Trump flips script on reporter questioning administration's authority to deport illegals
President Donald Trump on Friday pushed back against a reporter's question in the Oval Office by asking whether former President Joe Biden had the legal standing to allow a high number of migrants into the United States during the previous administration.
The Trump administration continues in its efforts toward mass deportations, including with recent Immigration and Customs and Enforcement raids, and migrant crossings plummeted in February to their lowest tracked level in decades.
"Do you think you have the authority, the power to round up people, deport them and then you're under no obligation to a court to show the evidence against them?" a reporter asked the president.
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"That's what the law says, and that's what our country needs because … unfortunately, they allowed millions of people to come into our country. Totally unvetted, totally unchecked," Trump said, referring to the Biden administration.
"So you ought to ask, 'Did he have the authority to allow millions of people?' Did Biden have the authority to do something that's unthinkable, have open borders where millions of people poured into our country, totally unvetted and totally unchecked, just as you would say. And many of those people were criminals," the president added.
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"Many of them were from jails and prisons and mental institutions and gang members and drug dealers and very dangerous people. Many were murderers. We have 11,088 that we know of murderers. They murdered of that number. At least half killed more than one person.
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"So, when you asked me if we have the authority, did Biden have the authority to allow millions of people to come into our country? Many of these people are hardened criminals at the top of the line who have caused tremendous damage," the president added.
The administration is facing legal action over using the Alien Enemies Act against suspected members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which Trump designated a foreign terrorist organization. The American Civil Liberties Union argues it is an "unlawful and unprecedented invocation of the act," according to its website.
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The action is leading to a tense discussion over the relationship between federal judges and the administration after U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Columbia James Boasberg temporarily blocked the use of the act, but the court battle continues Friday.
"What the ACLU is seeking in this case is unprecedented — that a single unelected judge take upon himself the authority to micromanage the national defense of our nation. This would be a complete corruption of the principle of separation of powers, which is a bedrock feature of our Republic enshrined in the Constitution," America First Legal Senior Counsel James Rogers said in a statement Friday, according to a news release on AFL's brief in the case. During the Biden administration, there were millions of migrant encounters along the border. Since Trump took office, the Department of Homeland Security swapped out the CBP One app, which people crossing could use to attempt to get asylum in the United States. The CBP Home app is meant for self-deportation.Original article source: Trump flips script on reporter questioning administration's authority to deport illegals
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The Hill
28 minutes ago
- The Hill
Israel says it hit Iran nuclear research facility, killed top commanders as both trade strikes
Israel on Saturday said it struck an Iranian nuclear facility in Isfahan and killed two top commanders as the clash between the two Middle Eastern countries expands and President Trump weighs direct intervention. Israeli Air Force fighter jets later in the day also moved to strike military infrastructure in southwestern Iran, according to an Israeli military statement. Saeed Izadi, leader of the Palestine Corps of the Quds Force and Behnam Shahriyari, commander of the Quds Force's Weapons Transfer Unit in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were pronounced dead by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) early Saturday. Israeli officials in a social media post said Izadi was 'one of the main orchestrators' of the Oct. 7, 2023 attack from Hamas. The IDF said Shahriyari was responsible for weapons transfer from Iran to proxies across the Middle East. Israeli officials said he was killed while traveling in western Iran. 'His elimination represents a severe blow to the ability of the terrorist organizations surrounding Israel to regroup and strengthen after being heavily damaged by the IDF during the war,' the IDF wrote. The IRGC has not confirmed the deaths but Akbar Salehi, Isfahan province's deputy governor for security affairs, did confirm damage to their nuclear site in Isfahan, per The Associated Press. Israeli forces, Salehi said, struck the site twice within 24 hours, crippling two centrifuge production sites as a part of their objective to eliminate Iran's nuclear development programs. Iran fired 40 drones overnight on Friday that were intercepted by Israel according to the IDF. 'We've been able to take out a large amount of their launchers, creating a bottleneck — we're making it harder for them to fire toward Israel,' an Israeli military official told AP on the condition of anonymity. 'Having said all that, I want to say the Iranian regime obviously still has capabilities.' The escalation of tensions comes as Trump still weighs his options on U.S. involvement, but has warned Iran not to attack American troops. Citizens are also being evacuated in Israel, per US officials. ''Operation Exodus'' is helping US citizens evacuate Israel. We can't part the Red Sea, but are parting the 'Red Tape' to help people who wish to leave,' U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee wrote in a Saturday post on X. Foreign leaders gathered in Geneva to seek to assist in quelling the violence in the region via diplomacy on Friday, however, talks quickly reached a stalemate as Iranian leaders pushed for consequences on Israel. 'Iran is ready to consider diplomacy once again and once aggression is stopped and the aggressor is held accountable for the crimes committed,' Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters. The United Nations issued a Friday release after the meetings in Geneva condemning Israeli attacks while denouncing the strikes as a violation of international law. Israel first hit Iran's nuclear facilities on June 13, prompting tensions to escalate in the region as US nuclear talks with Iran collapsed. Iran's Health Ministry spokesman Hossein Kermanpour said in an online interview with NewsNation, The Hill's sister station, on Friday that since strikes began, over 3,000 Iranians have been injured, 90 percent of whom are civilians. He said at least 400 people have been killed. The spokesperson added that the youngest injured is a 4-year-old boy, and the youngest victim is a two-month-old baby. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Axios
35 minutes ago
- Axios
Into the MAGA-verse: What the algorithm feeds Gen Z
If you'd paid attention to MAGA media in the months leading up to the 2024 election, the surprise wasn't that young voters swung hard toward President Trump. The surprise was that so many people missed it. Why it matters: Gen Z's digital world became a powerful political incubator for the Republican Party in 2024 — a force for persuasion and community-building that reshaped the youth vote in astonishing ways. Seemingly overnight, MAGA took command of a full-fledged social ecosystem that met many young Americans where they already were. It was a cultural and political revolution hiding in plain sight — yet it blindsided the Democratic establishment, which is now scrambling to understand how it happened, and how to fight back. Zoom in: Axios reporters Erica Pandey and Tal Axelrod set out to experience the MAGA-verse online — in real time. We each created new accounts on TikTok — where Gen Z disproportionately gets its news — and followed a basic set of MAGA or MAGA-aligned accounts: Think Team Trump, Tucker Carlson, Charlie Kirk and Candace Owens. TikTok knew that Tal was a 30-year-old man and Erica was a 30-year-old woman. From there, the algorithm took control. At first, we got what we expected: Clips from Trump rallies, viral moments from Kirk's podcasts, and segments from Fox News. Then, our experiences diverged. Tal was fed a steady stream of masculinity content: Endurance athlete David Goggins berating men with motivational speeches, podcaster Chris Williamson interviewing guests about male struggles. Erica's "For You" page zeroed in on three topics: 1) right-wing critiques of modern feminism pulling women away from marriage and motherhood; 2) debates around trans women in sports; and 3) the ethics of abortion. The intrigue: It took less than an hour for the algorithm to move us from standard MAGA content to deeper ideological terrain — podcast clips, campus debates, and "red pill" rants about gender roles and identity. We didn't go looking for this content — it came to us. And it revealed a striking pattern: right-wing views on gender and identity are digitally intertwined with MAGA politics. Dip your toe in, and the algorithm grabs your ankle: Interested in mixed martial arts and the UFC? You might land on a pro-Trump hype reel. Interested in lifestyle content? You might end up with conservative takes on motherhood and marriage. Between the lines: Much of the gender-based content we observed wasn't overtly political or fringe — at least not at first. "A lot of this gets glamorized on social media," says Rachel Janfaza, a youth political analyst and writer of The Up and Up, a newsletter about Gen Z. "You see influencers talking about how amazing it is to be a stay-at-home girlfriend or stay-at-home mom and cook and clean." "Trad wife" and "manosphere" videos perform extraordinarily well. "It's kind of this vicious cycle where these social media algorithms are naturally going to be favorable towards content that is a little bit more inflammatory and click-worthy," said Ali Mortell, the director of research at Democratic data firm Blue Rose Research. "And then on top of that, the political right, not just in the United States, but globally, has really leaned into that shift in the earned media environment in a way" that the left has not, Mortell added.
Newsweek
43 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Donald Trump Moans He Won't Get Nobel Peace Prize
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. President Donald Trump has renewed his long-standing grievance over not being awarded a Nobel Peace Prize. Posting on Truth Social on Friday night, Trump cited a peace deal he said his administration helped broker between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda as evidence of his worthiness, before declaring that he would be overlooked for the honor "no matter what" he accomplishes. Why It Matters The Nobel committee does not publicly acknowledge nominees and Trump's past nominations have not resulted in a win. However, with global conflicts escalating, any recognition of peace efforts—whether symbolic or substantive—could influence international discourse and Trump's political standing. What To Know The Trump administration was invited by DRC President Félix Tshisekedi to help mediate an end to the conflict in eastern Congo between government forces and rebels allegedly backed by Rwanda. A preliminary peace deal was reached on Wednesday, with a formal signing expected next week in Washington. The agreement will be signed by the leaders of both countries and witnessed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to the State Department. "This is a Great Day for Africa and, quite frankly, a Great Day for the World," Trump wrote. "I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize for this," Trump added, He then went on to list other negotiations he claimed his administration led, including "stopping the War between Serbia and Kosovo" and "keeping Peace between Egypt and Ethiopia." "No, I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize no matter what I do, including Russia/Ukraine, and Israel/Iran, whatever those outcomes may be, but the people know, and that's all that matters to me," the president wrote. President Donald Trump gestures as he boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Friday, June 20, 2025. President Donald Trump gestures as he boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Friday, June 20, 2025. Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Earlier on Friday, the Pakistani government said it intended to nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, which is awarded to those who have done "the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses." "The Government of Pakistan has decided to formally recommend President Donald J. Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, in recognition of his decisive diplomatic intervention and pivotal leadership during the recent India-Pakistan crisis," the Pakistani government's official X, formerly Twitter, account wrote in a post Friday. Trump has claimed he played a key role in last month's ceasefire agreement between the two nations. But Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pushed back on that claim. According to Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Modi "clearly conveyed" in a recent phone call with Trump that the ceasefire resulted from direct negotiations between India and Pakistan, not U.S. involvement. This is not the first time Trump has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. In 2023, New York Republican Representative Claudia Tenney nominated him, citing his "historic" Middle East policies. In 2020, far-right Norwegian politician Christian Tybring-Gjedde nominated Trump for his efforts to bring reconciliation between North and South Korea. That same year, Swedish MP Magnus Jacobsson nominated him for brokering a deal to normalize relations between Serbia and Kosovo. The following year, Swedish nationalist MP Laura Huhtasaari and a group of Australian lawmakers nominated Trump for his role in negotiating the Abraham Accords. However, the prize was awarded to Filipino and Russian journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov "for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace." Meanwhile, in March 2025, California Republican Representative Darrell Issa said he intended to nominate Trump for the prize. Trump has often contrasted his lack of a Nobel win with Barack Obama's, who received the prize in 2009 for his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." At a 2020 rally, Trump mocked Obama's reaction to the award, saying, "When Obama got it, he didn't even—he just said, 'What did I do?' He had no idea what he did." In 2013, Trump tweeted that Obama's prize should be rescinded. Former Norwegian Nobel Institute Director Geir Lundestad later admitted that "even many of Obama's supporters believed that the prize was a mistake." "He's obsessed with the fact that Mr. Obama got it and he didn't," a former senior White House official from Trump's first term told NBC. What People Are Saying Donald Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social: "I am very happy to report that I have arranged, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a wonderful Treaty between the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of Rwanda, in their War, which was known for violent bloodshed and death, more so even than most other Wars, and has gone on for decades. Representatives from Rwanda and the Congo will be in Washington on Monday to sign Documents. "This is a Great Day for Africa and, quite frankly, a Great Day for the World! I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize for this, I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize for stopping the War between India and Pakistan, I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize for stopping the War between Serbia and Kosovo, I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize for keeping Peace between Egypt and Ethiopia (A massive Ethiopian built dam, stupidly financed by the United States of America, substantially reduces the water flowing into The Nile River), and I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize for doing the Abraham Accords in the Middle East which, if all goes well, will be loaded to the brim with additional Countries signing on, and will unify the Middle East for the first time in 'The Ages!' No, I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize no matter what I do, including Russia/Ukraine, and Israel/Iran, whatever those outcomes may be, but the people know, and that's all that matters to me!" What Happens Next This year's Nobel Peace Prize winner will be announced in October.
