Tag

Slider

Browsing

Guardian Angels founder and former Republican nominee for New York City mayor Curtis Sliwa was arrested on Sunday while protesting the Midland Beach Migrant Shelter on Staten Island.

Video footage showed Sliwa and his supporters protesting in front of the Midland Beach Migrant Shelter, which was formerly the Midland Beach Senior Citizen Home.

‘Eric Adams kicked out the elderly occupants of this nursing home in order to house illegal migrants,’ Sliwa said of New York City’s mayor in a press release before the event. ‘He is despicable.’

Sliwa called out politicians for their involvement in clearing buildings for the ‘invasion of illegal immigrants’ into NYC neighborhoods.

‘We need to take care of Americans first. Migrants, illegals, to the back of the line,’ he said. ‘Why do these illegal aliens get to jump the queue and jump to the top and front of the line?’

During his speech, Sliwa asked those in attendance to block the street with him when he was done speaking, as an act of civil disobedience.

He joined arms with other protestors, blocking the street, while some waved American flags and many chanted, ‘USA, USA, USA.’

Ultimately, Sliwa and others were arrested, handcuffed and placed into a police van.

This is the second time in a week that Sliwa and other protestors have been arrested over migrant shelters.

On Wednesday, he led a group of protestors in front of the Creedmoor Hospital Grounds where a tent shelter was built for migrants.

‘Have pity. No tent city!’ Sliwa chanted, while criticizing Mayor Eric Adams. ‘We’re going to keep driving this point home until you decide to be the mayor and represent American people who are citizens of New York City who pay their taxes and afford to put you in a $5000 customized suit each and every day.’

Sliwa and other protestors were place in handcuffs and taken away, video showed.

Since spring, over 93,000 migrants have entered New York City, according to the mayor’s office. Mayor Eric Adams said during a press conference earlier this month that there’s no longer room for migrants to stay in the city.

Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

A key part of President Biden’s immigration policy, the humanitarian parole program, which allows up to 30,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to enter the U.S. monthly, will face trial to determine its legality later this week.

The program, which was created for Venezuelans in the fall of 2022 and was expanded again in January, allows migrants from these countries to find a financial sponsor in the U.S. and then grants them a two-year stay. The Biden administration argues the program is vital in reducing stress on the U.S.-Mexico border but 21 Republican states claim in a lawsuit that the administration is inappropriately using the program – usurping the power of Congress in doing so.

The Republican lawsuit threatening to end the program will be heard by Judge Drew Tipton, a Trump appointee, in Victoria, Texas, beginning Thursday. A decision will come later. 

Roughly 181,000 people have entered the U.S. under the humanitarian parole program since Biden launched the initiative.

In the Texas trial, Republican states are expected to argue the Biden administration usurped the power of Congress by using the humanitarian parole program to allow up to 360,000 people annually into the U.S. from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. 

The Republican states have described the program as an overreach of a parole power initially intended to be used on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.

In response, the Biden administration has argued that it was forced to utilize the program amid the absence of congressional action to overhaul the nation’s immigration system, which continues to see sharp post-COVID increases. 

Also, the administration further claims it has the power to use the humanitarian parole program this way and credits the initiative with drastically reducing migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border. 

Program applicants still must pass background checks and have a financial sponsor in the U.S. to vouch for them and, if approved, must fly into a U.S. airport instead of crossing at the southern border. They can then stay in the U.S. for two years in efforts to obtain a work permit.

There are no unique factors to determine a sponsor and nearly anyone can be one provided they fill out the paperwork.

But, the administration’s strategy is just one lawsuit away from collapse.

Blas Nuñez-Neto, the assistant secretary for border and immigration policy with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said in a recent conference call that the government is worried about the upcoming trial and potentially losing the case, The Associated Press reported.

It will appeal a loss, Nuñez-Neto said.

Tipton previously ruled against the Biden administration on an immigration case. The federal government attempted, but failed, to have the humanitarian parole case transferred from Tipton’s courtroom.

The Biden administration’s current use of the program appears to be one of the largest single uses of the humanitarian parole authority in U.S. history. The program has previously been used to provide entry to Vietnamese, Cambodians and Laotians in the late 1970s, Iraqi Kurds who helped the U.S. in the 1990s Gulf War and Cubans fleeing their country at various times, according to data from the Cato Institute.

The U.S. also used its humanitarian parole powers to grant entry to tens of thousands of Ukrainians following Russia’s February 2022 invasion.

The Biden administration started the program for Venezuelans in October 2022 and added Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans in January.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

–>

President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will visit Hawaii for the first time since severe wildfires left more than 100 residents dead. The visit also comes amid criticism from both sides of the aisle that Biden has been publicly quiet toward Hawaii and its residents.

During the visit, the president and first lady are expected to meet emergency responders, survivors and community members, as well as federal, state and local officials, and survey the area devastated by deadly wildfires, which killed 114 people, according to a White House official.

The first couple will arrive in Maui in the morning and will take an aerial tour on helicopters of the impacted areas before landing near Lahaina. They will then visit Lahaina to see the wildfire damage firsthand and receive a briefing from the state and local officials.

‘Following the tour, the President will deliver remarks paying respects to the lives lost and reflecting on the tragic, lasting impacts of these wildfires on survivors and the community. In his remarks, he will announce the appointment of FEMA Region 9 Administrator Bob Fenton as the Chief Federal Response Coordinator to oversee a long-term coordinated federal recovery effort,’ the White House said in a statement.

The White House described Fenton as ‘one of the nation’s most experienced disaster response-and-recovery officials who has been on the ground in Hawaii from the day the wildfires started.’

Biden has tasked Fenton with overseeing Hawaii’s recovery, which includes rebuilding the devastated community and ensuring that it has access to everything the federal government can offer to expedite the process.

Following a speech, the President and the First Lady will meet with survivors, first responders, community members and other officials and volunteers who are supporting the recovery efforts.

The visit comes amid scrutiny from Republicans and Democrats over how President Biden has responded to the deadly fires.

The criticism started after the President — who was vacationing on a Delaware beach — was asked about Hawaii’s rising death toll and said he had ‘no comment.’

The remark was widely condemned as dismissive of the struggle Hawaiians were enduring.

Maui County and the Maui Police Department on Sunday confirmed that 114 people died in the devastating wildfires, but that number could increase as investigators continue to search the area.

‘More than 1,000 are unaccounted for, about 1,050,’ Hawaii governor Josh Green told CBS News on Sunday. ‘It will take several weeks still.’ 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

–>

EXCLUSIVE – Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has racked up another endorsement in Iowa as state Treasurer Roby Smith announces his support for the candidate.

Ramaswamy, the political outsider who has seen a surge in the polls in recent months, now has the backing of Smith and state Sen. Scott Webster in the home of the nation’s first caucus.

‘As the Treasurer of Iowa, my top concern is economic prosperity. Vivek is the candidate to unleash the American economy and resuscitate American excellence,’ Smith wrote in the endorsement obtained by Fox News Digital. ‘Vivek has been the leading crusader against crony capitalism like ESG and CBDCs that threaten our Republic. We need a president who deeply understands these issues in order to combat them, protect capitalism, and revive our nation. I am proud to endorse Vivek Ramaswamy for President.’

Webster initially endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, switching his support to Ramaswamy in June.

Ramaswamy produced some viral moments during the Iowa State Fair this month. One was him breaking out into rap during a ‘Fair-Side Chat’ with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, performing Eminem’s hit song ‘Lose Yourself.’

The other moment showed the candidate interacting with an activist who confronted him on LGBTQ issues. Ramaswamy laid out his broad views by opposing the ‘tyranny of the minority’ on various culture war debates. 

There has been chatter about who will earn Reynolds’ endorsement as she recently welcomed candidates to the Iowa State Fair except for former President Donald Trump, who has been feuding with the popular governor for not backing his candidacy. 

Ramaswamy still has a long road ahead of him, particularly in Iowa as he is currently polling in fourth place averaging 5.5%, according to RealClearPolitics. Trump maintains a strong lead against the field with a 43.5% average. DeSantis is trailing behind him with 16.8% while South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott is averaging 10.5%.

Trump’s GOP rivals are hoping to have a breakout moment at the first Republican presidential debate in Milwaukee on Wednesday. 

While the former president has indicated that he won’t participate in any of the debates, the debate stage won’t be short of candidates. Alongside Ramaswamy will be DeSantis, Scott, former Vice President Mike Pence, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and businessman Perry Johnson.

The debate will air live on Aug. 23 at 9 p.m. ET on Fox News Channel.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell on Sunday warned that the agency’s disaster relief fund could experience a shortage by mid-September. 

This comes as Maui is still reeling from deadly wildfires that devastated the Hawaiian island and as southern California braces for what is expected to be its first tropical storm in 84 years. 

‘We do still anticipate that we will have a shortage of funding at our current spending levels by mid-September, and so what we will do is we will continue to push. We will push projects, recovery projects to the next fiscal year so we always have enough money to support any of the immediate lifesaving needs,’ Criswell told CNN’s ‘State of the Union’ on Sunday. ‘We will take measures to ensure there will always be enough funding to support immediate responses to these sorts of severe weather events. And the administration is working with Congress on what we can do to help facilitate the recovery projects for the rest of this year but also going into next fiscal year.’ 

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy suggested last week that Congress could pass a short-term extension of last year’s spending priorities to avoid a government shutdown this fall, allowing more time for lawmakers to reach a deal for fiscal 2024. Meanwhile, Criswell is expected to travel Monday with President Biden for what will be his first visit to Maui since the wildfires killed at least 114 people. Hawaii’s governor had said more than 1,000 people remain unaccounted for, suggesting the official death toll could still climb dramatically.

During her Sunday appearance on CNN, Criswell said FEMA is 78% complete with the search of the burned area, and FBI, Department of Defense and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are on scene both helping to identify any remains and reunite family members. In previewing what Biden’s message would be during his Hawaii visit, Criswell insisted the federal government would support whatever the local vision would be for rebuilding the historic town of Lahaina. 

‘I think the biggest thing is he’s really going to be able to see the impact, right? Just feel this devastation in this community and how widespread it is across this community, and he’s going to be able to talk to families that have been impacted,’ Criswell said. ‘I think what he’s going to be able to do is he’s going to be able to reassure the people of Maui that the federal government is there to support them. But we’re doing it in a way that’s going to allow them to rebuild the way they want to rebuild. And I think that’s the biggest message he’s going to be able to get across, right? Is that we are here for them, and we are going to help them with their vision for how they want to rebuild Lahaina.’ 

‘The president has faced some criticism from Republicans because he spent about five days not talking about this as many of the devastating images and numbers were coming,’ CNN anchor Kasie Hunt noted Sunday. ‘Do you think the Republicans’ criticism of the president’s willingness to talk about this in public or lack thereof is fair criticism?’ 

‘The president directed me to go to Maui to assess the damage, meet with the governor, meet with the local officials, giving me the opportunity and the space to make sure that I can understand what’s going on, and then I report back to the president,’ Criswell said in response. ‘I was in complete communication with him throughout this event helping him understand what I was seeing and what resources needed to come in. And he directed me to make sure we are doing everything we can to help the people of Maui and bring in all of the federal resources to help with this immediate response but also to begin to think about what this long-term recovery and rebuilding is going to look like.’ 

Criswell also addressed Hurricane Hilary, which was downgraded to a tropical storm as it barreled toward Baja California on Sunday.

Forecasters have warned the storm could result in ‘catastrophic and life-threatening’ flooding across a broad region of the southwestern United States. The FEMA administrator, who said her agency is working in ‘close coordination’ with California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s team, warned people to listen to local officials and take the storm seriously. 

‘California is a very capable state with a lot of resources,’ she said. Criswell also advocated for increased investment in mitigation projects as severe weather events become more frequent. ‘We have to look at what the change in the climate is doing to these real weather events,’ she said. 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy changed his tune on former President Donald Trump over the weekend, saying he has ‘no problem’ with the GOP frontrunner skipping the first few primary debates.

Ramaswamy said Saturday he’s ‘fine’ with Trump not showing up at the first few debates despite declaring in May it would prove Trump’s not the candidate he once was.

‘This is my chance to introduce myself to the country & so I have no issue with whatever decision he wants to make,’ Ramaswamy said, according to a Semafor reporter. ‘If he’s on there, great. If not, I’m fine with that.’

Another reporter on X, formerly known as Twitter, chimed in on Ramaswamy’s recent comments, highlighting a May 5 clip of Ramaswamy saying he had an ‘expectation’ for Trump to be there.

‘I fully expect to see Donald Trump on that debate stage,’ he said at the time. ‘It is my expectation Trump will be there because as I’ve known him he’s not a man that I know of to be afraid. He’s not somebody who’s made a habit of himself to be a coward.

‘But if he doesn’t show up on that debate stage, that will be the best proof that the Donald Trump of today is not the same Donald Trump as in 2016.’

Ramaswamy’s campaign told Fox News Digital his comments Saturday are ‘not a departure at all’ from his previous statement.

‘This is not the only debate,’ said communications director Tricia McLaughlin.

Ramaswamy echoed his comments Sunday during an appearance on ‘Fox News Live,’ saying he’s ‘OK’ with Trump skipping the first few debates.

Trump has not yet confirmed whether he will be participating in the first GOP debate hosted by Fox News in Milwaukee on Wednesday.

The Republican National Committee, which is organizing all the presidential primary debates, requires that every candidate sign a pledge to support the GOP’s eventual presidential nominee — regardless of who it is — and not to take part in any debate not sanctioned by the national party committee. 

Trump, so far, has refused to sign the pledge.

‘Why would I sign it?’ Trump said in an interview earlier this month. ‘I can name three or four people that I wouldn’t support for president. So, right there, there’s a problem.’

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

The Biden administration reportedly has been selling off millions of dollars’ worth of border wall materials in a race against Republicans vying to pass legislation to finish its construction. 

Steel ‘square structural tubes’ photographed in a storage lot in Arizona were listed for sale on Gov Planet, an online auction marketplace run by publicly traded Canadian company Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, earlier this month. Those 28-foot-tall hollow beams are ‘excess border wall materials that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers turned over to the DLA for disposition and are now for sale,’ the Department of Defense’s logistics agency first confirmed to The Daily Upside and later the New York Post. 

Gov Planet, which specializes in military surplus, has sold 81 lots of those beams for about $2 million, according to the Post. 

The beams, intended as vertical bollards in the border wall’s 30-foot-tall panels, were sold in five separate lots on average of $212 each. Gov Planet netted $154,200 for 729 of them. Another 13 square structural tubes are to be auctioned off Aug. 23 and Aug. 30, the Gov Planet website says. 

‘The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is disposing of the excess border wall materials in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation,’ a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spokesperson said in an email to Fox News Digital Sunday. ‘USACE has already transferred approximately $154 million worth of the roughly $260 million of bollard panels and other materials in accordance with standard excess property disposition procedures. USACE stands ready to implement a decision regarding disposition of the remaining materials.’

Former President Donald Trump is said to have spent $15 billion to erect 450 miles of barriers along the southern border, with another 250 miles in construction when he left office. 

On the day he was sworn in, Biden stopped the taxpayer-funded project, denouncing the border wall construction as a ‘waste of money that diverts attention from genuine threats to our homeland security.’ 

Congressional Republicans, meanwhile, noted that an investigation found the Department of Defense has been spending $47 million per year, or $130,000 per day, to store the leftover border wall panels in the Southwest United States. 

In May, Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, introduced the FINISH IT Act. The legislation would require the federal government to use previously purchased and unused border wall panels to extend the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border or to transfer them to state governments – such as Texas — to be used for wall construction. 

The Post reported that the Gov Planet auction schedule picked up in May, when Wicker first introduced the FINISH IT Act, and again this month when the Democrat-led Senate passed the annual defense appropriations package that included the Republican sponsored bill to restart border wall construction. GOP lawmakers told the Post that the Biden administration is rushing to sell off more leftover border wall parts before the House, led by Republicans, can pass corresponding legislation. 

‘This sale is a wasteful and ludicrous decision by the Biden administration that only serves as further proof they have no shame,’ Wicker said, condemning it as ‘outrageous, behind-the-scenes maneuvering.’

‘Leaving the border open to terrorists while selling border security materials at a loss is Bidenomics in a nutshell,’ Cotton, a co-sponsor of the bill, told the Post. 

‘The pennies made from selling the border wall will not be enough to pay the families who suffer from a criminal act committed by someone who crossed our open borders during the Biden administration,’ Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., added. 

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., denounced the first sale of border wall parts as ‘reckless.’ 

‘Our borders continue to be overrun by an unprecedented number of illegal immigrants, turning every district into a border district, and compromising our national security,’ Stefanik told the Post. 

Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., whose district is where the border wall parts have been stored awaiting auction, criticized Biden for his ‘refusal to act.’ 

‘The federal government needs to be utilizing every tool in the toolbox to secure our border,’ he said. ‘Instead of putting these materials to their intended use, they have been squandered, first collecting dust in the desert and now being auctioned off.’

‘President Biden has no regard for taxpayer dollars — or how his open border is bankrupting communities across the country that are footing the bill for his failures,’ Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., added. She is fighting to prevent migrants from being housed in New York City parks and miliary sites.  

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Republican presidential candidate Mike Pence said he’s still hopeful that former President Donald Trump will appear at the GOP’s first 2024 presidential debate this week. 

‘My hope is when we get to that debate stage, and I’m still kind of hoping maybe [Trump will] come, is that we could really have a debate about the challenges facing the American people,’ Trump’s former vice president said Sunday morning.

Pence said a couple of times during his interview on ABC’s ‘This Week’ that he hopes the former president joins the debate stage, arguing that he and other candidates are ready to ‘square off, answer the tough questions.’

‘I served alongside the president for a long time, and one thing I realized about him is: It’s not over till it’s over. I’m actually still hoping he shows up,’ Pence said again of hoping Trump makes an appearance on Wednesday. 

Fox News is set to air the first Republican primary debate Wednesday in Milwaukee, which will be hosted by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. Trump has yet to confirm whether he will attend the GOP debate Wednesday.

Regardless of whether Trump joins his Republican primary challengers, the former vice president said he will stand out in the field by being himself. 

‘I’ve had a little bit of experience with nationally televised debates, but it’s different with a group on stage. And, look, I’m just going to be me,’ Pence said in response to the ABC News anchor when asked how he intends to ‘break through on that debate stage.’

‘I feel like I’ve been preparing for this first Republican presidential debate my whole life. And frankly, as [former second lady Karen Pence] and I have traveled all across the country, one of the things we’ve come to realize is that I’m well known, but I’m not known well,’ Pence added.

The former vice president said many Americans know his name and identify him as the ‘loyal vice president who fought alongside President Trump until the day came that my oath to the Constitution required me to stand apart.’

He said voters should also know his history as a ‘House conservative leader fighting big spenders in my own party’ and a ‘conservative governor showing you can balance budgets and cut taxes and expand educational choice.’

‘One of my goals in that debate is for the American people, Republican primary voters, to get to know me in a little bit broader context and demonstrate the kind of leadership that we bring to this,’ Pence said.

The first debate is to kick off Aug. 23 at 9 p.m. ET and air across FOX News Media’s platforms. In addition to Trump and Pence, GOP candidates Ron DeSantis, Tim Scott, Nikki Haley, Chris Christie, Vivek Ramaswamy and Doug Burgum have all qualified to take part in the debate.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

–>

With a deadline fast approaching, multiple Republican White House contenders are desperately trying to make the stage for Wednesday’s first GOP presidential nomination debate. 

Mayor Francis Suarez of Miami, one of those candidates still aiming to qualify for the Fox News-hosted showdown in Milwaukee, emphasized that ‘for someone like me, it’s critical’ to make the debate stage.

Eight candidates have reached the polling and donor thresholds mandated by the Republican National Committee to qualify for the initial Aug. 23 encounter. 

They are former President Donald Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, former Ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and biotech entrepreneur and bestselling author Vivek Ramaswamy.

Trump has yet to confirm whether he will attend the GOP debate Wednesday.

Joining Suarez in trying to make the debate stage are one-time CIA spy and former Rep. Will Hurd of Texas, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, Michigan businessman and quality control leader Perry Johnson and Larry Elder, a former talk radio host who was a candidate for governor in the 2021 California recall election.

Suarez and Johnson on Friday announced they had met the polling and donor criteria. Hutchinson declared on Sunday he met the thresholds to join the debate stage. However, there has been no confirmation from the RNC on them meeting the qualifications.

The candidates have until 9 p.m. ET Monday night — 48 hours before the primetime debate — to reach the RNC’s polling and donor thresholds and sign the pledge.

‘We’re planning as if we’re going to be there, and we’re excited about being there,’ Suarez told Fox News Digital last week.

For Suarez, who’s not well known outside South Florida, the debate’s ‘the first opportunity for me to introduce myself to the country, and it’s important. … People have a real opportunity to know my story, to get to know me as a person and to understand why I am the best person, the best choice, to lead this country into the future.’

Both Suarez and Hurd say they’ve hit the donor threshold but are still shy of reaching the polling criteria. 

But Hurd, a vocal GOP Trump critic, has repeatedly said he won’t take the loyalty pledge because he couldn’t support Trump if the former president wins the 2024 Republican nomination.

‘I made it very clear that my issue is not with supporting the Republican nominee. I’m not going to support Donald Trump. But Donald Trump hasn’t even agreed to sign the loyalty pledge, so we’ll see how all of this transpires,’ Hurd told Fox News last week.

Hutchinson, who served as a federal prosecutor, congressman and cabinet-level official in President George W. Bush’s administration, has reached the polling criteria and claimed during a CNN interview Sunday his campaign met the donor threshold and ‘submitted 42,000 individual donors’ to the RNC.

He said he was ‘delighted’ and ‘thankful’ for his supporters.

‘People want me on there as someone who’s going to speak the truth and also to be a counter to Donald Trump and talk about how he would be taking our country in the wrong direction. I want to be on there. We’re not there yet. We need everybody’s help,’ Hutchinson, another vocal Republican critic of the former president, told Fox News recently.

Elder, who’s yet to reach either of the donor and polling thresholds, emphasized that ‘it’s very important’ that he make the debate stage ‘because I think a lot of Americans haven’t seen me, haven’t heard my backstory.’

Making the debate stage only gets harder going forward, as the criteria rises for the second debate, a Fox Business-hosted showdown Sept. 27 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. 

Asked what’s next if he doesn’t qualify, Suarez pointedly noted that ‘if a candidate doesn’t make the debate stage, doesn’t make the minimum thresholds, they shouldn’t stay in the race.’

‘It’s very hard to get to a higher threshold to make the second debate if you’re not even on the first debate,’ Suarez noted. ‘I think any candidate that doesn’t make the first debate should think long and hard about it because time is valuable, and you shouldn’t be taking time — or trying to take away time from people who are fighting to get their message out there.’

Hurd would only say that if he’s not on the stage, he’ll ‘evaluate and go from there.’

Longtime Republican strategist Ryan Williams, a veteran of multiple GOP presidential campaigns, had a blunt message for the contenders who don’t earn a ticket to Milwaukee.

‘If you can’t make the debate stage, you’re not viewed as a serious candidate. End of story,’ Williams stressed.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis met with the governor of Georgia this week for a brief, private conversation. 

DeSantis, a candidate for the Republicans’ 2024 presidential ticket, met with Governor Brian Kemp at a hotel in Buckhead, Georgia, on Friday.

The Florida governor was in the area for an appearance alongside other presidential candidates on radio host Erick Erickson’s talk show.

The two governors did not discuss endorsements, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Politico.

Fox News Digital reached out to DeSantis’s and Kemp’s offices for comment on the private meeting.

Kemp additionally spoke Friday with former Vice President Mike Pence, who is also running for the Republican nomination.

Kemp is doing his best to stay out of his state’s ongoing racketeering case against former President Donald Trump.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis held a press conference late Monday after a Fulton County grand jury handed up charges against the former president and numerous others.

The Georgia district attorney gave Trump and the other 18 individuals charged in the indictment until noon on August 25 to surrender to law enforcement.

Willis said during the press conference that she would like a trial to take place within six months.

In a letter to the governor filed Thursday, state Sen. Colton Moore claimed to have the support of ‘3/5 of each respective house’ in the state legislature regarding his efforts to impeach Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

‘We have not been provided any evidence to support that assertion,’ spokesman Garrison Douglas told Fox News Digital. 

Moore, in a statement to Fox News Digital, clarified that the statement in the letter alluding to having a majority in both houses was not accurate.

‘Tell Brian Kemp and his team to turn off CNN and open their eyes. I’ve done 25 TV, radio and podcast interviews with one identical message: I need 3/5 of my colleagues to sign the letter,’ Moore told Fox News Digital. ‘The people of Georgia want action, not more empty promises from fluff politicians.’

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS