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Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said that she is the only candidate that would beat President Joe Biden by double digits and initiate change, “all the way down to school boards.”

“Every one of those polls and against Biden, I beat him by double digits, by 17 points,” Haley said. “That’s bigger than the presidency, the House and the Senate. That’s governorships. That’s all the way down to school boards.”

“If you win by double digits going into D.C.-that’s a mandate,” Haley said. “A mandate to get our economy back on track and stop this wasteful spending, a mandate to get our kids reading again and go back to the basics when it comes to education, a mandate to secure our borders.”

“No more excuses,” Haley said.

HALEY CANCELS IN-PERSON CAMPAIGN STOPS, ALL BUT TWO DESANTIS EVENTS ALSO SCRAPPED DUE TO IOWA BLIZZARD

Republican presidential candidate former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley waves as she arrives to a campaign event at the Olympic Theater on January 11, 2024, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. ( Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Haley said that while she believes that former President Trump “was the right president at the right time,” he barely beats Biden “on a good day.”

“I think President Trump was the right president at the right time. I agree with a lot of his policies, but rightly or wrongly, chaos follows him…” Haley said. 

“And if you look at these general election polls right now and look at the head to head against Biden, look at any of them, Ron DeSantis doesn’t beat Biden,” Haley said. “Trump on a good day, might be up by two, but it’s head-to-head. It’ll be a nail biter of an election.”

Former U.N. Ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, speaks to the crowd at a campaign event in Ankeny, Iowa, on Jan. 11, 2024. (Fox News/Paul Steinhauser) (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

The two-term South Carolina governor who later served as ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration argued that she is the only candidate that beats Biden by double digits.

HALEY DIDN’T ASK CHRISTIE FOR HIS ENDORSEMENT IN 2024 RACE BUT SPOKE WITH HIM AFTER HOT MIC DISS

“In order to have that, it’s going to take a lot of courage,” Haley said. “Don’t complain about what happens in a general election if you don’t participate in this caucus. It matters.”

Former President Donald Trump, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy are vying for the Republican presidential primary nomination. (Getty Images)

A new poll, released Thursday, suggested that Haley had moved past Florida Govenor Ron DeSantis for a distant second place behind former President Trump.

According to a Suffolk University survey of 500 Iowa voters likely to participate in Monday’s GOP presidential caucuses, Trump stands at 54% support, with Haley at 20% and DeSantis at 13%.

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The poll was conducted from Jan. 6-10, when Haley and DeSantis faced off in a primetime debate in Iowa, while Trump simultaneously took part in a Fox News town hall.

Nikki Haley’s campaign office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gained 50 new endorsements from pastors and faith leaders across Iowa, bringing him to over 150 total endorsements from faith leaders in the final days before the Iowa caucuses.

DeSantis’ campaign confirmed to Fox News Digital that the 50 new endorsers plan to caucus for him on Monday.

Pastors pointed to DeSantis’ “unwavering faith” and his track record of defending religious liberty in Florida.

“Other candidates talk, but Ron DeSantis is a true man of unwavering faith and defender of religious liberty who we can trust to unite our nation and revive America,” Pastor Jeff Moes of Sunnybrook Community Church said. “I will be honored to support him on caucus night and encourage my fellow Iowans to do the same.” 

HALEY CANCELS IN-PERSON CAMPAIGN STOPS, ALL BUT TWO DESANTIS EVENTS ALSO SCRAPPED DUE TO IOWA BLIZZARD

Republican presidential candidate Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visits a campaign office on January 12, 2024, in Urbandale, Iowa.  (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

A sign indicates that three days remain until caucus day as Republican presidential candidate Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visits a campaign office on January 12, 2024, in Urbandale, Iowa.  (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Others pointed to his “Christian worldview” for why they are backing the Florida governor.

“I believe that Ron DeSantis is a political candidate whose core convictions are based upon principles of faith and a Christian worldview,” Pastor AJ Potter of Pleasantville Baptist Church said. “He has earned my respect and my full support for the upcoming caucus this Monday.”

Republican presidential candidate Florida Governor Ron DeSantis arrives for a campaign rally at the Thunderdome on December 2, 2023 in Newton, Iowa. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The 50 additional endorsements to DeSantis come after his campaign turned its attention to appealing to evangelical voters.

HALEY PULLS AHEAD OF DESANTIS IN BATTLE FOR DISTANT 2ND PLACE BEHIND TRUMP IN NEW IOWA POLL

In September, DeSantis launched his Faith and Family Coalition, which focused on his promise to “defend religious freedom, allow people of faith to flourish and advance the culture of life.”

A campaign sign sits in the window as Republican presidential candidate Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks to Northside Conservative Club members during a campaign stop on January 12, 2024 in Ankeny, Iowa.  (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Bob Vander Plaats, president and CEO of The Family Leader, an influential social conservative organization in Iowa, speaks at the group’s annual leadership summit, on July 14, 2023 in Des Moines, Iowa.  (The Family Leader)

In November, influential evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats endorsed DeSantis and has been campaigning regularly for him.

Vander Plaats, president and CEO of The Family Leader organization, has long played a vital role in a state where evangelical voters play an outsized role in Republican politics. 

Vander Plaats backed former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in 2008, former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania in 2012, and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas in 2016 – all three of whom went on to win the Iowa caucuses, but failed to capture the GOP presidential nomination.

Former President Donald Trump, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy are vying for the Republican presidential primary nomination. (Getty Images)

A new poll, released Thursday, suggested that former ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley had moved past DeSantis for a distant second place behind former President Trump.

According to a Suffolk University survey of 500 Iowa voters likely to participate in Monday’s GOP presidential caucuses, Trump stands at 54% support, with Haley at 20% and DeSantis at 13%.

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The poll was conducted from Jan. 6-10, when Haley and DeSantis faced off in a primetime debate in Iowa, while Trump simultaneously took part in a Fox News town hall.

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

President Biden spoke to small businesses Friday in and around the Philadelphia suburb of Allentown, which the White House said is experiencing an “economic comeback,” as he touts his “Bidenomics” agenda in an effort to shore up his record on the economy. 

Biden’s pitch Friday was that he’s been better for small businesses than former President Donald Trump, a billionaire, real estate magnate and reality television host who won the presidency in 2016 on the premise that he knows how to grow the economy.

“My name is Joe Biden and I work for the governor and the senator,” the president said as he stepped into the Nowhere Coffee Co. in Emmaus, Pennsylvania along with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pennsylvania. Biden ordered what appeared to be a mango smoothie. 

AMERICANS DESCRIBE STRUGGLES TO AFFORD FOOD WHILE BIDEN TOUTS STRONG ECONOMY: ‘I AM HONESTLY SCARED’

President Joe Biden speaks while visiting firefighters at the Allentown Fire Training Academy in Allentown, Pa., as Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., left, looks on. Earlier in the day, Biden had stopped into a trio of Pennsylvania stores to stress the value of small businesses and talk up his economic record.  (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

During a later stop at a firefighter training center in Allentown, Biden said people were beginning to feel positive about the economy, particularly inflation, which has receded from its June 2002 high of 9.1% to 3.4%. 

“If you notice, they’re feeling much better about how the economy is doing,” Biden said in response to a reporter’s question. “What we haven’t done is letting them know exactly who got it changed. … Everybody’s doing better and they believe it. They know it. And it’s just beginning to sink in.”

The president has repeatedly boasted about the economy amid inflation and rising interest rates that have been a barrier for many potential first-time home buyers. 

Under Biden, unemployment in Allentown sits at 3.9% and has reached a 20-year-low, according to figures provided to Fox News Digital by the White House. In addition, 32,000 jobs were added in the region and new business applications grew by more than 30% in 2022. 

BIDEN SAYS AUSTIN HAD LAPSE IN JUDGMENT FOLLOWING HOSPITALIZATION DEBACLE, SAY HE STILL HAS CONFIDENCE IN HIM

But the economic recovery touted by the White House stands in stark contrast to recent announcements of layoffs at some of the country’s most influential institutions in the banking, tech and business sectors. Citigroup plans to let go of 20,000 employees over the next two years, CFO Mark Mason said Friday.

A few hundred employees working on Google’s voice assistant unit and another few hundred people working on the augmented reality hardware team will also be let go. Amazon plans to layoff hundreds of workers by the end of the week at its Prime Video, MGM Studio and Twitch divisions.

Trump and a slew of Republican presidential contenders have hammered Biden’s record on the economy. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Nikki Haley said many Americans are still feeling the pinch of the increasing costs for everyday items. 

“Biden can say the economy is great all day long, but everybody knows that’s not true when they go to the grocery store and the gas station, or when they pay their mortgage and insurance,” Haley said. “Biden’s runaway spending is hurting American families. We need to stop the borrowing, stop the debt, and cut up the credit cards. But first, we have to retire Joe Biden from the White House.”

Fox News Digital reached out to other GOP presidential contenders for comment. 

Following the November jobs report released in early December, Biden boasted his administration had created “over 14 million jobs.” 

A Fox News poll released last month revealed only 14% of respondents said they were helped by Biden’s economic policies.

President Joe Biden’s motorcade is lined as he drives to the Allentown Fire Training Academy, Friday, Jan. 12, 2024, in Allentown, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (AP)

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Earlier this month, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Americans needed to give Biden’s economic policies more “time” to take effect as voters remain sour on the president.

“We get that, so it’s going to take a little bit of time for folks to feel what the ‘Bidenomics’ has been able to do,” she told MSNBC host Willie Geist. That’s not something that I’m saying. That’s something that economists have said, right? It takes a little bit of time. But it doesn’t mean, it doesn’t mean that the president is not going to continue to work.”

The Associated Press and Fox News Digital’s Hanna Panreck and Dana Blanton contributed to this report.

Rep. Jerry Nadler on Thursday argued the U.S. needs “many illegal immigrants” in the country to pick vegetables and keep them from rotting.

The New York Democrat made the remark during a House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement hearing about the “Impact of Illegal Immigration on Social Services.”

“We need immigrants in this country,” Nadler said. “Forget the fact that our vegetables would rot in the ground if they weren’t being picked by many immigrants — many illegal immigrants.

“The fact is the birth rate in this country is way below replacement level, which means our population is going to start shrinking,” he added. “And the ratio of people on Social Security and Medicare is going to increase relative to the number of people supporting them.”

TEXAS SEIZES CONTROL OF PARK, BLOCKS BORDER PATROL FROM ENTERING, AS PART OF ANTI-ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION EFFORTS

Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York said the U.S. needs “many illegal immigrants” in the country to pick vegetables. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Nadler’s comments drew the attention of social media users.

“Yes, all the millions of illegals from 150+ countries spanning the globe are going to Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, New York, etc. to work in the fields,” Stephen Miller, who served as a senior adviser to former President Trump, said on X.

“What a tired, vapid, exhausted and stupid cliche. Just utter nonsense.”

BIDEN LAWSUIT OVER TEXAS IMMIGRATION LAW LATEST ATTEMPT TO STIFLE STATE’S MOVES TO STOP ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

Nadler is not the only Democrat who has made this argument. In 2022, California Rep. Nancy Pelosi said farmers need illegal immigrants “to pick the crops” in Florida. Last year, Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said vegetables in her state would start “rotting” due to an anti-illegal immigrant law.

The illegal immigration crisis experienced a record-breaking month in December, with over 300,000 encounters at the southern border. The influx has continued to strain communities as migrants are bussed from the southern border to the north. 

Groups of migrants have been transported by bus and plane in an act of protest from southern states, most prominently Texas. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott began sending them to New York City and other sanctuary jurisdictions last year. 

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has transported illegal immigrants to sanctuary cities in the north. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

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Abbott’s office has said it has sent around 27,000 migrants to New York City since then and has done so to relieve pressure on the border communities.

ANKENY, Iowa – The temperatures were in the mid-teens, the winds were howling, and eight inches of snow had already covered the roads, with more coming down on Friday morning.

But the blast of winter weather didn’t stop Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis from holding an early morning campaign event in suburban Des Moines, with three days to go until the Iowa caucuses lead off the Republican presidential nominating calendar.

“I’m really impressed that so many people came out, given the weather,” DeSantis said to the crowd who came out to hear him and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds — who’s backing him — addressed the crowd at a meeting of the Northside Conservatives Club.

NEW POLL SUGGESTS HALEY’S MOVED INTO SECOND PLACE IN FINAL DAYS AHEAD OF IOWA CAUCUSES

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate, takes a selfie with a supporter at a campaign stop in Ankeny, Iowa on January 12, 2024. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

And minutes later, DeSantis said in a Fox News Digital interview that “we want people to be safe” in the tough weather conditions. But he pledged, “I’m going to show up” and emphasized that with the clock ticking toward the caucuses, “I’m going to use every minute I can to be able to win votes.”

WAS THE CANDIDATE WHO SKIPPED OUT ON THIS WEEK’S IOWA DEBATE THE WINNER OF THE COMBATIVE SHOWDOWN?

While the weather didn’t sidetrack DeSantis’ first campaign stop of the day, his remaining four stops in northern, central and eastern Iowa, which were being organized by Never Back Down, his aligned super PAC, were postponed.

Due to the rough road conditions across the Hawkeye State, the campaign of former ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley canceled their in-person events on Friday and instead were holding tele-town halls.

The snow piles up as the temperatures plunged in Ankeny, Iowa on January 12, 2024. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

“I’m sorry I’m not in Fort Dodge, but it was important for me to talk to you,” Haley emphasized at the top of one of her events.

WHAT NIKKI HALEY TOLD FOX NEWS ABOUT CHRIS CHRISTIE’S HOT MIC MOMENT

Asked if Haley should have hit the campaign trail regardless of the weather, DeSantis told Fox News “that’s for her to decide.”

“I believe in interacting with the voters,” he emphasized. “And anytime I get a chance to do that, I do it. And I think it helps us. We end up converting people.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate, speaks to the crowd at a Northside Conservatives Club event in Ankeny, Iowa, on January 12, 2024  (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

DeSantis did head over to his campaign headquarters in suburban Des Moines in the afternoon to speak with volunteers who were making calls to urge supporters to attend Monday’s caucuses.

HALEY KNOCKS MEDIA OVER EXPECTATIONS BUT PREDICTS ‘BIG SHOWING’ IN IOWA

The latest polls in Iowa indicate that DeSantis and Haley are battling for a distant second place behind former President Donald Trump, who remains the commanding front-runner in the caucus and in national surveys, as he makes his third straight White House run.

Former U.N. Ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, speaks to the crowd at a campaign event in Ankeny, Iowa, on January 11, 2024. (Fox News/Paul Steinhauser) (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Haley, who’s soared in recent months, now has second place all to herself and is closing the gap with Trump in New Hampshire, which holds the first primary and second overall contest in the GOP nominating calendar eight days after Iowa votes.

Asked whether he’s heading on to New Hampshire regardless of his finish in Iowa, DeSantis reiterated “We’re going to be in New Hampshire. Yeah.”

And he teased that “we’ll announce some town halls.”

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DeSantis in recent weeks has seemingly upped his criticism of Trump in his stump speeches and in interviews.

DeSantis pointed toward Dr. Anthony Fauci as he told the crowd, “The former president was out here the other day doing a town hall, and he said he had nothing to do with Fauci. And he said I was the one that was involved with Fauci. That is gaslighting. That is revisionist history. He elevated Fauci.”

Former President and 2024 Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump arrives to speak during a Fox News town hall in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 10, 2024.  (KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Fauci, who for nearly four decades served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was the public face of the White House efforts to battle the coronavirus during the Trump presidency. He later served as top medical adviser to President Biden before retiring.

DeSantis, who soared in popularity among conservatives nationwide for his vocal pushback against COVID restrictions from the federal government, has long targeted Fauci.

Minutes later, in his interview, DeSantis argued that Trump “tries to gaslight and tries to blame me on it, even though he’s on tape in 2020 praising Florida for being open and praising Florida for being free, because he knows it’s a vulnerability for him. . . . He’s just not willing to admit that he made a mistake on that.”

Responding, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung, in a statement to Fox News, charged that “Ron DeSantis and his entire campaign is just one giant gaslight of the American people. That’s why he keeps falling further and further, as his political career is dead.”

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

The centrist group No Labels is trying to reach out and speak with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — who this week ended his bid for the Republican presidential nomination — about a possible role in a potential third-party, bipartisan presidential ticket.

Sources in Christie’s political orbit confirmed to Fox News there has been outreach by No Labels but that the organization has not had any actual conversations with the former governor since he suspended his presidential campaign on Wednesday. 

Christie campaign manager Maria Comella on Thursday said that “neither the governor nor anyone on the campaign has had conversations with No Labels.”

Former Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, the party’s 2000 vice presidential nominee and a No Labels founding co-chair, said in a radio interview after Christie ended his White House bid that Christie “could be a very strong candidate” on the group’s proposed unity ticket.”

CHRISTIE ARGUES HALEY WILL GET ‘SMOKED’ IN HOT MIC MOMENT AS HE DROPS OUT OF THE 2024 RACE

Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie announces he is dropping out of the race during a town hall campaign event in Windham, New Hampshire, on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Christie, a longtime ally turned vocal GOP critic of former President Donald Trump, in June launched a second bid for the Republican nomination.

Asked in an interview in July if he’d consider joining a possible No Labels ticket, Christie shot down the idea, saying, “I think it’s a fool’s errand.”

“I’m not in this for showtime. I’m not in this for making a point. I’m in this to get elected President of the United States, and there are only two people who will get elected President of the United States: the Republican nominee for president and the Democratic nominee for president,” Christie said at the time in an interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s “This Week.” 

Lieberman, in a Sirius XM interview with Michael Smerconish, said Thursday that when Christie made his comments last summer “he basically said it was not an effort that had any chance of succeeding, but maybe the world will look different to him now.”

“I’d like to reach out to him and see if he, Gov. Christie, is at all interested in being on a bipartisan No Labels Unity ticket this year. He could be a very strong candidate,” Lieberman added. 

Lieberman called Christie “refreshingly independent” and said he “might well be” No Labels “material,” adding that “that’s the kind of candidate No Labels is looking for.”

No Labels has said it will pull the trigger on whether to launch a presidential ticket in March, following Super Tuesday, when a slew of states hold nominating contests.

Trump is the commanding front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, and plenty of political pundits argue that any third-party ticket fielded by No Labels would only benefit Trump in a likely rematch this November with President Biden.

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There’s also been a chorus of calls from Democrats warning that a No Labels ticket would pave a path to victory for Trump in next year’s election.

No Labels takes issue with that criticism, and has repeatedly pushed back on such notions.

“That’s not our goal here,” Lieberman told Fox News Digital last year. “We’re not about electing either President Trump or President Biden.”

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks with voters at a town hall in Hollis, New Hampshire, on Jan. 4, 2024. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Sources in Christie’s political orbit sounded skeptical when asked about the former governor joining any No Labels ticket. And they pointed to Christie’s comments on Wednesday as he dropped out of the race.

“I want to promise you this — I am going to make sure that in no way do I enable Donald Trump to ever be President of the United States again. And that’s more important than my own personal ambitions,” Christie emphasized as he suspended his campaign.

“Even though I am suspending this campaign, I am not going away, and my voice is not going away,” he added.

Referring to Trump, Christie stressed, “I am not going to be a part of a generation who willingly stands by and says, ‘It’s too hard. He’s too loud, he’s too strong.'”

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

The Oregon Supreme Court will not hear the case challenging former President Donald Trump’s eligibility to appear on the state’s ballot in this year’s presidential election. 

The court turned down the opportunity to hear the case, citing a lack of authority to handle the issue in the primary stage. 

“Today, the Oregon Supreme Court declined to hear, for now, a challenge by five Oregon voters (relators) seeking to preclude Donald J. Trump from appearing on the Oregon 2024 Republican primary and general election ballots,” a media release from the court announced Friday.

TRUMP BACKED BY 27 STATES IN SUPREME COURT FIGHT, WHO WARN OF 2024 ‘CHAOS’ IF HE’S REMOVED FROM BALLOT

Former President Donald Trump takes the stage during an organizing event at Fervent Calvary Chapel in Las Vegas.  (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Democrats in a handful of states across the U.S. are in the midst of legal battles to remove Trump’s name from state ballots, saying Trump’s actions on January 6, 2021, violated a clause in the 14th Amendment that prevents anyone who “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against the Constitution from holding political office.

DEMS’ PLAN TO STRIP TRUMP FROM NY BALLOT HAS NUMBER OF FLAWS UNDER STATE LAW: ELECTION EXPERT

The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on whether former President Trump will be on the Colorado Republican presidential primary ballot. 

The justices said they will hear the case on an expedited basis, with arguments on February 8.

The Oregon Supreme Court will not hear the case challenging former President Donald Trump’s eligibility to appear on the state’s ballot in this year’s presidential election.  (ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

“The petition for a writ of certiorari is granted. The case is set for oral argument on Thursday, February 8, 2024,” the SCOTUS decision said. “Petitioner’s brief on the merits, and any amicus curiae briefs in support or in support of neither party, are to be filed on or before Thursday, January 18, 2024.”

The SCOTUS justices issued an administrative stay that ordered the Colorado Secretary of State to put the former president’s name on the GOP primary ballot, at least until the case is decided.

The state supreme court left the door open to future petitions following an expected decision from the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the removal of candidates from the ballot under the 14th Amendment clause.

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The Oregon court’s media release said: “Because a decision by the United States Supreme Court regarding the Fourteenth Amendment issue may resolve one or more contentions that relators make in the Oregon proceeding, the Oregon Supreme Court denied their petition for mandamus, by order, but without prejudice to their ability to file a new petition seeking resolution of any issue that may remain following a decision by the United States Supreme Court.”

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.

President Biden is coming under fire from conservatives for posts he wrote as a presidential candidate in 2020, when he condemned then-President Trump for bombing Iran without congressional approval in light of Thursday’s bombing of Yemen by the Biden administration.

“Let’s be clear: Donald Trump does not have the authority to take us into war with Iran without Congressional approval,” Biden posted in January 2020 after Trump launched a strike that killed the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, Qassem Soleimani.

“A president should never take this nation to war without the informed consent of the American people,” Biden added.

“As President, I will use military power responsibly and as a last resort. We will not go back to forever wars in the Middle East,” Biden posted in February 2020 with the hashtag “#DemDebate.”

IN RARE MOVE TOP REPUBLICANS BACK BIDEN’S AIRSTRIKES ON HOUTHI REBELS IN YEMEN: ‘OVERDUE BUT WELCOME’

President Biden speaks during a news conference in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 12, 2023. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

On Thursday, the Biden administration announced it launched missile strikes in Yemen in response to attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels on ships in the Red Sea. That action, in addition to sparking outrage within the progressive left, prompted conservatives to bring up Biden’s previous posts on social media.

“It’s (D)ifferent when Biden does it,” conservative commentator Benny Johnson posted on X.

“This aged well,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., posted on X.

“:) when you’re a democrat they let you do it,” Washington Free Beacon reporter Joe Simonson posted on X.

YEMEN’S IRANIAN-BACKED HOUTHIS LAUNCH LARGEST RED SEA DRONE AND MISSILE ATTACK TO DATE

President Biden speaks in Bethesda, Maryland, on Dec. 14, 2023. (Chris Kleponis/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“Welp…,” combat veteran and author Sean Parnell posted on X.

Several conservatives also pointed out that the Biden administration lifted the terrorist designation for the Houthis in Yemen less than a month after Biden took office in 2021. Omri Ceren, who serves as a national security adviser to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, posted on X, “They knew they were doing bad things for bad reasons so they lied to the public and reporters about their decision. As the Houthis escalated, they couldn’t respond. They’re still doing it.”

Some Democrats took issue with Biden’s post as well, including Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib and progressive activist Nina Turner, who posted on X saying, “Tonight, @JoeBiden dropped bombs on Yemen without Congressional approval.”

“[Biden] is violating Article I of the Constitution by carrying out airstrikes in Yemen without congressional approval. The American people are tired of endless war,” Tlaib posted.

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Members of the Yemeni coast guard, affiliated with the Houthi group, patrol the sea as demonstrators march through the Red Sea port city of Hodeida in solidarity with the people of Gaza on Jan. 4, 2024, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the militant Hamas group in Gaza. (AFP via Getty Images)

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

President Biden said he had authorized the strikes “in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea — including the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history.” 

These Houthi attacks, Biden said, have endangered U.S. personnel and its allies and have threatened freedom of navigation.

“These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most critical commercial routes,” the president said. 

“I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.” 

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

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) didn’t report a staggering $7 billion in award-level obligations and outlays during fiscal year 2022, according to an inspector general audit released this week.

The EPA Office of the Inspector General (OIG) determined that the agency underreported its award-level outlays by $5.8 billion, or 99.9%, and its award-level obligations by $1.2 billion, or 12.9% during FY22, the period between October 2021 and September 2022. The agency further failed to report any of its Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act outlays and under-reported its coronavirus pandemic-related outlays.

“The lack of complete and accurate reporting also led to taxpayers being initially misinformed about the EPA’s spending, and policy-makers who relied on the data may not have been able to effectively track federal spending,” the OIG report concluded.

In response to the audit, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., blasted the EPA and called for increased transparency into its activities. 

JOE MANCHIN GOES SCORCHED-EARTH ON BIDEN ADMIN OVER EV ACTIONS BOOSTING CHINA

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan prepares to testify before the Senate Appropriations Committee on May 3, 2023. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“It’s outrageous and unacceptable that the EPA cannot keep track of its spending or inform Congress — and the American people — of how it is using taxpayer dollars,” McMorris Rodgers said in a statement Thursday. “This eye-opening report only further highlights the need for more transparency at the EPA.”

“It also raises questions about whether the agency is incapable of managing its record-high budget or if the agency is attempting to hide the amount of taxpayer dollars it is spending to advance the administration’s radical rush-to-green agenda,” she added. “The Energy and Commerce Committee will continue holding this administration accountable for its actions that are driving up costs across the board and hurting Americans.”

MICHIGAN DEMOCRAT SIGNED NDA INVOLVING CCP-TIED COMPANY, DOCUMENTS SHOW, CONTRADICTING HER PAST CLAIMS

The EPA ultimately corrected its FY22 figures in May 2023 as a result of the OIG audit while making configuration changes a month later. Overall, the inspector general made five recommendations which it said the agency agreed to make.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., speaks during a hearing on March 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The report, meanwhile, comes as the EPA both manages a massive green energy fund and continues to request a larger budget. The Inflation Reduction, Democrats’ massive climate and tax bill passed in 2022, created the $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which in turn establishes a national green bank to fund green projects nationwide.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS OPEN PROBE INTO BIDEN ADMIN FOR OPENING PUBLIC LANDS TO FOREIGN OWNERSHIP

And the White House is requesting that Congress approve a FY24 EPA budget of more than $12 billion, a record level. Republicans have aimed to reduce the EPA budget to about $6 billion, which would be the agency’s smallest budget since the early 1990s.

President Biden talks to EPA Administrator Michael Regan during an environmental justice event at the White House. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

“The Biden administration is using EPA as a pass through for taxpayer dollars to fund left-wing groups that aim to get Democrats elected, not improve the environment,” Mandy Gunasekara, a Heritage Foundation visiting fellow who served as the EPA’s chief of staff during the Trump administration, told Fox News Digital.

“A failure to report $7 billion is absurd and unacceptable, but also symbolic of how Team Biden operates: prioritizing their political goals over the needs of the American people,” she continued. “I’m glad Chair Rodgers is monitoring this and hope the committee brings forth the agency’s Chief Financial Officer to account for this serious oversight.”

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The EPA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sen. Rand Paul has released a video and launched a website on Friday declaring that he is “never Nikki” Haley in the 2024 presidential race. 

The Kentucky Republican made the announcement in a clip posted on X, in which he said “I’ve had a long relationship with Donald Trump and there is a lot to like there” and that “I am also a big fan of a lot of the fiscal conservatism of Ron DeSantis.” 

“I think Vivek Ramaswamy has been an important voice. Also, I’ve listened to and met with the independent Bobby Kennedy,” he continued. “I’m not yet ready to make a decision, but I am ready to make a decision on someone who I cannot support, so I’m announcing this morning that I am never Nikki.” 

Paul then directed viewers toward the website NeverNikki.net, which outlines his criticisms of the former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador. The website features a red line through the name Nikki and says it is “paid for by Rand Paul for US Senate.” 

HALEY KNOCKS MEDIA OVER EXPECTATIONS BUT PREDICTS ‘BIG SHOWING’ IN IOWA CAUCUSES 

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., came out Friday against 2024 Republican presidential primary candidate Nikki Haley. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/Charlie Neibergall/AP)

“I don’t think any informed or knowledgeable libertarian or conservative should support Nikki Haley. I’ve seen her attitude towards our interventions overseas, I’ve seen her involvement in the military industrial complex,” Paul said in the video. “But I’ve also seen her indicate that she thinks you should be registered to use the internet.” 

“I think she fails to understand our republic was founded upon people like Ben Franklin, Sam Adams, Madison, John Jay and others who posted routinely – for fear of the government – they posted routinely anonymously,” Paul concluded. “And I think her failure to really understand that or to think that you should register through the government somehow for the internet is something that should disqualify her in the minds of all libertarian-leaning conservatives.” 

Paul elaborated on the website that Haley’s views on the internet “flies in the face of a free American Republic whose founders wrote anonymously the Federalist Papers and routinely posted newspaper articles and pamphlets under Pseudonyms.” 

CRITICS RIP NIKKI HALEY OVER VOW TO REQUIRE ALL SOCIAL MEDIA USERS BE VERIFIED 

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley speaks during a campaign event at the Olympic Theater on Jan. 11 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Haley was ripped by critics in November after she vowed to require all social media users be verified in the name of “national security.” 

“When I get into office, the first thing we have to do, social media accounts, social media companies, they have to show America their algorithms. Let us see why they’re pushing what they’re pushing. The second thing is every person on social media should be verified by their name,” Haley said during an appearance on Fox News at the time.  

“First of all, it’s a national security threat. When you do that, all of a sudden people have to stand by what they say. And it gets rid of the Russian bots, the Iranian bots and the Chinese bots. And then you’re going to get some civility when people know their name is next to what they say, and they know their pastor and their family members are going to see it,” she added. 

 Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley speaks at a campaign town hall in Rye, New Hampshire, on Jan. 2, 2024. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)

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Haley later clarified her remarks in an appearance on CNBC, saying “I don’t mind anonymous American people having free speech, what I don’t like is anonymous Russians and Chinese and Iranians having free speech.” 

Fox News’ Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report. 

ANKENY, Iowa — A new poll in Iowa suggests that Nikki Haley has pulled ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for a distant second place behind former President Trump in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

But Haley appears to be staying disciplined when it comes to dabbling in expectations ahead of Monday’s caucuses, which kick off the GOP 2024 nominating calendar.

“The media loves to set expectations,” Haley said in an interview with Fox News in this Iowa city in suburban Des Moines. 

And repeating her well-used line, the former South Carolina governor who later served as ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration said “[M]y expectation for myself is to come out strong in Iowa, to come out strong in New Hampshire, and to come out strong in South Carolina.”

WHAT NIKKI HALEY TOLD FOX NEWS ABOUT CHRIS CHRISTIE’S HOT MIC MOMENT

Former Ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, poses for photos with supporters and other Iowa voters at a campaign event in Ankeny, Iowa, on Jan. 11, 2024. (Fox News/Paul Steinhauser)

New Hampshire holds the first primary and votes second in the Republican schedule, eight days after Iowa. And her home state holds the first southern contest in late February.

Leaving a bit of wiggle room, Haley added that “we’re not going to know what strong looks like until we see what the results are.”

NEW POLL SUGGESTS HALEY’S MOVED INTO SECOND PLACE IN FINAL DAYS AHEAD OF IOWA CAUCUSES

But Haley, pointing to her just-concluded campaign event, touted that “our people are excited. The momentum is real on the ground. You saw we had 300 people in that room. I think we’re going to really make a big showing.”

Former U.N. Ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, speaks to the crowd at a campaign event in Ankeny, Iowa, on Jan. 11, 2024. (Fox News/Paul Steinhauser)

Haley, who launched her White House campaign 11 months ago, grabbed momentum during the autumn thanks to well-regarded debate performances. And in recent weeks, she caught up with DeSantis for second place in polls in Iowa and in national surveys.

DeSantis has staked much of his campaign on a strong finish in Iowa. And there’s rampant speculation about what he’ll do if he finishes behind Haley in the caucuses.

WAS THE CANDIDATE WHO SKIPPED OUT ON THIS WEEK’S IOWA DEBATE THE WINNER OF THE COMBATIVE SHOWDOWN?

Haley also surpassed DeSantis and surged to second place and narrowed the gap with Trump in New Hampshire.

Campaign signs for Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley are placed on a snowbank in Waukee, Iowa, on Jan. 9, 2024. (Fox News/Deirdre Heavey)

Iowa, which is used to brutal winter weather, is getting hit especially hard right this week. Heavy snow and high winds were slamming the state on Friday, and temperatures below zero degrees Fahrenheit were forecast for the weekend and into Monday and Tuesday.

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There are concerns by the campaigns that the frigid weather could depress turnout on caucus night.

Haley told Fox News “it’s about, are going to get people out with negative 15-degree temperatures. … I really think that we’re going to have them, you know, brave that cold.”

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

Senior Republicans are showing support for President Biden’s decision to launch coordinated airstrikes against Houthi rebel targets in Yemen. 

“I welcome the U.S. and coalition operations against the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists responsible for violently disrupting international commerce in the Red Sea and attacking American vessels,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in a statement. “President Biden’s decision to use military force against these Iranian proxies is overdue.”

“I am hopeful these operations mark an enduring shift in the Biden Administration’s approach to Iran and its proxies. To restore deterrence and change Iran’s calculus, Iranian leaders themselves must believe that they will pay a meaningful price unless they abandon their worldwide campaign of terror,” he added.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Mike McCaul, R-Texas, who said he was meeting with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when the strikes were called, also praised the actions. He also called on Biden to restore the Houthis’ terror designation.

“I’m pleased the president, in coordination with our allies, finally took action against the Iran-backed Houthis following weeks of instability in the Red Sea. Tonight, with these strikes, we are beginning to restore deterrence. The administration must acknowledge it was a mistake to rescind the Houthis designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, and re-list them immediately,” he said.

Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, similarly called the action “overdue” and accused the Biden administration of contributing to the increasingly hostile situation in the Red Sea, but said the strikes were “a good first step toward restoring deterrence in the Red Sea.”

FETTERMAN BLASTS SOUTH AFRICA ‘GENOCIDE’ CASE AGAINST ISRAEL AMID SLAYINGS OF WHITE FARMERS

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell praised the Biden administration’s decision to strike Yemeni targets (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

“I appreciate that the administration took the advice of our regional commanders and targeted critical nodes within Houthi-controlled Yemeni territory. It is important that we follow this action in close consultation with our Saudi partners to ensure they are with us as the situation develops,” Wicker said.

“This strike does not change the basic facts: for weeks, the Houthis have launched drones and missiles at our sailors, while the Biden administration has trumpeted a maritime task force…It is time to dispense with the hollow talk of ‘joint resolutions’ and ‘maritime task forces.’ This strike should be a warning to the Houthis and other Iranian proxies that they will suffer catastrophic consequences from escalation in the region.”

US INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS WARN HEZBOLLAH MAY TARGET MAINLAND US DURING WAR IN ISRAEL: REPORT 

President Biden announced in a statement that the U.S. led a coordinated airstrike in Yemen with the U.K. and support from Canada, Australia and Bahrain.

He said the targets were “used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways.”

President Biden announced the joint strike on Thursday night (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital)

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., an ally of former President Trump’s, said he was “very supportive of the Biden Administration’s decision to strike Houthi rebels who have been harassing international shipping and trying to attack Israeli and American interests.”

“It’s long past time to let Iran know that we will hold them accountable for the actions of their proxies – in this case, the Houthi rebels. The only language radical Islamic groups understand is force. I hope the Biden Administration understands that their deterrence policy has completely failed,” Graham wrote on X.

TOP BIDEN ADVISER VISITS BEIRUT AS ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH NEAR ALL-OUT WAR

Even rank-and-file Republicans have been issuing cautious and rare praise for the move. Rep. John James, R-Mich., a military combat veteran who served in Iraq, told Fox News Digital, “The Houthis are a terrorist organization. They have been striking at U.S. military personnel since late last year and must be destroyed.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., also supported the move (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

“I pray for the safety of our brave military personnel engaging,” James said.

Top Democrats in Congress are also backing Biden’s move, while some further to the left are angry with him for bypassing Capitol Hill to do it.

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“While I support these targeted, proportional military strikes, I call on the Biden Administration to continue its diplomatic efforts to avoid escalation to a broader regional war and continue to engage Congress on the details of its strategy and legal basis as required by law,” Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said.

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said however, “The President needs to come to Congress before launching a strike against the Houthis in Yemen and involving us in another middle east conflict.”
 

Former President Trump slammed Hunter Biden during his Fox News Town Hall in Iowa on Wednesday night calling him out for selling his artwork for large sums of money.

“I don’t get $8 million for doing nothing like Hunter,” Trump said. “I don’t get I don’t get $500,000. I don’t get $500,000 for doing a painting. It’s not a bad idea, I guess, if you can get away with it. When I heard that when I said there’s no way they get away with that. But they got away with that. I guess they got away with it.”

“Now we have you know, there was an emoluments lawsuit against me where the radical left, sued me for that, and I won the suit.”

Trump was responding to a question on accusations from Democrats that he illegally profited from his businesses during his time in office.

HUNTER BIDEN MAKES SHOCKING APPEARANCE AT HIS OWN CONTEMPT HEARING

Donald Trump and Hunter Biden (Associated Press)

“I own hotels, all over the, I don’t get free money,” Trump said. “Somebody rents a hotel room, etc, etc. Much money I gave back. In fact, I didn’t have to do it. You know, George Washington was a very rich man. People don’t know that, in his essentially White House, which wasn’t built, but they had an office, he had a business desk and he had a country desk right next to each other. You’re allowed to do that. I didn’t do it.”

“I put everything in trust. And if I have a hotel and somebody comes in from China, that’s a small amount of money. And it sounds like a lot of money. That’s a small. But I was doing services for that. People were staying in these massive hotels, these beautiful hotels, because I have the best hotels, I have the best clubs, I have the best clubs, I have great stuff and they stay there and they pay.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Hunter Biden’s legal team for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

HOUSE GOP SAYS HUNTER BIDEN ‘VIOLATED FEDERAL LAW’ BY DEFYING SUBPOENA, PREPARE CONTEMPT RESOLUTION

Hunter Biden (JosiahW/Backgrid)

Republican investigators have suggested they are suspicious over whether Hunter Biden’s art career, which began in recent years, has led to any conflicts of interest between wealthy buyers and the White House.

Hunter Biden’s art dealer told lawmakers in the House of Representatives on Tuesday that he has never discussed the paintings with the White House seemingly contradicting past statements from the White House on that matter.

Trump previously blasted the Justice Department’s Hunter Biden indictment in mid September as the “only crime” that doesn’t “implicate” the President Joe Biden.

Biden’s son was indicted on Sept. 14 for making false statements and unlawfully possessing a firearm.

Trump claimed in a Truth Social post at the time that the gun charge was “the only crime that Hunter Biden committed that does not implicate Crooked Joe Biden.”

Hunter Biden, in an indictment filed in federal court in Delaware by a special counsel overseeing the case, was accused of lying about his drug use when he purchased a weapon in 2018, during a time when he’s acknowledged struggling with a crack cocaine addiction.

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President Joe Biden speaks during an event at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, US, on Thursday, Dec. 14 2023. (Chris Kleponis/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Late in the year, Trump took another shot at Hunter Biden for skipping his closed-door congressional deposition in mid December and joked that the presidential scion “went to the wrong place” on Capitol Hill.The former president joked that Hunter went to the Senate side of the U.S. Capitol when he should have gone to the House side.

Fox News’ Gabriele Regalbuto, Elizabeth Elkind, Andrew Murray, Paul Steinhauser and Houston Keene contributed to this report.

ANKENY, Iowa – Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley says she spoke with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Thursday morning but didn’t ask for his endorsement following his departure from the GOP nomination race.

And Haley, in a Fox News interview in Iowa following a campaign event in this city in suburban Des Moines, said that when she wished him well on Wednesday after his campaign suspension, she wasn’t aware of his derogatory comments about her that were caught in a viral hot mic moment.

Christie, who was making his second bid for the White House, dropped out of the race at a town hall event in Windham, New Hampshire, saying “it’s clear to me tonight that there isn’t a path for me to win the nomination.”

Christie, a long-shot for the nomination in a race dominated by former President Trump, in recent weeks had faced increased calls from fellow Republicans and from some voters to end his bid to give Haley a boost as she aims to close the gap with Trump.

CHRISTIE ARGUES HALEY WILL GET ‘SMOKED’ IN HOT MIC MOMENT AS HE DROPS OUT OF THE 2024 RACE

Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie announces that he is dropping out of the race during a town hall campaign event on Jan. 10, 2024, in Windham, New Hampshire. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Haley, a former two-term South Carolina governor who later served as ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration, has soared in recent months to become the main rival to the former president, who’s making his third straight White House run.

Ahead of his announcement on Wednesday, Christie was heard on a microphone, apparently without knowing it, saying that Haley was “going to get smoked” by Trump, who is the commanding front-runner for the nomination.

“She’s not up for this,” he added.

Christie also took two digs at Haley during his speech.

NEW POLL SUGGESTS HALEY’S MOVED INTO SECOND PLACE IN FINAL DAYS AHEAD OF IOWA CAUCUSES

After Christie suspended his campaign, Haley wrote on social media that “Chris Christie has been a friend for many years. I commend him on a hard-fought campaign. Voters have a clear choice in this election: the chaos and drama of the past or a new generation of conservative leadership. I will fight to earn every vote, so together we can build a strong and proud America.”

Former U.N. Ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, poses for photos with supporters and other Iowa voters at a campaign event in Ankeny, Iowa, on Jan. 11, 2024. (Fox News/Paul Steinhauser)

Asked Thursday by Fox News whether she was aware of Christie’s cutting remarks in the hot mic moment, Haley said, “I didn’t know about the open mic comments.”

“But I do wish Chris well, it’s personal to get in a race. It’s personal to get out of a race. So, I know how tough that must be. But at the same time, I’m not like the fellas. Politics is not personal for me,” she added.

WAS THE CANDIDATE WHO SKIPPED OUT ON THIS WEEK’S IOWA DEBATE THE WINNER OF THE COMBATIVE SHOWDOWN?

And Haley told Fox News that “I did talk to him this morning and just told him I appreciated his … commitment to this race. But no, we didn’t ask him for an endorsement.”

Haley was interviewed the day after she and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis faced off in a combustible prime-time debate in the closing days before Iowa’s Jan. 15 caucuses kick off the Republican presidential nominating calendar.

Former U.N. Ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis participate in the Republican presidential nomination debate at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

The verbal fireworks ignited moments into the debate, with DeSantis charging that Haley was a “mealymouthed politician who just tells you what she thinks you want to hear just to try to get your vote.”

Haley immediate hit back, labeling DeSantis a liar.

“What we’re going to do is rather than have him go and tell you all these lies, you can go to DeSantislies.com and look at all of those,” Haley said in the first of at 10 references to a new campaign website.

Haley disagreed when asked if promoting the website was overkill.

“I wasn’t saying it to be repetitious, but I was saying it because every time he lied, I had to include it. Look, we have a country to save. People want real facts. They want real solutions. And this is the part of politics that I don’t like, that Americans don’t like. They don’t like the fact that people throw out stories to see if they can make one stick,” Haley said.

And she explained that “we just put up a website up there. You can go to the website, you can look at all the stuff he’s saying and see what the fact-checkers say and show that it’s false. And so I think that’s the easier way to handle it.”

A couple of times in the debate, DeSantis touted his own campaign website, which is full of opposition research clips of Haley.

On Thursday, DeSantis said at a campaign stop that Haley messed up by referring to the website.

“I think she really stepped in it by repeating that ridiculous website. People were groaning in the audience that she was doing it for the 10th, 12th time,” DeSantis said in Iowa.

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Haley grabbed momentum last autumn, thanks to well-regarded debate performances. And in recent weeks, she caught up with DeSantis for second place in the polls in Iowa and in national surveys. A fresh survey released Thursday by Suffolk University indicated Haley seven points ahead of DeSantis for a distant second place behind Trump.

Haley also surpassed DeSantis and surged to second place and narrowed the gap with Trump in New Hampshire, which holds the first primary — just eight days after Iowa’s caucuses.

After New Hampshire, the GOP nomination spotlight shifts to her home state, which holds the first southern contest on Feb. 24.

Sen. Tim Scott, South Carolina’s junior U.S. senator, ended his own White House bid in November. (Fox News/Paul Steinhauser)

Sen. Tim Scott, South Carolina’s junior U.S. senator, ended his own White House bid in November. 

Asked if she’s actively seeking Scott’s endorsement, Haley said “we’ve had a conversation and right now we’re focused on Iowa. Then we’ll focus on New Hampshire, then we’ll focus on South Carolina. We’re taking it one state at a time.”

Fox News’ James Levinson contributed reporting.

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

Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy has filed an amicus brief at the Supreme Court in support of former President Donald Trump’s efforts to remain on state ballots.

“President Trump’s political opponents have sought to disqualify him from the ballot in multiple states because they fear they cannot beat him in a free and fair election,” Ramaswamy noted in the filing. “Needless to say, the distress of competing against a formidable opponent cannot justify disqualification under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment. The consequences of affirming the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision will extend far beyond the dispute over President Trump’s eligibility.”

“Specifically, this Court’s blessing of the state supreme court’s interpretation of Section 3 will warp incentives for state decision-makers and voters alike,” Ramaswamy added in the filing. “For secretaries of state and state supreme court justices, the path to national notoriety will be illuminated: To enhance your credibility among copartisans, simply concoct a reason to declare a disfavored presidential candidate of the opposing party ineligible to run for office.”

TRUMP BACKED BY 27 STATES IN SUPREME COURT FIGHT, WHO WARN OF 2024 ‘CHAOS’ IF HE’S REMOVED FROM BALLOT

Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy filed an amicus brief at the Supreme Court on Thursday in support of former President Donald Trump’s efforts to remain on state ballots. (Getty Images)

“For voters, the message will be equally clear: Scour the records of disfavored candidates for speeches containing martial rhetoric, or even policies that had unintended consequences, and then file challenges under Section 3. The number of Section 3 complaints will proliferate, as will the number of divergent outcomes.”

The amicus brief was filed Thursday as the Supreme Court gears up to hear arguments on whether Trump should remain on the Colorado Republican presidential primary ballot. The justices said they will hear the case on an expedited basis, with arguments on February 8.

The justices issued an administrative stay that orders the Colorado Secretary of State to put the former president’s name on the GOP primary ballot, at least until the case is decided. The high court said that the briefs are due by January 31.

The justices pose for an official photo at the Supreme Court. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

Ramaswamy said Wednesday that he planned to file the amicus brief at the Supreme Court in hopes that it would “overturn Coloarado’s disastrous decision to try to keep Donald Trump off the ballot.”

SUPREME COURT TO DECIDE IF TRUMP BANNED FROM COLORADO BALLOT IN HISTORIC CASE

In the clip announcing the filing, Ramaswamy said the court should overturn Colorado’s decision because it’s “the right thing to do for this country.”

“I feel a sense of obligation to do that as somebody who understands the Constitution,” he said. “It’s my belief that every other Republican, myself included, needs to withdraw from any ballot that forcibly withdraws Donald Trump from the primary.”

The Colorado Supreme Court decision was the first time in history that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment was used to bar a presidential contender from the ballot. 

The state’s highest court concluded that Trump “engaged in insurrection” over his role in the January 6, 2021, protests at the U.S. Capitol.

The Colorado Supreme Court decision was the first time in history that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment was used to bar a presidential contender from the ballot. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

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The historical hearing will consider the meaning of the 14th Amendment, which bars people who “engaged in insurrection” from holding public office. 

The amendment was adopted in 1868, following the Civil War.

Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.

Gov. Brian Kemp used his State of the State speech to draw contrasts between his Republican philosophy and Democrats in an election year when the presidency and all of Georgia’s state House and Senate seats are on the ballot, but the Republican Kemp himself doesn’t face the voters.

Combined with that heavy dose of politics is good news for the pocketbooks of state employees and public school teachers. Kemp says he wants to give a 4% cost of living increase to public employees and an equivalent $2,500 raise to teachers. That’s possible because the state is on track for another multibillion-dollar surplus despite slowing tax revenues, and has banked nearly $11 billion in extra cash in previous years.

Echoing his economic message from his 2022 reelection and his pledge to put “Georgians First” from his 2018 campaign, Kemp on Thursday painted his policies as bringing opportunity and prosperity, while calling on voters to reject “Washington D.C.” because of high inflation and overregulation.

GEORGIA GOV. KEMP ANNOUNCES $1K YEAR-END BONUS FOR TEACHERS, STATE EMPLOYEES: ‘WHOLLY APPROPRIATE’

“They will see what we’ve achieved together at the state level to make Georgia an even greater place to live, work and raise a family,” Kemp said. “And they’ll see the hardships Washington, D.C. has brought into every home and placed on every kitchen table across our state.”

Kemp contrasted his economic record, including low unemployment, big industrial announcements and billions in tax rebates and tax cuts with inflation and high prices that he said are squeezing Georgians.

“These are the people that Washington, D.C. has left behind,” Kemp said. “Because for every challenge our nation faces, the federal response is to spend more, regulate more, tax more, and come up with yet another government program meant to cure every ill.”

Republican Gov. Kemp of Georgia delivers his State of the State speech in Atlanta, Jan. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

That national message lines up with the political profile Kemp has built after weathering the storm of COVID-19, overcoming Donald Trump’s attempt to torpedo his reelection and then vanquishing Democratic superstar Stacey Abrams for a second time.

Kemp cultivates a profile of a steady conservative who doesn’t alienate moderates. In some ways, he’s enjoying the fruits of his second term, including a trip next week to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, for a second year in a row.

But Kemp is also tending a political organization that suggests future plans. His organization plans to support Republican candidates in this year’s state legislative elections, but also could help Kemp if he were to run for U.S. Senate or even president.

In line with that political future, Kemp framed themes Thursday to rally Republicans and dismay Democrats, making his strongest push to date for a school voucher bill and emphasizing support for a much-disputed police and fire training center.

The governor was a late supporter last year of a proposal that would give a $6,500 educational savings account to parents to pay for private school tuition or homeschooling supplies. But he voiced full-throated support Thursday for a bill that failed to pass because 16 House Republicans voted against it.

“Our job is not to decide for each family — but to support them in making the best choice for their child,” Kemp said.

GEORGIA GOV. KEMP APPOINTS LAUREN CURRY AS FIRST WOMAN CHIEF OF STAFF

Kemp again hit on support for the training center — derided as “Cop City” by opponents — by honoring state Trooper Jerry Parrish in his speech. Officials say Parrish was shot and wounded by Manuel Paez Terán in January 2023 when officers were trying to clear protesters occupying the property that includes the training center.

A report identified Parrish as one of six troopers who fired guns at Paez Terán, who was inside a tent. The troopers who fired on Paez Terán weren’t wearing body cameras, and Paez Terán’s family and other activists have expressed skepticism about law enforcement’s account of the shooting.

But Kemp voiced no doubts, continuing to proclaim his support for the training center, an issue his aides believes makes some Democrats look anti-police.

“As long as I’m your governor, there will be no gray area or political double talk,” Kemp said. “We will support our law enforcement officers. We will support our firefighters and first responders. And the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center needs to be built — period!”

Kemp also emphasized law enforcement support for by proposing an additional $3,000 pay raise for state law enforcement officers including troopers and prison guards atop the 4% raise for all employees. He also called on lawmakers to repay police officers’ college loans.

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The governor promised a substantial increase in spending on mental health, increasing crisis center beds and paying more to mental health workers and service providers.

But Kemp also said he would spend to reduce the state’s debt, proposing $500 million to reduce the unpaid liability in the pension fund that covers most noneducation state employees.

Kemp defended his record on health care, even as his partial expansion of Medicaid has come under fire, signing up fewer than 3,000 people over its first six months. Kemp didn’t mention the Pathways program, which offers insurance to low-income adults who meet work, education or community service requirements. Instead, he focused on his much more popular backing of subsidies that has helped bring down premiums and persuade more insurers to offer coverage in rural areas of the state.

Notably, Kemp also didn’t outline a position on whether Georgia should make a fuller expansion of Medicaid coverage to low income adults, as state House Speaker Jon Burns says he wants to explore.

FIRST ON FOX: The House Oversight Committee will hold a hearing next week looking at what Republicans in the majority say are the regulatory and policymaking moves by the Biden administration that “undermine” U.S. immigration law.

The hearing, “The Biden Administration’s Regulatory and Policymaking Efforts to Undermine U.S. Immigration Law” will take place on Wednesday and will “examine how the Biden administration has engaged in a regulatory and policymaking onslaught against the rule of U.S. immigration law.”

Witnesses include Joseph Edlow, who served as acting U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) director and chief counsel during the Trump administration, and former acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Thomas Homan. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill will also be a witness at the hearing.

REPUBLICANS, DEMS SPAR AT MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT HEARING AS STATE AGS DESCRIBE IMPACT OF MIGRANT CRISIS 

Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., arrives for the House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing titled “Unsuitable Litigation: Oversight of Third-Party Litigation Funding” in Rayburn Building on Wednesday, September 13, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

The hearing comes as Republicans have been focused on the Biden administration’s immigration policies amid the historic and still ongoing crisis at the southern border, where numbers exceeded 300,000 encounters for the first time in December.

“The crisis at our southern border is a crisis of the Biden Administration’s own making. President Biden and his administration’s unilateral actions to unravel the rule of law have created the worst border crisis in U.S. history,” Chairman James Comer said in a statement announcing the hearing. 

“Cartel drug smuggling and human trafficking are surging, terrorists are exploiting the crisis, and communities are overwhelmed by illegal aliens being released by the Biden Administration,” he said. “The Biden Administration refuses to reverse course and has the gall to ask for more money to throw at the problem. No amount of money can fix bad policy. It’s past time to put deterrent-focused policies in place and this hearing is a great opportunity to hear from experts what that looks like.”

Republicans have clashed with Democrats and the administration over the handling of the crisis, with Republicans blaming the surge in migration on administration policies including the release of migrants into the interior and the rolling back of Trump-era enforcement like border wall construction and the Remain-in-Mexico policy.

The administration has said it is dealing with a hemisphere-wide challenge and working within a “broken” system that needs more funding and comprehensive immigration reform. It has also pointed to what it says are large numbers of removals, more than a million in FY 22 and FY 22, and more fentanyl seized in two years than the prior five years combined. 

MAYORKAS TELLS BORDER PATROL AGENTS THAT ‘ABOVE 85%’ OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS RELEASED INTO US: SOURCES 

Currently, negotiations are ongoing in the Senate about potential compromises in order to pass the White House’s budget supplemental request, including $14 billion for the border. Republicans have demanded stricter limits on asylum and the use of parole to release migrants into the interior.

Dec. 12, 2023: Migrants are processed in Eagle Pass, Texas. (Fox News)

Meanwhile, in the House, Republicans have launched impeachment hearings against DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, arguing that he has refused to enforce the laws passed by Congress. DHS has pushed back, saying the process is “harmful to the Department and its workforce and undercuts vital work across countless national security priorities.” 

“Unlike like those pursuing photo ops and politics, Secretary Mayorkas is working relentlessly to fix the problem by working with Republican and Democratic Senators to find common ground and real solutions,” a memo the department released Thursday said.

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Mayorkas also drew support from Democrats on the Committee with Ranking Member Bennie Thompson saying that Mayorkas is “doing his job across all the department’s many critical homeland security missions, including border security and immigration enforcement.”

“Despite what Republicans would have Americans believe, Secretary Mayorkas is enforcing immigration law,” he said.