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Trump team ‘pissed off’ with Kemp over candidate pick in Georgia’s Senate GOP primary battle
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President Donald Trump’s political team and top advisers to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia apparently aren’t on the same page when it comes to the key southeastern battleground state’s Republican Senate primary.
The race is crucial for Republicans aiming to expand their Senate majority, as Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is running for re-election in a state that Trump narrowly carried in last year’s election, is viewed by the GOP as the most vulnerable Democrat seeking re-election in next year’s midterm elections.
Kemp, a popular two-term conservative governor whom Trump had heavily criticized in the past, was courted by national Republicans to take on Ossoff. But Kemp, who is term-limited, announced earlier this year that he would pass on a 2026 Senate run.
Sources in Trump’s political orbit and Republican sources in Georgia confirm to Fox News that there was an agreement between the president’s political operation and Kemp’s political team that they would work together to find a candidate that they could all unify behind to take on Ossoff in the Senate race.
FIRST ON FOX: TRUMP HOUSE ALLY TO LAUNCH SENATE BID NEXT WEEK IN KEY BATTLEGROUND STATE
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is interviewed by Fox News Digital at a Republican Governors Association meeting in Washington D.C. on Feb. 20, 2025. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
Those sources also confirm that Kemp and Trump – the ultimate kingmaker in GOP politics – met two weeks ago to discuss the Senate race in Georgia.
But when the governor floated the name of former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley, a source close to the president’s political team said «they were told to stand down, because Trump’s team wasn’t ready to move forward on anybody.»
And when Kemp and his team did move forward with Dooley, it upset Trump’s advisers, who, according to sources, were «already pretty annoyed» that Kemp had passed earlier this year on taking on Ossoff in the Senate race.
POPULAR GOP GOVERNOR PASSES ON SENATE BID IN 2026
«We had a deal to work together,» a top political source in the Trump orbit told Fox News on Friday. «Kemp went out on his own – which has frustrated and pissed off Trump orbit.»
The source added that «the best option for the GOP in Georgia was and is Brian Kemp. Unfortunately, he has chosen the path of the weak, and – instead of leading – has decided to circumvent and self-anoint a candidate no one has heard of and the president hasn’t met.»
«The operation that delivered the win in Georgia was the Trump organization – not a faux operation – it’s hard to see it rallying behind the blind ambition of someone more interested in 2028 than in 2026,» the source said, in a not-so-veiled reference to Kemp’s potential interest in seeking the 2028 Republican presidential nomination.
Donald Trump shakes hands with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp after speaking at a temporary relief shelter as he visits areas impacted by Hurricane Helene, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in Evans, Georgia. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
But a source close to the governor told Fox News that it’s factually not true that they were told to stand down on Dooley.
And the source added that Kemp meant what he said that he wants to work with the president and his team and remains that way.
Kemp’s political team first floated the Dooley trial balloon about two months ago. A longtime Georgia-based Republican strategist said the reaction in the Peach State among Republicans «was very negative.»
Dooley, who is the son of former longtime University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley, is close with Kemp, who is a longtime friend.
And Dooley has hired two top Kemp political advisers to help with his potential Senate campaign.
A Republican source in Georgia says a decision by Dooley on whether he’ll run could come as early as next week.
Republican Rep. Mike Collins, a Trump ally and supporter in the House, will announce his candidacy for the Senate next week, sources with knowledge told Fox News Digital on Friday.
Fox News has learned that Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia will launch a Senate campaign next week in the race against Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff. (Bill Clark)
Republican Rep. Buddy Carter, who for a decade has represented a district in coastal Georgia, launched a Senate campaign in the spring.
Georgia Insurance Commissioner John King also announced a run, but ended his bid on Thursday.
Trump and Kemp have a turbulent political history.
Trump backed the then-Georgia secretary of state in his successful 2018 campaign for governor.
But during the two years after his 2020 election defeat to former President Joe Biden, which included a razor-thin loss in Georgia, Trump attacked Kemp for failing to overturn the election results in his state.
Trump toned down the criticism in 2022 after Kemp crushed Trump-backed former Sen. David Perdue in the state’s GOP gubernatorial primary, as Kemp successfully cruised to re-election to a second term as governor.
KEMP SPEAKS OUT AFTER TRUMP FLIPS AND PRAISES THE GEORGIA GOVERNOR
But last summer, amid the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump went on a 10-minute tirade against Kemp at a rally in Atlanta just blocks from the Georgia State Capitol. Trump blamed the governor not only for failing to overturn the 2020 vote count but also for not stopping a county prosecutor from indicting the former president for his attempts to reverse the results.
Trump quickly changed his tune on Kemp days later, and praised the governor in a social media post «for all of your help and support in Georgia, where a win is so important to the success of our Party and, most importantly, our Country.»
Then-Georgia Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp, left, walks with President Donald Trump as Trump arrives for a rally in Macon, Georgia. (AP )
Kemp, in a Fox News Digital interview a few days later, downplayed Trump’s tirade against him, calling it a «small distraction that’s in the past.»
As Dooley moves closer to launching a campaign, Collins is just days from declaring his candidacy.
Collins, a businessman who founded a trucking company, is in his second term representing Georgia’s 10th Congressional District, which includes a large swath of urban, suburban, and rural areas between Atlanta and Augusta.
The conservative lawmaker, who’s the son of the late Republican Rep. Mac Collins of Georgia, has been moving closer to launching a Senate campaign for weeks.
Collins was an early backer of the president, supporting him as Trump first ran for the Republican presidential nomination in the 2016 cycle.
Collins at the beginning of this year reintroduced the Laken Riley Act, which mandates that undocumented immigrants charged with burglary or theft be detained. It’s named after a Georgia nursing student killed by a man who had illegally entered the U.S. The case grabbed national attention.
The bill, which quickly passed the Republican-controlled House and Senate, became the first legislation signed into law by Trump as he started his second tour of duty in the White House.
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A Republican source said that Collins has a «great relationship» with the president and his political team.
And a Georgia-based Republican consultant told Fox News that «the lane that Mike is going to run in is the America First fighter who’s been with President Trump.
Carter is also courting a Trump endorsement in the GOP primary.
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Empresarios temerosos en Brasil tras la detención de Bolsonaro: «Todos tienen los nervios a flor de piel»
El gobierno brasileño estaba organizando una conversación telefónica entre Lula y Trump para los próximos días sobre los aranceles y esperaba que las negociaciones avanzaran. Pero el arresto domiciliario de Jair Bolsonaro, decidido el lunes por el magistrado Alexandre de Moraes, podría afectar la reanudación del diálogo.
Corresponde al republicano habilitar los canales diplomáticos para que ambos países reanuden las negociaciones, interrumpidas días antes de que Trump condicionara la suspensión del arancel del 50 % a la interferencia del Poder Ejecutivo en el proceso judicial contra Bolsonaro. Ahora, fuentes del Gobierno consultadas por RFI alertan sobre el riesgo de agravamiento de la crisis y refuerzan que es momento de prestar atención.
En el sector productivo, el clima es de aprensión. Para el presidente de la Asociación de Comercio Exterior de Brasil, José Augusto de Castro, todavía no hay luz al final del túnel.
“Este es un momento de hibernación, porque cualquier chispa es capaz de hacer estallar el escenario en su conjunto. Todos tienen los nervios a flor de piel”, afirmó.
Castro explica que las empresas que quedaron fuera de la lista de exenciones del aumento arancelario enfrentan dificultades para encontrar nuevos mercados o precios competitivos como los que tenían en Estados Unidos.
El presidente Lula debía pronunciar este martes un discurso en defensa de la soberanía y la unión nacional durante la nueva edición del Consejo de Desarrollo Económico y Social Sostenible, el llamado “Conselhão”. La reunión congrega a 155 participantes, entre ministros y representantes de diversos segmentos de la sociedad, que asesoran al Gobierno en la formulación de políticas públicas.
La reunión se celebra en vísperas de la entrada en vigor del arancel del 50 % sobre parte de las exportaciones brasileñas. El vicepresidente Geraldo Alckmin, responsable de las negociaciones con Estados Unidos y del diálogo con el sector productivo nacional, reforzará esta misma línea en su discurso durante el evento.
El lunes, Alckmin presidió la reunión del Consejo de Ministros de la Cámara de Comercio Exterior, que aprobó una consulta a la Organización Mundial del Comercio (OMC) sobre el caso de los aranceles. La decisión final sobre cómo y cuándo recurrir a la OMC corresponderá al presidente Lula.
El gobierno aún calcula los impactos del arancel anunciado por Trump. Según cálculos oficiales, el 12,5 % de las exportaciones brasileñas tienen como destino Estados Unidos, y la subida de aranceles afectará al 35 % de ese total. La lista con 694 exenciones anunciada la semana pasada supuso cierto alivio, pero la decisión del ministro Alexandre de Moraes de decretar la detención de Bolsonaro reavivó las tensiones y generó un nuevo clima de incertidumbre.
Por ahora, los empresarios no quieren oír hablar de represalias, por temor a agravar aún más la situación. Lo que esperan del gobierno es un plan de contingencia, actualmente en fase final de elaboración, para apoyar a los sectores más afectados. Entre las medidas que se están estudiando se encuentran líneas de crédito con recursos del BNDES, acciones para el mantenimiento del empleo y cambios normativos para estimular el consumo interno de productos que antes se exportaban.
El gobierno federal ya ha decidido dar prioridad a la compra de productos de la industria nacional para abastecer al Sistema Único de Salud (SUS) y está estudiando hacer lo mismo con los alimentos.
Los empresarios que se reunieron con Alckmin solicitaron la ampliación de la Ley Acredita Exportación a las grandes empresas. El texto, en vigor desde el lunes, prevé el reembolso del 3 % del valor exportado a las micro y pequeñas empresas, mediante créditos fiscales. Dado que esto tiene un impacto fiscal, el Gobierno aún está evaluando el costo de extender el beneficio a las empresas de mayor tamaño.
Alckmin también afirmó que el Ejecutivo está concentrando sus esfuerzos en abrir nuevos mercados para los productos brasileños. Las negociaciones políticas para que el Reino Unido y la Unión Europea vuelvan a comprar pescado de Brasil, un producto que se exportaba ampliamente a Estados Unidos y al que se le aplicó un recargo del 50 %, se encuentran en su fase final.
El vicepresidente brasileño volvió a criticar el porcentaje impuesto por Washington. Destacó que ocho de cada diez productos exportados por Estados Unidos a Brasil tienen un impuesto cero, mientras que el arancel medio brasileño sobre los productos estadounidenses es de solo el 2,7 %.
Los nuevos aranceles estadounidenses entran en vigor a las 00:01 horas de este miércoles.
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Biden’s doctor thought cognitive tests were ‘meaningless,’ ex-aide Bruce Reed told investigators
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Former White House physician Kevin O’Connor previously dismissed cognitive tests as «meaningless,» ex-Biden administration aide Bruce Reed told House investigators on Tuesday, according to a source familiar with the proceedings.
Reed, who served as White House deputy chief of staff for policy, is the ninth member of former President Joe Biden’s inner circle to sit down with House Oversight Committee lawyers.
A source familiar with his interview told Fox News Digital that Reed attributed Biden’s disastrous 2024 debate performance against then-candidate Donald Trump to the former president’s stutter, a condition that’s been well-documented and Biden himself has publicly acknowledged.
But his meandering and seemingly tired demeanor on stage with Trump alarmed both Democrats and media pundits, who saw it as a glaring sign of Biden’s advanced age. It precipitated both a public and private push by left-wing lawmakers to get Biden to drop out of the race — which he did in July 2024.
COMER DISMISSES BIDEN DOCTOR’S BID FOR PAUSE IN COVER-UP PROBE: ‘THROWING OUT EVERY EXCUSE’
The House Oversight Committee questioned President Joe Biden’s physician Kevin O’Connor last month in its probe into Biden’s mental decline. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)
When asked whether public concerns about Biden’s mental acuity were legitimate, however, the source told Fox News Digital that Reed said he believes Americans should not have had any concerns about the ex-president’s mental faculties.
Reed also told investigators that «the president’s communications team anticipated that the issue of a cognitive test would likely be raised» in Biden’s interview with ABC News host George Stephanopoulos following the debate.
«Mr. Reed further explained that President Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, dismissed cognitive tests as ‘meaningless,’» the source said.
O’Connor was among the first former White House officials summoned by House investigators, and sat down with them last month after being compelled via subpoena.
But his sit-down lasted less than an hour, with the doctor opting to invoke the Fifth Amendment to avoid answering all questions but his name. His lawyers said at the time that was due to concerns about violating doctor-patient confidentiality.
In his own interview Tuesday, Reed also defended the Biden 2024 campaign’s preference to hold the debate earlier than typical for a presidential cycle, the source said.
Former deputy chief of staff for policy Bruce Reed is the ninth ex-Biden administration aide to appear before the House Oversight Committee. (Getty Images)
«During his interview, Mr. Reed stated that the decision to hold the debate early was a deliberate strategy to get ahead of early voting and the Olympics. He emphasized that the campaign’s push for the early debate was unrelated to concerns about President Biden’s age,» the source said.
Excerpts of Reed’s opening statement to investigators, obtained by Fox News Digital via a second source familiar with the interview, show he emphatically defended Biden’s cognitive abilities.
«While I can only speak to my own observations, I had the benefit of working with President Biden nearly every day of his presidency. Despite his age, President Biden maintained an unrelenting work ethic, embraced complex policy issues, and approached decisions with diligence and deliberation,» Reed said, according to the source.
LONGTIME BIDEN AIDE SAYS HE STOOD TO EARN UP TO $8M HAD PRESIDENT WON RE-ELECTION
Reed also described Biden as «a demanding boss who routinely grilled staff members on a topic until he reached the limits of our knowledge so he could judge whether to have confidence in our advice,» though «that didn’t mean he’d take it.»
«From the first days in the White House to the last, President Biden governed the same way he’d gotten there, by trusting his own values and instincts,» Reed said, according to the source.
«There is no tougher test than the presidency: President Biden asked tough questions, made tough decisions, and led his country well in challenging times for the nation and the world.»
House Oversight and Accountability committee Chairman James Comer is leading the probe (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is probing whether Biden’s senior aides worked to cover up evidence of mental decline in the former president, and whether that meant Biden was not making the final decision on executive matters signed by autopen.
Of particular interest to Comer is the myriad of clemency orders Biden signed in the latter half of his presidency, though the former president told The New York Times last month that he was behind every decision.
His allies have also dismissed Comer’s probe as purely political.
Fox News Digital reached out to Reed’s counsel and lawyers for O’Connor for comment but did not hear back by press time.
joe biden,house of representatives politics,politics,congress,mental health,geriatric health
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The Italian government, under new legislation, would tighten controls on the supply of gender transition medical treatment for minors, according to a draft law.
The law was passed by Italy’s cabinet late on Monday but is still subject to approval from parliament. The government said the law was needed «to protect the health of minors» and introduce «effective data monitoring.»
The measure would regulate medications such as puberty blockers and feminizing or masculinizing hormones for people under the age of 18 who are experiencing gender dysphoria.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION REFINES EEOC APPROACH TO TRANSGENDER WORKPLACE DISCRIMINATION CLAIMS
The law was passed by Italy’s cabinet late on Monday but is still subject to approval from parliament. (Getty Images)
Under the bill, these medications would only be dispensed following protocols that have not yet been drafted by the health ministry and, pending that, after approval by a national ethics committee of pediatricians.
The measure also establishes a national registry at the Italian Medicines Agency to monitor «the correct use of [these] medicines» and collect the medical histories of each transgender person undergoing treatment.
The draft law has sparked protests from transgender rights advocates.
USA FENCING MINNESOTA DIVISION TO ONLY SANCTION MIXED EVENTS IN RESPONSE TO TRANS BAN
FILE PHOTO: A person attends the annual LGBTQ+ Pride parade in Rome, Italy, June 14, 2025. (REUTERS/Yara Nardi)
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has described herself as an opponent of what she and her allies call the LGBTQ+ lobby and «gender ideology.»
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has described herself as an opponent of what she and her allies call the LGBTQ+ lobby and «gender ideology.» (Reuters)
Meloni’s government has made it more difficult for gay couples with children to both be recognized as legal parents and has made it illegal for any couple to go to another country to have a baby through surrogacy.
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The draft bill could still be rejected or amended by parliament, although it is likely to be approved, given that Meloni’s coalition has a solid majority and backs its objectives.
Reuters contributed to this report.
italy,world,europe,culture trends,health
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