Politics
Trump pledges 'America's new golden age' as he rallies in PA's post-industrial third-largest city
“A very special hello to Allentown,” former President Trump began his remarks at the PPL Center at the heart of Pennsylvania’s third-largest city on Tuesday.
Trump’s remarks followed several speeches by local candidates and notably Shadow Sen. Zoraida Buxo, R-P.R., who threw her support behind the GOP nominee after a comic at his Madison Square Garden rally caused controversy.
“Are you better off now than you were four years ago?” Trump asked the crowd at the arena, which is home to the Flyers affiliate Lehigh Valley Phantoms and has hosted performers such as Neil Diamond.
Trump spoke at length about the economy, a perennial issue since the time Billy Joel penned his famous anthem about the area’s economic challenges in 1982.
Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. (Photo illustration) (Fox News)
He said the Democrats including Vice President Harris have helped “kill 50,000 manufacturing jobs this year alone,” and pledged to “end inflation.”
“Kamala has embarrassed us… she doesn’t have what it takes,” Trump said as he went on to promise “America’s new golden age.”
Trump later said Democrats are showing their desperation at the current state of the election, pointing to former First Lady Michelle Obama’s several minutes of criticism during a recent address.
“Michelle Obama was very nasty to me… I’ve gone out of my way to be nice to Michelle – never said a bad thing about her when people didn’t like her so much, but she hit me the other day because they’re desperate.”
Obama had condemned Trump’s “lies and ignorance,” and claimed his “failures had real costs.”
KEY PA REGION SEES ‘WAITLIST’ FOR TRUMP SIGNS AS LAWMAKER SAYS VOTERS ARE READY TO REVERSE DEM POLICIES
However, most of Trump’s remarks focused around his plan for his second nonconsecutive term, including securing the border and invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deal with the illegal immigrant deluge.
Trump was preceded by Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., whose district stands about 20 miles northwest of the rally site.
Meuser said Trump was right when he attempted to correct ABC News anchor David Muir during a recent debate, and took a shot at Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
“A quick word on this Tim Walz character – one thing you can say about him: He’s much better at loading tampons into boys bathrooms than he is at loading a shotgun,” he said.
The Republican who hopes to represent the Allentown area in Congress, State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Macungie, also spoke, saying unseating incumbent Rep. Susan Wild, D-Pa., would help bring about the change Trump spoke of.
“We need leaders like Donald Trump who will make peace around the world,” Mackenzie said.
State Sen. Jarrett Coleman, R-Allentown, an airline pilot by trade who rose to local political prominence as a member of the Parkland School Board during the height of national controversies, used his remarks to criticize repeated claims that Republicans are the “extreme” party.
“Let’s talk about who’s really extreme here,” Coleman said.
He pointed outside to the historic Soldiers & Sailors Monument in the middle the 7th & Hamilton Street intersection, and said it was just several months ago that “Democrats, including Allentown Democrats, were calling to defend the police: that’s extreme.”
SWING STATE COLLEGE STUDENTS LARGELY SUPPORT HARRIS BUT ACKNOWLEDGE RAZOR-THIN MARGIN WITH TRUMP
The city of Allentown, PA – the Commonwealth’s third largest – is seen from the Tilghman Street Bridge (Charles Creitz)
“Kamala Harris bailing out rioters instead of supporting law enforcement: that’s extreme. Allowing abortion up until the moment of birth – thats extreme. Banning gas stoves and gas lawnmowers – folks, that’s extreme.”
“And yet those positions are the highlight reel from the party of Kamala Harris – We’re at a tipping point, and that’s why we’re all here today.”
“Fire the failure and hire the fighter,” Coleman said.
However, not all high-profile Allentonians were praising Trump this week. On the latest episode of C-Span’s Washington Journal, the city’s former congressman, Republican Charlie Dent, spoke about how he will vote for Harris this year.
Dent, who frequently traded criticisms with Trump while in office, said he had police disagreements with Harris, but that “sometimes, elections aren’t about right or left in terms of policy. Sometimes, it’s about right or wrong.”
Blast furnaces and stacks from the former Bethlehem Steel HQ stand silently along the Lehigh River on the Christmas City’s South Side. The area now hosts an entertainment venue, museum, PBS affiliate, and casino. (Charles Creitz)
“I’m going to choose honorable over dishonorable,” he said.
“[W]e’ve all seen the narcissism, the ADD, the impulse control issues, the temper, a lack of interest in policy,” Dent added, according to Mediaite.
While the city itself is heavily Democratic, the suburbs are a mix of purple and red, leading to its position in many recent elections as the site of hard-fought narrowly-won victories for either side.
Trump won neighboring Northampton County in 2016, while President Biden took it back in 2020. Lehigh County, where Allentown is based, skews Democratic in county-wide and larger contests, but hosts a reliably red northern tier along Blue Mountain and southern tier, where former Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., hails from.
Greenland is ready to talk.
Responding on Monday to the diplomatic earthquake set off last week by President-elect Donald J. Trump, who mused about taking over the gigantic island in the Arctic Ocean, Greenland’s prime minister said the territory would like to work more closely with the United States on defense and natural resources.
“The reality is we are going to work with the U.S. — yesterday, today and tomorrow,” Prime Minister Múte Egede said at a news conference in Nuuk, Greenland’s tiny, icebound capital.
But he was firm: Greenlanders did not want to become Americans.
“We have to be very smart on how we act,” he said, adding, “The power struggles between the superpowers are rising and are now knocking on our door.”
Mr. Trump refused to rule out using economic or military force to wrest back the Panama Canal and to take Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of Denmark that he suggested buying during his first term in office. Then, as now, Greenland and Denmark said the island was not for sale. Panama’s leaders, too, rejected the threat.
Mr. Egede said on Monday that “all of us were shocked” by Mr. Trump’s words, which were accentuated by a surprising and somewhat mysterious visit by the president-elect’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., to the island on the same day.
The younger Mr. Trump did a lightning-fast sightseeing tour, saying he was on private business, and since then, headlines around the world have blared Greenland.
Most of Greenland’s territory is covered in ice, only about 56,000 people live here and, until recently, the island was best known for its icebergs and polar bears. As climate change melts the Arctic ice, this region has been quietly falling into the cross hairs of the world’s powers.
The United States, Russia, European countries, China and others have been eyeing the Arctic’s shipping lanes and the extensive mineral resources that are no longer considered out of reach.
The island has been tied to Denmark for centuries, first as a colony and now as a separate territory that has achieved a large degree of autonomy in recent years. Denmark still controls the island’s foreign affairs and defense policy.
But the surge of interest by international powers dovetails with Greenland’s quest to gain independence, and that itch has only grown stronger. At the same time, many people here are reluctant to completely cut ties with Denmark because of the hundreds of millions of dollars in subsidies that Denmark provides each year.
In Nuuk, which was a sunny zero degrees Fahrenheit on Monday afternoon, many people were eagerly waiting to hear what the prime minister was going to say.
“Whatever happens, there’s no turning back,” said Aviaq Kleist, the owner of a cafe in the Nuuk Center, the city’s biggest mall, with a couple dozen shops. She joked that maybe Mr. Egede would suddenly declare independence.
Mr. Egede did not — he danced around the question, saying the country had been steadily working toward the goal but that “different parties have different views.” (There’s also a clear independence process that involves a referendum, should it come to that.)
The prime minister also expressed relief at comments that JD Vance, the incoming vice president, made on a Fox News show this weekend. Though Mr. Vance didn’t exactly rule out military force, saying, “We don’t have to use military force” because “we already have troops in Greenland,” his tone was upbeat as he spoke about Greenland’s “incredible natural resources” and “a deal to be made.”
The United States has been interested in Greenland for years. During World War II, it established bases here, and after the war, it tried to buy Greenland from Denmark, which refused. Today, the American military runs the Pituffik Space Base, which specializes in missile defense, at the northern end of the island.
In Nuuk on Monday, people seemed to be on the same page as the prime minister, expressing a mix of hope and caution. Several said they did not want to be swallowed by the United States. But they did want a stronger partnership with America.
“What we really need is more cooperation and trade,” said Nielseeraq Berthelsen, a fisherman. He was working at an ice-encrusted seafood market, selling hunks of whale skin and bright red seal meat.
He said that he was walking through another mall last week when someone approached him out of the blue and invited him to a special dinner.
Next thing he knew, he said, he was shaking the younger Mr. Trump’s hand.
“He had a lot of enthusiasm,” said Mr. Berthelsen, who was standing in air so cold that his eyes watered as he talked. “He had good energy.”
Ivik Kristiansen contributed reporting.
Politics
'Living legend': Schumer honors centenarian Holocaust survivor with Capitol flag, Senate floor recognition
Democratic New York Sen. Chuck Schumer celebrated a 100-year-old Holocaust survivor living on Long Island on Monday, gifting her with a flag that flew over the U.S. Capitol in her honor, as well as bestowing her with a special Senate floor recognition as a New York “hometown hero,” Fox News Digital learned.
“I am proud to honor a living legend right here on Long Island today, and that is Pina Frassineti Wax,” Schumer said Monday, according to a press release provided to Fox Digital. “Pina is whip smart, energetic and going strong—but she also remembers the horrors of the Holocaust, and having seen it all, Pina has dedicated her life to teaching, loving and learning.”
“The number of Americans who are both 100-years-old, and also survived the Holocaust, is not a high number, so knowing that a living legend is right on Long Island should give Pina’s family, friends, neighbors and all New Yorkers an amazing life story to celebrate,” Schumer continued.
Pina Frassineti Wax, 100, is originally from Rome, Italy, and survived the Holocaust before settling in Long Island’s hamlet of Baldwin. Schumer gifted Frassineti Wax a flag that flew in her honor at the Capitol, and announced she will also receive a Senate floor recognition later Monday commemorating her “living legend status on Long Island.”
HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE 2024 AS SCOPE OF DEATH, HORROR AND THREAT STILL HARD TO COMPREHEND TODAY
NY Sen. Schumer honors 100-year-old Holocaust survivor Pina Frassineti Wax. (Fox Digital )
“As a centenarian, and going—Pina, born in Rome, Italy, has witnessed a century of profound change in the world, from the devastating losses of the Holocaust to the remarkable advancements in human rights, democracy, and peace, always advocating for truth, justice, and remembrance,” Schumer said while presenting the Holocaust survivor with the flag that flew in her honor.
The New York senator explained that before Frassineti Wax fled Europe for America, she and her family hid in a Catholic convent to escape the Nazis.
HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR: IT ‘NEVER OCCURRED’ TO ME I’D HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT MY GRANDCHILDREN
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer meets with 100-year-old Holocaust survivor Pina Frassineti Wax. (Fox Digital )
“Pina has not only survived, but she has thrived—from the Jewish ghetto in Rome to the promise of America and her community on Long Island. Pina’s history includes the loss of family in Dachau. Pina remembers well, having to hide with her mother and brother in a Catholic convent to escape the Nazis,” Schumer said.
“She would face great trauma and worry during the Holocaust, but she never gave up. Her loving husband, Mario Wax, was also a Jewish Italian. Mario joined the U.S. Army, being awarded a Bronze Star. They shared forty-four wonderful years together.”
SUNNY HOSTIN LIKENS JANUARY 6 RIOT TO THE HOLOCAUST, SAYS WE CAN ‘NEVER FORGET’
Schumer’s announcement comes just ahead of Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27.
“Pina’s milestone year—her hundredth—serves as a remarkable testament to her perseverance and triumph during one of the darkest chapters of human history, emerging from the horrors of the Holocaust with an unwavering commitment to survival, and rebuilding, while ensuring that the atrocities committed are never forgotten,” Schumer continued.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. speaks during a news conference following the weekly Senate Democratic policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 10, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Frassineti Wax was joined by members of her family, as well as Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman on Monday.
The recognition comes as the war in Israel continues since October of 2023. New York was rocked by antisemitic protests in response to the war last year, including agitators and student protesters flooding college campuses, notably at Columbia University.
Will Cain, a “Fox & Friends Weekend” co-host and former ESPN personality, is taking over the afternoon Fox News time slot that was hosted by Neil Cavuto.
“The Will Cain Show” will premiere Jan. 27, Fox News announced Monday. Cavuto, a business journalist who had been with Fox News since its 1996 launch, did his last show on Dec. 19 after he declined to accept a new contract at a lower salary.
Cain, 49, is a conservative pundit who has worked for CNN as an analyst and a host on the right-wing channel the Blaze.
Cavuto, known for expressing opinions on his program, frequently pushed back on Republican talking points, which often drew the ire of some Fox News viewers and President-elect Donald Trump.
Trump celebrated Cavuto’s exit in a post on Truth Social, saying “GOOD NEWS FOR AMERICA! Neil Cavuto, the Lowest Rated Anchor on Fox, by far, is leaving — Should have happened a long time ago!”
Cain currently has a daily podcast, which will be a template for his Fox News program airing at 4 p.m. Eastern. He will be based in Texas, where he currently lives.
Cain was an ESPN radio host and a contributor to the network’s signature talk show “First Take.” He joined Fox News in 2020 as co-host of “Fox & Friends Weekend,” most recently working alongside Rachel Campos-Duffy and Pete Hegseth, who left the program in November after he was nominated by Trump to be Secretary of Defense.
“It has been an honor to wake up with America these past four years and I am thrilled to apply my background in news, law, entertainment and business to help our viewers better understand the headlines through thought-provoking content and analysis every weekday afternoon,” Cain said in a statement.
Fox News said conservative pundit Charlie Hurt will join “Fox & Friends Weekend” as a co-host. A Fox News contributor, Hurt will depart his current post as opinion editor of the Washington Times to join the network full-time.
Greenland to Trump: Not for Sale but Let’s Talk Business
How the NFL Moved the Vikings-Rams Playoff Game Away From the L.A. Fires
Blue Origin Scrubs New Glenn Rocket’s Debut Launch
RFK Jr.’s MAHA Movement Obscures America’s Unhealthy Past
The Briefing: Arsenal’s worrying start to 2025, a fix for the FA Cup and Walker’s legacy
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
'Living legend': Schumer honors centenarian Holocaust survivor with Capitol flag, Senate floor recognition
Boosting NATO's defence capabilities means going beyond 3% target, says Rutte
A TikTok ban could hit the U.S. in days. What to know — and how to prepare
RFK Jr. Would ‘Significantly Undermine’ Public Health, a Group of Experts Says
Trudeau says 51st state is distraction from Trump tariff threat, acknowledges facing 'successful negotiator'
-
Politics1 week agoWho Are the Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom?
-
Health1 week agoOzempic ‘microdosing’ is the new weight-loss trend: Should you try it?
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25822586/STK169_ZUCKERBERG_MAGA_STKS491_CVIRGINIA_A.jpg "Meta is highlighting a splintering global approach to online speech")
Technology4 days agoMeta is highlighting a splintering global approach to online speech
-
Science2 days agoMetro will offer free rides in L.A. through Sunday due to fires
-
News1 week agoSeeking to heal the country, Jimmy Carter pardoned men who evaded the Vietnam War draft
-
Movie Reviews7 days ago‘How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies’ Review: Thai Oscar Entry Is a Disarmingly Sentimental Tear-Jerker
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25821992/videoframe_720397.png "Las Vegas police release ChatGPT logs from the suspect in the Cybertruck explosion")
Technology6 days agoLas Vegas police release ChatGPT logs from the suspect in the Cybertruck explosion
-
News1 week agoTrump Has Reeled in More Than $200 Million Since Election Day