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WATCH: Spanberger knocked for ‘bait and switch’ hypocrisy as popularity plummets amid redistricting fiasco
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EXCLUSIVE: One of the Democratic Party’s top rising stars, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, is coming under increasing fire as critics accuse her of pulling a «bait and switch» on voters by abandoning her affordability promises in favor of tax increases on «just about anything that moves.»
A new ad released by Unleash Prosperity on Monday slammed Spanberger over her affordability promises as Virginia Democrats propose new taxes on everyday expenses like dry cleaning, gym memberships and pet care. Unleash Prosperity’s ad puts it bluntly, saying, «Virginia can’t afford this.»
The governor has not publicly supported or signed the measures. A statement by the governor’s office sent to Fox News Digital on Monday emphasized that Spanberger did not sign the tax bills into law «because the General Assembly never passed them, and the bills never reached her desk.» The statement said that Spanberger has «remained laser-focused on addressing high costs for Virginians.»
However, Spanberger has supported a broader set of revenue measures since taking office, including proposals targeting digital services and business activity, as part of an effort to fund priorities such as education and healthcare.
TRUMP BLASTS SPANBERGER AHEAD OF VIRGINIA MEETINGS, SAYS STATE FACES TAX BASE EXODUS LIKE NEW YORK, CALIFORNIA
Abigail Spanberger while campaigning for governor in Fairfax Virginia, on June 26, 2025. (Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post/Getty Images)
Steve Moore, an economist who co-founded Unleash Prosperity, told Fox News Digital that while Spanberger cashed in on Virginians’ worries over prices, she «raced out of the gate with all of these very liberal policies, including tax increases on just about anything that moves in Virginia.»
Moore said Democrats across the country should take Spanberger’s decline as a «warning» ahead of 2028.
There has been much buzz around Spanberger and her gubernatorial victory last year, which resulted in Republicans being ousted from power in Virginia. The Democratic Party selected her to give its response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union, further evidencing her stardom.
Yet, despite the Democrats elevating her and even floating her as a presidential or vice-presidential pick, Moore said Virginians have been «shocked about that,» explaining why her approval ratings have «absolutely plummeted.»
«She has seen one of the swiftest declines in her popularity in the first six months in office that I’ve seen in many years of politics,» Moore said.
Forty-six percent of Virginians disapprove of her job performance, while 47% approve, according to a recent Washington Post-Schar School poll. Compared with Virginia governors from both parties since 1994, Spanberger has the highest disapproval rating at this point in her term.
In contrast, predecessor Gov. Glenn Youngkin had a 54-39 job approval rating at this point in his term, with the highest favorability going to Democrat Mark Warner – now Virginia’s senior senator – at 78-20.
Moore called Spanberger’s tumbling ratings «the price for her bait-and-switch tax hike on Virginia residents and small businesses.»
DEMS WHO RAN ON AFFORDABILITY NOW FACE BACKLASH AS COSTS CLIMB IN NY, VIRGINIA
Scouts march in a parade for Gov. Abigail Spanberger. (Al Drago/Getty Images)
«She campaigned on affordability, and nearly on day one in office, she and Virginia Democrats in Richmond endorsed a catalog of left-wing tax increase proposals on everything from dry cleaners to dog groomers, which make Virginia look like California,» he said.
«Spanberger promised to be a pro-business moderate Democrat,» he went on, quipping, «Maybe she should be known as ‘Scam-Berger.’»
Moore said Spanberger’s quick decline in the polls does not bode well for the Democratic Party’s hopes of taking back the White House in 2028.
«Spanberger is not alone,» he explained. «We’re seeing that with a lot of Democrats around the country; they run as moderates and as soon as they get in, they move to the extreme left.»
«You’re seeing Democrats who are governors and mayors across the country who are advancing very liberal pro-tax policies that are anti-business. And I think it’s a very tough agenda for Democrats to run with in 2028 on the national picture,» he went on.
«That should be a warning signal to Democrats across the country.»
VIRGINIA DEMS TAKE TAX HIKES INTO OVERTIME, TARGET FANTASY FOOTBALL LEAGUES
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger and President Donald Trump, who has criticized the governor’s tax policies and warned of a potential business exodus. (Marvin Joseph/Getty Images; Brendan Smilowski/AFP)
Last week Trump took a similar line of criticism against Spanberger ahead of meetings in the state. He warned in a Truth Social post that her policies are triggering a tax base exodus similar to New York and California.
«She is adding so many Taxes, a Food and Beverage Tax, Digital Services Tax, Utilities Tax, and more,» Trump wrote. «It has lost its Energy, Vitality, and Strength. People are leaving that would never have even thought of doing so!»
In a statement shared with Fox News Digital, Spanberger’s office slammed criticisms of the governor raising taxes as «misinformation.»
«The volume of misinformation — spread across social media and repeated in press coverage — made a clarification necessary. The facts are straightforward,» the statement said. «Governor Abigail Spanberger did not sign dozens of tax bills into law — because the General Assembly never passed them, and the bills never reached her desk.»
The office added that «in the opening months of her administration, Governor Spanberger has remained laser-focused on addressing high costs for Virginians» and is «also working alongside legislators and local communities to attract new capital investment.»
Spanberger has also pushed back on the criticism herself. In a post on X, she said Trump and his allies were mischaracterizing her policies.
«The president and his allies are talking about taxes that our state legislature never even voted on and I certainly didn’t sign,» she wrote. «Why? Because if they don’t flood the zone with fake news about fake taxes, people might hear about the bills I am signing to lower energy costs, strengthen our schools, make housing more affordable, and bring billions of dollars of business investment to Virginia.»
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A Spanberger spokesperson added that businesses have announced «more than $500 million in new investment in the commonwealth since Governor Spanberger took office in January,» while accusing Trump of focusing on politics instead of economic stability.
«The ballgame changed when the President — whose been busy raising costs for Virginians by starting a reckless war that has skyrocketed inflation and driven gas prices up to $4 — strong-armed states into drawing more Republican congressional seats that he asserted he was ‘entitled’ to before the midterms,» the governor’s spokesperson said. «As prices rise in Trump’s economy, Governor Spanberger will continue her work with both parties to address the high housing, healthcare and energy costs that Virginians are feeling.»
Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz and Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
democrats elections, abigail spanberger, governors, virginia, taxes
INTERNACIONAL
Democrat compares ICE to ‘domestic terrorists’ as 111 House Dems demand Texas detention center close
Rep. Delia Ramirez calls for abolition of ICE at DHS hearing
At a House Homeland Security Committee hearing, Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., delivers a powerful and emotional statement, questioning if any parent wouldn’t go to extreme lengths for their dying child. Ramirez attacks for-profit prison corporations and makes a direct call to abolish ICE and dismantle DHS, citing concerns over inhuman conditions.
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A House Democratic lawmaker compared actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to domestic terrorism after a visit to a Texas detention facility on Tuesday.
Rep. Luz Rivas, D-Calif., said that seeing ICE’s actions was personal for her as the daughter of Mexican immigrants and argued that «for the people of the United States, we don’t want to see our government, or ICE officials, acting like domestic terrorists,» she said in Spanish during a press conference.
She said her Los Angeles district saw more ICE raids than anywhere else in her county.
Rivas was among a group of lawmakers led by Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, on a visit to an ICE facility in Dilley, Texas, which over 100 House Democrats have demanded to be shut down.
TRUMP ON VERGE OF SECURING $70B ICE FUNDING VICTORY AFTER HOUSE CLEARS HURDLE
ICE agents stand guard in front of protesters outside the federal immigration center at Delaney Hall in Newark, where ICE is housing detained immigrants on May 26, 2026, in Newark, New Jersey. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
The lawmakers accused the Trump administration of holding families, including a child as young as 2 months old, in inhumane conditions.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., a member of the left-wing «Squad,» also attacked President Donald Trump as a «dictator.»
SOMETHING TO HIDE? ICE UNDER FIRE FOR SUBSTANDARD CONDITIONS AT FOR-PROFIT DETENTION CENTER
«It’s so important that we not acquiesce to this, this fascist administration, this dictator in the Oval Office,» Pressley said. «History has shown us time again, appeasement does not work. The only way to beat a dictator is with defiance. The only way to beat fascism is to refuse to accept this segregated, divided, dark, dystopian view that they have for our country, is to reject it as an inevitability.»
She called on Americans to «resist, reject, condemn at every turn.»
Ayanna Pressley at the Featured Session «Repro Revolution: A Conversation with Rep. Ayanna Pressley» during the SXSW Conference & Festivals held at the Austin Convention Center on March 9, 2025, in Austin. (Amy E. Price/SXSW Conference & Festivals via Getty Images)
But it’s that kind of rhetoric that Republicans have argued is responsible for sending tensions across the U.S. skyrocketing.
SPANBERGER’S ICE ROLLBACK TO BLAME FOR TODDLER KILLING, VIRGINIA ‘HOTBED’ OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CRIME: DHS
GOP allies of the president have accused Democrats of encouraging violence and resistance against ICE agents, drawing a line between encouragement to resist federal immigration officers and the slate of violent incidents involving those officers this year alone.
But Democrats are accusing ICE of acting as a rogue agency outside the bounds of the law.
«We have to abolish ICE. And then I’m going to take it one step further and say any of those agents that have contributed to and caused the injury, the harm, and even fatalities, they must also be held accountable,» Pressley said. «And we should abolish qualified immunity for these federal law enforcement officers.»
In a letter sent earlier this month, 111 House Democrats accused the administration of harming children and families with the conditions at the Dilley detention center.
«Parents describe horrendous conditions at Dilley, leading to severe depression, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation amongst their children. Children have reported that their food is often contaminated with worms and mold and that they feel sick after drinking tap water,» the letter said. «Families also report not being able to sleep at night because the lights are kept on in their rooms throughout the night. … Medical care provided by CoreCivic staff is delayed, denied, and in many cases outright dismissed, even when children are suffering life-threatening medical emergencies.»
In this Aug. 23, 2019, file photo, immigrants seeking asylum hold hands as they leave a cafeteria at the ICE South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas. (Eric Gay/AP Photo)
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Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for a response to Rivas’ comments.
DHS did previously accuse Democrats of lying about conditions at Dilley, which it said in a press release was specialized to hold families and care for children specifically.
«The Dilley facility is retrofitted for families. Children have access to teachers, classrooms, and curriculum booklets for math, reading, and spelling. They have access to age-appropriate books, toys, and outdoor activities. All of this is generously funded by the U.S. taxpayer,» DHS said.
«Infant care packages include formula, baby food, bottles, diapers, wipes, and hygiene items. The facility also provides sippy cups and cribs. Adults with children are housed in facilities that provide for their safety, security, and medical needs.»
illegal immigrants, deportation, homeland security, immigrant rights, politics
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The United States dramatically walked out as France addressed the United Nations (U.N.) Security Council Monday, escalating an extraordinary clash between the longtime allies after Paris claimed America was no longer a «beacon of human rights.»
The U.S. delegation left the chamber as French Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont delivered remarks during a Security Council meeting on Ukraine, days after France’s U.N. mission in Geneva accused Washington of standing alongside North Korea, Nicaragua, Mali and Russia following a vote on the U.N.’s human rights chief.
Deputy U.S. Ambassador Dan Negrea accused France of «disingenuous grandstanding» and warned that American diplomats would continue walking out during French statements until Paris renounces what he called its «condescending and disrespectful rhetoric.»
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TOUTS MORE THAN $1B IN UN BUDGET CUTS AS REFORM PUSH GAINS MOMENTUM
Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Dan Negrea leaves the Security Council chamber as French Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont speaks. ( U.S. Mission to the United Nations)
«Today, I remind them that it is the United States that remains the beacon of liberty for the world,» Negrea told the council. «As such, we will not be affording them the benefit of listening to their politicized drivel until they renounce their condescending and disrespectful rhetoric and behave in a manner commensurate with their seat on this council.»
The clash matters because the United States and France are among the world’s oldest allies, dating back to French support for the American Revolution, and today remain NATO partners and permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. Their cooperation is central to Western policy on Ukraine, European security and sanctions enforcement.
A French diplomat told Fox News Digital that the dispute should not be interpreted as a broader rupture between the longtime allies. «Differences in how we assess a vote do not call into question the quality of our relations or our ability to work together,» the diplomat said.
Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon backed Washington’s response and sharply criticized France.
«I think the behavior of France is shameful,» Danon told Fox News Digital Tuesday. «The U.S. is demonstrating moral clarity, standing for the real values of the U.N.»
Danon accused France and other European countries of supporting voices within the United Nations that undermine rather than advance human rights. «It’s about time to reform the U.N., and I want to thank the U.S. for showing leadership on that issue,» he said.
The confrontation marked a significant escalation from the unusually personal social media exchange that erupted after the General Assembly approved a second four-year term for U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.
Türk, an Austrian diplomat who has served as U.N. high commissioner for human rights since 2022, has drawn criticism from the United States and outside watchdogs over what they describe as uneven scrutiny of democracies and authoritarian governments. A 2024 analysis by UN Watch found that, among public country criticisms initiated by Türk or his office, he criticized the United States more often than China, North Korea, Cuba, Saudi Arabia and Qatar combined, while issuing no such criticism of several repressive governments during the period reviewed.
Türk’s supporters, including France and the European Union, argue that his willingness to criticize powerful democracies reflects the independence and universality required of the U.N.’s top human rights official.
France’s Geneva mission had declared that the United States was no longer a human rights leader and claimed «the world no longer listens to it» after Washington joined nine other countries in voting against Türk’s extension.
IRAN SECURES UN ROLE WITH BACKING FROM UK, FRANCE, CANADA, AUSTRALIA AS US STANDS ALONE
French Ambassador to the UN Jérôme Bonnafont (2L) and French President Emmanuel Macron (C) arrive for a United Nations Summit on Palestinians at U.N. headquarters during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Sept. 22, 2025. (Ludovic MARIN / AFP via Getty Images)
U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz responded by accusing France of backing an official who lectures democracies while «cozying up to the world’s worst oppressors.»
Negrea went further Monday, invoking the history of the U.S.-French alliance and saying Washington had stood beside France whenever its freedom was threatened.
The United States had tolerated France’s «grandstanding» out of «a sense of camaraderie and mutual respect,» he said, but would no longer remain silent in the face of what he described as feigned French «moral outrage.»
Bonnafont did not directly address the walkout when he spoke again at the end of the meeting. Instead, he invoked the countries’ historic ties, noting that France helped the United States secure its independence and participated in celebrations marking America’s 250th anniversary. «This is the spirit of the relationship between France and the United States,» he said, before reaffirming France’s commitment to the U.N.’s work on peace, development and human rights.
AMERICANS ARE NOT GIVING UP ON NATO, BUT THEY EXPECT EUROPE TO DO ITS SHARE
High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk delivers a press conference at the UN Offices in Geneva on December 9, 2022. (FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP) (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images))
«The United Nations was created with the goal of working towards international peace and security, human rights and development,» Bonnafont said, adding that France would continue working to protect the institution’s independence and its ability to serve human rights and peace.
The dispute began after the General Assembly voted 144-10, with 13 abstentions, to extend Türk’s tenure through October 2030.
The United States had unsuccessfully sought an additional week for consultations, arguing that the vote was being rushed even though Türk’s current term does not expire until Oct. 11.
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U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Michael Waltz speaks with Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon before a meeting of the United Nations Security Council to consider a U.S. proposal for a U.N. mandate to establish an international stabilization force in Gaza, at U.N. headquarters in New York City, Nov. 17, 2025. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)
Washington also objected to Türk’s record. U.S. officials have accused him of disproportionately criticizing democracies, including the United States and Israel, while failing to confront authoritarian governments with the same urgency.
united nations, security council, france, world
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