Connect with us

Midwest

'Concise’ Trump-approved GOP platform not crafted with Biden, Dem disarray in mind

Published

on

'Concise’ Trump-approved GOP platform not crafted with Biden, Dem disarray in mind

Join Fox News for access to this content

You have reached your maximum number of articles. Log in or create an account FREE of charge to continue reading.

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

Please enter a valid email address.

Having trouble? Click here.

EXCLUSIVE – Republican Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn celebrated her successful leadership overseeing the panel charged with crafting the platform for the Republican National Committee, touting the GOP’s 2024 platform as a “concise” document that “will draw more Americans to the Republican Party.”

“The reason it earned the adoption so quickly is because people got it this morning. They were able to quickly read through it – because it is a total of 16 pages. And as they looked through it, they thought, ‘This is really good. It is solid. It is hitting the issues that the American people are talking about.’ And one of the complaints that we have heard from people is, well, ‘Look, that platform is so long, nobody reads it, it gets used against our candidates, by their opponents, and it is time for us to be simple, concise and specific about what we’re going to do,” Blackburn told Fox News Digital in a phone interview Monday evening. 

Advertisement

The Republican National Committee’s Platform Committee, which Blackburn served as chairwoman, overwhelmingly passed its draft party platform Monday in an 84-12 vote. The draft, itled the “2024 GOP PLATFORM: MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!,” walks voters through 20 promises former President Trump, as well as other Republican officials, are making to voters ahead of November, including sealing the border and ending the “migrant invasion,” ending inflation, preventing “World War Three” and uniting the U.S. “by bringing it to new and record levels of success.” 

Blackburn explained to Fox News Digital that the platform was crafted to address top voter concerns Trump has personally heard from the American people, brushing off questions regarding whether the platform was written with the Democratic Party’s disarray in mind, or whether President Biden would actually be the party’s nominee come November. 

TRUMP FOCUSED ON CAMPAIGNING, AS DEMS ARE ‘IN DISARRAY’ AMID BIDEN CHAOS

Then-President Trump looks on Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who is running for U.S. Senate, speaks during a rally at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium on May 29, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Getty Images)

“We’re going to let the Democrats sort their issues out,” Blackburn said when asked about the Democratic Party’s current disarray. “What I can say is this platform is going to be well received by so many people. We’ve already heard from so many people how well received it is. And that they’re so pleased to see instead of an 80-page, 60-page, 100-, 200-page document, that this is something that they can take to lunch, to their coffee group, to their Bunco group, their Sunday school class, and they can read it and discuss it, and use it to get people involved in the process and voting in November.”

Advertisement

When asked if the platform was crafted with the intention of defeating Biden in November or perhaps another nominee as calls mount for Biden to bow out of the race over concerns regarding his mental acuity, Blackburn said it was designed with a focus on the American people. 

BIDEN SURROGATE NEWSOM SAYS CALLS BY DEMOCRATS FOR PRESIDENT TO STEP ASIDE ‘NOT HELPFUL’

“This platform is crafted to make certain that the American people know what Republicans are for, and they know what President Trump is for. This platform is simple, concise, easy to read, and it will be used from candidates from your local, state and federal elections. And it is a document we will use to send President Donald Trump back to the White House.”

Former President Trump speaks to supporters at a rally to support local candidates on Sept. 3, 2022 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Blackburn said that Trump personally had input on the platform, noting he “read it, reviewed it, edited it, and approved it,” and also called into the platform comittee’s meeting on Monday. 

Advertisement

“As we got started on today’s activities, President Trump called in, and wished everyone well, thanked everyone for volunteering to be there and serving on the platform committee. And talked about some of the issues that he is hearing and the broad net that they cast,” she said. 

SOME TOP HOUSE DEMOCRATS URGE BIDEN TO STEP ASIDE

Blackburn pointed to Trump’s recent vow that if re-elected, workers in the service industry would no longer face taxes on their tips, pointing Fox Digital to point number six of the platform, which reads: “LARGE TAX CUTS FOR WORKERS, AND NO TAX ON TIPS!”

“That gives you an idea of how granular this was to what he is hearing, what many of us who are in elected office are hearing. And what the American people are saying: ‘Would you please put some attention on these issues that affect us.’ And I think that really is one of the primary points … this election is about them. It’s not about the bureaucrats. It’s not about elected officials. It is about them and their way of life,” she said. 

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., blasted President Biden’s Title IX expansion, saying the administration continues its assault on opportunities for young women. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Advertisement

Blackburn touted that, unlike previous party platforms that dragged on for dozens of pages, the 2024 platform is “simple” and easily digested by the American people. 

“I am one of those that has for years said we need to make this simple. It doesn’t have to be long. It needs to be concise. It needs to be simply stated, and it should be something that people look forward to printing out and reading and sharing with their friends,” she said. 

The platform this election cycle notably only mentions abortion once, instead focusing on the preservation of life and returning power to the states when developing laws surrounding abortion. Blackburn said that when the platform was drafted, committee members had to take into account the Dobbs decision of 2022, which overturned Roe v. Wade, effectively ended the recognition of a constitutional right to abortion and ruled that individual states have the power to allow, limit or ban abortion procedures. 

EX-OBAMA ADVISER SAYS BIDEN CAN’T BEAT ‘FATHER TIME’ AND IS ‘NOT WINNING THIS RACE’

“And so, having as we do with all other issues, whether it’s defending religious liberty, or protecting free speech, or working to end the gender insanity – this left-wing gender insanity – and protecting our rights and freedoms. What the platform says is we proudly stand for families and for life.”

Advertisement

“We believe that the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States guarantees that no person can be denied life or liberty without due process, and that the United States are, therefore, free to pass laws protecting those rights. And that was a very appropriate way to approach this. This responsibility has come back to the states. The states are in the lead on this,” she continued.

BIDEN’S ‘DISASTER’ DEBATE PERFORMANCE SPARKS MEDIA MELTDOWN, CALLS FOR HIM TO WITHDRAW FROM 2024 RACE

Trump touted the platform on his Truth Social account on Monday as a “forward-looking Agenda with strong promises that we will accomplish very quickly” while thanking Blackburn and Florida Rep. Michael Waltz, who served as vice chair on the committee, for their “tireless work to PUT AMERICA FIRST.”

Former President Trump speaks during a rally at the Dayton International Airport on Nov. 7, 2022 in Vandalia, Ohio. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

“We are, quite simply, the Party of Common Sense! America needs determined Republican Leadership at every level of Government to address the core threats to our very survival: Our disastrously Open Border, our weakened Economy, Inflation, crippling restrictions on American Energy Production, our depleted Military, attacks on the American System of Justice, the Weaponization of Politics, and much more,” he wrote. 

Advertisement

TRUMP APPROVAL RATING TOPS 50% AS HE LEADS BIDEN ON VOTERS’ TOP TWO ISSUES: POLL

Following its committee passage Monday, the platform will go to a full vote Tuesday before it is officially approved at the Republican National Convention next week in Milwaukee. 

“This is something that will draw more Americans to the Republican Party. I quite honestly believe that when they print this document off and look at it, they’re going to open that first page and see that the Republican National Committee has dedicated this document to the forgotten men and women of America. And then, in the preamble, we talk about common sense, and we end with citing those 20 promises that people want to see activity on: energy issues, border issues, crime issues, making certain that we are dealing with rebuilding our military, being strong at home and abroad, protecting our freedoms, dealing with the weaponization of government.”

“Those are things that we all hear about every day.”

Advertisement

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Read the full article from Here

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Midwest

Ilhan Omar defends MEALS Act despite ties to massive Minnesota fraud scheme

Published

on

Ilhan Omar defends MEALS Act despite ties to massive Minnesota fraud scheme

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., said she has no regrets about supporting the MEALS Act during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the program becoming linked to Minnesota’s alleged $250 million “Feeding Our Future” fraud scheme.

“Do you regret pushing for that bill, the MEALS Act? Do you think it led to the fraud?” Nicholas Ballasy for Fox News Digital asked Omar on Capitol Hill.

“Absolutely not, it did help feed kids,” Omar said.

Omar introduced the MEALS Act on March 11, 2020, to modify the Department of Agriculture’s food and nutrition programs to allow certain waivers on requirements for school meal programs, including those that raised federal costs during school closures related to the pandemic.

Advertisement

WALZ URGES NOEM TO ‘REASSESS’ IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT STRATEGY IN MINNESOTA AFTER ALLEGED CITIZEN ARRESTS

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., said she has “absolutely” no regrets about the 2020 MEALS Act, because “it did help feed kids.” (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Minnesota has faced scrutiny for alleged mismanagement of federal funds accessed through these waivers, including in distributing money for the “Feeding Our Future” program, which authorities believe to be the largest fraud scheme in the history of the pandemic. 

INSIDE MINNESOTA’S $1B FRAUD: FAKE OFFICES, PHONY FIRMS AND A SCANDAL HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT 

The scheme allegedly exploited the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision to waive many of its standard requirements for the Federal Child Nutrition Program during the pandemic, including relaxing its requirement for non-school-based distributors to participate in the program.

Advertisement

Fox News Digital first reported on the status of the fraud in July. FBI Director Kash Patel described it at the time as “one of the worst” in Minnesota history — and as of November 2025, more than 75 individuals have been charged in connection with the scheme, according to federal prosecutors.

President Donald Trump has recently announced a flurry of new actions to crack down and investigate fraud schemes in Minnesota, which he has assailed as a “hub of money laundering activity,” and cited as the basis of his decision to terminate deportation protections for hundreds of Somali migrants.

Minnesota’s Speaker of the House, Republican Lisa Demuth, speaks during a press conference in the governor’s reception room at the Minnesota Capitol in St. Paul, Minn., Thursday, May 15, 2025.  (Jerry Holt/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images)

Senior Trump administration officials announced fresh investigations this month, including a new Treasury Department probe into how taxpayer dollars were allegedly diverted to the terrorist organization al-Shabaab, according to Secretary Scott Bessent. 

Trump and other officials have zeroed in on these alleged fraud schemes, arguing that the criminal activity is a result of mismanagement and “incompetence” from Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat and former vice presidential candidate.

Advertisement

‘INCOMPETENCE OR DERELICTION’: MINNESOTA LAWMAKER RIPS TIM WALZ AS STATE FRAUD LOSSES MOUNT 

“It’s not surprising that the president has chosen to broadly target an entire community,” Walz said of Trump’s efforts, adding, “This is what he does to change the subject.” 

Conspirators falsely claimed to have served millions of meals during the pandemic, but instead used the money for personal gain. They also are accused of fabricating invoices, submitting fake attendance records and falsely distributing thousands of meals from hundreds of so-called food distribution “sites” across the state.

Some of the individuals are part of Minnesota’s Somali diaspora, which is the largest in the U.S., though the ringleader of the scheme is not.

Stealing from the federal government equates to stealing from the American people — there is no simpler truth,” FBI’s special agent in charge, Alvin Winston, told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

Advertisement

The sun shines on the Minnesota State Capitol on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024, in St. Paul, Minnesota.  (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski)

Charging documents show that roughly 300 “food sites” in the state served little or no food, with the so-called “food vendors” and organizations fabricated to launder money intended to reimburse the cost of feeding children.

FBI officials told Fox News that the investigation and resulting trials and indictments continue to impact the state, and have already touched off legislative reform in Minnesota.

They added that the investigation into the fraud remains ongoing, and that additional charges are expected, though they did not immediately share more details.

“The egregious fraud unveiled in the Feeding our Future case epitomizes a profound betrayal of public trust,” Patel told Fox News Digital earlier this year. 

Advertisement

“These individuals misappropriated hundreds of millions in federal funds intended to nourish vulnerable children during a time of crisis, redirecting those resources into luxury homes, high-end vehicles and extravagant lifestyles while families faced hardship,” he added.

President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025.  ( Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Trump suggested earlier this month that Omar, who fled Somalia as a child, “shouldn’t be allowed to be a congresswoman,” prompting fierce backlash from some Democrats and from Minnesota’s congressional delegation. 

Omar, for her part, said Trump’s remarks were “vile.” 

“His obsession with me is creepy,” she said on social media. “I hope he gets the help he desperately needs.”

Advertisement

ICE REJECTS OMAR CLAIM SON WAS PULLED OVER BY FEDS, PRESSED FOR CITIZENSHIP PROOF: ‘ABSOLUTELY ZERO RECORD’

Ballasy later pressed Omar about another incident dominating headlines.

“Congresswoman, the ICE director is saying now that your son was not pulled over by ICE. He’s saying there’s no evidence,” Ballasy said to Omar on Capitol Hill.

The head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) rejected a viral claim from Omar that her son was pressed for proof of U.S. citizenship by agency personnel after stopping at a Minnesota Target over the weekend.

Omar had told CBS’ Twin Cities affiliate that her son was subjected to a traffic stop-type encounter by ICE agents but was ultimately let go without further issue after he was able to produce a U.S. passport or passport card.

Advertisement

Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons speaking at a press conference at the John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse in Boston on June 2. (Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons pushed back on the assertion on Tuesday, telling Fox News Digital the incident never happened.

“How do they know that?” Omar countered. “How do they know that? Is he saying he has documentations of all the people they pulled over? Because we’ve been asking for that information. We haven’t gotten it from them, so if ICE is confirming now that they collect data and refusing to provide it to members of Congress, then that’s an interesting admission.”

“ICE has absolutely zero record of its officers or agents pulling over Congresswoman Omar’s son,” Lyons said.

“It speaks volumes that Congresswoman Omar is leveling this accusation with absolutely zero proof.”

Advertisement

Lyons called Omar’s comments to the local outlet a “ridiculous effort” to demonize federal law enforcement. He also said her rhetoric contributes to a spike in threats against ICE personnel, citing a 1,150% increase in assaults and an 8,000% increase in death threats.

When asked to respond to Lyons’ comment, Omar told Ballasy, “Well, their crackdown has terrorized my community, so they need to stop.”

Read the full article from Here

Continue Reading

Detroit, MI

Car Radio, Season 6, Podcast 267: 2025 Detroit News Vehicle of the Year

Published

on

Car Radio, Season 6, Podcast 267: 2025 Detroit News Vehicle of the Year


Car Radio 910AM-Detroit: Podcast, December 23, 2025

Host: Henry Payne, Auto columnist, The Detroit News

Car shoppers had plenty of choices in 2025 as auto grocery shelves were teeming with goods. At The Detroit News, we’re biased towards value, style, innovation, and performance – and we choose our Vehicle of the Year accordingly. As Detroit News auto critic, I tested 59 new cars this year from the compact, $24,000 Nissan Sentra gas-sipper to the posh, $82,000 Lucid Gravity EV. For Vehicle of the Year, I reduced that list to three finalists: Mazda CX-30, Chevy Corvette ZR1, Dodge Charger SIXpack. 2 min. Originally aired December 23, 2025 on the Auto Report, 910AM-Detroit WFDF



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee shooting Thursday, 1 wounded near 51st and Center

Published

on

Milwaukee shooting Thursday, 1 wounded near 51st and Center


Milwaukee Police Department (MPD)

One person was shot and wounded on Milwaukee’s north side Thursday, Dec. 25.

51st and Center

Advertisement

What we know:

A 39-year-old victim was shot around noon. Police said the victim went to a hospital for treatment and is expected to survive.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android

Advertisement

What we don’t know:

What led to the shooting remains under investigation. Police are looking for whoever is responsible.

Advertisement

MPD tips

What you can do:

Anyone with information is asked to call MPD at 414-935-7360; to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS or use the P3 tips app.

Advertisement

The Source: The Milwaukee Police Department released information.

Crime and Public SafetyNewsMilwaukee



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending