Following the release of new crime statistics from the Justice Department, former President Donald Trump’s presidential campaign on Thursday released a blistering statement, slamming ABC’s David Muir, who was one of the moderators of Tuesday’s presidential debate.

Trump commented during the debate that crime rates, especially those caused by illegal immigrants, have drastically risen during the Biden-Harris administration. But Muir shot back: “As you know, the FBI says overall violent crime is coming down in this country.”

The Trump campaign highlighted the figures in the Justice Department’s “National Crime Victimization Survey,” which was released on Thursday.

The survey found that violent crime was up 37% from 2020 to 2023, rape is up 42%, robbery is up 63%, and stranger violence is up 61%.

“If Kamala is given another four years and the chance to implement her weak-on-crime, defund the police, no cash bail policies, America will continue to turn into a crime-ridden hellhole for illegal immigrants, Venezuelan gangsters, and drug dealers,” Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

“Only President Trump will restore law and order, protect our police, secure the border, deport illegal immigrants, and prosecute criminals to the fullest extent of the law.”

“If you want to be safe, VOTE TRUMP,” she added.

Muir, who moderated the debate in Philadelphia alongside ABC’s Linsey Davis, fact-checked Trump at least four times during the showdown.

Other topics the moderators fact-checked the former president on included abortion, and whether Haitian migrants in Ohio are eating pets.

A voting machine company’s defamation lawsuit against Newsmax appears to be headed toward trial following a Delaware judge’s ruling on Thursday.

Florida-based Smartmatic accused Newsmax and other conservative media outlets of airing defamatory statements that implied the company rigged the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Newsmax argued it was reporting on newsworthy allegations made by former President Trump and his allies, though the company previously issued a clarification saying “not reported as true certain claims made about these companies.”

Newsmax and Smartmatic asked Superior Court Judge Eric Davis to rule in their favor without the case going to trial. Davis granted partial summary judgment but said a jury will decide key issues. The trial is scheduled to start Sept. 30, The Associated Press reported.

Smartmatic has maintained it provided election machinery and software for the 2020 election only in Los Angeles, not where Trump and his supporters contested the results.

Smartmatic’s lawsuit against Newsmax is similar to one filed against One America News Network (OANN). Smartmatic and OANN had “resolved its litigation” in April through a “confidential settlement.” Smartmatic’s defamation litigation against Fox News is still pending.

The judge said Thursday that not every allegedly defamatory statement by Newsmax against the voting company was materially false, meaning he would allow the media organization to “contest falsity” Smartmatic’s connections with Venezuela, which Newsmax made statements about.

A federal grand jury in Florida indicted three current and former Smartmatic executives for a $1 million scheme to put voting machines in the Philippines. Newsmax detailed Smartmatic’s “checkered history” in court papers, the AP reported.

David ruled Smartmatic is a “limited public figure,” meaning for defamation, the company must show Newsmax acted with “actual malice” by purposefully disregarding the truth.

He also determined that Newsmax could assert a “neutral reporting privilege,” which the company says it did since the statements of election fraud were made by third parties on non-Newsmax platforms.

Still, the judge determined there was no evidence that Newsmax acted with “evil intent.” A jury must decide whether the company acted with actual malice and whether Smartmatic is entitled to damages, Davis ruled Thursday, according to the AP.

Smartmatic said it “very much” looks forward to explaining the company’s losses to a jury to receive damages, though it’s unlikely Newsmax would want the case to go before a jury and could settle before it gets to that point.

In a statement to The Hill, Smartmatic said it will continue to review the ruling but argues Newsmax knew it was reporting false allegations.

“Smartmatic is pleased to have the opportunity to prove this to a jury in court,” Erik Connolly, Smartmatic’s lead trial attorney, said in a statement.

“The court’s decision is the latest victory for Smartmatic in the lawsuits it has filed against individuals and media organizations that defamed the company following the 2020 US election.”

Newsmax previously told The Hill the company itself never made “a claim of impropriety about Smartmatic, its ownership or software.”

“While Newsmax is disappointed that any part of Smartmatic’s lawsuit is going to trail, as we believe it is a threat to a free press, we are pleased that the Court found no evidence that Newsmax acted with evil intent toward Smartmatic and that the neutral and fair reporting privileges are available to Newsmax at trial,” spokesperson Bill Daddi said in a statement to CNN.

It’s not one election, but 51, that pick the US president. Every state and the District of Columbia has its own rules and deadlines for voting and for counting votes.

The first voting officially was already supposed to be underway with mail-in ballots in the key state of North Carolina, but that process was delayed by courts that ruled ballots must be reprinted without the option of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who suspended his campaign and endorsed former President Donald Trump.

Absentee ballots are now officially available in Alabama, although, somewhat ironically, it is a state that discourages early voting.

Others will follow in the weeks to come.

Here’s what to know:

When do voting by mail and early voting start?

Most states will not offer mail-in ballots until later in September or October. The next firm date on the calendar is September 19, when ballots are supposed to be available in the key state of Wisconsin. For all states, ballots must begin to be sent to military and overseas voters by September 21.

Each state has its own rules and deadlines for how and when to request a mail-in ballot and by when those ballots must be returned. In some states, mail ballots must be in the hands of election officials before polls close, but others will count ballots that arrive after Election Day if they were postmarked earlier.

Washington, for instance, is one of the handful of states that conducts nearly all of its voting entirely by mail and will accept a mail-in ballot until results are certified in late November so long as it is postmarked by Election Day.

Early voting may also be done in person in most states, but that process does not get underway until later in September. Widespread early voting will begin on September 20 in Minnesota, South Dakota and Virginia.

Can everyone vote early?

No. Thirty-six states plus Washington, DC, allow all voters to cast ballots by mail.

Eight of those states and Washington, DC, send a ballot automatically to all voters. Fourteen states, by contrast, require some kind of excuse for early or mail-in voting. These excuses can range from being required to work to volunteering at a polling place to caring for a sick relative.

Is the campaign over?

Far from it. Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump just held a contentious debate on September 10. The candidates for vice president, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, will take part in a debate on October 1.

Both campaigns will also focus events and get-out-the vote efforts on seven states considered to be up for grabs. More and more Americans will be voting all the while.

Do most people know who they’ll vote for?

Probably, yes. In a set of CNN polls conducted by SSRS in battleground states, only an average of 15% of voters said they have not yet firmly decided their choice. This is actually a sizable portion and suggests the outcome of the presidential race is far from certain, especially since those battleground state polls showed close matches in each state.

In 2020, CNN exit polls showed that nearly three-quarters of voters made up their minds before September. Only 5% of exit poll respondents said they made up their minds in the week before Election Day.

When and in what manner will most people vote?

In 2020, most people voted early or by mail, but those figures were amplified by the special circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic. A little less than half of voters in 2020 voted by mail, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted after Election Day. About a quarter of voters cast ballots in person before Election Day, and about a quarter of voters cast ballots in person on Election Day, according to that survey.

Then-President Trump spoke out against voting by mail in 2020, part of his unfounded claims of voter fraud, and as a result, Republicans were less likely to cast mail-in ballots. The largest portion of Trump voters, 37%, cast ballots in person on Election Day, according to Pew. For comparison, just 17% of Joe Biden voters cast ballots in person on Election Day. Nearly 60% of Biden voters cast absentee or mail-in ballots.

Those figures could change this year. Some states will not be as accommodating of early or mail-in voting in 2024. And with the Covid-19 pandemic less of a factor, more voters may decide to vote in person instead of by mail.

Trump still makes false claims of voter fraud and still doesn’t like the idea of mail-in voting, although he has routinely voted that way himself. Republicans, despite Trump’s warnings, are encouraging vote-by-mail in many places.

How can I make sure my mail-in ballot is counted?

Read the directions! Each state is different, but many have very specific directions for how mail-in ballots must be returned.

For people voting by mail in North Carolina, for instance, the signature of either two witnesses or a notary is required along with a photocopy of a photo ID.

In Pennsylvania, voters must write the date on the outside of their envelope. A Pennsylvania state court recently ruled, however, that ballots without that date cannot be thrown out.

Look for more of these questions to be answered in court around the country in the coming weeks.

For verification, some states require a photocopy of your ID, while others require a driver’s license number or the last four digits of your Social Security number.

In many states, mail-in ballots require a signature that will be compared with the signature on your driver’s license or voter registration card, so make sure you don’t adopt a new signature for the election.

Also make sure that you put your ballot in the mail with plenty of time to spare. If it gets closer to Election Day, consider returning your ballot in person to avoid the possibility of mail delays.

What if I make a mistake that jeopardizes my ballot?

Frequently, voters can monitor when their ballot is received and its status online. If a ballot is rejected, most states have a ballot curing process – meaning they will notify the voter, and there is a process for fixing, or curing, the problem.

What if I’m in the military or live overseas?

You can vote, either by requesting an absentee ballot from your stateside local jurisdiction or through the Federal Voting Assistance Program. Different rules can apply to people voting from oversees, so don’t wait until the last minute.

What if I’m not registered to vote?

First, check your registration status. Many states offer voter registration when obtaining a driver’s license.

If you’re not registered right now, no problem. Voter registration deadlines don’t kick in until October, and they vary by state.

Rhode Island is the first state to cut off voter registration at one month before Election Day on October 5. But it is also among the 23 states and the District of Columbia that allow Election Day registration.

Alaska and Rhode Island are unique because they only allow Election Day registration in the presidential election. By that time, most Americans may already have voted.

The union representing the nation’s postal workers, who will handle millions of ballots as part of the mass vote-by-mail system, endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president on Thursday.

Voters are being asked to trust an election system in which a key part of the process of casting votes is controlled by an organization loyal to one candidate.

In a press statement, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) announced its endorsement:

The nation’s 290,000 active and retired city letter carriers represented by the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) are proud to announce our endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz to serve as the next president and vice president of the United States.

…

As a local prosecutor, state attorney general, senator, and vice president, Kamala Harris is a proven supporter of working families, organized labor, and the Postal Service. As a senator, she was instrumental in advocating for essential relief for the Postal Service at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. She served as vice president of the administration that signed the Postal Service Reform Act into law. She is a fierce defender of civil rights, voting rights, and our democratic system.

Governor Walz is a union brother and veteran. He is a former public school teacher who has devoted his life to public service. As governor, he has kept working families at the forefront by enacting a paid family and medical leave program, child tax credits, and universal free school meals for all Minnesota students.

The Pew Research Center reported in July that Republicans and Democrats continue to have vastly divergent views on vote-by-mail. 82% of Democrats say it should be freely available without excuse; only 37% of Republicans agree.

Similarly, 63% of Republicans say that making it easier to register and vote would make elections less secure, while only 20% of Democrats agree.

Universal vote-by-mail and other changes were imposed in many states in 2020 by judicial fiat, usually after Democrats sued to impose reforms over the objections of Republicans.

If you vote by mail you have to give your ballot to someone whose union has endorsed one side in the election. How this is even legal at all is completely baffling. https://t.co/uOjXYPGfrk

— Joel Pollak (@joelpollak) September 13, 2024

Some Republican-governed states have tightened rules around the practice, but it remains widespread.

Few other democracies in the world use vote-by-mail, and many democracies refuse to allow absentee voting except in limited circumstances.

A man wearing a Palestinian pin was shot in Newton, Massachusetts Thursday evening after he charged across a street and tackled a pro-Israel veteran protester.

In a video shared with The Daily Wire, the man with the pin, sporting a surgical mask around his neck, stood across the street shouting at the group of 10 protesters, calling them “sick” and accusing them of “defending genocide.”

BREAKING: Anti-Israel man shot in stomach after charging through traffic to tackle a man at a pro-Israel demonstration outside Boston in Newton, Massachusetts.

Footage obtained exclusively by @KassyAkiva: pic.twitter.com/nsGN3MQVAO

— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) September 13, 2024

Scott Hayes, 47, of Framingham, Mass., was getting ready to leave when the assailant began yelling at the group, showing his middle finger and shouting at the protesters.

In the next video, the man charges across the street through traffic and tackles Hayes, an Iraq War veteran, who was carrying an American flag during the protest. Seconds later, the gun was discharged and the man was shot in the stomach during their tussle on the ground, another video angle shows.

Hayes then places the gun on the sidewalk behind him as bystanders try to break the two apart. After the altercation, Hayes told bystanders to call 911, and tended to wounds of the man who tackled him, a video shared with The Daily Wire shows.

Watch:

In another video, the man who fired the gun is seen providing medical care to the man who tackled him before first responders arrived. pic.twitter.com/wMtoowakr9

— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) September 13, 2024

Hayes is being charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and violation of a constitutional right causing injury, Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said. Ryan said the veteran had full legal possession of the gun, according to Boston 25 News. The veteran’s fellow protesters say they were not aware he had a gun, but believe he was acting in self defense.

The man shot reportedly suffered life-threatening injuries.

Hayes was with a group of pro-Israel individuals hold American, Israeli, and Pahlavi Iranian flags in various parts of Massachusetts to raise awareness about the hostages and the troubles of the Iranian regime. Newton, a suburb of Boston and considered one of the most Jewish cities in the United States, with Jews comprising between 20-30% of the population, according to Forward.

Aidin, a pro-Israel Iranian who runs the From Boston to Iran group and was present at the altercation, told The Daily Wire that he was not sure how the gun was discharged.

“I saw him bring his hand up to the veteran and I tried to go closer until I heard the shot fired.”

“We’ve been to standouts like this often and nothing like this has ever happened,” he said, declining to give his last name. “I was shocked when the man ran across the street and had no idea why he would do that.”

Aidin said he was not sure why the man charged Hayes instead of the other members of the group. He also said the person shot was in stable condition.

Anti-racism activist Robin DiAngelo is breaking her silence on the upcoming ‘Am I Racist?’ film, laying out how Daily Wire host Matt Walsh “deceived” her into appearing in what she describes as “a Borat-style mockumentary…designed to humiliate and discredit anti-racist educators and activists.”

In a note on her website titled “About That Film,” the “White Fragility” author says the “sequence of events” that ended with her taking $30 out of her purse to pay reparations to a black producer on set was “unsettling,” and that she figured out she “had been played” before the trailer for the film was released in July.

“After reviewing the sequence of events and discussing it with colleagues, I realized that they had lied about their agenda and I had been played,” DiAngelo says.

But it wasn’t until after seeing the trailer for the film, which opens in theaters across the country this Friday, that she realized the interview was not “meant to support the anti-racist cause.”

“It is not titled Shades of Justice nor is it meant to support the anti-racist cause,” DiAngelo writes.

“It is a Borat-style mockumentary titled Am I Racist? and designed to humiliate and discredit anti-racist educators and activists.”

DiAngelo is featured in the film, one of Walsh’s many interview subjects. Walsh, sporting a man bun, convinces DiAngelo she had a “powerful opportunity” to display her commitment to anti-racism by giving his black producer, Ben, money from her purse.

In her statement, DiAngelo claims she detected the wig and other things that “felt off,” but thought that Walsh “seemed earnest.”

“When I arrived for the interview, a few things felt off,” DiAngelo writes. “The grips would not make eye contact with me and the interviewer, who was introduced as ‘Matt,’ appeared to be wearing an ill-fitting wig. Matt presented himself as someone new to antiracist work and seemed earnest, and his questions did not come across as adversarial.”

She says the reparations segment, however, “got weird.” Here’s how she remembers it:

“Matt asked what I thought about reparations for Black Americans. I said that I agreed with reparations but that it was not my area of expertise. He then pulled up a chair and invited a Black crew-member who went by “Ben” to sit with us, took out his wallet and handed Ben some cash. He said that if I believed in reparations, I should also give Ben cash. While some Black people have asked white people to engage in reparations by giving directly to individuals, reparations are generally understood as a systemic approach to past and current injustice. The way Matt set this up felt intended to put Ben and I on the spot. Because Matt was pushing this on us, I expressed my discomfort and checked in with Ben, to be sure he was okay with receiving cash in this way. Ben reassured me that he was, so I went to my wallet and handed him my cash and the interview ended.”

DiAngelo confesses that she took $15,000 to do the interview, but has since donated the money to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. It is unclear whether she included the $30 reparations payment in her donation.

DiAngelo says she will not be “deceived” again, and that she will not see the film.

“This experience has reinforced for me how critically important it is to do in-depth background research before making yourself vulnerable to people you don’t know, or believing and sharing what you see online,” she says.

“I have not seen the film nor do I plan to watch it, so I don’t know what they have used of my interview or how they have edited it.”

She also says that the agenda for the film is clear, quoting Daily Wire co-CEO Jeremy Boreing’s statement that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is the “next pillar of the woke mind virus that’s about to topple.”

DiAngelo ends her statement with a prediction: “They will not prevail in their efforts to stop the work for racial justice.”

Walsh responded to DiAngelo’s statement on X, saying she was “correct” in her assessment of his intentions.

My favorite part of this wonderful statement is that she says she noticed my “ill fitting wig” when she first sat down with me. And yet for some reason she still did the interview.

— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) September 12, 2024

Walsh said his “favorite part” of the statement was her critique of his hair, and suggestion that she knew something was up the whole time.

“My favorite part of this wonderful statement is that she says she noticed my ‘ill fitting wig’ when she first sat down with me,” Walsh said. “And yet for some reason she still did the interview.”

Am I Racist? opens on Friday in over 1,500 theaters. DiAngelo deactivated her social media accounts last month.

The Mexican government has started busing migrants to the U.S. border if they have appointments under a controversial use of a phone app implemented by the Biden administration that allows migrants to be paroled into the U.S.

The Mexican National Institute of Migration posted the video of what it said was the first bus transporting “foreigners” from Tapachula, in the south of the country near Guatemala, to Reynosa near the U.S. border. It said that migrants will attend their appointments scheduled via the CBP One app. It is part of an “Emerging Safe Mobility Corridor” launched by the Mexican government last month.

#Video 🎥| Salida del primer autobús que trasladó de Tapachula, Chiapas a Reynosa, Tamaulipas a personas extranjeras que acudirán a su cita CBP One y que forma parte de la habilitación del Corredor Emergente de Movilidad Segura, que puso en marcha el gobierno mexicano a través de… pic.twitter.com/j1dBQSEGQo

— INM (@INAMI_mx) September 11, 2024

The CBP One app was expanded during the Biden administration to allow up to 1,450 migrants per day to schedule an appointment at a U.S. port of entry to be paroled into the U.S. if they meet certain conditions. The app also allows them to upload documents ahead of that appointment.

The Biden administration has said that the app is a key part of its migration strategy, which involves increasing funding to the border while expanding “lawful” migration pathways. It has also used the app to allow up to 30,000 nationals from four countries to fly directly into the U.S. after being approved.

But Republicans have accused the administration of abusing humanitarian parole, which is supposed to be used on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit. They have said that the administration is waving in migrants quasi-legally, and have pointed to numbers suggesting that over 95% of migrants who schedule an appointment are allowed in.

The Mexican government announced in a press release last month the plan to transport foreigners to the U.S. border as part of a “safe mobility corridor.” Mexico said it will issue a temporary 20-day visa for those with a confirmed CBP One appointment, and give them transportation as well as food.

The app recently came under fire from a DHS Inspector General report, which found issues with vetting among other problems with the app.

“Although CBP uses biographic and biometric information submitted to CBP One to determine whether arriving noncitizens have derogatory records, it does not leverage the information to identify suspicious trends as part of its pre-arrival vetting procedures,” the report said.

Meanwhile, immigration has become a top election issue after a three-year crisis at the southern border that repeatedly smashed records. The Biden administration has called for the backing of a bipartisan Senate bill that would increase funding for the border. It has blamed the crisis on the failure of Congress to provide that funding.

DHS is also pointing to a sharp decrease in apprehensions since President Biden signed an order to allow authorities to temporarily suspend the entry of illegal immigrants across the border. Officials say that has led to a 50% decrease in apprehensions since that time. It also says it has removed more than 131,000 individuals to 144 countries, including 420 international deportation flights. Officials say they have also tripled the percentage of non-citizens processed through Expedited Removal to Mexico while in custody.

Republicans, including former President Trump, have blamed the crisis on the policies of the Biden administration and the rolling back of what they see as successful Trump-era policies. Trump has promised to shut down parole policies and launch a massive deportation operation if elected in November.

Tens of thousands of Boeing workers walked off the job on Sept. 13 after rejecting a contract deal, marking the first strike since 2008.

Members of two local unions of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers overwhelmingly voted on Thursday night to reject the latest contract offer and initiate a strike. According to the unions, 94.6 percent voted to reject the contract, and 96 percent supported walking off the job. The strike began at midnight.

The 33,000 striking workers represent 22 percent of Boeing’s workforce. The Virginia-based company manufactures planes and other products.

Boeing and the unions said at the weekend that they had reached a tentative agreement on a new contract, which includes changes such as raising the starting base pay from at least $12 an hour to $21 an hour, as well as offering the option to receive a pension as a lump sum payment upon retirement.

“We have achieved everything we could in bargaining, short of a strike. We recommended acceptance because we can’t guarantee we can achieve more in a strike. But that is your decision to make and is a decision that we will protect and support, no matter what,” Jon Holden, president of the Aerospace Machinists District 751 union, said in an open letter on Monday.

While announcing the vote result days later, Holden said the strike “is about respect, this is about addressing the past, and this is about fighting for our future.”

“We strike at midnight,” he said, as members chanted: “Strike! Strike! Strike!”

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said it supported the strike.

“We are incredibly proud of the hard work and dedication shown by the negotiating teams from District 751 and W24 and the unwavering solidarity of our membership. Their tireless efforts have been on display throughout this entire process. Now, they will regroup and begin planning the next steps on securing an agreement that our membership can approve,” the association said in a statement.

Boeing said in a statement Thursday that “we remain committed to resetting our relationship with our employees and the union, and we are ready to get back to the table to reach a new agreement.”

The 2008 Boeing strike lasted 52 days and cost Boeing an estimated $100 million a day. The contract that was reached to end the strike had been extended twice.

According to a pre-vote note from investment bank TD Cowen, a 50-day strike could cost Boeing $3 billion to $3.5 billion of cash flow.

The striking workers primarily work in the Seattle and Portland areas, building the 737 MAX and other aircraft.

“The key question now is on the duration of the strike given the gap between the proposed wage increase and union members request,” Jefferies analyst Chloe Lemarie said in a note, adding that a long strike represents a key risk for 737 MAX production levels.

Shortly after midnight, striking workers started to gather outside the entrances of Boeing factories in the Seattle area. Many waved placards that read: ‘On Strike Against Boeing’, as drivers passed and honked their car horns.

“I’m willing to strike for two months or even longer. Let’s go as long as it takes to get what we deserve,” said James Mann, a 26-year-old who works in a wings division at Boeing.

Neither the White House nor the presidential candidates, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, has commented on the strike as of yet.

A Georgia judge dismissed two counts Thursday against former President Donald Trump in the Georgia 2020 election interference case.

Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee said the two counts fall under federal jurisdiction. Both counts deal with conspiracy and filing false documents. Five counts of the original indictment against Trump have now been dismissed.

Three were dropped earlier this year by Judge McAfee, who ruled that the charges lacked detail. Trump now faces eight remaining counts in the case, out of the original 13.

Trump’s lawyers said in a statement, “President Trump and his legal team in Georgia have prevailed once again.”

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who brought the charges against Trump, declined to comment.

The proceedings in the Trump case have been temporarily halted since June, while the Georgia Court of Appeals reviews McAfee’s ruling allowing Willis to continue prosecuting the case.

In April, Willis acknowledged that she had a romantic relationship with lawyer Nathan Wade, whom she appointed to lead the prosecution against Trump.

Her admission came after one of Trump’s co-defendants sought to have Willis and her entire office disqualified from prosecuting the case because of the relationship.

McAfee allowed Willis to remain on the case if Wade resigned, which he did. Trump and several of his co-defendants appealed the decision.

The state appeals court is set to hear arguments in the disqualification bid in December, and it must rule by Mar. 14, 2025, which means that Trump will not face trial in this case before the November election.

Three lawyers and a bail bondsman involved in the post-election effort have pleaded guilty, and the four have agreed to cooperate in the cases against the other 15.

In August 2023, a Fulton County grand jury indicted Trump and 18 associates for election fraud, racketeering and other charges related to alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

The indictment said the defendants in the case “refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump.”

Former President Donald Trump declared Thursday that there will be “NO THIRD DEBATE” with Vice President Kamala Harris, half an hour after an internal campaign poll showed his Democratic opponent got no polling bounce in key states while Trump got a “2-point bump” from their verbal sparring match on ABC News earlier this week.

“When a prizefighter loses a fight, the first words out of his mouth are ‘I WANT A REMATCH,’” Trump, 78, posted on his Truth Social. “Polls clearly show that I won the Debate against Comrade Kamala Harris, the Democrats’ Radical Left Candidate, on Tuesday night, and she immediately called for a Second Debate.”

After being a “no-show” at a pre-planned Fox News debate that President Biden negotiated, Harris also “refused to do NBC & CBS” debates against him, Trump claimed.

“THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!” he roared, referring to Biden’s June 27 debate debacle as the first and the ABC debate as the second.

“Two nights ago, Donald Trump and I had our first debate,” the VP posted on X in response an hour later. “We owe it to the voters to have another debate.”

“We’ve done two,” Trump insisted to The Post. “You know, one against Biden, one against Comrade Kamala. I did well. I did really well.”

“So we just don’t think that there’s any need for it,” he said. “The debate polls, every single poll, had us winning it.”

No public poll of debate watchers has indicated that Trump got the better of Harris, 59, Tuesday night. However, at least two surveys — including one commissioned by The Post — showed that the veep’s support remained flat from before the Philadelphia forum.

In addition, six of 10 undecided voters in a Reuters-organized focus group said following the debate that they favored the Republican nominee.

“KAMALA SHOULD FOCUS ON WHAT SHE SHOULD HAVE DONE DURING THE LAST ALMOST FOUR YEAR PERIOD,” Trump offered in his Truth Social post. “She and Crooked Joe have destroyed our Country, with millions of criminals and mentally deranged people pouring into the USA, totally unchecked and unvetted, and with Inflation bankrupting our Middle Class.”

“Everyone knows this, and all of the other problems caused by Kamala and Joe – It was discussed in great detail during the First Debate with Joe, and the Second Debate with Comrade Harris,” he said.

Trump campaign officials had lobbied for a Sept. 25 debate on NBC News, but Harris’ team never confirmed she would show for that.

The veep’s crew also turned down a Sept. 4 debate on Fox News, prompting Trump to hold a town hall event in battleground Pennsylvania with host Sean Hannity instead.

The 45th president unloaded in an appearance on “Fox & Friends” Wednesday morning about the “unfair” ABC moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis.

“It was three on one. … It was a rigged deal, as I assumed it would be, because when you looked at the fact that they were correcting everything and not correcting with her,” he said. “I thought I did a great job.”

Trump got the “2-point bump” in internal polling conducted after his debate with Harris, his campaign announced Thursday.

The survey of likely general election voters in seven swing states showed the two-point boost in both a hypothetical six-way race and head-to-head matchup between Trump, 78, and Harris, 59, a campaign memo from pollsters Tony Fabrizio and Travis Tunis shows.

Trump leads Harris, 49% to 46%, on a ballot that includes Green Party candidate Jill Stein, Libertarian Party candidate Chase Oliver and independent candidates Cornel West and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., each of whom received 1% or less support.

In a one-on-one race, the former president beats the current vice president, 50% to 47%.

Before their verbal sparring match, Trump and Harris were tied at 46% on the six-candidate ballot and at 48% on the two-candidate ballot.

Another 3% were undecided before and remained so after the debate.

“Clearly, target state voters were not impressed by Kamala Harris’ empty platitudes and while the media would have people believe she is cruising to victory, this couldn’t be farther from the truth,” the memo states.

The Trump campaign survey took place on Wednesday night and included opinions from 1,893 voters in the seven target states.

The earlier poll from last week involved 5,600 likely voters in the states. No margin of error was listed.

Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona and Nevada remain the most hotly contested battleground states, though the Trump campaign memo did not specify which were the “target states.”

Though RFK Jr. dropped out and endorsed Trump last month, he remains on the ballot in Michigan and Wisconsin.

The Trump team saw the Kennedy scion’s endorsement as key to its strategy in winning several swing states, and pollsters previously predicted to The Post that it would “benefit” the former president’s campaign.

“Most of Kennedy’s left-leaning support had already dispersed to Harris,” said Dave Wasserman, a senior editor and elections analyst at the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. “So this could represent a meaningful benefit for Trump.”

A Leger poll commissioned by The Post after the Trump-Harris debate on Tuesday found that the Democratic presidential candidate won the war of words, 50% to 29%, but gained no extra support.

By contrast, Trump jumped up a percentage point, putting him behind Harris, 50% to 47%.

Only 3% said they were not voting for either candidate.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that the West letting Kyiv use longer-range weapons to strike Russian targets would mean NATO would be “at war” with Russia.

Putin spoke as US and UK top diplomats discussed easing rules on firing Western weapons into Russia, which Kyiv has been pressing for, more than two and a half years into Moscow’s offensive.

“This would in a significant way change the very nature of the conflict,” Putin told a state television reporter.

“It would mean that NATO countries, the US, European countries, are at war with Russia,” he added.

“If that’s the case, then taking into account the change of nature of the conflict, we will take the appropriate decisions based on the threats that we will face.”

Clearing Kyiv to strike deep into Russia “is a decision on whether NATO countries are directly involved in the military conflict or not”.

Putin’s comments came as Kyiv pressed the West to provide more powerful weapons with fewer restrictions, as Russia continues its advance into eastern Ukraine.

BREAKING:

🇷🇺 Putin on the potential use of NATO Long-range weapons against Russia:

"If they do that, NATO is officially at war with Russia "

"This would mean that NATO countries, the United States, and European nations are at war with Russia. And if that is the case,… pic.twitter.com/VqJ0h8JSYr

— Megatron (@Megatron_ron) September 12, 2024

Two top allies of former President Trump are warring on social media about a bigoted social media post mocking Vice President Harris’s Indian heritage, exposing fault lines within the Republican presidential candidate’s inner circle.

Right-wing activist Laura Loomer and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R) have been engaged in a war of words on the social platform X, with Greene calling Loomer “appalling and extremely racist” for her recent comments.

Loomer quoted a Sunday post in which Harris was talking about her Indian heritage and said that if she wins the election, “the White House will smell like curry & White House speeches will be facilitated via a call center and the American people will only be able to convey their feedback through a customer satisfaction survey at the end of the call that nobody will understand.”

On Wednesday night, three days after Loomer’s post, Greene posted a response saying the comment “does not represent who we are as Republicans or MAGA. This does not represent President Trump. This type of behavior should not be tolerated ever.”

The two Trump allies have since been in an intense back-and-forth on X, with Loomer calling Greene a “raging antisemite” and defending her initial post as a “funny joke about Kamala Harris” using “her Indian mom as a way to dodge questions.”

Greene slammed Loomer’s comments in another post, adding that “when it comes to post that are flat out racist, hateful, and make President Trump look bad, she needs to be responsible and delete them.”

Loomer also repeatedly attacked Greene over her divorce. “Along with being an anti semite, MTG is also a poor excuse for a Christian,” Loomer wrote in one post.

This public feud played out as Loomer was spotted accompanying Trump as he commemorated the anniversary of 9/11 in New York and Pennsylvania on Wednesday.

Loomer, who previously called the 9/11 attacks an “inside job,” told The Associated Press that she doesn’t work for the Trump campaign and that she was “invited as a guest.” She did not respond to questions about her past statements about 9/11.

She was also spotted departing Trump’s plane when he landed in Philadelphia for Tuesday’s debate against Harris.

Loomer said that Greene’s attacks on X were motivated by jealousy. “Nobody talks about her anymore because she’s annoying and irrelevant and a sellout,” she wrote in one post.

Reached for comment, Greene’s office pointed to comments she made on the Capitol steps, saying she has “concerns about her rhetoric and her hateful tone.”

“Laura Loomer’s outright lies, instability, and manic toxicity have no place in MAGA,” Greene posted on X.

Loomer posted that she would not be replying to requests for comment on X. “To the many reporters who are calling me and obsessively asking me to talk to them today, the answer is no.”

The two women have a history of engaging in public spats after Greene publicly warned Trump against hiring Loomer last year, calling her “mentally unstable” and a “documented liar.”

The New York Times reported that Trump met with Loomer last year and directed advisers to give her a position supporting his candidacy, potentially with the campaign itself or with a super PAC aligned with the former president’s 2024 White House bid.

A Trump campaign official later confirmed to The Hill that Loomer was not being hired. She confirmed her employment status in a post Wednesday.

“I do not work for President Trump. I do not work for anyone, actually. I operate independently out of my love for my country and a love for the truth,” she wrote.

Former President Donald Trump announced a new economic proposal banning any taxes on overtime pay for people who work more than 40 hours per week during a Tuscon, Arizona, rally Thursday evening.

“I’m also announcing that as part of our additional tax cuts, we will end all taxes on overtime,” he said in his appearance in the battleground state. “That gives people more of an incentive to work.”

“The people who work overtime are among the hardest working citizens in our country, and for too long, no one in Washington has been looking out for them,” Trump continued.

“It’s time for the working man and woman to finally catch a break, and that’s what we’re doing because this is a good one. And I think it’s going to be great for the country.”

This latest proposal builds on his previous economic efforts to win the public over in his battle against Vice President Kamala Harris. He did not offer details on how he would garner congressional support for the legislation or how the plan would be implemented.

Before Thursday, the former president had endorsed ending taxes on tips and on Social Security benefits, an effort that appeals both to restaurant workers in crucial swing states such as Nevada, a state that has a sizable restaurant worker population, and to senior citizens, who are far more likely to vote than younger voters.

Trump has repeatedly blasted Harris for copying portions of his economic plan, particularly the banning of taxes on tips, which the vice president subsequently embraced.

During the Tuesday debate between the two candidates, Harris slammed Trump over his handling of the economy while in office.

Trump claimed that Harris and President Joe Biden’s leadership over the last three years has led to inflation and high grocery prices, hurting families.

His endorsement of no taxation on overtime is likely a bid to appeal to voters unhappy with how expensive everyday items have become and with their shrinking pay stubs since he left office.

“That’s why we will be saying that if you’re an overtime worker, when you’re past 40 hours a week —think of that — your overtime hours will be tax free,” Trump said to applause from the audience. “OK, good. You’re gonna have it.”

The former president and Harris faced off on the debate stage Tuesday evening, and both candidates held their first public rallies following the debate. Harris appeared in Charlotte and Greensboro, North Carolina, on Thursday afternoon and evening.

The governor of New York has basal cell carcinoma, a common type of skin cancer.

Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) announced her diagnosis to reporters Thursday following a public safety press conference in Manhattan.

Hochul told reporters her physician discovered the skin cancer during a routine checkup “a few weeks ago.”

“A tiny, tiny speck on my nose, you can’t even see it,” Hochul told reporters. In an “excess of precaution,” Hochul said she will have the tumor removed Friday morning.

Surgeries to remove basal cell carcinoma typically occur in office with the use of local anesthetic, meaning people who undergo the procedure can usually go home the same day.

“I’ll be out of commission for about an hour or two tomorrow morning,” Hochul said, adding that when she does return to work “there will be a bandage on my nose.”

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer with about 3.6 million cases of the disease diagnosed each year, according to The Skin Cancer Foundation.

The disease is becoming more common, in part, due to better skin cancer detection, overall increased sun exposure and people living longer, according to the American Cancer Society.

People of all skin tones can develop basal cell carcinoma, but those with light skin that rarely tans, light eyes and red or blonde hair have the highest risk of developing the disease, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.

The cancer tends to grow slowly and while typically not life-threatening, if left untreated, it can “wrap around nerves and blood vessels” and spread to muscle and bone, according to the association’s website.

Some early signs of the cancer are a slowly growing, “non-healing spot that sometimes bleeds,” or a slightly raised area of irritated skin.

“I encourage everyone to make sure that they do get regular checkups and follow through,” Hochul said.

The Biden administration notifies the US Congress that it will provide Egypt with $1.3 billion in military aid, a State Department spokesperson says, the first time since 2020 Egypt will receive the total amount of US funding despite human rights conditions.

The announcement comes as Washington has relied heavily on Cairo — a longstanding US ally — to mediate so far unsuccessful talks between Israel and Hamas on a ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza.

Of the $1.3 billion in US foreign military financing allocated to Egypt, $320 million is subject to conditions that have meant at least some of that sum has been withheld in recent years.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken tells Congres that he waived a certification requirement on $225 million related to Egypt’s human rights record this year citing “the US national security interest,” the spokesperson says by email.

“This decision is important to advancing regional peace and Egypt’s specific and ongoing contributions to US national security priorities, particularly to finalize a ceasefire agreement for Gaza, bring the hostages home, surge humanitarian assistance for Palestinians in need, and help bring an enduring end to the Israel-Hamas conflict,” the spokesperson says.

Blinken issued a similar same waiver on the human rights conditions last year but withheld a portion of the military aid over Egypt’s failure to make “clear and consistent progress” on the release of political prisoners.

This year, Blinken determined that Egypt had made sufficient efforts on political prisoners to release $95 million tied to progress on the issue, the spokesperson said.

Tech billionaire Jared Isaacman became the first-ever civilian to embark on a spacewalk early Thursday — after already traveling the farthest from Earth a human being has gone since the Apollo moon missions.

Footage of the daring stunt showed Isaacman, 41, popping out of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule on a tether as he came face-to-face with the dark vacuum of space just before 7 a.m.

“Back at home we all have a lot of work to do, but from here, Earth sure looks like a perfect world,” Isaacman said soon after emerging from the spacecraft.

Cameras on board captured his silhouette, waist high at the hatch, with the Earth glittering below him in a half-shadow.

After about 15 minutes outside, Isaacman was replaced by SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis to go through the same motions.

Their maneuvers were streamed live on SpaceX’s website for the duration of the two-hour spacewalk.

Prior to popping open the hatch and emerging, Isaacman and his three other crewmembers were spotted waiting inside as the capsule was completely depressurized.

During that time, they relied on their newly developed SpaceX spacewalking suits for oxygen, which was provided via an umbilical connection to Crew Dragon.

The crew were all connected to 12-foot tethers but didn’t completely unfurl them during the spacewalk.

After emerging, Isaacman — the billionaire CEO and founder of the credit card processing company Shift4 — could be seen keeping a hand or foot attached to the capsule’s hatch at all times as he flexed his arms and legs.

Jared Isaacman becomes the first person ever to perform a commercial spacewalk.

Congratulations SpaceX 🚀💫 pic.twitter.com/nyTlMX0oYa

— DogeDesigner (@cb_doge) September 12, 2024

Gillis, meanwhile, bobbed up and down as she twisted her arms and sent live reports back to Mission Control.

A longer, untethered spacewalk – which is common at the International Space Station – wasn’t possible because only NASA suits are currently equipped with jetpacks that can guide an astronaut back to safety.

Given the Crew Dragon doesn’t have a pressurized airlock, the crew needed to wear the new spacesuits to protect them from the vacuum conditions during the mission.

It comes after SpaceX had delayed the planned start of the spacewalk by a few hours early Thursday. No explanation was immediately given for the delay, but the company said via X that “all systems are looking good.”

Isaacman and Gillis were joined on the mission by fellow SpaceX engineer Anna Menon and former Air Force Thunderbirds pilot, Scott “Kidd” Poteet.

They began preparing for the endeavor soon after blasting into orbit on Tuesday for a five-day flight.

The spacewalk took place after Isaacman and the crew reached a distance of nearly 870 miles above the Earth — well beyond the International Space Station and surpassing the Earth-lapping record set during NASA’s Project Gemini in 1966.

Only the 24 Apollo mission astronauts who flew to the moon have ventured farther into space.

While the trip would normally be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, it is just the first of three trips Isaacman purchased from Elon Musk in 2022.

Isaacman, who has not publicly stated how much his SpaceX trips cost, was among the first group of tourists who flew to space in 2021.

They began preparing for the endeavor soon after blasting into orbit on Tuesday for a five-day flight.

During that trip, Isaacman set a record by being the first space tourist to circle the Earth without having a professional astronaut aboard.

A petition to recall the entire city commission for Springfield is being processed in response to the town’s leadership failing to address long-standing issues that have been made worse through the influx of Haitians in recent years.

Citing Section 59 of the city’s charter, the petition, obtained by Blaze Media, says it is seeking to recall “the entire membership” of the Springfield City Commission. Mayor Rob Rue, Assistant Mayor David Estrop, and Commissioners Krystal Brown, Bridget Houston, and Tracey Tackett are named on the draft document.

The petition accuses the city of not enforcing building codes and says the city has used money earmarked for hiring police officers for other purposes. It also calls for the removal of the city’s leadership because:

1.”The current members of the Commission have breached their public responsibilities.”

2.”The Commission has created an untenable housing crisis by purposefully abandoning prior practices for consistent code enforcement. The Commission has permitted unscrupulous landlords to proliferate unsafe tenements which have caused their occupants to live in substandard conditions, have created substantial occupational hazards for public safety officers who are dispatched to such tenements, and caused long term residents to be squeezed out of the local housing market.”

3.”The Commission has failed to maintain an adequate Police Department. Several years ago, the City voters imposed on themselves a special real estate tax levy to employ an additional 24 Police Officers. … Instead of employing the additional 24 Police Officers, the Commissioners have spent the restricted funds for purposes other than the intended Police Officer compensation …”

A committee to oversee the petition process is still being assembled. Once that is completed, the committee will officially notify the city commissioners, who are then given five days to file a 200-word written statement in their defense. After that, the gathering of signers of the petition will be allowed to proceed.

A recall election will take place if at least 15% of registered voters in the last regular municipal election sign the petition within the 30-day period.

The lack of housing for U.S. citizens in Springfield has been one of the most pressing issues since the arrival of 20,000 Haitians within the past few years.

“What they’ll do instead of having a single family in a home that’s maybe a three-bedroom, they’ll actually rent bedrooms out to individual families. So the landlord will technically triple his rent [income],” local Mark Sanders explained.

Blaze News made multiple calls to the Springfield city manager’s office, but many of those calls went unanswered. Blaze News attempted to leave a message for one individual, but the mailbox was full.

U.S. citizens who have been pushed out of their homes and have been able to afford to move out of Springfield have done so, but not everyone has had the means. A source shared the following photos of encampments that have sprung up around the town.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby trashed a group of veterans in an email sent in error to Fox News on the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.

As Fox News reported on Wednesday, Kirby responded to an email query from Fox about criticisms by a veterans’ group about the Biden administration’s disastrous 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan by accidentally hitting “reply all” before disparaging the veterans.

Fox reported:

“Obviously no use in responding. A ‘handful’ of vets indeed and all of one stripe,” Kirby said in a “reply all” email chain Wednesday afternoon that appeared to be intended for White House staffers, but which also included Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital had reached out to the White House earlier Wednesday afternoon regarding critical comments from four veterans, including Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., who blasted Kirby for his Monday press conference that they said provided “cover” for the Biden administration’s 2021 withdrawal.

…

Kirby’s message was sent in error, with him following up with a Fox News Digital reporter, “Clearly, I didn’t realize you were on the chain.” Kirby sent the email while traveling with President Biden on the anniversary of 9/11.

On Monday, Kirby pushed back against a House Republican report on the Afghanistan withdrawal by blaming former President Donald Trump for, among other things, negotiating with the Taliban — ignoring the fact that talks with the Taliban actually began under the Obama administration, via Qatar, in 2013, in Obama’s second term in office.

Kirby retired from the U.S. Navy as a Rear Admiral. He served as Pentagon spokesman during the Afghanistan pullout, including the murder of 13 U.S. service members in the ISIS-K terror attack at Abbey Gate in August 2021.

Following the presidential debate on Tuesday, social media users theorized that Vice President Kamala Harris wore audio earrings on stage.

The Germany-based company that sells the earrings said on Wednesday that the resemblance between Harris’ earrings and their audio earrings “is striking.”

On Tuesday night, Harris wore what appeared to be gold and pearl earrings while debating former President Donald Trump.

Social media users compared the earrings to NOVA H1 Audio Earrings, which are wireless earphones.

Media outlets and other social media users examined the earrings, coming to the conclusion that Harris’ earrings are from Tiffany & Co., not NOVA products.

“We do not know whether Mrs. Harris wore one of our products. The resemblance is striking and while our product was not specifically developed for the use at presidential debates, it is nonetheless suited for it,” Malte Iversen, managing director at Icebach Sound, told Just the News on Wednesday.

“To ensure a level playing field for both candidates, we are currently developing a male version and will soon be able to offer it to the Trump campaign. The choice of colour is a bit challenging though as orange does not go well with a lot of colours.

“Currently, we are unfortunately out of stock and also busy preparing a lawsuit against a big Chinese tech company breaching our patents,” Iversen continued.

“We are talking to investors in order to ramp up operations accordingly and are confident that we will ship again very soon.”

President Biden briefly put on a red Trump hat Wednesday during a visit to a fire station in Shanksville, Pa., where he was ruthlessly ridiculed by one of the former president’s supporters.

As the president mingled with first responders after marking the 23rd anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, it appears he offered to trade one of his hats for the Trump supporter’s cap, video posted by TikTok user shows.

“I’ll give you my presidential hat,” Biden told the man, noting the “presidential seal on it.”

The Trump supporter, an older gentleman wearing “Punisher” suspenders, insisted that Biden sign the hat to seal the deal, and the president agreed.

“Do you remember your name?” the Trump supporter quipped.

“I don’t remember my name,” the 81-year-old president responded. “I’m slow.”

“You’re an old fart,” the Trump backer said, forcing Biden to acknowledge, “I’m an old guy.”

“You’re an old fart, right?” the man continued, openly mocking the president.

“I know you would know about that,” Biden shot back at the balding man, who then claimed to be a “young timer.”

The bizarre back-and-forth didn’t end there.

🔥🚨BREAKING NEWS: Another video has dropped PROVING JOE BIDEN INTENTIONALLY PUT ON A TRUMP HAT has released. This is the craziest thing I have ever seen in my entire life. I can’t believe this is real life right now. WTF IS GOING ON!!!!!!????? pic.twitter.com/OqzU04F3Ml

— Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) September 12, 2024

“He reminds me of the guys I grew up with,” Biden said as he finished signing the presidential hat. “There was always one in the neighborhood.”

When the president asked the supporter of the GOP nominee for his red Trump hat, the man asked, “You want my autograph?”

“Hell no,” Biden replied.

At the crowd’s urging, Biden proceeded to briefly place the “Trump 2024” hat over the hat already on his head.

“I’m proud of you now, you old fart,” the Trump supporter told Biden.

“Just remember, no eating dogs and cats,” the president said as he made his way away from the Trump backer, who strangely argued, “They’re good,” likening the taste of family pets to “Kentucky Fried Chicken.”

Footage of Biden, 81, donning the hat was quickly shared by the Trump-Vance campaign and the White House later confirmed that the president had tried on the headwear in the spirit of bipartisanship.

“At the Shanksville Fire Station, @POTUS spoke about the country’s bipartisan unity after 9/11 and said we needed to get back to that,” White House senior deputy press secretary Andrew Bates wrote on X.

“As a gesture, he gave a hat to a Trump supporter who then said that in the same spirit, POTUS should put on his Trump cap. He briefly wore it.”

Thanks for the support, Joe! pic.twitter.com/GeNDXWEHVi

— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) September 11, 2024

Supporters of the Republican nominee were less magnanimous.

“Kamala did so bad in last night’s debate, Joe Biden just put on a Trump hat,” the Trump War Room account posted on X along with footage that appeared to be reversed to show Biden putting on the hat rather than removing it.

Earlier, Biden had brought beer and pizza to the firehouse after participating in a wreath-laying ceremony at the memorial to United Airlines Flight 93, which was taken down by Al Qaeda hijackers with 40 people on board on that tragic day more than two decades ago.

Passengers on the Boeing 757 had stormed the cockpit before the terrorists could crash the jet into its intended target, believed to be either the White House or the US Capitol building.

Shanksville is located in Somerset County, a heavily Republican area where more than 77% of voters backed Trump in the 2020 election.

Ironically, during Tuesday night’s debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump mused about sending the Democratic nominee one of his trademark red ‘Make America Great Again’ hats while needling her for poaching his ideas.

“Everything that she believed three years ago and four years ago is out the window. She’s going to my philosophy now,” Trump said.

“In fact, I was going to send her a ‘MAGA’ hat. She’s going to my philosophy.”

Biden, who dropped out of the 2024 race July 21, had long accused Trump of posing a threat to the foundation of the country.

“Too much of what’s happening in our country today is not normal,” the president said during remarks in September 2022. “Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.”