EXCLUSIVE: The Republican National Committee has staffed up with new senior leadership to support President Trump’s agenda and work to elect Republican candidates "who will fight to Make America Great Again," Fox News Digital has learned. 

RNC Chairman Michael Whatley brought on a slate of new senior staff at the GOP—all bringing campaign expertise stemming from several election cycles and experience in the private sector. 

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"After a historic victory in 2024, taking back the White House and securing majorities in both chambers of Congress, Republicans are just getting started delivering on promises made," Whatley told Fox News Digital. 

"As America enters the new golden age under President Donald J. Trump’s leadership, I am thrilled to announce our extraordinary RNC team, who will work around the clock to support President Trump’s agenda and elect Republican candidates who will fight to Make America Great Again," he said. 

The RNC has brought on Mike Ambrosini to serve as chief of staff. Ambrosini previously served as the director of the RNC’s State Party Strategies. He also served in the first Trump administration and held roles in Congress, the private sector, and served as the executive director of the Michigan Republican Party. 

RNC officials told Fox News Digital that Ambrosini is "the perfect person to bring everyone to the table, navigate challenges, and implement a winning strategy." 

Whatley has also brought on Rob Secaur as the new RNC political director. Secaur served as deputy political director for the 2024 Trump campaign, after serving as an RNC regional political director. 

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To run messaging, Whatley tapped Zach Parkinson as RNC communications director. Parkinson served as the RNC’s research director and deputy communications director overseeing the GOP’s opposition research and rapid response efforts. 

Parkinson also provided research to the Trump 2024 campaign; served as deputy communications director for the Trump 2020 campaign; and worked in communications and research roles at the Trump White House from 2017 to 2019. 

Meanwhile, to run GOP finance, Mallory Gerndt has been elevated to finance director from her current role on the RNC finance team, where she has served since 2017. 

Gerndt was the deputy finance director for the RNC throughout the 2024 election cycle. 

RNC officials told Fox News Digital that Gerndt has a reputation for "setting and meeting fundraising goals to help deliver for President Trump’s America First agenda." 

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Whatley also announced Zach Imel as RNC data director. Imel served as director of external data & voter contact for Team Trump during the 2024 campaign. Previously, Imel oversaw RNC data efforts during the 2022 and 2020 cycles. 

Whatley also brought on Brent Brooks to serve as digital director. Brooks, according to GOP officials, has played "a key role" in raising millions of dollars and developing "VotePro," which the RNC billed as a "crucial app that empowered millions of Republican voters to get involved, take action, cast their ballots, and win in 2024." 

As for RNC efforts across the nation, Whatley has tapped Tom Smithfield to serve as State Party Strategies Director. 

Smithfield served as State Party Strategies deputy director during the 2024 cycle and as deputy national field director in 2022. Smithfield also served as deputy state director for Trump Victory in Pennsylvania in 2020 and for the Pennsylvania GOP in 2018. 

Whatley told Fox News Digital that as Trump "delivers on his promises," Republicans plan to also "look to the future." 

"The RNC will play a pivotal role," Whatley said. "Our team will continue to grow the party, get out the vote, secure our elections and keep on winning." 
 

Democrats face "few opportunities" to win back the Senate majority in next year's midterm elections, a top non-partisan political handicapper predicts.

While the Republicans are defending seats in 22 states in 2026 compared to just 13 for the Democrats, the Cook Report's first Senate ratings of the new election cycle point to a tough road ahead for the Democrats as they aim to recapture control of the chamber.

Senate Republicans enjoyed a very favorable map in the 2024 cycle as they flipped four seats from blue to red and stormed to a 53-47 majority in the new Congress, to go along with President Donald Trump's recapturing of the White House and the GOP's successful defense of their razor-thin House majority.

Cook Report Senate and governors editor Jessica Taylor, looking to new Senate battle, suggests that "the challenge for Democrats to net the four seats necessary to win back the majority looks herculean."

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The Cook Report rates two seats as toss-ups, and both are controlled by the Democrats.

They are in the battlegrounds of Michigan - where Democrat Sen. Gary Peters announced two weeks ago that he wouldn't seek re-election in 2026 - and Georgia - where Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff faces a rough road to securing a second six-year term in the Senate.

Trump flipped Michigan in last November's election, while then-Rep. Elissa Slotkin narrowly edged Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers in the race to succeed longtime fellow Democrat Sen. Debbie Stabenow. Rogers is now seriously mulling a second straight bid for the Senate.

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In Georgia, which Trump also flipped after losing the state in his 2020 election loss to former President Biden, the Cook Report calls Ossoff "the most endangered incumbent overall."

State and national Republicans are urging popular Republican Gov. Brian Kemp - who is term-limited in 2026 - to challenge Ossoff.

The Cook Report rates the key New England swing state of New Hampshire as Lean Democrat. 

Longtime Democrat Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a former governor, has yet to announce if she'll seek another term in office. And while plugged in Democrats in the Granite State have told Fox News the past couple of months that they expected the now-78-year-old Shaheen to run for re-election, her recently announced sparse fundraising for the fourth quarter of last year took many politicos by surprise.

Former Republican Sen. Scott Brown, who served as ambassador to New Zealand during Trump's first term in the White House, is making moves towards launching a second run for the Senate in New Hampshire, a dozen years after narrowly losing to Shaheen.

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While no Republican held Senate seats are listed as toss-ups, two are rated by the Cook Report as Lean Republican.

They are Maine, where moderate GOP Sen. Susan Collins is running for re-election in a state Trump lost last November, and North Carolina, where Republican Sen. Thom Tillis is seeking another term in a state Trump narrowly carried last year.

While Cook lists both races as Lean Republican, Taylor notes that "the rating could change if Democrats recruit strong candidates."

Those Democratic candidates could possibly be former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who finished his second term earlier this year, and Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who's term-limited in 2026.

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When it comes to potentially competitive races, the Cook Report rates Ohio as Likely Republican. GOP Gov. Mike DeWine last month named Lt. Jon Husted to fill the seat previously held by now-Vice President JD Vance. Husted is now running in 2026 to fill the final two years of Vance's term.

Once a key battleground state, Ohio has shifted to deep red in recent election cycles and its unclear if former longtime Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, who lost his re-election last year, will make another bid in 2026.

Cook also lists Minnesota - where Democrat Sen. Tina Smith is up for re-election next year - as a likely Democrat.

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said last November that he'd "like to see 55," when asked in a Fox News Digital interview about how many seats he was aiming for in the 2026 midterms.

And this past weekend at the Senate GOP campaign committee's winter meeting, Scott reiterated that "we believe we can get to 55 or maybe even stretch for 56," according to sources attending the confab in Palm Beach, Florida.

The party in power - which this cycle is clearly the Republicans - traditionally faces electoral headwinds in the midterm elections.

But Taylor, pointing to recent polling, notes that the Democrats' "party brand is… deeply unpopular."

"Even if Democrats were able to defend every incumbent and open seat on their side and flip both those states, it would leave them two short of an outright majority. Additional targets are hard to find," Taylor emphasized.

GOP state attorneys are taking on a renewed role during President Donald Trump's second administration as "freedom's front line," Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) incoming executive director Adam Piper told Fox News Digital, arguing that Democrats – deflated from losing control of both houses of Congress – are turning to left-leaning state attorneys to "undermine" the White House's America First agenda.

Right now, there are 29 Republican attorneys general in the United States who are "uniquely qualified to be the tip of the spear, to be freedom's front line and be a foundation for the future and a foundation for freedom every single day," Piper told Fox News Digital. "These men and women are working tirelessly to ensure their states are the safest places possible. But they're also working tirelessly to defend freedom, to help President Trump to ensure the American people have the system of government they voted for, they expect, and they deserve one that is free and one that is fair." 

In Trump's first three weeks in office, Democratic attorneys general have sued the Trump administration on several matters related to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). That includes New York Attorney General Letitia James leading 19 state attorneys in suing over DOGE leader Elon Musk's access to Treasury Department records. U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer issued a preliminary injunction in that case Saturday. 

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Democratic attorneys general also partnered with the country's largest federal labor unions to sue over Trump's deferred resignation offer that would allow workers eight months of paid leave if they agree to leave their jobs voluntarily. 

In turn, Montana's Republican attorney general, Austin Knudsen, led 22 states in an amicus brief Sunday asking the court to deny a motion for a temporary restraining order and allow Trump to manage the federal workforce how he sees fit. U.S. District Judge George O'Toole in Boston federal court on Monday proceeded to push back the deadline a second time on Trump's "Fork in the Road Directive," which gives most federal employees the option to resign with pay and benefits until Sept. 30. 

"During the Biden administration, Republican AGs were the last line of defense. We were the goal line stand, keeping the equivalent of a ‘tush push’ out of the end zone," Piper told Fox News Digital. 

"During the Trump administration, we have to play offense, defense and special teams," he continued. "We have to be freedom's front line. Working with the administration to ensure this DOGE regulatory reform agenda gets done, that we return to America's Golden Age. But we also have to play defense and special teams. You're going to see Democratic AGs take our playbook, bastardize it, and push back on the Trump administration. You will see states like New York and California get more aggressive, and Republican AGs are there to defend the rule of law, to promote freedom, and to ensure we work with President Trump to return America's Golden Age." 

As for the DOGE injunction led by James, Piper said it equates to "partisan gamesmanship from Democratic attorneys general who want to do everything possible to thwart President Trump's agenda." 

"This is why Republican attorneys general are so critical to the success of the Trump administration in pushing back against Democratic attorneys general and their attempts to crowbar what President Trump and his team are trying to accomplish in Washington, D.C., which is returning freedom to the American people, returning government efficiency, eliminating fraud, waste and abuse," he said. 

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Regarding James, in particular, Piper noted how New York's attorney general led cases against Trump during his 2024 re-election campaign that are now defunct and have failed. 

"A lot of her push back on the Trump administration is more about political theater than it is the rule of law in a court of law," he said. "And today and moving forward, you will see Republican attorneys general being President Trump's best friend from a policy standpoint. We will be his best champion from a policy standpoint. There's no more effective elected official in the United States than the state attorney general. We're more effective than the members of Congress, more effective than U.S. senators, more effective than even governors… You know, we can push back on some of this lawfare that you'll see from Democratic attorneys general." 

The Republican Attorneys General Association has seen alumni advance to the federal level in the Department of Justice. Most notably, that includes the newly sworn-in U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. Piper said he also hopes to see the Senate confirm Aaron Rice, an alum of the Texas Attorney General's Office, to join the DOJ's Office of Legal Policy. He noted 51 Republican attorneys general or staff alumni held Senate confirmed positions in the first Trump administration.

"Republican attorneys general and their staffs are truly America's farm team. You know where the best incubator of talent to ensuring President Trump has known conservative fighters who are willing to fight every day for the American people," Piper said. "And from Attorney General Bondi. There's no better person to be the attorney general of the United States of America." 

As RAGA looks ahead, Virginia Attorney General Jason Myares is defending his office this year in what's expected to be a competitive race, and then 30 attorneys general races will be on the ballot in 2026. 

"There's an urban myth that Richmond goes the opposite way of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. We are going to make sure that myth is just an urban myth and just a fable. Attorney General Jason Myers is truly one of our best when you look at the issues across the board. We will have probably an uphill battle," Piper said. "Virginia is a state the Republicans carried by two points four years ago. We have to have a good ground game. We have to have a good turnout operation… We have to make sure voters in the Commonwealth of Virginia understand the importance of attorney general, understand the public safety issues and understand that they need someone who every day will ensure Virginia is the safest place to live, work and raise a family."

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is continuing his efforts to investigate the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, and he wants answers from Dr. Anthony Fauci.   

In his new position as chairman of the Senate's Homeland Security committee, Paul issued subpoenas to 14 agencies from the outgoing Biden administration aimed at building on past congressional investigations into the COVID-19 virus and risky taxpayer-funded gain-of-function research. It is unclear who exactly from each agency will ultimately be deposed, but a Fauci deposition is possible. 

"In the wake of Anthony Fauci’s preemptive pardon, there are still questions to be answered," Paul said in a statement after announcing the issuance of his subpoenas. "Subpoenas were sent from the Committee to NIH [National Institutes of Health] and 13 other agencies regarding their involvement in risky gain-of-function research. The goal of the investigation will be to critique the process that allowed this dangerous research, that may have led to the pandemic, to occur in a foreign country under unsafe protocols and to ensure that there is sufficient oversight and review going forward, making sure a mistake of this magnitude never happens again."

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While former President Joe Biden preemptively pardoned Fauci to protect him from political retribution under the new Trump administration, legal experts have questioned the validity of such a pardon. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Baily suggested to Fox News that since Biden's own Justice Department indicated he lacked the mental faculties to be held criminally liable for improper handling of classified documents, it could be argued he also lacked the mens rea to issue pardons to people like Fauci. Additionally, the pardon Fauci received only covers his actions from January 2014 to the date of his pardon. As a result, a refusal to comply with a congressional subpoena could also potentially result in criminal charges.

Paul's investigation will build on a previous bipartisan probe launched by the Senate's Homeland Security committee last year looking into the national security threats posed by "high-risk biological research and technology in the U.S. and abroad." 

A second investigation being launched by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., the chairman of the Permanent Select Subcommittee on Investigations, will similarly probe concerns in the new Congress surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and will include a review of email communications from Fauci.  

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Since the pandemic began, Paul has sent dozens of requests for information related to the origins of the COVID-19 virus and gain-of-function research. Last year, his efforts revealed documents that he said show that government officials from at least 15 federal agencies knew in 2018 that China's Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) was working on creating a coronavirus similar to COVID-19.

The WIV has been a centerpiece in the debate over the origins of COVID-19, as it was eventually discovered that American scientist Peter Daszak's EcoHealth Alliance was using taxpayer dollars to conduct risky research on the novel bat virus out of the WIV prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. Earlier this month, the Department of Health and Human Services barred Daszak and EcoHealth Alliance from receiving federal funding for five years. 

Meanwhile, Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), told Congress in May 2021 that the NIH "has not ever and does not now fund gain-of-function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology."

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The Trump administration is reportedly preparing an executive order to halt all U.S. funding going towards gain-of-function research. 

Federal officials remain split on where the COVID-19 virus originated from. Three agencies — the Department of Energy, the FBI and the CIA — have determined that the most likely origin narrative is the lab leak theory, but others in the intelligence community and throughout the federal government say they can either not conclude that a lab leak was the most likely scenario, or they say that a natural origin scenario is most likely. A declassified intelligence report from 2021, published by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, posited that if a lab leak did turn out to be the catalyst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was likely the result of an accident.

Representatives for Paul declined to comment for this report, while Fauci did not respond to a request for comment. 

Former Rep. Mike Rogers is "strongly considering" a second straight Republican run for the Senate in the crucial battleground state of Michigan. 

The announcement from Rogers comes two days after two-term Democratic Sen. Gary Peters announced he wouldn't seek re-election in the 2026 midterms, which will force the Democrats to defend a key swing state seat as they try to win back the Senate majority from the Republicans.

Rogers won the 2024 GOP Senate nomination in Michigan but narrowly lost to Rep. Elissa Slotkin, the Democrats' nominee, in last November's election in the race to succeed longtime Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who retired. Slotkin, who vastly outspent Rogers, edged him by roughly 19,000 votes, or a third of a percentage point.

The 61-year-old Rogers made his news in a social media statement released on Thursday in which he spotlighted his relationship with President Donald Trump and the "support" he has received from Michiganders.

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Rogers is a former FBI special agent who later served as chair of the House Intelligence Committee during his tenure in Congress. A one-time GOP Trump critic who mulled a White House run of his own in 2024, Rogers later became a strong supporter of the then-Republican presidential nominee and won his endorsement last year.

"I’ve spent the last two years traveling across Michigan with the support of President Trump and millions of voters," Rogers wrote in a social media post on Thursday. "What I learned more than anything is that hard-working Michiganders deserve strong and honest representation that will have President Trump’s back."

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Pointing to his 2024 showing, Rogers noted that "since receiving more votes than any other Republican candidate that has ever run for Senate in Michigan, the tremendous outpouring of support and encouragement I've received since November proves that our mission to send a real fighter to the US Senate has just begun."

He added that he and his wife Kristi "are strongly considering joining the fight once again ― to be the ally that President Trump needs and the leader that Michigan deserves. Good news is coming soon."

Peters, a former House member first elected to the Senate in 2014, announced in a social media post that he would not seek re-election.

"Serving Michigan in the Congress has been the honor of my life. I'm forever grateful for the opportunity the people of my home state have given me," Peters, who steered the Senate Democrats campaign committee the past two elections cycles, said.

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Peters was one of three Democratic senators up for re-election in the 2026 midterms that the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) was planning to heavily target as they aim to expand their current 53-47 majority in the Senate. The other two Democrats are Sens. Jon Ossoff of Georgia and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire.

While Rogers is the first Republican to publicly make a move toward launching a 2026 Senate campaign in Michigan, GOP sources tell Fox News others who may consider running are Rep. John James -who's in his second term in the House and was the GOP Senate nominee in Michigan in 2018 and 2020 -, longtime Rep. Bill Huizenga, and former NFL head coach Tony Dungy.

Hours after Peters' announcement, there were developments in the race for the Democratic Senate nomination.

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate who moved his residency from Indiana to Michigan a few years ago, signaled that he's mulling a Senate bid.

"Pete is exploring all of his options on how he can be helpful and continue to serve. He’s honored to be mentioned for this, and he’s taking a serious look," a source familiar told Fox News.

Meanwhile, Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan quickly took herself out of consideration.

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"Governor Whitmer is grateful for Senator Peters' service. She is proudly serving the people of Michigan as governor and is not running for this seat in the Senate," a spokesperson for her political action committee, Fight Like Hell PAC, said in a statement on Tuesday.

Responding to Peters's news, NRSC chair Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina argued in a statement earlier this week that "Gary Peters is reading the room. After spending years ignoring illegal immigration and destroying his state’s auto industry, Michigan is better off without him."

Scott emphasized that "we’re committed to giving them a fighter that will stand with President Trump to restore the economic prosperity and security of our country."

The rival Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee noted that "no Republican has won a Michigan Senate race in 30 years – including last cycle when Democrats won an open Senate seat even as Trump won the state."

And DSCC spokesman David Berstein also pledged that "Democrats will continue to hold this seat in 2026." 

Peters, in his statement on Tuesday, pledged "although I will not be on the ballot next year, I will not just walk away. I plan to actively campaign to ensure we elect a dynamic Democratic candidate to be the next U.S. Senator from Michigan."

Senate Democrats faced an extremely difficult map in the 2024 cycle as they lost control of the majority. And while an early read of the 2026 map indicates they'll play defense in Michigan, Georgia, and New Hampshire, they may have a couple of opportunities to go on offense.

GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine is up for re-election in a reliably blue state. And Sen. Thom Tills of North Carolina is also up in 2026, in a battleground state Trump narrowly won this past November.

Fox News' Julia Johnson and Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report

Vice President JD Vance's political team, including two top advisors, is joining Vivek Ramaswamy's soon-to-be announced 2026 Ohio gubernatorial run, a source with knowledge confirmed to Fox News.

The news follows conversations between Ramaswamy and Vance, who until he stepped down earlier this month to assume the vice presidency was a senator from Ohio, added the operative, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely.

Ramaswamy, a multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur and former Republican presidential candidate, for weeks has been putting the pieces together to launch a gubernatorial campaign in the race to succeed GOP Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio, who is term-limited and cannot seek re-election.

"Expect Vivek to announce his candidacy in mid-February," the source told Fox News.

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Ramaswamy was among the contenders who challenged President Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination before dropping out of the race and becoming a top Trump ally and surrogate.

The two Vance advisors are Andy Surabian and Jai Chabria, who played major roles in Vance's 2022 Senate race and in his vice presidential campaign last summer and autumn, after Trump named the first-term senator as his running mate.

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The Ohio-based Chabria, a veteran in Buckeye State politics, is expected to serve as the Ramaswamy campaign's general consultant.

Surabian, who is also a top advisor to Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son and a top figure in the MAGA movement, will steer an outside political group allied with Ramaswamy.

Tony Fabrizio, the veteran Republican pollster who worked on Trump’s 2016 and 2024 campaigns, as well as Vance’s 2022 Senate campaign, is also on board, according to the source, as is Arthur Schwartz, another close ally to Vance and Donald Trump Jr.

Vance, who has known Ramaswamy since they both studied at Yale Law School, has put his imprint on Ohio politics since winning his 2022 Senate election in the one-time key battleground state that has shifted to the right over the past decade.

Vance endorsed now-Sen. Bernie Moreno ahead of his 2024 GOP Senate primary victory, and key members of Vance's political team steered Moreno's campaign.

"It should not come as a surprise that JD's top operatives are working with Vivek, given that JD and Vivek have had a longtime friendship," a source in Vance's political orbit told Fox News.

A longtime Ohio-based Republican operative, who asked for anonymity to speak more freely, said Vance is "sending a message" with this move.

He added that the advisors joining the Ramaswamy effort are "an all-star caliber campaign team."

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Also part of that team, according to the source, are three veterans from Ramaswamy's White House campaign – Ben Yoho, Mike Biundo and Chris Grant.

Ramaswamy, who's now 39 years old, launched his presidential campaign in February 2023 and quickly saw his stock rise as he went from a long shot to a contender for the Republican nomination.

He campaigned on what he called an "America First 2.0" agenda and was one of Trump's biggest supporters in the field of rivals, calling Trump the "most successful president in our century."

Ramaswamy dropped his White House bid a year ago after a distant fourth-place finish in the Iowa caucuses and quickly endorsed Trump, becoming a top surrogate on the campaign trail.

Trump, in the days after his November presidential election victory, named Elon Musk, the world's richest person, along with Ramaswamy, to steer the Department of Government Efficiency initiative, which is better known by its acronym DOGE.

But last Monday, as Trump was inaugurated, the new administration announced that Ramaswamy was no longer serving at DOGE. Ramaswamy's exit appears to clear the way for Musk, Trump's top donor and key ally, to steer DOGE without having to share the limelight.

"It was my honor to help support the creation of DOGE. I’m confident that Elon & team will succeed in streamlining government. I’ll have more to say very soon about my future plans in Ohio. Most importantly, we’re all-in to help President Trump make America great again!," Ramaswamy wrote. 

DeWine announced a week and a half ago that Lt. Gov. Jon Husted would fill the U.S. Senate seat that was held by Vance until he stepped down ahead of the Trump/Vance inauguration.

Before the Senate announcement, Husted had planned to run for governor in 2026 to succeed DeWine. Ramaswamy, for his part, had expressed interest in serving in the Senate. 

DeWine's decision to choose Husted to fill the vacant Senate seat appeared to accelerate Ramaswamy's move toward launching a run for governor.

Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, a major Trump ally in the Senate, on Monday endorsed Ramswamy's all-but-certain gubernatorial bid.

"I’ve had the privilege of working closely with Vivek G. Ramaswamy, and he is totally focused on trying to save our country," Scott said in a social media post.

"Ohioans want a shakeup in Columbus just as much as in Washington, and Vivek Ramaswamy is the bold leader to bring that change," attorney and political commentator Mehek Cooke, who was in the running to be named to Vance’s Senate seat that ultimately went to Husted, shaking up the gubernatorial race, told Fox News Digital. 

"Already gaining strong favor among Ohio conservatives, his high name ID and unwavering energy make him a formidable force for Governor. Much like President Trump, Vivek will bring a commitment to job creation, efficiency, and bold leadership. A businessman at heart, he knows how to drive economic growth, while as a father, he prioritizes merit over mediocrity for the future of Ohio’s children. With a powerful team led by seasoned strategists Vivek has the winning combination of grassroots support and strong fundraising to make Ohio economically vibrant and secure for all us."

The race for the GOP gubernatorial nomination could be competitive. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, 68, announced late last week his candidacy for governor.

"This is my heart, my home," Yost said in a Thursday press release announcing his candidacy. "I work for the people of Ohio, and I love my bosses. From the time I get up in the morning until I go to bed at night, I'm thinking about them and our future."

Yost is also bringing in campaign staff from the Trump world and announced that former Trump campaign official Justin Clark has joined the Yost campaign as a general consultant. 

"Justin is nationally recognized for winning some of the most hotly contested races in the country," Amy Natoce, Yost campaign spokeswoman and senior advisor, told Fox News Digital. "As a longtime advisor to President Trump, he knows what it means to work with conservative America First candidates like Dave Yost. His experience is invaluable and we’re thrilled to have him on our team." 

Ramaswamy's move to run for governor also comes a couple of weeks after he and Musk sparked a firestorm among Trump's hard core MAGA supporters over their support for H-1B temporary worker visas for highly skilled workers from foreign countries.

Ramaswamy's comments criticizing an American culture that he said "venerated mediocrity over excellence" received plenty of pushback from some leading voices on the right as well as some in Trump's political circle.

Ohio, which was once a top general election battleground, has shifted red over the past decade as Republicans have dominated statewide elections.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., warned that congressional Republicans must expedite funding for President Donald Trump's border czar Tom Homan to continue his mass deportation plan, or else they could "own another attack on this country." 

Graham made appearances on NBC and CNN Sunday shows advocating for two separate bills – a $100 billion border package, and a second $200 billion bill centered on "national security." 

As deliberations in both chambers continue, Graham cautioned Republicans against taking too long to reach a consensus. He said Homan needs immediate funding to further execute his mass deportation strategy, including to increase the number of detention beds from 41,000 to approximately 150,000, to hire more Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, finish the border wall and secure new technology. 

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"This whole debate in the Republican Party, do you need one bill or two right now? Right now, Tom Homan needs more money to hire ICE agents. He needs more money to finish the wall to increase bed space," Graham told CNN's "State of the Union." "He doesn't have the tools necessary to carry out this plan that President Trump gave him until Congress appropriates more money." 

Graham argued that the tax debate could wait until the end of the year, but Congress cannot delay funding for the border given the national security implications.

"So to my Republican colleagues, we've hit a wall here. We’re not building a wall. We've hit a wall," Graham told CNN. "We need to appropriate money to Tom Homan so he can do what President Trump promised. And if we delay that – the taxes expire in December, we got plenty of time to deal with that – I worry that we're going to own another attack on our country. I worry that we're delaying this plan that President Trump ran on if the Congress doesn't give his administration, Tom Homan, the money to do the plan that he promised, that President Trump promised. We need to come together quickly on this, in my view." 

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"We need more money for Tom Homan. I'm for deporting illegal immigrants here who are criminals. Most people are. The public's with him. But if you don't get new money into the system, Tom Homan can't do his job," Graham added. "We need more bed space. We need to finish the wall. But I think the signature issue for Donald Trump was to get a handle on illegal immigration, and he's off to a good start. We just need to help him in Congress." 

In an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press," Graham doubted that Homan was interested in deporting close to the approximately 11 million people in the U.S. illegally. As host Kristen Welker noted, Trump has signaled potentially being interested in cutting a deal related to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program for people who were brought into the United States illegally as minors.

Graham said the Trump administration's focus with deportations appeared to remain on criminal illegal immigrants. He cited how there are about 1.4 million illegal immigrants "who've had their case fully adjudicated, and they're still here," and there are "about 680,000 convicted of serious crimes." 

Republican Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, will not support the confirmation of Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the defense department, citing a lack of experience and concerns over his past comments regarding women.

Several Republican senators remained on the fence about Hegseth's nomination as he faced a grilling from members of the Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing in January. 

Collins cited a lack of experience and Hegseth's previous comments about women serving in the military as reasoning for her decision to not back the Trump nominee.

"While I appreciate his courageous military service and his ongoing commitment to our servicemembers and their families, I am concerned that he does not have the experience and perspective necessary to succeed in the job," Collins wrote in a post on X on Thursday. 

KEY SENATE CHAIRMAN CRITICIZES ‘ANONYMOUS SOURCES WITH ULTERIOR MOTIVES,’ STANDS BY HEGSETH NOMINATION

"His limited managerial experience involved running two small non-profit organizations that had decidedly mixed results," Collins wrote in a lengthy social media post. 

MODERATE REPUBLICAN MURKOWSKI WON'T BACK TRUMP PICK HEGSETH FOR DEFENSE SECRETARY

In November, Hegseth said that he believes that "we should not have women in combat roles" during an appearance on the Shawn Ryan Show, a comment that has raised concerns from senators whose support is crucial in advancing his nomination.

"I am also concerned about multiple statements, including some in the months just before he was nominated, that Mr. Hegseth has made about women serving in the military," the senator said. "He and I had a candid conversation in December about his past statements and apparently evolving views. I am not convinced that his position on women serving in combat roles has changed."

Another Republican, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, revealed on Thursday that she would also not be supporting Hegseth due to "allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking," which he has denied.

On Thursday, the Senate passed a motion to invoke cloture for Hegseth's nomination, advancing his confirmation to a final vote.

Donald Trump supporters who attended the president's inauguration parade at Capital One Arena in downtown D.C. on Monday shared their experiences braving the cold in the nation's capital.

Trump supporters told Fox News Digital they arrived as early as 4:30 a.m. Monday and stood for hours in the cold weather to secure a seat at the arena for the inaugural parade, noting that the line to get in had already formed by the time they arrived bright and early. Reports indicated that supporters had begun lining up as early as the night before. The parade got moved indoors amid concerns about the cold weather, but one supporter noted that it wasn't as cold as she had expected. 

"This morning we got up at 4. We got on the train at 5 [in the morning] and got here, and already the line was forming," a supporter who traveled from Texas said. "We stayed in the cold weather for five hours."

TRUMP SUPPORTERS WAIT OVERNIGHT OUTSIDE CAPITAL ONE ARENA IN FRIGID TEMPERATURES 

"We got here [Sunday] night, but we stayed closer to the airport just to not fight traffic," added Kaitlin Rogers, who traveled from Delaware. "Ubered in, got here at what? 6:30 [in the morning]? Stood in line for four and a half hours."

Gina Raper, a Trump fan from North Carolina, said she arrived as early as Friday to attend Trump's Sunday rally ahead of the formal swearing-in ceremony and "stood out all day in the rain" to secure a seat there as well.     

"We were there 5 o'clock yesterday morning and stood out all day in the rain. We got in, it was awesome," said Raper. "Then we were there at, like, 4:30 or 5 this morning, all day."

TRUMP SUPPORTERS CELEBRATE INAUGURATION DAY IN DC STREETS: ‘TODAY IS A DAY OF FREEDOM’

When asked if their experience was worth braving the cold, the answer was a resounding yes. 

"We're so thankful," Raper said after gaining entrance to Capital One Arena on Saturday. 

"It wasn't as cold as we thought it was going to be. It was definitely worth the wait," added Andrea Rogers, who was traveling with Kaitlin from Delaware. "We are so happy to be here."

When asked what they hope to see out of the new Trump administration, the supporters who spoke to Fox News Digital highlighted Trump's plans to secure the border and "rebuild" the military. One supporter said he was hoping to see the new Trump administration challenge the pharmaceutical and food industries, which are priorities of Trump's nominee for Health and Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 

"Good leaders train good leaders, and he's got the best team I have ever – well, everybody would agree, everybody in America – this is the best team," said Raper.

"Trump will fix it!" one supporter said.

Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is done at President Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative, a spokesperson confirmed on Monday.

The confirmation came a couple of hours after a source close to the multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur told Fox News Digital that Ramaswamy was no longer with DOGE.

And Ramaswamy, who along with Elon Musk, the world's richest person, was tapped in November by Trump to steer DOGE, is expected to launch a Republican campaign for Ohio governor early next week, according to the source.

"Vivek Ramaswamy played a critical role in helping us create DOGE," Trump-Vance transition spokesperson Anna Kelly, said in a statement to Fox News. "He intends to run for elected office soon, which requires him to remain outside of DOGE, based on the structure that we announced today. We thank him immensely for his contributions over the last 2 months and expect him to play a vital role in making America great again."

MUSK AND RAMASWAMY IGNITE MAGA WAR OVER SKILLED WORKER IMIMGRATION

Soon after, Ramaswamy took to social media to put out a statement.

"It was my honor to help support the creation of DOGE. I’m confident that Elon & team will succeed in streamlining government. I’ll have more to say very soon about my future plans in Ohio. Most importantly, we’re all-in to help President Trump make America great again!," he wrote.

GOP Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio is term-limited and cannot seek re-election in 2026.

DeWine on Friday announced that Lt. Gov. Jon Husted would fill the U.S. Senate seat that was held by former Sen. JD Vance until earlier this month, when the vice president stepped down ahead of Monday's inauguration.

Before the Senate announcement, Husted had planned to run for governor in 2026 to succeed DeWine. Ramaswamy, for his part, had expressed interest in serving in the Senate. 

DeWine's decision to choose Husted to fill the vacant Senate seat appeared to accelerate Ramaswamy's move toward launching a run for governor.

Ramaswamy, 39, who launched his presidential campaign in February 2023, saw his stock rise as he went from a long shot to a contender for the Republican nomination.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON VIVEK RAMASWAMY

Ramaswamy campaigned on what he called an "America First 2.0" agenda and was one of Trump's biggest supporters in the field of rivals, calling Trump the "most successful president in our century."

He dropped his White House bid a year ago after a distant fourth-place finish in the Iowa caucuses and quickly endorsed Trump, becoming a top surrogate on the campaign trail.

Ramaswamy's exit appears to clear the way for Musk, Trump's top donor and key ally, to steer DOGE without having to share the limelight.

The move also comes a couple of weeks after Ramswamy and Musk sparked a firestorm among Trump's hard core MAGA supporters over their support for H-1B temporary worker visas for highly skilled workers from foreign countries.

Ramaswamy's comments criticizing an American culture that he said "venerated mediocrity over excellence" received plenty of pushback from leading voices on the far right.

Ohio, which was once a top general election battleground, has shifted red over the past decade as Republicans have dominated statewide elections.

During a busy week in the nation's capital, far from the action, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had no trouble keeping his name in the political spotlight.

"This is a time for action. And a time for Washington, D.C., to deliver results to the American people. There are no more excuses for Republicans," the conservative two-term governor and 2024 Republican presidential candidate said Thursday as he named Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to succeed Sen. Marco Rubio in the Senate.

Two days earlier, President-elect Trump gave his onetime bitter GOP primary rival a shout-out after the governor called for a special state legislative session to implement Trump's expected immigration crackdown.

"Thank you Ron, hopefully other governors will follow!" the president-elect said in a social media post.

VANCE IS THE EARLY FRONTRUNNER, BUT HERE ARE THE OTHER REPUBLICANS WHO MAY RUN FOR PRESIDENT IN 2028

Due to the national profile he's built over the past four years, the governor of one of the country's most important states will likely continue to stay in the headlines as he takes a lead on some of the nation's most consequential issues.

The spotlight should help DeSantis if he ends up launching a second straight GOP presidential nomination run in 2028, a race in which soon-to-be Vice President JD Vance will be considered the clear early frontrunner as the perceived America First and MAGA heir apparent to Trump.

"He needs to do what he did in 2022, which is pick good fights. And he’s shown a lot of capability to pick good fights with the left both in Florida and nationally," longtime Republican strategist David Kochel said of DeSantis.

RNC CHAIR SAYS GOP HAS ‘DEEP BENCH’ FOR 2028

"I think he’ll be in demand to come do stuff in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina," Kochel, a veteran of numerous GOP presidential campaigns, predicted, pointing to the three key early voting states in the Republican presidential primaries. 

"I wouldn’t change a lot from how he did the run-up to his 2024 campaign. The problem was he basically ran against an incumbent president. He didn’t have the wrong playbook. He had the wrong cycle."

While the initial moves in the 2028 White House run will likely start in the coming months, including some early state visits, most Americans won't be paying a lick of attention until after the 2026 midterms, when the next presidential campaign formally gets under way. And that's when DeSantis will be wrapping up his second and final four-year term steering Florida, allowing him to concentrate 100% on a White House run if that's in his cards.

But what about another high-profile Republican governor who likely has national ambitions in 2028?

HERE ARE THE DEMOCRATS WHO MAY RUN FOR THE WHITE HOUSE IN 2028

The Virginia Constitution doesn't allow for incumbent governors to run for a second consecutive term, so Gov. Glenn Youngkin will be out of office in Richmond in a year.

Compared to DeSantis, who also enjoys large GOP majorities in his state legislature, which will allow him to continue to enact a conservative agenda, Virginia is a purple state where Democrats have a slight upper hand in the legislature. 

"It might be a little tougher for Youngkin, a little tougher for him to find ways to stay in the news" after he leaves office in a year, Kochel suggested.

But, Younkin predicted, "You’re going to see me a lot."

"We’ve got a very aggressive agenda for being governor in the last 14 months," he said in a Fox News Digital interview in November. "But part of that agenda that I have is to make sure that we have [Lt. Gov.] Winsome Sears as our next governor. [Virginia Attorney General] Jason Miyares is back as our attorney general and a super lieutenant governor who we will pick at our primaries."

Youngkin, who energized Republicans nationwide in 2021 as a first-time candidate who hailed from the party’s business wing, edged former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe to become the first GOP candidate in a dozen years to win a gubernatorial election in the one-time swing state that had trended toward the Democrats over the previous decade. He could also potentially end up in the Trump administration after his term in Richmond sunsets in a year.

"I told the president when I called him and told him that I wanted to finish my term that I would be available to help him at any time while I’m governor and afterwards," Youngkin told Fox News Digital, referring to a call he held with Trump right after the November election.

But if he doesn't enter the Trump administration, another route for Youngkin to stay in the spotlight in 2026 would be criss-crossing the country on behalf of fellow Republicans running in the midterm elections. It's a role Youngkin previously played in 2022, helping fellow Republican governors and gubernatorial candidates.

"He’s got to do the blocking and tackling, go state by state, help a lot of candidates, raise a lot of money for them. Get a bunch of governors elected," Kochel suggested. "That’s the playbook for him."

What about NIkki Haley, the former two-term Republican governor of South Carolina and former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. in Trump's first administration, who was the last rival standing against Trump in the 2024 GOP presidential primaries?

Out of office and shut out of the Trump world while still facing social media zingers by the president-elect, Haley's ability to grab attention should she seek the presidency again may be a more difficult climb within a party once again on bended knee to the former and future president.

Haley does have a weekly national radio show on Sirius XM, where she noted a few weeks ago, "I had no interest in being in [Trump's] Cabinet."

But a lot can happen in the two years until the next White House race officially gets under way. There could be some buyer's remorse among voters if the new administration is not successful in enacting some of its goals.

"While JD Vance starts as the presumed frontrunner right now, there’s a million miles to go between now and then," seasoned Republican strategist Colin Reed told Fox News.

And Kochel added that for some Republicans mulling a 2028 presidential bid, "I think a little strategic distance is not a bad idea. Because you don’t know what’s going to happen over the next two years."

But holding statewide office — either as a governor or senator — doesn't guarantee favorable coverage.

"Having a day job cuts both ways. It gives you a platform, a megaphone, and an ability to make news whenever you want. But it also carries with it the responsibilities of governing or legislating or being part of government bodies, whether it’s Congress or the state you are running, where things can go wrong and end up on your doorstep and become political baggage," Reed noted.

Reed warned that "history is littered with those officeholders who ran and won for a second term only to have political baggage at home become political headaches on the campaign trail."

Only days after Indiana Gov. Mike Braun was sworn-in in Indianapolis, the former Republican senator officially rid the state government of its Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) apparatus.

Instead, Braun – who grew a small Jasper truck-body business called Meyer Distributing into a major player with 700 product lines – said on Friday it takes a politician who "signed the front side of a paycheck" to understand what economic priorities actually matter, and DEI is not one of them.

"At the [Indiana] inaugural, which was over the weekend for me, there was so much excitement knowing something is afoot even in a good red state like Indiana, mostly because of what's going to happen out in D.C. and the partnership that can happen between enterprising states like ours has always been," Braun said on "Fox & Friends."

"We’ve never really had somebody from Main Street… be our own governor here."

BRAUN DEMANDS FULL AUDIT OF MEDICARE AFTER FRAUD DISCOVERY

Braun contrasted the conservative economic vision with that of President Biden and other Democrats, whose platform is "built on big government."

"Rahm Emanuel said ‘never let a crisis go to waste’," he said in that respect, referring to the former President Barack Obama confidant’s motto during the 2008 financial crisis. The line was seen as a suggestion to use tough moments to force through tenets of one’s personal agenda. 

In comments to Fox News Digital, Braun said that in nearly 40 years of running a business, he knows what works and what does not.

Instead of DEI, Indiana needs "MEI" – or Merit, Excellence and Innovation – to be a priority, he said.

"Government should be laser-focused on one thing: getting results for the people they serve. We’re replacing the divisive DEI ideology with a level playing field of MEI -- the same reason we’re eliminating college degree requirements where they’re not essential and adding key performance metrics for accountability," Braun said.

"[That is] because everyone should be judged on what they do, not who they are."

Braun noted his business background and reiterated how his guiding principle of growing Meyer into the expansive business it is today has been "results – above everything else."

DEMS TRYING TO CONVERT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS INTO VOTERS WAS A ‘BIG MISCALCULATION’: MIKE BRAUN

"That’s exactly what we’re putting first in my administration."

In his order, Braun cited the Supreme Court’s ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard – which found affirmative action programs violate the Equal Protection Clause – and said state resources would not be used to "support [DEI] positions, departments, activities, procedures or programs if they grant preferential treatment based upon one person's particular race..."

It also bans requirements of Indianans to have to disclose their personal pronouns or for employers to mandate job applicants to provide a DEI-related statement.

"We've grown the federal government to a place that I hope DOGE… brings it down because you’ve got a lot of anxious governors that want to double down on [DOGE] – we’re going to do it anyway," Braun said separately on Fox News Channel.

Braun said that since COVID-19, too many Indiana bureaucrats are still teleworking and that the DEI-nixing effort is also another way to streamline government to be more effective, just like Meyer.

The state’s DEI office had been established by Braun’s predecessor, Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb.

After the George Floyd incident in Minnesota, Holcomb addressed Indianans on the issue of "getting to the root causes of inequities and not just reacting to the symptoms."

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Holcomb, who first ascended to the governorship when Mike Pence became vice president in 2017, appointed then-University of Notre Dame public affairs director Karrah Herring to lead the new DEI department.

Braun also received some pushback on his decision:

The Indiana legislature’s minority leader said he respects Braun’s right to position his new administration how he wants but questioned his chosen hierarchy.

"Thinking of the myriad issues Hoosiers are facing, though, I can’t understand why this is a top priority," State Rep. Phil GiaQuinta, D-Fort Wayne, said in a statement.

GiaQuinta added a recent caucus meeting with the DEI office was "insightful and helpful" to their work addressing Indianans’ needs, and called the department’s sunset a "distraction from the real issues."

The members of the Republican National Committee, in a vote that was never in doubt, on Friday re-elected chair Michael Whatley to continue steering the national party committee. 

"This organization has got to be the tip of the spear. And as your chairman, I promise this organization will be the tip of the spear to protect Donald Trump," Whatley said, as he spoke after the unanimous voice vote at the RNC's annual meeting, which was held this year in the nation's capital ahead of Monday's inauguration of President-elect Trump. 

Whatley, a longtime Trump ally and a major supporter of Trump's election integrity efforts, who was serving as RNC general counsel and chair of the North Carolina Republican Party, was named by Trump last March as chair as the former president clinched the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. Whatley succeeded longtime RNC chair Ronna McDaniel, whom Trump no longer supported.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital on the sidelines of the RNC's winter meeting, Whatley says his job going forward in the 2025 elections and 2026 midterms is straight forward.

RNC CHAIR REVEALS WHAT ROLE TRUMP WILL PLAY ON CAMPAIGN TRAIL GOING FORWARD

"It's really critical for us to make sure that the Trump voters become Republican voters," Whatley told Fox News Digital on the sidelines of the RNCs' winter meeting, which is being held in the nation's capital.

Republicans enjoyed major victories in November's elections, with President-elect Trump defeating Vice President Kamala Harris to win back the White House, the GOP flipping control of the Senate from the Democrats, and holding on to their razor-thin majority in the House.

Whatley, who was interviewed on Thursday on the eve of the formal RNC chair vote, said the GOP needs "to cement those gains" made in the 2024 elections.

"We're going to go right back to the building blocks that we had during this election cycle, which is to get out the vote and protect the ballot," Whatley emphasized. 

The RNC chair pointed to "the lessons that we learned" in the 2024 cycle "about going after low propensity voters, about making sure that we're reaching out to every voter and bringing in new communities," which he said helped Republicans make "historic gains among African American voters, among Asian American voters, among Hispanic voters, young voters and women voters."

Speaking a couple of days before the president-elect's inauguration, Whatley emphasized that once Trump's in the White House, "we're going to go right back to the RNC. We're going to roll up our sleeves and get to work. We've got a couple of governor's races…that we're going to be working on in ‘25."

HOUSE GOP CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE CHAIR MAKES 2026 PREDICTION

But Whatley said "everything is focused on ‘26," when the party will be defending its majorities in the House and Senate, "because that is going to determine, from an agenda perspective, whether we have two years to work with or four. And America needs us to have a four-year agenda."

"What we're going to be doing is making sure that we are registering voters," Whatley said. "We're going to be…communicating with the folks that we need to turn out."

Pointing to the 2024 presidential election, he said "it's the same fundamentals."

But he noted that "it's not just seven battleground states" and that the 2026 contests are "definitely going to be a very intense midterm election cycle."

While Democrats would disagree, Whatley described today's GOP as "a common sense party…this is a party that's going to fight for every American family and for every American community."

SENATE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE CHAIR SPELLS OUT HIS 2026 MISSION

Referring to former Democrats Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, whom Trump has nominated to serve in his second administration's cabinet, Whatley touted "the fact that we have two former Democratic presidential candidates who are going to be serving in the president's cabinet. That shows you that this is a commonsense agenda, a commonsense team, that we're going to be moving forward with."

In December, Trump asked Whatley to continue during the 2026 cycle as RNC chair.

"I think we will be able to talk when we need to talk," Whatley said when asked if his lines of communication with Trump will be limited now that the president-elect is returning to the White House. "We're going to support the president and his agenda. That does not change. What changes is his ability from the White House to actually implement the agenda that he's been campaigning on."

VANCE HOSTS TOP-DOLLAR FUNDRAISER AHEAD OF TRUMP INAUGURATION

The winter meeting included the last appearance at the RNC by co-chair Lara Trump. The president-elect's daughter-in-law is stepping down from her post.

She stressed that it's crucial the RNC takes "the opportunity the voters have given us" to "continue to expand the Republican brand."

The elder Trump is term-limited and won't be able to seek election again in 2028. Vice President-elect Sen. JD Vance will likely be considered the front-runner for the 2028 GOP nomination.

Whatley reiterated what he told Fox News Digital in December, that the RNC will stay neutral in the next race for the GOP nomination and that the party's "got an amazing bench."

"You think about the talent on the Republican side of the aisle right now, our governors, our senators, our members of Congress, people that are going to be serving in this administration. I love the fact that the Republican Party is going to be set up to have a fantastic candidate going into '28," he highlighted.

Unlike the DNC, which in the 2024 cycle upended the traditional presidential nominating calendar, the RNC made no major changes to their primary lineup, and kept the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary as their first two contests.

Asked about the 2028 calendar, Whatley reiterated to Fox News that "I have not had any conversations with anybody who wants to change the calendar, so we will wait and see what that looks like as we're going forward. We're at the RNC meetings this week and having a number of conversations with folks, but that is not a huge push."

"I don't think that changing the calendar really helped the Democrats at all," Whatley argued. "And I think that us, making sure that we are working our system the way that we always have, is going to be critical."

Reactions from social media came pouring in on Wednesday night, as President Biden delivered his farewell address to the country, ending a career in politics that spanned over half a century.

"Joe Biden discussing democracy, a free press, institutions and the abuse of power in his final farewell speech is rich," GOP Congresswoman Nancy Mace posted on X. 

"What an embarrassing and pathetic end to an embarrassing and pathetic term," Fox News host Greg Gutfeld posted on X.

"Joe Biden can’t even read. Every time he speaks it gets worse," conservative commentator and radio host Clay Travis posted on X. "Trying to run him in 2024 is the most reckless and indefensible presidential decision in any of our lives."

BIDEN BALKS WHEN ASKED IF TRUMP DESERVES CREDIT FOR ISRAEL-HAMAS CEASE-FIRE DEAL: 'IS THAT A JOKE?'

"My thoughts on President Joe Biden’s Farewell Address: It was underwhelming and divisive," Gabriella Hoffman, Independent Women’s Forum Center for Energy & Conservation director, posted on X.

"I’m relieved his four-year term is coming to an end. Mr. Biden failed to bring Americans together and pushed terrible ‘whole of government’ policies that weakened us on many fronts: energy, national security, economics/small business, foreign affairs, and general freedoms. History won’t look kindly on Biden’s tenure. He’s now the most unpopular U.S. President in history."

‘SINKING THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY’: BIDEN’S CUBA MOVE SPURS RARE BIPARTISAN CONDEMNATION IN KEY ELECTORAL STATE

"Joe Biden mentions climate hysteria ahead of actual priorities, like border security, lowering costs, and peace through strength," GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin posted on X. "They never learn."

"Joe Biden’s going out of office the same way he went in: Petty, partisan, and frankly not telling the truth," GOP Congressman Darrell Issa posted on X. 

"I'm stunned," former Democratic adviser Dan Turrentine posted on X. "I'm no historian, but, I don't recall a more dark Presidential farewell address? It's more a cry to the DNC than accentuating the positive to the country. This is sad."

"Biden ends his presidency by using rhetoric that would be right at home in a third-world communist dictatorship," Red State writer Bonchie posted on X. "This may be the worst farewell speech in presidential history."

Democrats, however, generally had a decidedly different take.

"Four years ago, in the middle of a pandemic, we needed a leader with the character to put politics aside and do what was right," former President Barack Obama posted on X. 

"That’s what Joe Biden did. At a time when our economy was reeling, he drove what would become the world’s strongest recovery – with 17 million new jobs, historic wage gains, and lower health care costs. He passed landmark legislation to rebuild our nation’s infrastructure and address the threat of climate change.  I’m grateful to Joe for his leadership, his friendship, and his lifetime of service to this country we love."

Liberal commentator Harry Sisson posted on X, "President Biden just gave the best speech of his presidency.

"His farewell address was incredibly moving. I will always be thankful for President Biden and his talented administration. Thank you to everyone who served and gave America an amazing four years."

Biden has four days left in his presidency before Monday's inauguration, when President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn into office.

"My fellow Americans, I'm speaking to you tonight from the Oval Office. Before I begin, let me speak to important news from earlier today. After eight months of nonstop negotiation, my administration — by my administration — a cease-fire and hostage deal has been reached by Israel and Hamas, the elements of which I laid out in great detail in May of this year," Biden said in his opening remarks, taking credit for the recent announcement that a cease-fire deal had been reached in Israel. 

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"This plan was developed and negotiated by my team and will be largely implemented by the incoming administration. That's why I told my team to keep the incoming administration fully informed, because that's how it should be, working together as Americans." 

Biden's speech also focused on the American dream and the "most powerful idea" that "all of us are created equal."

"The very idea of America was so big we felt the entire world needed to see," Biden said. "The Statue of Liberty, a gift from France after our Civil War. Like the very idea of America, it was built not by one person, but by many people, from every background and from around the world. Like America, the Statue of Liberty is not standing still. Her foot literally steps forward atop a broken chain of human bondage. She's on the march, and she literally moves. 

"A nation of pioneers and explorers, of dreamers and doers, of ancestors native to this land, of ancestors who came by force. A nation of immigrants came to build a better life, a nation holding a torch. The most powerful idea ever in the history of the world that all of us, all of us are created equal. All of us deserve to be treated with dignity, justice and fairness that democracy must defend and be defined and be imposed, moved in every way possible, our rights, our freedoms, our dreams." 

CONCORD, N.H. – After eight years steering swing state New Hampshire, Republican Chris Sununu left office a few days ago with some of the highest approval ratings among America's 50 governors.

Sununu, who won election and re-election four times [New Hampshire and neighboring Vermont are the only states in the nation where governors serve two-year terms], gave credit to his team.

"If you want to be good as an executive, you’ve got to surround yourself with great people," Sununu said in a national digital exclusive interview with Fox News on his last full day in office on Wednesday.

Asked about his tenure in office, Sununu said, "Like anything in life, you want to just make sure you leave it better than you found it. And I couldn't be more proud of where we've come in the last eight years."

REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS SHOW ‘OVERWHELMING SUPPORT’ FOR DOGE

"The key there is always finding a way to make it work for the citizens. That's it. That's the job. You have to be results-driven, regardless of the hand you're dealt, the politics you're given, the surrounding atmosphere," Sununu said.

"So I think in New Hampshire, we've done it pretty darn well," he touted.

AMERICA'S NEWEST GOVERNOR TAKES PAGE FROM TRUMP BY SETTING UP DOGE-LIKE COMMISSION

His successor as governor, fellow Republican and former Sen. Kelly Ayotte, agreed.

Ayotte, who campaigned on continuing the Sununu agenda, praised her predecessor.

"New Hampshire is moving in the right direction, and no one deserves more credit for that after four terms at the helm than Governor Chris Sununu. Thank you, Governor," Ayotte said.

Longtime New Hampshire Democratic Party chair Ray Buckely, a vocal Sununu critic, disagreed as he pointed to "years of failed Republican policies" under the retiring governor.

Sununu, who announced last year that he wouldn’t seek an unprecedented fifth two-year term as governor, reiterated what he's said for months, that he's "very much looking forward to getting back in the private sector, maybe private equity or boards."

WHAT THE NEW CHAIR STEERING REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS TOLD FOX NEWS

The 50-year-old Sununu, who when he was first elected in 2016 was the nation's youngest governor, has also, for months, repeatedly ruled out running for the Senate in New Hampshire in 2026. 

"I'm not planning on running for anything right now. I'm really not, at least for the next two, four, six years," he emphasized.

But Sununu, who in 2023 seriously mulled a Republican presidential nomination run in 2024 before deciding against it, didn't totally close the door to another run for office in the future.

"Who knows what happens down the road, but it would be way down the road and nothing, nothing I'm planning on, nothing my family would tolerate either short term," he said.

Sununu, who has been a regular on the cable news networks and Sunday talk shows in recent years, is considering a formalized media role.

"I'm definitely talking to a few different networks that have come and asked me to do certain things, and I'll continue doing stuff and helping them. Is there a long-term plan there to be a little more fixed with a network or a show or something like that? Definitely talking about it. I'm interested in it," he shared.

Sununu, who hails from a prominent political family (his father John H. Sununu served three terms as governor and later as President George H.W. Bush's chief of staff, and older brother John E. Sununu was a congressman and senator), emphasized, "I'm definitely going to want to keep scratching that political itch in some way, not necessarily running for office, but staying involved, having a voice, helping the party."

But whether the party, once again firmly under President-elect Trump's control, wants Sununu's help is questionable.

Sununu, a very vocal critic of Trump following the then-president's unsuccessful efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to President Biden, ended up endorsing Trump rival Nikki Haley in the 2024 GOP presidential nomination race. Sununu became a top surrogate for Haley, a former two-term South Carolina governor who served as U.N. ambassador in Trump's first administration.

But after Trump cruised to the Republican presidential nomination, Sununu said he would vote for him.

"Donald Trump is the head of the party, and he's the voice of the Republican Party, and I got to say, I think he's doing a pretty darn good job in the first couple months," Sununu told Fox News. "The folks he's been nominating to these positions. They're moving quickly. They're not slowing down. The efforts with DOGE (Trump's planned government efficiency department), I think, have been phenomenal."

And he praised the politician he had long criticized.

"Give the president credit. He earned it. He won the primaries. He got the votes," Sununu said. "He did the groundwork to be successful, not just in the primary, but really galvanized a whole new working class of voters for the Republican Party as the general election went on. So he did a phenomenal job there."

But he said the GOP is bigger than any one politician, even Trump.

"It's not just a Donald Trump Republican or a Chris Sununu Republican. The Republican Party is big. Man. It is really, really, big, whether you have fiscal conservatives like myself, social moderates, whatever it might be, even some of the more extremist side of things, everyone has a place here and a voice."

And Sununu's very optimistic about the GOP's future.

"It's a really big party, and it's growing. I mean, it really is growing, and Nov. 5 was a huge example of that. So I'm very optimistic on where the Republican Party is going with Donald Trump, with other leaders. JD Vance, everybody, kind of coming to the table, putting their two cents in and making sure that it's all about America."

Democratic lawmakers were noticeably silent following the sentencing of President-elect Donald Trump despite previously commenting on the cases against him, as Washington prepares for a Republican trifecta in Congress.

Trump was sentenced on Friday after being found guilty on 34 charges related to falsifying business records in May.

The incoming president was sentenced to unconditional discharge, which means that he will not receive any jail time, fine or probation time. The sentence also preserves Trump's ability to appeal the conviction. 

After Trump was found guilty in criminal court in May, Democratic members of Congress put out a flurry of reactions on social media but appeared mum after the sentencing on Friday, which comes just days before he will be sworn into office on Jan. 20. 

TRUMP SAYS HE RESPECTS SUPREME COURT'S DECISION TO DENY HIS REQUEST TO STOP SENTENCING, VOWS TO APPEAL

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., in May, wrote in a post on X, fomerly Twitter, that "the jury has spoken and carefully rendered a decision. Responsible leadership requires the verdict to be respected," while Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York said that "nobody is above the law."

However, Democrats appeared less reactive to Friday's sentencing, which left Trump free of any penalty.

One Democratic congresswoman put out a statement following the unconditional discharge sentence, claiming that "our system of justice is not just."

"There is a two-tiered system of justice in this country, and Donald Trump lives on the tier where he gets to walk into the White House without spending a single day in jail or being put on probation after being convicted of 34 felonies. On the other tier are the clients I represented as a public defender in Texas, like the seventeen-year-old boy who was held on felony probation for taking some candy from his school's concession stand," Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, said in a post on X. 

REPUBLICANS BLAST ‘JOKE’ SENTENCING OF TRUMP 10 DAYS BEFORE SWEARING IN

"The scales are not equal," she added.

On the flip side, Republicans were very vocal following the sentencing. 

"I have no respect for the process being used in New York. I find the judge and prosecutor’s motives to be dripping with politics," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in a statement. "This is a sad day for America."

Trump, ahead of the sentencing, said that he would appeal the decision.

Trump filed an emergency petition to the Supreme Court on Wednesday in an effort to prevent his Jan. 10 sentencing, but the high court ultimately denied his emergency petition to block his sentencing.

Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

EXCLUSIVE: The nation's Republican governors are making clear their "overwhelming support" for President-elect Trump's planned "Department of Government Efficiency," better known by its acronym DOGE.

In a letter to Congressional leaders that was shared first with Fox News on Friday, the governors said they fully support DOGE and emphasized the importance of balancing the federal budget.

"As chief executives for our states, we know a thing or two about streamlining government, removing unnecessary bureaucracy, and bringing efficient, result-driven solutions to state government.  We stand by President Trump as he works to do the same with the federal government," the governors said.

AMERICA'S NEWEST GOVERNOR TAKES PAGE FROM TRUMP BY SETTING UP DOGE-LIKE COMMISSION

Days after his presidential election victory in November, Trump tapped Elon Musk, the world's richest person, and former Republican presidential candidate and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to steer DOGE.

The House of Representatives has set up an oversight subcommittee and the Senate has formed a DOGE caucus to work with Musk and Ramaswamy.

QUESTIONS YOU HAVE ABOUT DOGE ARE ANSWERED HERE

The governors highlighted that "our states are successful because we live within our means. We balance our budgets, lower taxes, leverage surpluses, pay down debt, improve the efficiency of state governments, and create an environment where our constituents can build a prosperous future for themselves, their family, and their community."

And they emphasized that "it is past time for Washington to live within its means too. We support President Trump’s appointment of Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy and agree with their assertion that the federal government needs to be cut down to size. We stand ready to help." 

Led by the Republican Governors Association (RGA) policy chair Gov. Henry McMaster of South Carolina, the letter was also signed by RGA chair Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia and 24 other GOP governors.

They are Govs. Kay Ivey of Alabama, Mike Dunleavy of Alaska, Sarah Sanders of Arkansas, Ron DeSantis of Florida, Brad Little of Idaho, Eric Holcomb of Indiana, Kim Reynolds of Iowa, Jeff Landry of Louisiana, Tate Reeves of Mississippi, Mike Parson of Missouri, Greg Gianforte of Montana, Jim Pillen of Nebraska, Joe Lombardo of Nevada, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota, Mike DeWine of Ohio, Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, Kristi Noem of South Dakota, Bill Lee of Tennessee, Greg Abbott of Texas, Spencer Cox of Utah, Glenn Youngkin of Virginia, Jim Justice of West Virginia, and Mark Gordon of Wyoming.

The only one of the 27 Republican governors who didn't sign the letter was Gov. Phil Scott of Vermont. While a longstanding member of the RGA, Scott has a history of not attaching his name to many of their letters.

The letter was sent the day after many of the GOP governors dined with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.

President-elect Trump is hosting a group of Republican governors for dinner at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, Thursday evening.

The gathering comes a week and a half before the former and future president is inaugurated Jan. 20 and takes over the White House.

The meeting gives Trump a chance to speak with the GOP governors who will likely play an integral role in carrying out the Trump agenda in his second administration, including his push for mass deportation of immigrants with criminal records.

Among those attending the dinner are governors Ron DeSantis of Florida, Brian Kemp of Georgia, Glenn Youngkin of Virginia and Kim Reynolds of Iowa, Fox News confirmed.

AMERICA'S NEWEST GOVERNOR TAKES PAGE FROM TRUMP WITH DOGE-LIKE EFFORT

DeSantis, a one-time Trump ally who clashed with the former president in 2023 and early last year during a contentious 2024 GOP presidential nomination race, mended relations a bit with the former president after the primary season. 

DeSantis endorsed Trump and helped raise money for the Republican nominee's general election campaign.

THIS NEW GOVERNOR LOOKS FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

Reynolds, the conservative two-term governor, drew Trump's ire during the presidential primaries by endorsing DeSantis and serving as his top surrogate during the Iowa caucuses.

"Excited to meet with President @realDonaldTrump tonight at Mar-a-Lago," Reynolds wrote in a social media post. "I stand ready to help enact his agenda of Making America Safe, Prosperous, and Great Again!"

Youngkin, who mulled a 2024 White House run of his own before deciding against it, teamed up with Trump a couple of times during the general election campaign.

Kemp, who in November took over as chair of the Republican Governors Association, was heavily criticized by Trump after refusing to help Trump overturn his razor-thin defeat to President Biden in Georgia in the 2020 election. And Trump urged, and then supported, a 2022 GOP gubernatorial primary challenge against Kemp by former Sen. David Purdue. But the former president toned down his criticism of the governor after Kemp crushed Perdue to easily win renomination on his way to re-election.

The two politicians appeared to patch up their differences in recent months, as Kemp supported Trump in the general election.

Politico was first to report on Trump's dinner with the governors.

CONCORD, N.H. - The nation's newest governor is coming out of the starting gate by creating a new government efficiency commission that seems to be modeled, to a degree, on a similar national effort by President-elect Trump.

Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte of swing state New Hampshire, in her inaugural address on Thursday as she succeeded longtime GOP Gov. Chris Sununu, pointed to the state's budget challenges ahead due to the drying up of federal COVID relief funding for the states and a downturn in business revenues.

"We are going to have to look to find better ways to do things with fewer dollars," Ayotte said.

The new governor then said, "Because I know nothing is harder than getting politicians to not spend money, today I am announcing the creation of the Commission on Government Efficiency, or as I like to call it – the ‘COGE.’"

THIS NEW GOVERNOR LOOKS FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

Ayotte argued that "COGE will make us smarter than ever before when it comes to saving taxpayer dollars and finding better ways to serve the people of our state."

A couple of hours later, Ayotte signed her first executive order, which created the 15-member commission.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital ahead of her inauguration, Ayotte appeared to tease her proposal by emphasizing that "we look for new, efficient ways to do things better and serve taxpayers."

The move by New Hampshire's governor comes nearly two months after Trump, days after his presidential election victory, tapped Elon Musk, the world's richest person, and former Republican presidential candidate and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to steer what he called the "Department of Government Efficiency," better known by its acronym DOGE.

THE COMEBACK KID: ONE-TIME GOP RISING STAR RISES ONCE AGAIN WITH MAJOR GUBERNATORIAL VICTORY

Ayotte's proposal received plenty of applause from state lawmakers gathered at New Hampshire's Statehouse for the governor's inauguration. Republicans in November's elections made major gains as they strengthened their state House and state Senate majorities.

"I think it's a brilliant approach," Republican Mayor Jay Ruais of Manchester, New Hampshire's largest city, told Fox News. 

Ruais, considered a rising star in his party, emphasized "appointing a commission like this to go after any kind of bloat, I think, is a perfect approach and certainly going to be really beneficial for state government and also certainly helps us downstream at the local level as well."

New Hampshire Democrats obviously disagree.

"Governor Ayotte hasn’t been in office for a full twenty-four hours yet, and she is already laying the groundwork for massive budget cuts to services that people rely on. This is all thanks to years of failed Republican policies she championed," longtime New Hampshire Democratic Party chair Ray Buckley argued.

"Throughout her speech, one thing became clear – Kelly Ayotte is taking a page out of the Donald Trump playbook," Buckley claimed. "Governor Ayotte is following in Trump’s footsteps and setting on a dangerous and costly path for New Hampshire."

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THIS POPULAR REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR WHO DECIDED AGAINST SEEKING RE-ELECTION

Ayotte, a former U.S. senator, who previously served as a state attorney general, defeated Democratic gubernatorial nominee and former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig by nearly 10 points in November's election. Her victory kept the governor's office in GOP hands.

In her address, Ayotte praised her predecessor, whose policies she campaigned on continuing.

"New Hampshire is moving in the right direction, and no one deserves more credit for that after four terms at the helm than Governor Chris Sununu. Thank you, Governor," Ayotte said.

Looking ahead, Ayotte told GOP state legislative leaders, "I look forward to working with you … to marshal our Republican majorities over the next two years to deliver on the promises we made to keep our state moving in the right direction."

And Ayotte reiterated a longstanding pledge by New Hampshire Republicans that she is "not going to surprise anyone when I say this: no income tax, no sales tax, not now, not ever."

But Ayotte also extended an olive branch to Democrats and said, "My door is always open. Good government knows no party."

"I am going to be a governor for you, whether you’re a Republican, Democrat, Independent, you name it. Because our state is so much bigger than a party or an ideology," she added.

And Ayotte, who faced a barrage of attacks by Democrats over the issue of abortion during last year's gubernatorial campaign, repeated her vow to state lawmakers that "if you send me legislation that further restricts access to abortion beyond our current law: I will veto it."

Abortions are legal in New Hampshire through 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Ayotte also made headlines by announcing she'll move to ban cell phones in the state's public schools.

Pointing to her husband, Joe, a retired Air Force pilot who flew combat missions over Iraq and nowadays teaches middle school math, the governor said, "Joe and I talk about what he is seeing in the classroom and what his students need all the time. He and the thousands of teachers across our state are on the front lines of our education system. Teachers know uniquely what is working for our students and what isn’t. We need to listen to them.

"That’s why today I am announcing that we will be taking action to ban cell phones in our schools. Screens are negatively impacting our learning environments, drawing students' attention," Ayotte highlighted.

Sununu, in a Fox News Digital interview on the eve of Ayotte's inauguration, which was his last full day in office after eight years and four election victories (New Hampshire and neighboring Vermont are the only states in the nation to have two-year terms for governors), praised his successor.

"Kelly's been a great friend for decades. She's going to be a fantastic governor for New Hampshire. She's New Hampshire, born, bred, ready to go, hit the ground running with a great team here in the state," Sununu emphasized.

The outgoing governor added that while he's leaving office, he's always available for advice. "Anything I could possibly add, she knows she can call and text anytime," he said.

Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., received attention after falling at the U.S. Capitol Friday, Fox News has learned.

Foxx, who chairs the House Education Committee, reportedly fell on a staircase on the GOP side of the Capitol shortly after the House voted to re-elect Rep. Mike Johnson as speaker of the House. 

The congresswoman, 81, was bleeding after the incident and was being treated by Capitol medical personnel.

MIKE JOHNSON RE-ELECTED HOUSE SPEAKER AS GOP MUTINY THREAT DISSOLVES

The congresswoman appeared to have a bloody nose, but it is unknown if she suffered any serious injuries.

Foxx was seen walking after the incident and was reportedly being guided by medical attendants to the Capitol physician's office.

The congresswoman assured that she was OK after the fall with a humorous post on social media.

"Thank you to everyone for your prayers – just a few small cuts, and I’m doing just fine," Foxx wrote in a post on X. "I’m a mountain woman, and we’re tougher than a $2 steak."