Former President Donald Trump said Monday afternoon that his “first call” if re-elected to the Oval Office will be made to Chinese President Xi Jinping to enforce a trade deal from the end of his tenure as 45th president. 

“My first call, I’m going to call up President Xi. I’m going to say, ‘You have to honor the deal you made. We made a deal. You’d buy $50 billion worth of American farm product.’ And I guarantee you he will buy it. 100% he will buy it,” Trump said Monday during a campaign event in Smithton, Pennsylvania. 

Trump struck a trade deal with China in 2020 that included Beijing’s commitment to halt intellectual property theft, refrain from currency manipulation, cooperate in financial services and purchase an additional $200 billion of U.S. products over two years, including up to $50 billion of U.S. agriculture. 

In return, the U.S. vowed to reduce tariffs on some products made in China, but keep duties the White House has imposed on $375 billion worth of merchandise. 

US, CHINA SIGN HISTORIC PHASE ONE TRADE DEAL

The deal was dubbed the “phase one” trade agreement and came amid the U.S. and China’s 18-month trade war.

“Biden and Harris, they’re never going to enforce anything… That group is a disaster. It’s a disaster for our country in so many ways, but certainly the farmers are one of those ways,” Trump said of the current administration and the deal. 

The 45th president joined a panel of farmers on Monday afternoon as part of a Protecting America Initiative event, which is a group led by Trump’s acting director of national intelligence Richard Grenell and former New York Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin that works to prevent China from infiltrating U.S. “farmland, food supply, education system, energy production, manufacturing chains, and our national security.”

WHY ‘PHASE ONE’ CHINA TRADE DEAL DOESN’T NEED CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL, UNLIKE USMCA

Trump added that in addition to calling on China to honor its 2020 trade deal, he would tell Xi to enforce a death penalty on fentanyl dealers sending the fatal drug to the U.S. via the Mexico border. 

STOCKS CELEBRATE PHASE ONE TRADE DEAL WITH RECORD HIGHS

“Second thing I’m going to do is, I’m going to say you have to give the death penalty to your fentanyl dealers who are sending fentanyl. You know, in China, they give the death penalty. They don’t have a drug problem because they give the death penalty,” Trump said. 

“But I’m going to say, second thing — and this affects you also, it affects everybody,” Trump told the panel of farmers. “… We’re losing hundreds of 1,000s of people a year. Comes through the southern border. Now, the weakest border in history. It was the best border we ever had when I was there. We built hundreds of miles of wall and everything else, and it was the best border. Now it’s a weakest. I had a handshake deal with him, it was going to happen very quickly, and then this side didn’t, didn’t do anything about it, he said. And he suggested to me, ‘Anybody sends fentanyl to the United States, it’s the death penalty. They get the maximum penalty.'” 

“He would have done it. Then we had an election that didn’t exactly work out too good,” Trump added. 

Trump was joined by Grenell, Zeldin, Republican Senate candidate to represent Pennsylvania Dave McCormick and other political supporters for the Pennsylvania event. 

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

Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. 

What’s happening…

-Congress has less than a week to avert government shutdown

-Trump’s ground game shrinks in several key states 

-Newsom rejects bill allowing illegal immigrants to work on campuses

Former President Donald Trump leads Vice President Kamala Harris in three crucial swing states, according to a Monday poll from the New York Times.

Trump is leading Harris in Arizona by five points in a 50%-45% spread, and he holds a similar 49%-45% lead in Georgia. Harris is closer to the former president in North Carolina, however, where the race sits at 49%-47%, according to the poll.

The Times conducted its poll from Sept. 17-21, surveying 2,077 likely voters across all three states.

Arizona and Georgia would be major victories for Trump in the general election, as both are states that President Biden won in 2020. Arizona in particular represents a major swing toward Trump, where a Times poll in August found Harris leading by five points.

The Times survey comes days after a Fox News national poll found Harris leading Trump by two points in a 50%-48% matchup.

The new Fox News national survey found a 3 percentage-point shift among registered voters in the 2024 presidential contest since mid-August. Trump had a 1-point advantage in August….Read more

‘COVER-UP’: Dozens of lawmakers rip into Biden-Harris admin’s child migrant policies …Read more

SHUTDOWN COUNTDOWN: Congress has less than a week to avert government shutdown …Read more

‘OUTRAGED’: Mike Johnson says Kamala Harris is Iran’s ‘preferred candidate’ in scathing letter to FBI …Read more

‘CONSTRAINING’ THE PRESIDENT: Top Dem previews Left’s efforts to restrain Trump if he wins in November …Read more

NO CASH FOR TERRORISTS: GOP bill would ban aid to Afghanistan …Read more

EARLY VOTING BREAKDOWN: Maryland and Mississippi are the latest states to begin early voting as of Monday …Read more

SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH: Musk super PAC website aims to increase canvassers in battleground states …Read more

CAMPAIGN EXODUS: 4 Mark Robinson staffers resign in wake of report on porn website posts …Read more

LAW AND ORDER: Harris-Trump showdown: Leading law enforcement group takes sides in presidential election …Read more

UNIQUE ENDORSEMENT: Who is Amer Ghalib, the Trump-backing mayor of the US’s only Muslim-majority town? …Read more

TRAILING NUMBERS: New poll finds Iowa Republican in hot water …Read more

TAKING ADVANTAGE?: Crucial Senate showdown: Hogan says its ‘deeply disturbing’ Alsobrooks improperly benefited from tax breaks on two properties …Read more

CLOSING IN: Trump campaign’s ground game shrinks voter registration gap in key battleground states …Read more

FUNDING CHINA’S ARMY: US research dollars may have aided Chinese military technology, GOP-led report say …Read more

STAY IN JAIL: Trump would-be assassin ordered held behind bars …Read more

‘DEVASTATED’: Missing North Carolina college student found dead in South Africa …Read more

BLUE STATE VETO: Newsom rejects bill that would let illegal immigrant students work on campus …Read more

CREEPY: Trump assassination suspect wrote chilling letter months before golf course plot: ‘I failed you’ …Read more

LIKE IN A MOVIE: Tennessee woman attempted to hire hitman to kill wife of man she met on dating website: ‘Needs to seem random’ …Read more

Subscribe now to get the Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

The Republican Party’s efforts to lock down all of Nebraska’s electoral votes for former President Trump could be jeopardized after a state lawmaker refused to throw his support behind an initiative to change how the state allocates its electoral votes.

Nebraska state Sen. Mike McDonnell, a former Democrat from Omaha who switched his party to Republican this year, issued a statement Monday about his opposition to awarding that state’s five electoral votes as a winner-take-all, like 48 other states currently do.

Maine and Nebraska are the only two states that give two electoral votes to the candidate who wins statewide and one to the winner in each congressional district.

“Elections should be an opportunity for all voters to be heard, no matter who they are, where they live, or what party they support,” McDonnell’s statement read. “For decades, Nebraska has tried to live up to that ideal by allocating our electoral college votes in a way that gives all Nebraskans an equal voice in choosing our President. For Omaha, the city I love and have called home for 58 years, it brings tremendous national attention, is impactful on our local economy and forces Presidential candidates to make their case to all Nebraskans, instead of just flying over and disregarding us.”

HOW A LONE NEBRASKA DISTRICT COULD DECIDE THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

The senator continued, saying over the past weeks, there had been conversations about whether to change how the electoral college could be allocated.

While McDonnell said he respects the desire some of his colleagues have on the issue, he has taken time to listen to his constituents and national leaders on both sides of the issue.

“After deep consideration, it is clear to me that right now, 43 days from Election Day, is not the moment to make this change,” he wrote. “I have notified Governor Pillen that I will not change my long-held position and will oppose any attempted changes to our electoral college system before the 2024 election.”

TEXAS GOV. GREG ABBOTT’S DEBATE ADVICE FOR TRUMP: ‘LET HARRIS SPEAK’

McDonnell also said he encouraged the governor, and will encourage his colleagues, to pass an amendment next year that gives the people of Nebraska the chance to decide on how the electoral college votes are allocated on the ballot.

“This November, Nebraskans will have the chance to elect candidates at every level who reflect their views, including on this issue,” McDonnell wrote. “That’s how it should be. Nebraska voters, not politicians of either party, should have the final say on how we pick a president.”

The senator’s decision means Republicans do not have the two-thirds majority they would need in Nebraska to pull off a change before the Nov. 5 election.

TRUMP AND HARRIS ON COLLISION COURSE AS 2024 CAMPAIGN ENTERS FINAL STRETCH

Trump thanked Gov. Pillen on Truth Social Monday, for trying to help Republicans simplify the complexity of Nebraska’s electoral map.

“It would have been better and far less expensive for everyone! Unfortunately, a Democrat turned Republican (?) State Senator named Mike McDonnell decided, for no reason whatsoever, to get in the way of a great Republican, common sense, victory,” Trump wrote. “Just another ‘Grandstander!’ Who knows, perhaps one of the other two Republicans that were a ‘NO’ Vote will change their minds.

Along with thanking Gov. Pillen, Trump thanked Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert. He also said he preferred a winner-take-all allocation of Nebraska’s electoral votes.

“I LOVE OMAHA, and won it in 2016,” the former president wrote. “Looks like I’ll have to do it again!!!”

Nebraska is one of nine states that Republican candidates have carried in every presidential election since 1964. It also has not had a winner-take-all rule in place since 1991, and most times since then, Republican candidates have captured all the state’s votes.

But in 2020, President Biden captured the vote for the Second Congressional District in Omaha. Former President Obama did the same thing in 2008.

In order to lock down the presidency, a candidate needs to win 270 of the 538 electoral votes.

In one scenario, Democratic Presidential Candidate Vice President Kamala Harris would win the battlegrounds of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, while Trump wins the other four battleground states of North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada. In that case, Harris would collect 269 electoral votes to Trump’s 268 — which includes four from Nebraska.

The Associated Press reported that in that scenario, a Trump victory in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District would create a tie of 269-269, throwing the final decision to the U.S. House of Representatives. At that point, each state would have one vote, a situation that would likely favor Trump. But, if Harris carried the district, she would be president.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo slammed progressive policies and defended law enforcement in an ardent speech against far-left politics on Sunday.

Speaking at Bedford Central Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn, New York, Cuomo began by endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for the upcoming presidential election, calling her “smart and qualified.”

“She is going to unite the Democrats,” the former politician said. “She’s going to bring a new energy. And because the opponent is Donald Trump and we’ve seen that and we’re not going back there again.”

But the Democrat noted that Harris getting into office wouldn’t “solve all our problems” because government “isn’t working for people on a very basic level,” and launched into a six-minute rant against progressive politics.

HOUSE COMMITTEE SUBPOENAS ANDREW CUOMO OVER COVID-19 NURSING HOME POLICIES

“Things are getting worse, not better,” Cuomo continued. “And I think it’s time that we take a fresh look and take a new perspective when we look at what’s going on.”

“Today, we have a great political argument on the Democratic side: Who is more progressive?” he added. “I don’t even think they know what the word means, progressive. You cannot be a progressive if you don’t make progress.”

Cuomo, who served as NYC governor from 2011 to 2021, said that the U.S. was “going backwards” thanks to progressive policies.

“Some people think it’s progressive to say, ‘Defund the police,’” he noted. “Yes, in theory, if everybody had an education and everybody had a job, nobody would need to commit a crime. I get the theory, but it’s not that simple.”

HOCHUL AIDE ACCUSED OF WORKING FOR CCP USED POSITION TO PROMOTE ‘EQUITY’ POLICIES IN RESURFACED VIDEO

“‘Defund the police’ are the three dumbest words ever uttered in politics,” Cuomo added.

Cuomo also called out the migrant issue in New York City, saying that the government “can’t just have 100,000 migrants coming into New York City and only New York City.”

“Nowhere else in the state of New York, only New York City,” the Democrat stated. “And leave it all up to New York City to pay for hotels, pay for health care, over $10 billion. No plan by the federal government, no real help from the state.”

Cuomo then encouraged the audience to “forget the labels” and remember to vote in November.

“Remember the only questions that matter: Who is going to help you and your family and who is going to get the job done?” he concluded. 

A federal judge temporarily blocked Tennessee’s law that prohibits adults from aiding minors in obtaining abortions without parental approval.

U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger said in a Friday ruling that the state cannot “make it a crime to communicate freely” about legal abortion options even in a state that bans abortion at all stages of pregnancy, with some exceptions.

The law will now be placed on hold as the case moves through court.

“The Tennessee General Assembly apparently determined that, when the topic at hand is ‘abortion trafficking,’ the best interests of the pregnant child are not merely a secondary consideration, but unworthy of particularized consideration at all,” Trauger wrote.

TENNESSEE SUED OVER LAW BANNING ADULTS FROM HELPING MINORS GET ABORTIONS WITHOUT PARENTAL CONSENT

Earlier this year, lawmakers in Tennessee’s Republican-controlled Legislature passed legislation that was then signed by GOP Gov. Bill Lee making it illegal for an adult who “intentionally recruits, harbors, or transports” a pregnant minor within the state to obtain an abortion without consent from the child’s parents.

Anyone convicted of breaking the law would be charged with a Class A misdemeanor, which requires nearly one year in jail. The law does not include exemptions for minors who may have been raped by their parents, but a biological father who raped his daughter and caused her pregnancy cannot pursue civil action.

The Tennessee law, which took effect July 1, mimicked Idaho’s “abortion trafficking” law that was enacted last year, the first state to enact such legislation. But a federal judge has since temporarily blocked Idaho’s law as the case moves through court.

Shortly before Tennessee’s law was set to take effect, Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn and Nashville attorney Rachel Welty filed a lawsuit challenging the statute on the second anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 24, 2022, decision overturning Roe v. Wade, returning the power to make laws regarding abortion back to the states.

TRUMP MAKES PLAY FOR WOMEN’S VOTE, VOWS TO ENSURE ‘POWERFUL EXCEPTIONS’ FOR ABORTION

Trauger’s ruling sided with the argument from Welty and Behn that the law was “unconstitutionally vague,” particularly pointing out that the word “recruits” is undefined in the law.

The judge also raised concerns about the First Amendment restrictions that she argues the law would impose.

“The freedom of speech guaranteed by the First Amendment is not simply a special protection that the Constitution grants to a few, high-profile speakers so that those speakers can hear themselves talk; it is a protection available to everyone, for the interconnected benefit of everyone, because messages do not gain their fullest power by being uttered, but by being spread,” Trauger wrote.

Behn called Friday’s ruling a “monumental victory” for free speech and the fight for abortion access.

“This ruling doesn’t just protect Tennesseans — it safeguards the freedom to discuss abortion care across state lines, ensuring that we can continue to offer support, share accurate information, and stand up for the rights of those seeking essential health care everywhere,” she told The Associated Press.

Abortions are banned in Tennessee at all stages of pregnancy, with exemptions in cases of molar pregnancies, ectopic pregnancies or to save the life of the mother. Doctors must use their “reasonable medical” judgment in determining whether performing an abortion can save the life of the mother or prevent major injury.

A group of women is currently suing in a separate case to clarify the state’s abortion ban.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., took a swipe at his Republican colleagues for “wasting precious time” after his GOP counterpart unveiled a plan to avoid a government shutdown.

The bipartisan plan was announced by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., earlier on Sunday. The tentative agreement maintains government funding until Dec. 20, with the House likely to vote on the bill as early as Wednesday. 

The agreement – which still needs to be voted on in order to be implemented – comes after weeks of uncertainty about whether a government shutdown could be avoided before the current fiscal year ends on Sept. 30. The hypothetical government shutdown would begin on Oct. 1.

In a statement released by Schumer on Sunday evening, the New York Democrat accused Johnson of “follow[ing] the MAGA way.”

HARRIS-TRUMP SHOWDOWN: WHICH CANDIDATE HOLDS THE EDGE ON THIS CRUCIAL ISSUE

“Over the past 4 days, bipartisan, bicameral negotiations have been underway to reach an agreement that maintains current funding through December 20 and avoids a government shutdown a month before the election,” Schumer’s statement read.

“While I am pleased bipartisan negotiations quickly led to a government funding agreement free of cuts and poison pills, this same agreement could have been done two weeks ago.”

Schumer referred to Johnson’s attempt to try passing a more Republican-friendly continuing resolution (CR) that would have extended funding for another six months, despite the awareness that many Republicans would not support it. The CR failed by a narrow 202-220 vote last week.

WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLL SHOWS IN THE HARRIS-TRUMP 2024 SHOWDOWN

“Instead, Speaker Johnson chose to follow the MAGA way and wasted precious time,” Schumer said in his statement. “As I have said throughout this process, there is only one way to get things done, with bipartisan, bicameral support.”

Johnson also attempted to pass the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, a Republican-backed bill that would require proof of citizenship in the voter registration process.

The Republican leader’s funding agreement, which is closer in line with what the Senate Democrats wanted, is expected to anger the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus.

The bill also includes $231 million for the U.S. Secret Service with conditions that the agency cooperates with congressional investigations. The bipartisan deal made on Sunday excludes any agreement to pass the SAVE Act.

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

Former President Trump indicated during an interview Sunday that he would not make a run for the Oval Office in 2028 if his current bid falls short in November.

Trump was a guest on Sinclair Broadcast Group’s “Full Measure,” hosted by Sharyl Attkisson, which aired Sunday morning.

At the end of the interview, Attkisson asked Trump if he was not successful in his bid for president in November, could he see himself running again in four years?

“No, I don’t. No, I don’t. I think that that will be, that will be it. I don’t see that at all,” the former president answered. “I think that hopefully we’re gonna be successful.”

HARRIS-TRUMP SHOWDOWN: THE EDGE IS CLEAR ON THIS KEY ISSUE

Trump, 78, is on his third run for president, having beaten Hillary Clinton for the Commander in Chief seat in 2016, and losing to President Biden in 2020. He now faces Vice President Kamala Harris for a second, four-year term in office.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Trump campaign for clarification on the former president’s comments. The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on Trump’s statements.

With over six weeks to go until Election Day on Nov. 5, and early voting and absentee balloting underway in a growing number of states, a number of public opinion polls agree that the race in key battleground states that will decide the 2024 Presidential election is within the margin-of-error.

WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLL SHOWS IN THE HARRIS-TRUMP 2024 SHOWDOWN 

The polls also show Harris has a healthy advantage among voters when it comes to the issue of abortion, while Trump has an equally large margin in dealing with the border and immigration.

When it comes to the economy, the polls show the issue remains the top issue on the minds of American voters as they prepare to cast their ballot in November.

A Fox News national poll also in the field entirely post-debate spotlighted that 39% of voters surveyed said the economy was their most pressing issue, far ahead of immigration (16%) and abortion (15%). All other issues tested were in single digits. 

HEAD HERE FOR ALL THE MOST RECENT FOX NEWS POLLING IN THE 2024 ELECTION

Trump spoke with Attkisson about several issues, including his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which he said he did “an amazing job” handling.

“I never got the credit for it. Remember that more people died under Biden-Harris than died under Trump,” he said. “And they had a much easier time because when it came in here, nobody knew what it was. It came from the Wuhan labs, which I always said. But nobody really knew what it was, where it came from…nothing. They knew nothing, and we got hit.”

Trump also said he got credit with the military and knocking out ISIS, saying, “we rebuilt the military.”

TRUMP VOWS TOUGH APPROACH TO SANCTUARY POLICIES

After speaking about his accomplishments, Attkisson asked him what he does to stay healthy.

“I used to play golf a little bit…but it seems to be quite a dangerous sport, in retrospect,” Trump said, referring to a recent incident in which a man hid in the bushes with a gun before being shot at by Secret Service and fleeing. The man was later arrested, and the matter is being handled as an assassination attempt on Trump.

“I try and eat properly,” Trump told Attkisson, getting back to her question.

The host told Trump she though he ate hamburgers and drank soda, which the former president acknowledged he did.

“But proper hamburgers,” he said. “But I like, perhaps, all the wrong food. But then I say, ‘does anybody know what the right food is?”

He continued, saying people lectured him for years on what to eat, and they’re gone because they passed away.

“And here I am,” Trump said. “So, I’m not sure I wanna make too many changes.”

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

The mayor of a Muslim-majority city in Michigan says he is endorsing Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, calling the former commander-in-chief, “the right choice for this critical time.” 

Amer Ghalib, mayor of the Detroit-area suburb Hamtramck, announced his endorsement of Trump in a Facebook post Sunday. While admitting he and Trump didn’t “agree on everything,” he said he regarded the former commander-in-chief as “a man of principles.” 

“Though it’s looking good, he may or may not win the election and be the 47th president of the United States, but I believe he is the right choice for this critical time,” Ghalib wrote in Arabic on his Facebook page. “I’ll not regret my decision no matter what the outcome would be, and I’m ready to face the consequences. For this, and for many other reasons, I announce my support and endorsement for the former, and hopefully, the next president of the United States, Donald Trump.”

He added: “Now, let the Caravan begin its journey. This is just the starting point.”

TRUMP VOWS TOUGH APPROACH TO SANCTUARY POLICIES

Trump reposted Ghalib’s message on his Truth Social account.

Ghalib’s endorsement of Trump comes after the two met in Flint earlier this week for a private 20-minute conversation. 

Ghalib told The Detroit News that Trump “knew a lot about me before the meeting.” 

“We talked about various topics including the debates, the polls updates, the statistics of votes in Michigan and Wayne County, the Arab American concerns and the Yemeni Americans in particular. We also talked about the situation in Yemen,” Ghalib said. 

Hamtramck is the only U.S. city governed entirely by Muslims, with more than 40% of the city’s population foreign-born. 

Nine high-ranking former national security and military officials who signed a letter Sunday endorsing Vice President Harris’ run for the Oval Office also signed a letter nearly four years ago dismissing Hunter Biden’s infamous laptop as Russian disinformation ahead of the 2020 election, Fox News Digital found. 

A group called the National Security Leaders for America, which bills itself as a bipartisan group of former senior military and national security leaders, published a letter Sunday endorsing Harris for the White House. A total of 741 former high-ranking national security officials signed the letter. 

Fox News Digital pored through the list of signatories and found nine of the former national security chiefs who endorsed Harris also signed a letter in 2020 discounting Hunter Biden’s laptop as Russian disinformation – before media outlets authenticated the laptop after the 2020 election and the FBI ultimately cited the laptop as legitimate in Hunter Biden’s criminal trial earlier this year. 

The signatories who signed both the 2020 letter and the endorsement of Harris include: former Director of National Intelligence Jim Clapper; former CIA Director Michael V. Hayden; former CIA Director Leon E. Panetta; former CIA Director John Brennan; former Acting CIA Director John E. McLaughlin; former CIA chief of staff Laurence M. Pfeiffer; former Department of Defense chief of staff Jeremy Bash; CIA chief of station John Sipher; and former National Intelligence Council Chair Gregory Frye Treverton. 

TRUMP CIA CHIEF KNEW ABOUT INFAMOUS LETTER DISMISSING BIDEN LAPTOP AS PROPAGANDA BEFORE PUBLICATION: REPORT

Ahead of the 2020 election, the New York Post published a bombshell report on the contents of Hunter Biden’s laptop. 

HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP RE-EMERGES AS MEDIA EMBARRASSMENT AS IT BECOMES KEY EVIDENCE AT GUN TRIAL

Fifty-one former intelligence officials, however, soon after released a statement on Oct. 19, 2020, discounting the laptop as having “all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation” in a bid to discredit the New York Post’s report at the time. 

The laptop came into public view after the first son left it at a Delaware repair shop ahead of the 2020 presidential election. 

The former military chiefs’ 2020 letter played a key role in many media outlets turning their backs on reporting on the laptop as legitimate, as well as providing President Biden with political ammunition to downplay the laptop during his debate against former President Trump during the last election cycle. 

Liberal media outlets, however, changed their tune in 2022 after newspapers such as the Washington Post and New York Times authenticated thousands of his emails on the laptop. The laptop also re-emerged this year when the first son faced a criminal trial in Delaware over his purchase of a firearm in 2018 while he was reeling from a crack cocaine addiction. The trial, which found Hunter guilty on all counts, formally entered the laptop into evidence and was confirmed by the FBI as legitimate. 

FLASHBACK: MSNBC, CNN, CBS TOLD VIEWERS HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP STORY WAS RUSSIAN DISINFORMATION

VIDEO GOES VIRAL OF DEMOCRATS, MEDIA MEMBERS DOUBTING HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP

The former chiefs’ 2020 letter made headlines again this year when a joint report released by three House panels alleged that active CIA contractors “coordinated” with the 2020 Biden campaign just weeks ahead of that year’s election “to discredit serious allegations about Biden family influence peddling” connected to Hunter’s laptop when the 51 former intelligence officials released a statement dismissing the laptop. 

Fast-forward to Sunday and the 2024 election, the letter endorsing Harris and signed by hundreds of former national security leaders, including nine from the 2020 letter, lauded her as “prepared and strategic” while slamming  Trump as “impulsive and ill-informed.”

5 TAKES ON THE HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP THAT HAVE AGED POORLY

“We are former public servants who swore an oath to the Constitution. Many of us risked our lives for it. We are retired generals, admirals, senior noncommissioned officers, ambassadors, and senior civilian national security leaders. We are Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. We are loyal to the ideals of our nation—like freedom, democracy, and the rule of law—not to any one individual or party,” the letter published Sunday endorsing Harris reads.

“We do not agree on everything, but we all adhere to two fundamental principles. First, we believe America’s national security requires a serious and capable Commander-in-Chief. Second, we believe American democracy is invaluable. Each generation has a responsibility to defend it. That is why we, the undersigned, proudly endorse Kamala Harris to be the next President of the United States,” it added.

National Security Leaders for America president Rear Admiral Michael Smith, USN (Ret.) defended the nine signatories in comment to Fox Digital on Sunday evening, arguing the 2020 letter was “well-reasoned but ultimately incorrect.” 

“One well-reasoned but ultimately incorrect assessment does not undermine a lifetime’s worth of public service. Their assertion that former President Trump is uncommitted to democracy and unprepared to be Commander-in-Chief is well-founded, as is their assessment of Vice President Harris as a strategic and knowledgeable leader.”

The U.S. government will be funded for another three months, thanks to a bipartisan funding agreement reached on Sunday that avoids a government shutdown.

The agreement maintains funding until Dec. 20, with the House likely to vote on the bill as early as Wednesday.

The development was announced in a press release by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

“Over the past 4 days, bipartisan, bicameral negotiations have been underway to reach an agreement that maintains current funding through December 20 and avoids a government shutdown a month before the election,” Schumer’s statement reads.

HARRIS-TRUMP SHOWDOWN: WHICH CANDIDATE HOLDS THE EDGE ON THIS CRUCIAL ISSUE

WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLL SHOWS IN THE HARRIS-TRUMP 2024 SHOWDOWN

“While I am pleased bipartisan negotiations quickly led to a government funding agreement free of cuts and poison pills, this same agreement could have been done two weeks ago.”

The bill also includes $231 million for the U.S. Secret Service with conditions that the agency cooperates with congressional investigations.

This breaking news story is developing. Check back with us for updates.