Months ago, President-elect Trump vaguely suggested that those who “like TikTok” should vote for him, raising the hopes for users of the video-sharing app that he might thwart a ban that is soon to take effect.  

“We’re not doing anything with TikTok, but the other side is going to close it up, so if you like TikTok, go out and vote for Trump,” Trump said in a September post on his Truth Social service.

He didn’t make any specific promises to reverse the impending ban, but his team says he will “deliver.”

“The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin, giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail,” Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance’s transition team, said in a statement.

Working to reverse a ban, which should take effect in January, passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden, would be a 180-degree reversal from 2020, when Trump tried to block the app in the U.S. or force its sale. 

MIKE ROGERS IN CONSIDERATION FOR FBI CHIEF

Then, in April of this year, Biden signed a similar measure that gave TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, until Jan. 19, 2025 — the day before the inauguration — to sell it or face a U.S. ban.

“He appreciates the breadth and reach of TikTok, which he used masterfully along with podcasts and new media entrants to win,” Kellyanne Conway, an adviser close to Trump who now advocates for TikTok, told The Washington Post.

“There are many ways to hold China to account outside alienating 180 million U.S. users each month. Trump recognized early on that Democrats are the party of bans — gas-powered cars, menthol cigarettes, vapes, plastic straws and TikTok — and to let them own that draconian, anti-personal-choice space.”

The Trump White House could pressure the Republican-led Congress to reverse the TikTok ban. Or, the Justice Department could pursue a policy of loose enforcement of the law. 

TRUMP TURNS TO ALLIES AND LOYALISTS TO IMPLEMENT HIS AMERICA FIRST AGENDA

TikTok is currently fighting in court to undo the law, arguing that it is unconstitutional. 

The law also allows the president to extend the divestment deadline by 90 days if the administration sees “significant progress” toward a sale. 

The law is enforced by ordering app stores like Apple and Google to stop offering TikTok on their platforms, or be subjected to a fine. 

When it comes to Big Tech, Trump has focused much of his ire on TikTok’s rival, Meta, formerly Facebook. In a March interview with CNBC, Trump said the owner of Facebook and Instagram poses a far bigger threat, labeling Meta an “enemy of the people.”

“Facebook has been very bad for our country, especially when it comes to elections,” he said.

But since then, Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, has given a number of glowing statements about Trump.

“Congratulations to President Trump on a decisive victory. We have great opportunities ahead of us as a country. Looking forward to working with you and your administration,” the tech mogul said after Trump’s win. 

Trump himself has more than 14 million followers on TikTok. “For all of those who want to save TikTok in America, vote for Trump. The other side is closing it up, but I’m now a big star on TikTok,” he declared in September. 

But back on Capitol Hill, the national security threat of TikTok is a top concern for lawmakers of both parties — 197 Republicans and 155 Democrats voted for the bill to force ByteDance to divest. They fear that the Chinese parent company could be harnessing data on U.S. citizens and manipulating the content that users see to be against U.S. interests, charges that TikTok denies. 

But Trump’s Cabinet picks are largely China hawks who have supported the ban. His appointed national security adviser, Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., voted for it. His choice for secretary of state, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said that TikTok gives the Chinese government “a unique ability to monitor” U.S. teens and that “we must ban this potential spyware before it is too late.” 

Trump’s nominee for secretary of homeland security, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, was the first governor to ban TikTok on government devices.

Public support for a TikTok ban has tanked in the U.S., with only 32% of Americans backing one, a Pew Research poll found in September. 

President Biden’s U.S. ambassador to Japan and a longtime Democrat operative is considering a run for chair of the Democratic National Committee, two sources in the DNC orbit confirm to Fox News. 

The sources tell Fox News that Rahm Emanuel has been quietly reaching out to DNC committee members as he contemplates a bid to succeed the current chair, Jaime Harrison – whose term is up early next year. Harrison is unlikely to seek a second four-year posting in the wake of last week’s very disappointing election results for the Democrats, up and down the ballot.

Emanuel, a veteran of President Bill Clinton’s administration, went on to serve in Congress and steered the DCCC during its very successful 2006 cycle. He later served as former President Obama’s Chief of Staff before winning the 2011 election and 2015 re-election as Chicago mayor. Emanuel has served these past four years as U.S. ambassador to Japan during the Biden administration.

WOULD CALIFORNIANS LIKE VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS TO RUN FOR GOLDEN STATE GOVERNOR IN TWO YEARS?

Emanuel appears to have a major advocate in veteran Democratic strategist David Axelrod (the political mastermind behind Obama’s 2008 White House victory and 2012 re-election win), who is a friend of his.

HERE ARE THE DEMOCRATS WHO MAY RUN FOR THE WHITE HOUSE IN 2028

“If they said, ‘Well, what should we do? Who should lead the party?’ I would take Ambassador Rahm Emanuel, and I would bring him back from Japan, and I would appoint him chairman of the Democratic National Committee,” Axelrod said on Tuesday during his podcast, “Hacks on Tap.”

On Wednesday, Axelrod wrote on X that “Dems need a strong and strategic party leader, with broad experience in comms; fundraising and winning elections. One thought I surfaced on @HacksonTap: Ambassador @RahmEmanuel. There may be others but he is kind of sui genesis: Dude knows how to fight and win!”

But it’s far from certain, if Emanuel goes ahead with a bid to chair the DNC, that he would be well received by others.

One DNC insider, who asked to remain anonymous, told Fox News Digital, “Rahm is no doubt talented. But we need to know what we need to do to move forward as a party. We need new blood. We need modernization. We need somebody who understands the vastly changed new media landscape, and who is willing to invest in it. Don’t know that Rahm fits the bill for that.”

Another DNC insider, who also asked for anonymity, was much more blunt, arguing in a comment to Fox News Digital that “the absolutely last person we need leading us is an arrogant elitist that has never worked a day in his life.”

The news regarding Emanuel was first reported earlier Friday by Axios.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., won unanimous approval from Republican lawmakers earlier this week to lead the House of Representatives next year, but some conservatives are warning that he still has an uphill climb before the House-wide election in January.

“I think there’s still a lot of people that, as a favor to President Trump, didn’t request a vote, but it remains to be seen,” Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital on Thursday.

“I’m going to be ready to get ready to govern, but he has a lot of people not committed. But as a favor to President Trump, we didn’t object.”

Johnson won a unanimous voice vote to be the Republicans’ speaker nominee on Wednesday, hours after President-elect Donald Trump told GOP lawmakers he was fully backing the Louisiana Republican.

JOHNSON BLASTS DEM ACCUSATIONS HE VOWED TO END OBAMACARE AS ‘DISHONEST’

The speaker was the only candidate in the race after it was revealed that Republicans managed to keep the chamber for another two years.

Just a day earlier, GOP hardliners were threatening to force a vote via secret ballot to delay the process and keep Johnson from winning the speaker nomination unanimously in protest of his handling of government spending.

It never materialized, but two conservatives who spoke with Fox News Digital also said there could still be holdouts in January.

With just a razor-thin majority expected in the House, Johnson may have to work to avoid a messy, protracted battle for the gavel in January – not dissimilar to the one his predecessor Kevin McCarthy went through two years ago.

He will need to win a majority of the entire House chamber to clinch the top spot again.

REPUBLICANS PROJECTED TO KEEP CONTROL OF HOUSE AS TRUMP PREPARES TO IMPLEMENT AGENDA

“I understand that might be the case,” one GOP lawmaker said when asked if there were still skeptics of Johnson’s leadership.

“I’m concerned about informal deals that might be done. I want things in writing… We did not get to the long end of the stick with McCarthy because of handshake deals, so I don’t want to see that anymore.”

A second GOP lawmaker said, “I don’t want to just see in December, ‘We’re going to throw another $100 billion in disaster relief spending. We’re going to throw $20 billion at a farm product…the speaker said he’s not going to do an omnibus, but I just want to see how this stuff plays out and see how we’re going to organize and how he wants to set up for January to succeed.”

MIKE JOHNSON WINS REPUBLICAN SUPPORT TO BE HOUSE SPEAKER AGAIN AFTER TRUMP ENDORSEMENT

“We made some baby steps in the last few days, and we need to take some more,” the second lawmaker said.

However, not all conservatives agree – a third lawmaker who spoke with Fox News Digital said, “I think it’s going to be fine.”

“President Trump came here and endorsed him yesterday. Yesterday was a resounding yes…this isn’t like two years ago,” they said on Thursday.

Meanwhile, others who are inclined to support Johnson in January have also sought commitments from him for the next Congress.

“He promised to work with me on legislation to protect women. He made that promise in front of the Congress, and I’m going to hold him to it,” Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Additionally, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., told Fox News Digital that Johnson promised her the House would not pass more aid to Ukraine in its war against Russia.

Both cited Trump’s endorsement, however, in signaling that he has their support in January.

Fox News Digital reached out to the speaker’s office for comment.

Fox News has been told for several days now that the House Ethics Committee no longer has any jurisdiction over former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. 

Gaetz resigned Wednesday after President-elect Donald Trump picked him to serve as attorney general.

The ethics panel was planning on releasing its report investigating allegations of sexual misconduct and alleged drug use by Gaetz, but the panel canceled its meeting Friday, and no report has appeared.

House Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest, R-Miss., said the following on Wednesday when asked about the Gaetz inquiry.

“Once the investigation is complete, then a report will be issued. Assuming that at that time, that Mr. Gaetz is still a Member of Congress. If Mr. Gaetz were to resign because he is taking a position, with the administration, as the Attorney General, then the Ethics Committee loses jurisdiction at that point. Once we lose jurisdiction, there would not be a report that would be issued. That’s not unique to this case,” said Guest.

TRUMP TAPS MATT GAETZ FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL

That is generally how the Ethics Committee has rolled when it comes to outstanding ethics investigations involving former members.

However, it is not a hard and fast rule.

Fox News has found that the Ethics Committee released the findings of its probe into potential influence peddling by the late Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., after his death in 2010.

MATT GAETZ FACES GOP SENATE OPPOSITION AFTER TRUMP SELECTION FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL

The Ethics Committee also released a 699-page report on former Rep. Bob Boner, D-Tenn., after he left office in 1987. The committee found that Boner used campaign funds to travel to Hong Kong and may have used his office to influence a defense contractor.

That said, there is a way on the floor to dislodge an Ethics Committee report.

There is a device called “question of privileges of the House.” A lawmaker could get to the floor under this procedure and make the argument that keeping the Gaetz ethics report under wraps impugns the dignity and integrity of the House. The House would be required to vote on such a motion. If successful on the floor, the ethics panel could be compelled to release the report.

Yours truly asked House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Friday morning if Democrats might try to dislodge the Gaetz report from the Ethics Committee.

Pergram: “Could you envision a scenario where Democrats try to somehow dislodge this ethics report through a parliamentary maneuver?”

Jeffries: “The Ethics Committee is an incredibly bipartisan committee. It’s the only committee in the Congress that is evenly divided. And it has a long history of having principled individuals on it. And I defer at this moment to whatever course they decide to take. And I hope they take a course that is bipartisan.”

Republican attorneys general are putting President-elect Donald Trump’s prosecutors on notice, urging them to halt “political prosecutions of the incoming president.”

“The cases brought against President Trump, particularly the criminal prosecutions, had nothing to do with crime,” Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird told Fox News Digital in an interview this week.

“They had everything to do with the fact that he was running for president again. He is innocent. He didn’t do anything wrong, and those cases never should have been brought in the first place. That was another way they were trying to wage campaign lawfare.”

NEW YORK APPEALS COURT APPEARS RECEPTIVE TO REVERSING OR REDUCING $454M TRUMP CIVIL FRAUD JUDGMENT

Bird, alongside more than 20 other attorneys general, sent a letter to Special Counsel Jack Smith, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, calling on them to drop their cases to avoid the risk of a “constitutional crisis.”

Attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia signed onto the letter.

“Mr. Smith, a federal court has already dismissed your claims in one case due to your improper appointment,” the AGs wrote in the letter. “That appointment flouts both the Appointments Clause and Article II of the U.S. Constitution. Not only that, your prosecutions of President Trump—President Biden and Vice President Harris’s political rival—violated multiple Department of Justice policies.”

MATT GAETZ FACES GOP SENATE OPPOSITION AFTER TRUMP SELECTION FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL

“President of the United States is the most important job in the world,” they wrote. “The President leads the free world. And America just gave President Trump a mandate to lead the United States to a brighter future. Prosecutions aimed at “self-promotion” are at no time appropriate.”

The Department of Justice announced on Wednesday that it is seeking to wind down two federal criminal cases against President-elect Donald Trump ahead of his second term. 

Trump was indicted on 37 federal counts in June 2023 on charges stemming from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Trump was indicted in Georgia in August 2023 after a yearslong criminal investigation led by state prosecutors into his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all counts.

TRUMP’S PICKS SO FAR: HERE’S WHO WILL BE ADVISING THE NEW PRESIDENT

In early 2023, Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee dismissed six of the charges against Trump, saying that District Attorney Fani Willis had failed to allege sufficient detail. The situation was then thrown into disarray when it was revealed that Willis had reportedly had an “improper affair” with Nathan Wade, a prosecutor she had hired to help bring the case against Trump. Wade was later removed.

About three months into taking office, James announced an investigation into the Trump Organization, claiming there was evidence indicating that the president and his company had falsely valued assets to obtain loans, insurance coverage and tax deductions. The investigation was launched after Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, who had previously served federal prison time for violating campaign finance laws, testified before Congress that the Trump Organization had exaggerated the value of assets. 

Fox News Digital’s Haley Chi-Sing and Emma Colton contributed to this report.

Business tycoon Elon Musk excoriated former National Security Adviser John Bolton after Bolton blasted President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to tap Matt Gaetz as attorney general.

During an appearance on “Meet the Press NOW,” Bolton said the pick “must be the worst nomination for a Cabinet position in American history.” 

Musk pushed back in a post on X, calling Bolton “a staggeringly dumb warmonger,” saying that Bolton’s opposition to someone is “a great sign!”

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE GAETZ HOUSE ETHICS REPORT?

“Gaetz will be great,” Musk added.

“Just do the opposite of whatever Bolton recommends,” Musk wrote in another post, capping his comment off with the face with tears of joy emoji.

Bolton also called Gaetz “totally incompetent” for the position and described him as “a person of moral turpitude.”

DEMOCRAT SENATOR REACTS TO GAETZ NOMINATION: ‘RED ALERT MOMENT’

“The Senate’s new leadership should tell the President-elect that he is endangering Republican Senators by forcing a vote in favor of Gaetz’s nomination. The leadership should insist that this nomination be withdrawn,” Bolton declared in a post.

During an appearance on CNN, Bolton indicated that he thinks the Senate should unanimously vote against confirming Gaetz and Tulsi Gabbard, who Trump tapped to serve as director of national intelligence. 

Gaetz “issued his resignation letter effective immediately,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Wednesday. 

DEMOCRATS TRASH TULSI GABBARD AFTER TRUMP TAPS HER FOR DNI POST

Gaetz had just been re-elected last week. He served in the House of Representatives since 2017.

Bolton also shared his scathing criticism of Gaetz on X, but the former lawmaker responded with a joke, writing, “We’ll mark John down as a ‘maybe.'”

Shortly after Republican Sen.-elect David McCormick’s team held a call with reporters attesting that Democratic Sen. Bob Casey Jr. has no mathematical path to victory, Pennsylvania’s other senator defended the commonwealth’s automatic recount.

“That’s the law,” Sen. John Fetterman, D–Pa., told Fox News Digital, as the state stipulates a race within 0.5% triggers a recount.

When asked whether Casey should have conceded after the race was called in McCormick’s favor, Fetterman said it’s hard to believe it could be controversial to “count every vote.”

“Then, when the [recount] law is triggered by the conditions, and they follow the law, that’s what happened. Otherwise, arguing the hard right [view].”

Fetterman said Republicans are making the opposite case in Wisconsin.

Eric Hovde, the GOP candidate in Wisconsin, originally floated seeking a recount against Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat, according to CBS News, but later told a radio program he would concede.

“What about that special Kari Lake? Do you think she’s all, you know . . . .” Fetterman asked. “Let’s talk about where we are at in Pennsylvania. Count every vote, and now there’s a recount because that’s the law – that’s not an opinion, that’s a fact.”

Asked whether Hovde and Lake should concede, Fetterman quipped, “I promise you, Kari Lake doesn’t care what I think, but she has to find a new job.”

In a call earlier this week with reporters, lawyers for the McCormick campaign said the maximum ballot universe left is around 80,000 according to state officials, but that they personally estimated the number to be closer to 30,000.

Applying a 77% average ballot validity in 66 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties – not including Philadelphia – there is no path for Casey, they said.

Philadelphia County had zero non-adjudicated ballots left as of Wednesday, and the more blue-collar counties of the city – plus Allegheny in the west, where Pittsburgh is located – are almost finished tabulating.

“There is zero mathematical or statistical reason that they have a path to victory here,” a campaign official said on the call.

The campaign, along with the greater Republican Party apparatus, is now vociferously objecting to the actions of several county boards of elections that have either expressed an intention or have already voted to tally undated mail-in ballots.

Such a move would flout a Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision ruling that the process should never happen.

The McCormick representatives mentioned Philadelphia, Bucks, Montgomery and Centre counties – which are all blue and suburban, except the latter, which trends Democratic due to Penn State University – in their tabulation of jurisdictions where there have been mumbles of counting such ballots.

A representative also remarked that there does not seem to be an interest in counting undated ballots in Washington County or Cambria County, both of which are heavily Republican.

On Thursday, the PAGOP and RNC sued all 67 county boards of election to head off any counting of undated ballots and separately petitioned the 5-2 Democratic-majority Supreme Court to step in.

“While Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick currently holds an insurmountable lead of nearly 30,000 votes over his Democrat opponent Bob Casey, numerous County Boards of Elections including Philadelphia, Bucks, Centre and potentially others took an impromptu vote to count undated or improperly dated mail-in ballots, in bold defiance of Pennsylvania law, and two State Supreme Court orders,” PAGOP chairman Lawrence Tabas said in a statement.

With 99% of precincts reporting Thursday, McCormick leads Casey by 3.384 million to 3.367 million votes, or a difference of about 0.4%.

EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., suggested he has gotten more support than publicly known from fellow House Democrats after speaking out about how the party handles dissent within its ranks.

Moulton sparked a progressive firestorm after he made comments to The New York Times expressing concern about transgender student athletes playing alongside biological females. He said most Democrats were afraid to come forward with similar views for fear of retribution.

Progressives at the local, state and federal level condemned the remarks — including House Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., who called them “offensive” on CNN.

“Look, I understand people have different opinions and different perspectives, and that’s my whole point. The comments were not meant to be offensive, but we…ought to be willing to have a debate. And that’s exactly what I’m willing to do,” Moulton told Fox News Digital on Thursday.

JOHNSON BLASTS DEM ACCUSATIONS HE VOWED TO END OBAMACARE AS ‘DISHONEST’

“While a few, a handful, maybe just a couple members of Congress have spoken out against the comments, I’ve got an awful lot more who will go up to me privately and say thank you.”

His initial comments, which he has since doubled-down on multiple times, prompted the Democratic Party in his hometown of Salem, Massachusetts, to threaten to recruit a challenger against him in 2026.

“It’s a democracy. If you want to run against me, go for it,” Moulton told Fox News Digital of the threat, though he added it was “not going to be very helpful for winning elections.”

“What we need to do is defeat Republicans, not fellow Democrats,” he said.

REPUBLICANS PROJECTED TO KEEP CONTROL OF HOUSE AS TRUMP PREPARES TO IMPLEMENT AGENDA

The party has been busy soul-searching in the days since the Democrats’ devastating performances in the presidential, Senate and House elections.

Moderates like Moulton and Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., have accused the Democratic Party of overly catering to its furthest-left base at the expense of trying to relate to a broader swath of everyday Americans and their issues.

Moulton argued Democratic policies were better for those Americans than Republican policies but suggested the left had a messaging problem because of “too much preaching and not enough listening.”

MIKE JOHNSON WINS REPUBLICAN SUPPORT TO BE HOUSE SPEAKER AGAIN AFTER TRUMP ENDORSEMENT

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“People think that this is exactly the kind of debate that we need to have. And it’s not just on trans issues, it’s on the economy. Why are we out of touch with Americans on the economy when Trump’s plan is going to dramatically raise grocery prices…How is it that we’re so out of touch on immigration when we’re the ones who proposed a bipartisan immigration deal?” Moulton said.

“It seems like Democrats do have a lot of good solutions for working Americans, and yet we’re really out of touch. So we’ve got to ask ourselves that question. Why have we lost touch with so many people across America?” 

In light of President-elect Donald Trump’s upcoming second-term, two federal judges ruled to delay criminal trials for several defendants charged with trespassing on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. 

Politico reported on Thursday that Washington, D.C., circuit court judges Carl Nichols and Rudolph Contreras – Trump and Obama appointees, respectively – ruled to delay the trials until after Trump’s inauguration. The judges reasoned that Trump may call off the cases and issue pardons to those convicted when he assumes control of the presidency and Department of Justice. 

This is the first time that judges have agreed to Jan. 6 defendants’ pleas to delays in anticipation of potential Trump pardons. 

CNN reported that Contreras, who delayed a trial set for defendant William Pope till late February, said it would be a waste to call in a jury and expend taxpayer resources when there is a “real possibility” of a Trump pardon.

“I’m focused on conservation of the resources of the parties, the court and citizens,” Contreras said.

Pope has already had his felony obstruction charge dropped because of the Supreme Court’s June ruling. He is now being charged with misdemeanor violations. His trial was set for December. 

Nichols delayed trials for three other Jan. 6 defendants charged with misdemeanor trespassing. He issued the decision after asking federal prosecutors whether they expected the trial to continue under the Trump administration. When prosecutors could not guarantee, Nichols ruled to delay the trial to April. 

Marina Medvin, an attorney representing two of the defendants in Nichols’ court, said that “as soon as the prosecutor asked for a trial date, Judge Nichols confronted her on whether she could assure the court that this matter would be moving forward to trial once the new administration takes office.” 

“Of course, the prosecutor could make no such assurances,” she said. 

Students for Life of Action, the legislative arm of one of the largest pro-life groups in the country, released a “Make America Pro-Life Again Roadmap” this week signaling their plans to combat abortion during the new Trump administration. 

In a press call on Tuesday, Students for Life President Kristan Hawkins said that despite abortion ballots being passed in seven states, the election showed that there are significant opportunities for pro-life victories in the next few years. 

“America had the option of choosing the most radical pro-abortion ticket in world history and soundly rejected it,” she said. “We’ve been working on this for months leading up until the election. Now that the election is over, now that we have a Republican trifecta in Washington, D.C., [and] Republican majority control of legislatures, it’s going to be time to get to work.” 

SENATE DEMS RACE TO CONFIRM BIDEN JUDGES AHEAD OF TRUMP’S PRESIDENCY

Hawkins explained that the plan also prioritizes increasing protections for unborn babies in states, including such as Michigan, Ohio and Arizona, that have recently enshrined abortion rights in their state constitutions. 

“And for those who believe that states are locked down by ballot initiatives, guess again,” she said. 

The group is working in conjunction with state lawmakers and has already confirmed a slate of pro-life bills in 13 different state legislatures. 

HOCHUL SPURS BIPARTISAN OUTRAGE OVER MASSIVE TOLL REBOOT, AS DEMS WORRY TRUMP WILL BLOCK IT

A major focus of the bills is chemical abortion, which now accounts for most U.S. abortions. While some of these bills would move to ban or restrict chemical abortions, some seek to simply reduce or raise awareness about their harmful effects. 

West Virginia state Sen. Patricia Rucker told Fox News Digital that with the help of Students for Life she will be reintroducing a “Clean Water for All” bill, which she believes will not only lessen the environmental impact of abortion pills on the state’s water supply and rivers, but also raise awareness of the dangers of chemical abortion. 

“It’s completely unknown. When I bring it up, most folks, I mean, you see their eyes just getting really big. They’re like, ‘I had no idea, never even thought about that,’” she said. 

After West Virginia Republicans further strengthened their majority in the state legislature, Rucker said she is feeling optimistic about the bill’s future.

Despite recent setbacks under the Biden administration and a slew of losses at the state level, Students for Life is confident that the momentum is about to change.  

Kristi Hamrick, Students for Life’s vice president of media and policy, told Fox News Digital that “as we know from Roe, a legal roadblock does not mean nothing can be done.” 

She pointed to the 2007 Supreme Court case Gonzalez vs. Carhart that set a precedent allowing states to protect unborn babies from partial-birth abortions despite Roe v. Wade being in place at the time.

She said that “the win in Carhart lays a legal foundation for how to proceed at the state and federal level.” 

In Arizona, where a sweeping abortion amendment was passed by voters on election day, state Rep. Rachel Jones is already working on drafting a bill which she hopes will push back.

She envisions the bill as a way to help women and young girls truly understand the dangers of chemical abortion and to be aware of “all the options facing them.” 

“A lot of these women are making a decision based on fear,” Jones told Fox News Digital. “They’re being led to believe that’s their only option. And then some of them end up regretting that decision later. And it really affects their mental health a lot.” 

Jones said that even some of her Democratic colleagues have signaled openness to a bill increasing education on chemical abortion, something she said makes her optimistic that her bill can receive bipartisan support. 

“I think that a lot of these women were so misled because they weren’t really told all the facts,” she went on. “We’re really protecting women, and I think that’s really important right now.”