INTERNACIONAL
Trump’s gun rights record back in spotlight after reported DOJ talks on transgender ban
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Recent reports that the Justice Department is weighing possible new restrictions on gun ownership for transgender people have alarmed gun rights groups and thrust President Donald Trump’s record on the Second Amendment back into the spotlight.
Trump’s views on Americans’ right to bear arms have shifted in his last two-plus decades as a public figure, espousing a complicated — and at times, even contradictory — relationship to the Second Amendment and gun rights advocates who support the president.
Late last week, the National Rifle Association took umbrage at those reports, telling Fox News Digital in a statement that the group «supports the Second Amendment rights of all law-abiding Americans to purchase and use firearms.»
The NRA «does not, and will not, support any policy proposals that implement sweeping gun bans that arbitrarily strip law-abiding citizens of their Second Amendment rights without due process,» it said.
ATTORNEY GENERAL PAM BONDI VOWS TO BRING THE DOJ BACK TO ITS ‘CORE FUNCTION,’ DECLARES ‘WEAPONIZATION’ OVER
President Donald Trump speaks alongside the FIFA World Cup Winners Trophy in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo)
It is unclear whether the Trump administration will move forward with those restrictions, which Justice Department officials stressed to Fox News Digital last week have not been advanced officially through the department.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt described the remarks as «very preliminary, low-level discussions» at the Justice Department at a press conference Tuesday.
It’s «a policy decision, and it’s far too early» to weigh in on at this juncture, she said.
A source told Fox News Digital last week that DOJ’s discussions about banning transgender people from buying or owning guns have involved the Office of Legal Counsel, which provides legal advice to the executive branch. The source indicated that the DOJ officials are currently weighing a feasible legal framework.
Such discussions would likely extend to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), included under DOJ’s leadership structure, and which has authority over federal rules pertaining to firearms.
On the campaign trail in 2016 and 2024, Trump cast himself as a staunch Second Amendment supporter. His first-term record, however, was mixed. He often sparred with gun rights advocates over ATF policies and his past remarks on universal background checks, especially after mass shootings.
After the Parkland High School shooting in 2018, Trump originally said he would consider raising the minimum age for rifle purchases to 21, and supported «taking the guns first, [and going] through due process second.» He later walked back that claim.
He similarly suggested support for «strong background checks» after other mass shootings, including in El Paso. He declined to pursue such legislation after pressure from the NRA and conservative groups, however.
While seeking his second presidential term, Trump positioned himself as the «most pro-gun president ever.»
This is a shift in Trump’s views on the Second Amendment from earlier decades, which were much more moderate compared to his views before his two elections to the White House.
ATF CHIEF LEGAL COUNSEL FIRED BY BONDI IN LATEST JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SHAKEUP
A thin blue line flag, signaling support for law enforcement, is displayed above the sign for the National Rifle Association (NRA) outside of its headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia, on May 31, 2022. (STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
In his 2000 book «The America We Deserve,» Trump suggested a ban on so-called «assault weapons,» and supported a waiting period to purchase firearms.
Trump wrote, «Democrats want to confiscate all guns, which is a dumb idea because only the law-abiding citizens would turn in their guns and the bad guys would be the only ones left armed.»
«The Republicans walk [the] NRA line and refuse even limited restrictions.»
As a result, he said, «I generally oppose gun control, but I support the ban on assault weapons and I also support a slightly longer waiting period to purchase a gun.»
«With today’s Internet technology, we should be able to tell within seventy-two hours if a potential gun owner has a record,» he added.
In a separate 2015 book, «Crippled America,» Trump — then with an eye to the Republican presidential primary — embraced a very different view of guns.
President Donald Trump speaks to NRA members prior to his second term in office at the group’s Great American Outdoor Show, on Feb. 9, 2024 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. (Reuters )
He argued that the gun waiting periods he previously endorsed had «accomplished very little» and instead introduced «more government regulation into the situation,» which he implied was unhelpful.
He subsequently described himself in an interview as a «very big Second Amendment person,» and went on to secure the NRA’s endorsement in May 2016. He also won the group’s endorsement in the 2020 and 2024 elections.
The NRA endorsed Trump in May 2024 shortly before he took the stage at the group’s annual meeting in Texas.
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There, he urged gun owners to vote, vowing to «roll back» Biden-era gun control policies and otherwise claiming Second Amendment protections were «under siege» under the Biden-Harris administration.
«We’ve got to get gun owners to vote,» Trump told the crowd in Texas at the time. «I think you’re a rebellious bunch. But let’s be rebellious and vote this time.»
Fox News Digital’s Ashley Oliver contributed to this report.
donald trump,white house,politics,second amendment,justice department
INTERNACIONAL
Rubio slams UNRWA as a ‘subsidiary of Hamas,’ vows it will not ‘play any role’ in delivering aid to Gaza
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who arrived in Israel shortly after Vice President JD Vance left for Washington, railed against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) amid the U.S.-brokered ceasefire.
«UNRWA’s not going to play any role in it,» Rubio said when asked about whether the controversial agency would assist in delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza. «The United Nations is here. They’re on the ground. We’re willing to work with them if they can make it work, but not UNRWA. UNRWA became a subsidiary of Hamas.»
UNRWA demanded in a post on X that it be allowed to do work in Gaza.
«As the largest U.N. agency operating in the Gaza Strip, by far, UNRWA has an unparalleled logistical network, longstanding trust from the community, managing the distribution of supplies based on vulnerability and clear criteria. Our teams are ready, inside and outside Gaza. Let us work,» the agency wrote.
EXPERTS URGE TRUMP TO BAN TERROR-LINKED UN AGENCY FROM HIS GAZA PEACE PLAN
Secretary of State Marco Rubio listens to a question as he speaks to the media after visiting the Civil-Military Coordination Center in southern Israel on Oct. 24, 2025. (Fadel Senna/Pool via Reuters)
On Oct. 17, days after world leaders backed a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) opened a Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC), which is where Rubio spoke on Friday.
The CMCC is located in southern Israel and will serve as the main hub for Gaza stabilization efforts. It will also oversee implementation of the ceasefire agreement and has an operations floor designed to track real-time developments in Gaza.
During the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) last month, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres spoke at a meeting in support of UNRWA, saying that the agency has «made invaluable contributions to development, human rights, humanitarian action, and peace and security, including for Israel.»
«UNRWA is vital to any prospects for peace and stability in the region,» Guterres added.
UNRWA’s headquarters in Gaza City, Gaza, on Feb. 21, 2024. (Dawoud Abo Alkas/Anadolu via Getty Images)
US MILITARY TO OVERSEE NEXT PHASE OF PEACE DEAL FROM COORDINATION BASE IN ISRAEL
However, the U.S. and Israel have taken hard stances against the agency, particularly in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.
President Donald Trump in February reaffirmed the U.S.’s commitment to not fund UNRWA.
In the executive order, Trump said that «UNRWA has reportedly been infiltrated by members of groups long designated by the Secretary of State as foreign terrorist organizations, and UNRWA employees were involved in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.»
A Palestinian boy walks near an UNRWA school sheltering displaced people that was hit in an overnight Israeli strike in Gaza City on July 5, 2025. (Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters)
UNRWA SCHOOLS ‘HIJACKED BY HAMAS,’ WATCHDOG REPORT WARNS
In April 2025, when the International Court of Justice (ICJ) demanded Israel work with UNRWA, Washington backed Jerusalem, saying it was under no obligation to work with the agency and had «ample grounds to question UNRWA’s impartiality.»
UNRWA announced in August 2024 the end of an investigation by the Office of Internal Oversight Services into whether its staff participated in the attacks, as Israel claimed. Following the probe, which looked into 19 UNRWA staff members, nine staff members were fired over evidence that «could indicate» they were involved in the attacks.
The investigation found one case in which there was no evidence to confirm the staffer’s involvement and nine other cases in which «the evidence obtained by OIOS was insufficient» to prove their participation, according to UNRWA.
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Fox News Digital reached out to UNRWA and Israel’s mission to the U.N. for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
israel,secretary of state,marco rubio,united nations
INTERNACIONAL
En una importante muestra de apoyo, Carlos III recibe a Zelenski con honores de Estado en Windsor
Honores militares
El Mayor Ben Tracey, capitán de la Guardia de Honor, junto al rey y el presidente ucraniano. Foto: Reuters
El Rey apoya abiertamente a Ucrania frente a la invasión rusa. Foto: APUn defensor de Ucrania
Después de la humillación de Trump
Toda la familia real involucrada
La Cumbre de Buena Voluntad
Starmer recibe a Zelenski en Londres. Foto: AP
Sen. Lankford proposes bill to avoid government shutdowns
Fox News senior congressional correspondent Chad Pergram and Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., join ‘The Faulkner Focus’ to discuss the failed vote to pay federal workers amid the government shutdown as they enter their first week without pay.
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Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has canceled votes in the House of Representatives for a fourth straight week as the government shutdown shows no signs of ending.
Johnson’s move is a part of his continued pressure strategy on Senate Democrats and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who have sunk the GOP’s federal funding plan 12 times since Sept. 19, when the House passed the measure.
Sept. 19 was also the last day the House was in session, meaning lawmakers have been largely in their home districts for over a month.
Republicans are pushing a short-term extension of fiscal year (FY) 2025 spending levels through Nov. 21 — called a continuing resolution (CR) — aimed at giving congressional negotiators time to strike a longer-term deal for FY2026.
SCREAMING MATCH ERUPTS BETWEEN HAKEEM JEFFRIES, MIKE LAWLER AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CHAOS CONTINUES
House Speaker Mike Johnson, right, is canceling House votes to pressure Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, left, for refusing to agree to a GOP-led plan to avert a government shutdown. (Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Democrats, furious at being sidelined in federal funding discussions, have been withholding their support for any spending bill that does not also extend COVID-19 pandemic-era enhanced Obamacare subsidies that are due to expire at the end of this year.
Johnson’s decision was made public on Friday afternoon during a brief pro forma session in the House. Under rules dictated by the Constitution, the chamber must meet for brief periods every few days called «pro forma» sessions to ensure continuity, even if there are no formal legislative matters at hand.
Pro forma sessions can also be opportunities for lawmakers to give brief speeches or introduce legislation that they otherwise would not have.
Democrats have criticized Johnson’s decision, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., telling reporters that House Republicans have been «on vacation for the last four weeks.»
The government is in a shutdown after Congress failed to reach an agreement on federal funding. (Getty Images)
Republicans, however, have largely stayed united behind Johnson as the shutdown continues.
«I mean, if all of a sudden the Senate wants to pass a clean CR, I would imagine there are some options on the table that we can pursue to get things back on track,» said Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., who presided over the House chamber on Friday.
«I would defer, ultimately, to [leadership’s] decisions for the schedule. But right now, I don’t see any sign that we need to change what has been on the counter.»
But there have been several notable defections. Both Reps. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., and Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., have made their criticism of Johnson’s strategy known publicly for weeks.
«I believe very strongly that it’s the wrong decision,» Kiley told MSNBC earlier this week, adding House lawmakers were not «doing all the things we’re supposed to be doing» aside from figuring out how to end the shutdown.
BATTLEGROUND REPUBLICANS HOLD THE LINE AS JOHNSON PRESSURES DEMS ON SHUTDOWN
Rep. Kevin Kiley, seen in August 2023, has been critical of Johnson’s shutdown strategy. (Scott Strazzante-Pool/Getty Images)
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Multiple House lawmakers have also raised concerns about being out of session on private weekly calls that Johnson holds with members of the GOP conference.
Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, was the most recent House Republican to suggest the GOP could be in a stronger position if they were back in Washington, Fox News Digital was told.
«I think the longer that we are out, the messaging is starting to get old,» Van Duyne told fellow House Republicans on their Tuesday call.
house of representatives politics,mike johnson,politics,chuck schumer
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