PORT HURON, Michigan – They’re coping with high prices at the gas and diesel pumps and at the supermarket, but the MAGA faithful in this key battleground state remain firmly supportive of President Donald Trump.

In conversations with nearly 20 Michigan voters who waited in line for hours to attend a Trump rally in this small city on the shores of Lake Huron, voters made clear they’re sticking with Republicans in the midterm elections and view all Democrats as «socialists.»

«He has our best interests at heart. He loves our country and he is doing the right things for us to get back on track,» Carol Mocan of Warren, Michigan told Digital.

As they fight to hold their slim House and Senate majorities, Republicans are fighting political history, as the party in power in Washington has traditionally lost seats during midterm election years. The GOP also faces a challenging political climate fueled by persistent inflation tied in part to what polls show is an unpopular war with Iran and Trump’s increasingly negative approval ratings.

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Trump stood at 36% approval in the latest national poll, his lowest level ever in a survey. But among self-described MAGA voters, the president’s approval rating remained at a sky high 95%.

«I know that Trump is always out for America’s interests first. And that’s what I really like about him,» Bay City resident James Blake said.

Linda Taggart of Marysville called the current high prices «short term pain for long term gain…. We see the long term goal and we support that.»

Port Huron resident Bob Kemp said Trump is getting the U.S. back on course following four years of Democratic control in the White House under former President Joe Biden, noting «whenever you’re fixing something, it always gets worse before it gets better.»

Another Port Huron resident, Michael Bacheller, said the affordability issue wouldn’t impact his vote in the midterms.

«I think it’s kind of a small price that we have to pay temporarily, and I think that’s how Trump’s, you know, putting it, and I can agree with that,» he said.

Asked if she blamed Trump for high prices, Judith Troy of Port Huron said «yes and no, you know, because he’s doing what he has to do. Which causes, you know, prices to go up and that, but he’s doing it for a good cause, so, you know, it’s expected.»

Trump touted during his speech at the rally that «we are ensuring that Iran will never have, ever have, ever, ever a nuclear weapon,» as he offered his reason for launching the war against Iran. The argument resonates with MAGA voters.

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«He’s taken the fight to the terrorists over in Iran,» James Blake said.

Carol Mocan said she doesn’t blame Trump for the high cost of living «because Iran needed to be taken care of. And no one else has done it for a long time, and I don’t know who else would have, and I really think it needs to be shut down.»

Ken Gunnels of Clio, Michigan said, «I believe Iran was a genuine threat to this country. If a nuclear bomb went off in one of our major cities, I don’t think any of us would have any idea the repercussions…that this country would suffer from that. I think those people are monsters, and I think we had to have a president that would stand up to them.»

Other MAGA voters said while the war and the economy are important, another issue takes precedence.

«My biggest thing is the immigration. If you’re here illegally, expect a knock on your door from ICE,» Burtchville resident Steve Scouten said.

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Bacheller, Scouten’s longtime friend, agreed. «I’m with Steve. I think if I could pick one thing that Trump should really go down for is the immigration policy,» he said.

James Blake emphasized that Trump’s «shut the borders.»

He added that the president has «also has advocated for no men in women’s sports, which is a huge one for us. Also with no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security, that’s huge, especially for a lot of members of my family.»

And Port Huron resident Rolande Debell highlighted she’s «all for Trump» because «it’s all about being American. It’s all about our freedom. It’s all about our rights. It’s all about our Ten Commandments, and that’s Trump.»

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None of the MAGA voters Fox Digital interviewed said they would vote for a Democrat in the midterms.

«I don’t like a lot of the things that they believe in,» Judith Troy said.

Carol Mocan argued that Democrats «don’t live in the same world that that the rest of us do. They just don’t, they don’t think about the people. They think about their careers… whatever it takes to get elected.»

Asked why he won’t consider voting for Democrats, James Blake said, «I’m not in the business of socialism. I don’t think that’s a good way to go, and I think that’s where the Democrats are heading at this time.»

Meanwhile, Steve Scouten shared that he «used to be a Democrat.»

«Never again. They’re too far to the left,» he claimed.

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Former Colombian President Gustavo Petro has been accused of trapping and exploiting 48 women for presidential parties, with officials alleging they were hired «just to be with President Petro.»

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Carlos Andrés Ríos, director of Colombia’s Administrative Department of the Presidency (DAPRE), claimed Petro oversaw a system that used service contracts to «systematically» control and weaponize the women, channeling public salaries in exchange for intimate relationships.

«We are going to prove to the Colombian people how the Casa de Nariño was unfortunately set up, organized, and tailored for something completely different — not to govern, but to party there every single day, bring in women,» Rios said during a congressional hearing last week.

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Former President Gustavo Petro rejected claims that women were hired to attend presidential parties and provide sexual favors. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File)

Petro issued a statement Sunday denying that he had used his public office to obtain sex.

«I have never given out a contract in exchange for sexual relations. I would vomit on myself if I ever did such a thing,» Petro said in a post on X.

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He argued that while his office provided state-funded aid programs for vulnerable women, he claimed that it is fundamentally different from giving contracts to individuals in exchange for sexual favors.

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The Casa de Nariño, the presidential palace, in Bogotá, Colombia, on Dec. 17, 2025. (Nathalia Angarita/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

«Helping poor women, female heads of households, and those engaged in sex work so that they have different life options — as I have demonstrated in public administration through concrete and funded programs — is something very different from giving out contracts in exchange for sexual relations. No person who has participated in those public programs will ever be able to say that I have done anything of the sort,» he said.

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Petro also acknowledged in the statement that he had occasionally visited establishments where sex work took place when he was young, saying he regretted the experiences and had stopped visiting such places decades ago.

«When I was very young, I occasionally visited places where sex work was practiced. There, I experienced that paying for sex felt dirty to me, and I perceived the sadness of the men and women who attended those places. That is why I stopped visiting them decades ago,» he said.

The accusations come amid broader criticism of Petro over alleged misuse of public funds, depletion of national budgets and drug trafficking. 

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Petro has dismissed the allegations as politically motivated attacks by figures such as President Donald Trump and Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella.

President Donald Trump and former Colombian President Gustavo Petro have previously escalated tensions amid a series of accusations and public disputes. (Mauro Pimentel/AFP via Getty Images; Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

«After attempting to portray me as corrupt and a drug trafficker — an intention expressed by people like Abelardo de la Espriella and Donald Trump, without being able to present a single piece of evidence of corruption or drug trafficking, because I have never stolen a single peso from the public treasury and I have fought for over two decades against drug traffickers, exposing their political ties,» Petro said. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment. 

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Bonny Chu is a Breaking and Trending News Writer for Fox News Digital

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Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s victory securing a fourth term spurred a social media firestorm Monday morning as progressives in the United States celebrated his win from afar.

«Yesterday, Brazil showed the world that the will of the people is stronger than the authoritarians who try to suppress it,» Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said in a post to X. «Congratulations, President [Lula] and congratulations Brazil.»

Progressives have framed Lula’s victory as a transnational repudiation of what they regard as the core politics of the Trump administration and its allies. But questions about the election remain after one of Brazil’s Supreme Court justices granted a last-minute extension of the country’s polling hours, prompting Lula’s opponent to question the legitimacy of the outcome.

In the waning hours of the election, Lula requested a two-hour extension of voting hours from the country’s Supreme Court, citing delayed public transportation services. Less than half an hour before the polls were scheduled to close, Supreme Court Justice Christiano Zanin granted the extension nationwide, prompting an outcry from Flávio Bolsonaro, Lula’s opponent.

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«What happened today was not normal. It was something frankly unacceptable. A Supreme Court justice, for the first time in history — a former lawyer of Lula’s — issues an order at the request of a former partner of his and changes the rules of the game in the middle of the game,» Bolsonaro said in a statement.

Notably, Bolsonaro’s campaign also asked for an extension, citing heavy rain.

Election experts in the country, speaking with local media, said the inclement weather and polling extension could provide grounds for a legal challenge to the election.

«There is the possibility of requesting the annulment of the election. The deluge that fell in Santa Catarina and Paraná caused harm. The lack of buses and the restriction of public transportation in strategic cities, such as Salvador and São Paulo, harmed the right to vote,» Guilherme Gonçalves, an attorney and member of the Brazilian Academy of Electoral and Political Law, told Brazilian outlet GZH.

Another expert, while casting doubt on whether a legal challenge would ultimately succeed, said uncertainty over the election would continue.

«It is difficult for it to succeed, but the point is that the [Supreme Court] contributed to the instability of the electoral process, which is serious,» Guilherme Barcelos, an attorney with a doctorate in constitutional law and specialization in electoral law, told GZH. «The election does not end today. That is the point.»

In the meantime, several Republican figures back in the U.S. blasted the outcome. Martin De Luca, an attorney representing some of President Donald Trump’s media groups, accused Lula of benefiting from his political connections to the Supreme Court.

«Yesterday Brazil showed the world that if you are losing an election and you need to turn it around, you can call on your former lawyer turned judge to give you a lift and you’ll still be congratulated by all who share the cause,» De Luca wrote.

Donald Trump Jr. echoed De Luca’s criticism in a reply to his post.

«If a conservative government in Brazil did this, everyone in the mainstream press in America would lose their minds, but I guess they’re just choosing to be silent because it’s all for the cause,» Trump Jr. said.

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«Brazil did not have an election today. They had their country stolen from them by a criminal band of corrupt hacks who belong in jail,» Joey Mannarino, the co-founder of the Overton Institute, a conservative-leaning think tank, wrote.

During his campaign, Bolsonaro built momentum on promises to increase public safety by expanding prison capacity and drastically cut the size of government through a 25% reduction in government ministries — policies that many Democrats viewed as mirroring efforts by the Trump administration.

By contrast, Lula has advocated for anti-poverty programs, minimum-wage increases and expanded assistance for low-income families.

The platform drew praise from progressive groups including the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).

«It is with tremendous pride that the Democratic Socialists of America congratulate President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin … and the coalition of progressive and leftists parties on their victory and re-election in Brazil’s second round of presidential elections this past Sunday,» the group wrote in a press release.

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«We commend the wide range of forces that joined together … to defend Brazilian democracy and secure this victory.»

Other prominent progressives also celebrated Lula’s victory as a triumph for policies aligned with their own.

«Lula has stood up for Brazilian workers and democracy — and will continue to do so in the next four years,» Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., wrote in a post to X.

«People all across the world are fighting back against extremism. With Lula in Brazil, they just won,» Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said.

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