scrutinizing the executive branch. So, of course, it’s legal,’ she said. 

‘There is nothing in the Constitution that says the president cannot scrutinize the expenditures, especially when those dollars are going to programs that members here in Congress did not anticipate,’ she noted, referencing jaw-dropping programs being uncovered by DOGE, showing significant money going towards Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), among other initiatives. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Musk’s DOGE for comment.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told allies at NATO headquarters Wednesday that ‘returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective,’ as President Donald Trump is working to bring an end to the war. 

Hegseth, speaking to the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Belgium, also said ‘stark strategic realities prevent the United States from being primarily focused on the security of Europe’ because the U.S. is focusing on ‘securing our own borders’ and ‘deterring war with China in the Pacific.’ 

‘President Trump has been clear with the American people — and with many of your leaders — that stopping the fighting and reaching an enduring peace is a top priority,’ Hegseth said about Ukraine, noting that the war is approaching its third anniversary. 

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

In early 2014, Russia first invaded Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula before annexing the region. Russian President Vladimir Putin then launched a larger military conflict with Ukraine in 2022, which remains ongoing. 

‘A durable peace for Ukraine must include robust security guarantees to ensure that the war will not begin again,’ Hegseth said Wednesday. ‘The United States does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement. Instead, any security guarantee must be backed by capable European and non-European troops.’

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

Trump, during an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier on ‘Special Report,’ said ‘tremendous progress’ has been made over the last week when it comes to a Ukraine-Russia peace deal. 

‘They have tremendously valuable land in terms of rare earth, in terms of oil and gas, in terms of other things. I want to have our money secured because we’re spending hundreds of billions of dollars,’ Trump said about Ukraine. ‘And, you know, they may make a deal. They may not make a deal. They may be Russian someday, or they may not be Russian someday.’

‘I told them that I want the equivalent, like $500 billion worth of rare earth. And they’ve essentially agreed to do that. So at least we don’t feel stupid. Otherwise, we’re stupid,’ Trump added. ‘I said to them, we have to, we have to get something. We can’t continue to pay this money, you know.’ 

In an interview this week with The Guardian, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said ‘There are voices which say that Europe could offer security guarantees without the Americans, and I always say no’ and that ‘Security guarantees without America are not real security guarantees.’

Hegseth also said he is in Brussels today to ‘directly and unambiguously express that stark strategic realities prevent the United States from being primarily focused on the security of Europe.’  

‘The United States faces consequential threats to our homeland. We must — and we are — focusing on securing our own borders,’ he said. ‘We also face a peer competitor in China with the capability and intent to threaten our homeland and core national interests in the Indo-Pacific.’  

‘The U.S. is prioritizing deterring war with China in the Pacific, recognizing the reality of scarcity, and making the resourcing tradeoffs to ensure deterrence does not fail,’ Hegseth added. ‘As the United States shifts its attention to these threats, European allies must lead from the front.’ 

Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., said in a statement on Tuesday that a complex partial seizure was ruled as the cause of the episode where he paused during a House floor speech on Monday.

While delivering his speech, the long-serving lawmaker abruptly stopped speaking for several seconds, before uttering a few words and then proceeding to stand silently for around 14 seconds. 

When he resumed speaking, his remarks were halting and punctuated with awkward pauses.

After the incident occurred on Monday, Larson’s office indicated in a statement that ‘he had what was likely an adverse reaction to a new medication and is having tests administered by the House Attending Physician out of an abundance of caution.’ The statement indicated that the lawmaker ‘later participated in multiple meetings in his office and was alert and engaged.’

Then Larson’s statement on Tuesday indicated that a complex partial seizure was ruled as the cause of the incident.

‘Yesterday, at around noon, I experienced a medical incident on the House floor, when my speech momentarily paused. Following the incident, I saw the House Attending Physician, Dr. Monahan, who referred me for further evaluation. After a round of tests, it was determined that the cause of the brief pause in my speech was a complex partial seizure,’ the congressman explained.

The 76-year-old lawmaker has been a House member for more than a quarter-century — he took office in 1999.

‘Fifteen years ago, I had a heart valve replacement due to a variation in the shape of my aortic valve that I was born with. Sometimes, people with this condition can later develop symptoms such as the momentary change in speech or movement that was apparent yesterday,’ Larson continued. 

‘The doctors have prescribed medication that, according to them, will greatly reduce the chance of this happening again. I will be able to resume an active schedule, including my duties as a Member of Congress, beginning tomorrow, when I plan to be present and voting on the House floor,’ he noted. 

‘I am grateful to Dr. Monahan and the staff, and I extend my deepest appreciation to my family, friends, colleagues, constituents, and everyone who reached out with their well wishes and offers of support. I am looking forward to getting back to work for the people of Connecticut’s First District.’ 

Sparks are expected to fly at Congress’ first Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) subcommittee meeting Wednesday, according to one Democratic lawmaker in the House of Representatives.

Democrats have blasted billionaire Elon Musk, who President Donald Trump tapped to lead DOGE, over the past week for trying to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in federal spending and trim the more than 2-million-person federal workforce.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, told Axios that she plans to use the hearing to ‘clarify for the American people’ why DOGE’s actions are ‘illegal’ and why ‘Elon Musk has no official role to do this.’ 

‘I think it’s going to be a sh–show. I don’t really anticipate anything productive coming out of this,’ Crockett said. ‘I don’t anticipate that it’s going to be nice. I anticipate full-on combat, because DOGE is clearly the devil right now.’

DOGE subcommittee chair Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., told the outlet she has ‘high hopes’ that Republicans and Democrats will engage productively during the hearing, which she said will focus on ‘Medicaid improper payments.’

‘We’re going to be talking about solutions, there are going to be big savings,’ she said, adding that she feels the issue is bipartisan.

On Tuesday, Musk appeared with Trump in the Oval Office as the president prepared to sign an executive order concerning the billionaire’s work leading DOGE.

Musk, in some of his first public comments on leading DOGE, told reporters that there are some good people in the federal bureaucracy, but that they need to be accountable, and the budget deficit needs to be addressed.

He also pushed back against critics who have accused him of mounting a hostile takeover of the government, saying he wants to add ‘common-sense controls’ to federal spending and that cutting government waste is not ‘draconian.’

‘The people voted for major government reform, and that’s what the people are going to get,’ Musk said. ‘That’s what democracy is all about.’

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Dozens of activist and legal groups, elected officials, local jurisdictions and individuals have launched at least 49 lawsuits against the Trump administration since Jan. 20 in response to his more than 60 executive orders, as well as executive proclamations and memos, Fox News Digital found. 

Trump long has been a legal target, which hit a fever pitch during the 2024 election cycle when Trump faced four criminal indictments, including a criminal trial in Manhattan in the spring of 2024 when he was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records. 

Trump has maintained his innocence in the four cases, pointing to them as evidence of lawfare at the hands of Democrats working against his political efforts. 

Upon Trump’s election win in November 2024, state attorneys general, such as New York Attorney General Letitia James, publicly said they would ready legal battles against the Trump administration for actions they view as illegal or negatively impact residents. 

‘We faced this challenge before, and we used the rule of law to fight back,’ James, who repeatedly has leveled suits against Trump, said following his win. ‘And we are prepared to fight back once again because, as the attorney general of this great state, it is my job to protect and defend the rights of New Yorkers and the rule of law. And I will not shrink from that responsibility.’

Just roughly three weeks back in the Oval Office, Trump’s administration has been hit with at least 49 lawsuits working to resist his policies. 

Fox News Digital compiled a list of the groups, state attorneys general, cities or states, and individuals who have launched lawsuits against the Trump administration’s executive actions. The list includes the various groups and individuals challenging the Trump administration in court, as well as the executive order or proclamation that sparked the suit. 

New Hampshire Indonesian Community Support; League of United Latin American Citizens; Make the Road New York (Executive Order: Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship)
O. Doe; Brazilian Worker Center, Inc.; La Colaborativa (Executive Order: Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship)
State of New Jersey; Commonwealth of Massachusetts; State of California; State of Colorado; State of Connecticut; State of Delaware; District of Columbia; State of Hawai’i; State of Maine; State of Maryland; Attorney General Dana Nessel for the People of Michigan; State of Minnesota; State of Nevada; State of New Mexico; State of New York; State of North Carolina; State of Rhode Island; State of Vermont; State of Wisconsin; City and County of San Francisco (Executive Order: Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship)
CASA, Inc; Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project (​​Executive Order: Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship)
State of Washington; State of Arizona; State of Illinois; State of Oregon (Executive Order: ​​Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship)
OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates (Executive Order: ​​Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship)
County of Santa Clara (Executive Order: Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship)
Organized Communities Against Deportation; Brighton Park Neighborhood Council; Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights; Raise the Floor Alliance (Executive Order: Protecting the American People Against Invasion)
City and County of San Francisco (Executive Order: Protecting the American People Against Invasion)
Make the Road New York (Executive Order: Protecting the American People Against Invasion)
Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (Presidential Proclamation Guaranteeing the States Protection Against Invasion)
Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center (Executive Order: Securing Our Borders)
Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, American Gateways, Florence Immigrant Refugee Rights Project, Estrella Del Paso, Immigration Services and Legal Advocacy, National Immigrant Justice Center, NW Immigrant Rights Project, PA Immigration Resource Center, Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Center (Executive Order: Protecting the American People Against Invasion)
Luis Eduardo Perez Parra, Leonel Jose Rivas Gonzalez, Abraham Josue Barrios Morales, and M.R.R.Y (Presidential Memorandum: Expanding Migrant Operations Center at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay to Full Capacity)
HIAS, Church World Service, and Lutheran Community Services Northwest (​​Executive Order: Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program)
National Treasury Employees Union (Executive Order: Restoring Accountability to Policy-Influencing Positions Within the Federal Workforce)
Government Accountability Project and National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (Executive Order: Restoring Accountability to Policy-Influencing Positions Within the Federal Workforce)
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (Executive Order: Restoring Accountability to Policy-Influencing Positions Within the Federal Workforce)
American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO (‘AFGE’); American Federation Of State, County And Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO (‘AFSCME’) (Executive Order: Restoring Accountability to Policy-Influencing Positions Within the Federal Workforce)
Public Citizen, Inc.; State Democracy Defenders Fund; American Federation of Government Employees (Executive Order: Establishing and Implementing the President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency)
National Security Counselors, Inc. (Executive Order: Establishing and Implementing the President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency)
American Public Health Association; American Federation of Teachers; Minority Veterans of America; VoteVets Action Fund; The Center for Auto Safety, Inc.; Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (Executive Order: Establishing and Implementing the President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’)
Center for Biological Diversity (Establishing and Implementing the President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’)
Jane Does 1-2 (Executive action on the solicitation of information from career employees)
Alliance for Retired Americans, American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO, Service Employees International Union, AFL-CIO (Executive Action related to disclosure of personal and financial records to DOGE)
State of New York; State of Arizona, State of California, State of Colorado, State of Connecticut, State of Delaware, State of Hawaii, State of Illinois, State of Maine, State of Maryland, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, State of Minnesota, State of Nevada, State of New Jersey, State of North Carolina, State of Oregon, State of Rhode Island, State of Vermont, and State of Wisconsin (Executive Action related to disclosure of personal and financial records to DOGE)
American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, American Federation of Government Employees, AFLCIO, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO, Service Employees International Union, AFL-CIO, Communication Workers of America, AFL-CIO, Economic Policy Institute (Executive Action related to disclosure of personal and financial records to DOGE)
University of California Student Association (Executive Action related to disclosure of personal and financial records to DOGE)
National Treasury Employees Union (Executive Action related to disclosure of personal and financial records to DOGE)
American Federation of Teachers, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, National Federation of Federal Employees (Executive Action related to disclosure of personal and financial records to DOGE)
American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO, Local 3707, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO, National Association of Government Employees, Inc. (Executive action related to Office of Personnel Management directive on deferred resignation offer to federal employees)
Gwynne Wilcox, former National Labor Relations Board member (Executive action related to removal of independent agency leaders)
State of New York; State of California; State of Illinois; State of Rhode Island; State of New Jersey; Commonwealth of Massachusetts; State of Arizona; State of Colorado; State of Connecticut; State of Delaware; The District of Columbia; State of Hawai’i; State of Main; State of Maryland; State of Michigan; State of Minnesota; State of Nevada; State of North Carolina; State of New Mexico; State of Oregon; State of Vermont; State of Washington; State of Wisconsin (Executive action related to the temporary pause of grants, loans and assistance programs)
National Council of Nonprofits, American Public Health Association, Main Street Alliance, SAGE (Executive action related to the temporary pause of grants, loans and assistance programs)
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Attorney General Dana Nessel on behalf of the people of the State of Michigan, State of Illinois, State of Arizona, State of California, State of Connecticut, State of Colorado, State of Delaware, State of Hawai’i, State of Maine, State of Maryland, State of Minnesota, State of New Jersey, State of New York, State of Nevada, State of New Mexico, State of North Carolina, State of Oregon, State of Rhode Island, State of Vermont, State of Washington, and State of Wisconsin (Executive Action related to the reduction in indirect cost reimbursement rate for research institutions, such as National Institutes of Health)
American Foreign Service Association, American Federation of Government Employees (Executive order: Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid)
National Treasury Employees Union (Executive action related to the dismantling of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau)
Maria Moe, transgender federal inmate (Executive Order: Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government)
Jane Doe; Mary Doe; Sara Doe, transgender federal inmates (Executive Order: Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government)
Nicolas Talbott, Erica Vandal, Kate Cole, Gordon Herrero, Dany Danridge, Jamie Hash, Koda Nature, and Cael Neary, transgender U.S. military members or those seeking to enlist (Executive Order: Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness)
Commander Emily Shilling; Commander Blake Dremann; Lieutenant Commander Geirid Morgan; Sergeant First Class Cathrine Schmid; Sergeant First Class Jane Doe; Staff Sergeant Videl Leins; Matthew Medina; and Gender Justice League (Executive Order: Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness)
PFLAG, Inc and American Association of Physicians for Human Rights, Inc. (Executive Orders: Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government and Protecting Children From Chemical and Surgical Mutilation)
State of Washington, State of Minnesota, State of Oregon, Physician 1, Physician 2, and Physician 3 (Executive Orders: Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government and Protecting Children From Chemical and Surgical Mutilation)
Ashton Orr, Zaya Perysian, Sawyer Soe, Chastain Anderson, Drew Hall, Bella Boe, and Reid Solomon-Lan (Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government)
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, New England Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, Baltimore Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, Inc., Adelphi Friends Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, Richmond Friends Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Executive action related to ​​immigration enforcement in places of worship)
John and Jane Doe 1-9, employees and agents of the FBI (Executive Order: Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government)
Federal Bureau of Investigation Agents Association; seven John and Jane Doe plaintiffs (Exectuive Order: Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government)
National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education; American Association of University Professors; Restaurant Opportunities Centers United; Mayor and City Council of Baltimore, Maryland (Executive Orders: Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing and Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity)
Doctors for America (Executive order: Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government)

Amid the flurry of lawsuits against Trump and his administration, Democratic elected officials and government employees have spoken out against the orders and the Trump agenda overall. 

Democrats and government employees also have staged protests as the Department of Government Efficiency investigates various federal agencies as part of its mission to cut government overspending and weed out corruption and mismanagement of taxpayer funds. 

‘That’s not acceptable,’ House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., declared in January. ‘We are going to fight it legislatively. We are going to fight it in the courts. We’re going to fight it in the streets.’ 

‘We will see you in the court, in Congress, in the streets,’ Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., said at a rally outside the Treasury Department earlier in February. 

‘We are gonna be in your face, we are gonna be on your a–es, and we are going to make sure you understand what democracy looks like, and this ain’t it,’ Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, said at the same rally. 

Trump joined Fox News’ Bret Baier for an exclusive interview ahead of the Super Bowl on Sunday, where he was asked about a lawsuit filed by attorneys general to restrict DOGE and its chair, Elon Musk, from accessing the Treasury Department’s systems and a judge temporarily blocking the DOGE team from the data. 

‘Nineteen states attorneys general filed a lawsuit, and early Saturday a judge agreed with them to restrict Elon Musk and his government efficiency team, DOGE, from accessing Treasury Department payment and data systems. They said there was a risk of ‘irreparable harm.’ What do you make of that?’ Baier asked Trump in the interview clip. ‘And does that slow you down and what you want to do?’ 

‘No, I disagree with it 100%,’ Trump said. ‘I think it’s crazy. And we have to solve the efficiency problem. We have to solve the fraud, waste, abuse, all the things that have gone into the government. You take a look at the USAID, the kind of fraud in there.’  

‘We’re talking about hundreds of millions of dollars of money that’s going to places where it shouldn’t be going,’ Trump said when asked about what DOGE has found while auditing federal agencies in search of government overspending, fraud and corruption.

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed on Tuesday that some Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) employees who worked on ‘mis-, dis-, and malinformation’ were put on administrative leave.

In a statement to Scripps News, DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin wrote CISA needs to ‘refocus on its mission,’ starting with election security.

‘The agency is undertaking an evaluation of how it has executed its election security mission with a particular focus on any work related to mis-, dis-, and malinformation,’ according to the statement.

As first reported by Fox News Digital, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testified in April 2022 that the Department of Homeland Security was creating a ‘Disinformation Governance Board’ to combat misinformation ahead of the 2022 midterm election.

During an appearance before the House Appropriations Subcommittee, Mayorkas said a ‘Disinformation Governance Board’ was created to address misinformation campaigns targeting minority communities.

While the agency conducts the assessment, personnel who worked on the alleged ‘mis-, dis-, and malinformation,’ as well as foreign influence operations and disinformation, will remain on administrative leave, according to the statement.

The board was allegedly led by Undersecretary for Policy Rob Silvers, co-chair with principal deputy general counsel Jennifer Gaskill. 

Nina Jankowicz, who previously served as a disinformation fellow at the Wilson Center, reportedly served as executive director, Politico reported.

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

President Donald Trump is on the cusp of seeing his 14th Cabinet member confirmed in former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. 

Gabbard is slated for a final Senate confirmation vote to be Trump’s director of national intelligence (DNI) on Wednesday morning, after the planned midnight vote was scrapped due to a snowstorm in Washington, D.C.

The 30 hours of post-cloture debate officially expires on her nomination just after midnight. 

Frequently, the debate between the cloture motion and the final vote is minimized in what’s referred to as a ‘time agreement’ between Republicans and Democrats. But with the controversial nature of Gabbard’s nomination and ongoing frustrations with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and its government audit, no such agreement is expected. 

Gabbard is expected to be confirmed and has already amassed support from hesitant Republicans who voted against Trump’s Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, requiring Vice President JD Vance to break the tie in the upper chamber. 

Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who are often considered the conference’s moderate members, have both already come out in support of Gabbard. Both lawmakers voted against confirming Hegseth. 

Collins is a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and voted in favor of the nomination, helping advance it to the full Senate floor. 

Gabbard also snagged the backing of key Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Todd Young, R-Ind., despite the latter being uncertain before the committee vote. 

Young is also on the Intel Committee and ultimately voted to advance her to the floor, but only after some prodding and discussions with Chairman Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Vance, who operated rigorous operations to ensure the nomination got through. 

Some concerns that followed Gabbard through her confirmation hearing were her past meeting with former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, her previous FISA Section 702 stance and her past support for NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. 

But these worries were apparently quelled by her answers and the persuasive support of both Cotton and Vance.