Before Elon Musk waded into the political arena with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), becoming a key target of Democrats in Congress and on the campaign trail, he was once considered an ally of former President Barack Obama and other Democrats.

On April 15, 2010, Elon Musk was pictured with President Barack Obama while the president visited Cape Canaveral, Florida, Kennedy Space Center, while touring the ‘SpaceX launch pad.’ Now, SpaceX is one of the leaders in space travel, and it was mostly recently credited for bringing NASA astronauts stuck on the International Space Station back home.

‘By the mid-2030s, I believe we can send humans to orbit Mars and return them safely to Earth.  And a landing on Mars will follow. And I expect to be around to see it,’ Obama said at the time, according to a news release. 

‘But I want to repeat – I want to repeat this: Critical to deep space exploration will be the development of breakthrough propulsion systems and other advanced technologies.  So I’m challenging NASA to break through these barriers.  And we’ll give you the resources to break through these barriers.  And I know you will, with ingenuity and intensity, because that’s what you’ve always done,’ he added. 

The billionaire and advisor to President Donald Trump recently shared a 2011 clip from Obama expressing the need to crack down on excess government spending. 

‘Obama sounds exactly like [DOGE]!!’ Musk posted on March 13. 

In 2022, Musk said he pulled away from the Democratic Party, and he quickly rose to prominence beyond the business world and into the political arena after his purchase of X, formerly known as Twitter, and his support for Trump in 2024.

‘In the past, I voted Democrat because they were (mostly) the kindness party. But they have become the party of division & hate, so I can no longer support them and will vote Republican,’ Musk famously tweeted in May 2022. He donated to Obama multiple times during his 2008 and 2012 campaigns, according to Federal Election Commission records, further emphasizing the change over time of where he has placed his resources.

In recent months, Musk has faced an onslaught of vile attacks from left-wing activists and Democratic lawmakers comparing him to the late Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. In February, ‘Squad’ member Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., referred to Musk as a ‘Nazi nepo baby, a godless lawless billionaire, who no one elected.’ 

Former left-wing Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., said Musk is ‘incompetent. He’s a thief. He’s a Nazi. And people don’t trust him.’ This attack prompted Musk to say, ‘I’ve had enough. Lawsuit inbound.’

In addition to verbal attacks against Musk, there have been at least ’80 incidents of arson or vandalism against Tesla vehicles and 10 incidents of vandalism against Tesla dealerships, charging stations and facilities throughout the U.S. and Canada,’ according to a resolution introduced by Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo.

In Tuesday’s special elections, Musk played a key role in the financial backing and rallying for Republican Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schmiel, who lost to Democrat Susan Crawford. Meanwhile, Musk’s proximity to the president because of DOGE has led the two to be lumped together on the campaign trail.

‘Donald Trump and Elon Musk were crushed in Wisconsin. Keep the pressure on,’ House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies, D-N.Y., posted to X on Tuesday night. 

Obama’s office declined to comment for this story.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday said NATO nations must provide a ‘realistic pathway’ to ramp up their defense spending to hit a 5% threshold – including the U.S.

‘I understand there’s domestic politics, after decades of building up vast social safety nets that maybe don’t want to take away from that and invest more in national security,’ Rubio said while speaking at a NATO foreign ministers event in Brussels. ‘But the events of the last few years… full-scale ground war in the heart of Europe as a reminder that hard power is still necessary as a deterrent.

‘We do want to leave here with an understanding that we are on a pathway, a realistic pathway to every single one of the members committee, and fulfilling a promise to reach up to 5% of spending,’ Rubio said, adding that ‘the United States will have to increase its percentage.’

While the majority of the 32 NATO members currently spend 2% of their nation’s GDP per previous NATO commitments, eight nations – Croatia, Portugal, Italy, Canada, Belgium, Luxembourg, Slovenia and Spain – have yet to meet their defense spending pledges.

Only Poland spends over 4% of its GDP on defense, while four other nations spend over 3% – Estonia, the U.S., Latvia and Greece. 

Despite the severe spending increases this will demand from all NATO nations, Rubio’s push is unlikely to be met with serious opposition as NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and other NATO allies, have increasingly called for more defense spending. 

Washington in 2024 spent 3.38% of its GDP on defense, which equated to more than $967 billion, according to NATO figures released in July.

The U.S. closed out 2024 with a GDP of over $29.7 billion, which means it is on track to spend $1 trillion on defense in 2025 if it maintains the current expenditure rate of 3.38%. 

Rubio did not detail what timeframe he expected to see nations increase their defense spending to hit the 5% threshold, though if the U.S. did it in 2025, that would mean allocating nearly $1.49 trillion for defense – a figure that is higher than the current total spent by the entire NATO alliance, which collectively spent $1.47 trillion in 2024.

‘As we speak right now, the United States is as active in NATO as it has ever been,’ Rubio said. ‘Some of this hysteria and hyperbole that I see in the global media and some domestic media in the United States about NATO is unwarranted. 

‘The United States president [has] made clear. He supports NATO. We’re going to remain in NATO,’ he reaffirmed. 

Rubio said the only way NATO nations can truly deter aggressor nations like Russia and China is by collectively increasing each NATO nation’s capabilities to contribute to the alliance’s collective defense. 

‘We understand that’s a tradeoff,’ Rubio said. ‘We have to do it every single year in our country – I assure you that we also have domestic needs.

‘But we’ve prioritized defense because of the role we’ve played in the world, and we want our partners to do the same,’ Rubio confirmed.

World leaders reacted to the sweeping tariffs President Donald Trump released this week impacting essentially every U.S. trading partner. 

The White House has implemented a flat 10% tariff on apparently all imports, though some nations saw drastically higher taxes slapped on their U.S. exports – including Vietnam, which was issued a 46% tariff one day after it slashed its tariffs on U.S. imports.

However, no nation was handed a higher import tax than China, which Trump revealed will have an additional 34% blanket tariff on its exports to the U.S. on top of the 20% tariff the president implemented earlier this year. This brings the total tariffs on Chinese goods imported into the U.S. to 54% – just shy of the 60% Trump pledged on the campaign trail.

CHINA – 54% tariffs

‘China firmly opposes this and will take countermeasures to safeguard its own rights and interests,’ China’s Commerce Ministry reportedly said in a statement. ‘There are no winners in trade wars, and there is no way out for protectionism.’

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun also warned that ‘Protectionism has no exit ramp’ and urged Washington to ‘correct its wrong practices and resolve economic and trade differences with other countries — including China — through fair, respectful and reciprocal consultations.’ 

EUROPEAN UNION – 20% tariffs

The EU, which was hit with a blanket 20% tariff on top of the 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum as well as car exports to the U.S., which are expected to severely impact European nations, pledged to strike back at Trump’s tariff war.

‘I know that many of you feel let down by our oldest ally,’ European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a video posted to X. ‘Uncertainty will spiral and trigger the rise of further protectionism. The consequences will be dire for millions of people around the globe.’

The EU chief said the bloc was already finalizing countermeasures to Trump’s tariffs on steel and pledged to take similar actions to protect the pharmaceutical and auto industries ‘if negotiations fail.’

‘We must brace for the impact this will inevitably have. Europe has everything it needs to make it through this storm,’ von der Leyen added, noting the EU is the single largest market on the planet, which she said serves as Europe’s ‘safe harbor in tumultuous times.’

‘If you take on one of us, you take on all of us,’ she added. ‘Our unity is our strength.’

UNITED KINGDOM -10%

Leaders in the U.K. have repeatedly said they would not immediately respond to the blanket tariff – which coupled with the steel and auto tariffs, could have a significant impact on its economy – though London is taking steps to see which tariffs could be implemented that would have the least negative effect on its own businesses. 

British Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds reportedly told members of Parliament on Thursday that the U.K. will ‘not hesitate to act’ if an agreement with Washington to circumvent the tariff war cannot be met, reported Politico.

‘We will seek the views of U.K. stakeholders over four weeks until 1st May 2025 on products that could potentially be included in any U.K. tariff response,’ Reynolds said in a statement. ‘This exercise will also give businesses the chance to have their say, and influence the design of any possible U.K. response.’

CANADA – 25% tariffs

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Trump’s tariffs will ‘fundamentally change the international trading system’ and pledged to ‘fight’ back through ‘countermeasures.’

‘We’re in a situation where there’s going to be an impact on the U.S. economy, which will build with time,’ he added. ‘In our judgment, it will be negative on the U.S. economy that will have an impact on us.’

‘In a crisis, it’s important to come together,’ Carney said. ‘It’s essential to act with purpose and with force, and that’s what we will do.’

MEXICO – 25% tariffs

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she will ‘announce a comprehensive program’ to address Trump’s tariffs but will not engage in a ‘tit-for-tat on tariffs.’

Sheinbaum said she plans to ‘strengthen the economy under any circumstance.’ 

JAPAN – 24%

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said, ‘We’re putting all options on the table in considering the most effective response.’

‘Japan is a country that is making the largest amount of investment to the United States,’ he reportedly told his Parliament. ‘We wonder if it makes sense for (Washington) to apply uniform tariffs to all countries. That is a point we’ve been making and will continue to do so. 

‘We need to consider what’s best for Japan’s national interest,’ he added, without detailing what specific steps Tokyo could take.

AUSTRALIA – 10%

Though Australia was among the nations hit with some of the lowest tariffs issued by the White House on Wednesday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called them ‘totally unwarranted.’

‘President Trump referred to reciprocal tariffs. A reciprocal tariff would be zero, not 10%,’ he said at a press event. ‘The administration’s tariffs have no basis in logic, and they go against the basis of our two nation’s partnership.’

‘This is not the act of a friend,’ Albanese said.

Albanese pointed out that Americans will pay the heaviest price for the tariffs and said therefore he will not put reciprocal tariffs back on the U.S. 

‘We will not join the race to the bottom,’ he added, but pledged to continue to fight to have the tariffs removed. 

Sen. Josh Hawley. R-Mo., told Fox News Thursday that Meta whistleblower and former employee Sarah Wynn-Williams will testify next week before a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee about problems with the social media giant’s internal culture and its work overseas – the same issues that prompted her explosive tell-all to be blocked from publication earlier this year. 

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Hawley took aim at what he said was an ‘amoral and corrupt company that crafted a custom censorship system for Communist China.’ 

He also criticized their attempts to silence a former employee.

‘Sarah Wynn-Williams alleges that Facebook is an amoral and corrupt company that crafted a custom censorship system for Communist China,’ Hawley told Fox News Digital in a statement. ‘Is it a surprise to anyone that Meta secured a gag order against her? Censorship is what Big Tech does best, and since Facebook is trying to quash her story, my subcommittee is going to officially investigate it,’ he added.

The memoir, ‘Careless People,’ attempted to make public what Wynn-Williams has described as Facebook’s relationship and alleged cooperation with certain regimes—primarily, the Communist regime in China— and what she alleges were Meta’s ‘plans to build censorship tools, punish dissidents, and make American user data available to the CCP.’

Hawley, a member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, invited Wynn-Williams to testify next week after her memoir was blocked from publication.

In a statement on X, Hawley said Wynn-Williams will testify before the panel ‘in public, under oath’ to detail what the Missouri Republican described as some of the ‘explosive’ evidence that was shared in her book that was blocked from publication earlier this year.

The hearing, officials with knowledge of the proceedings told Fox News Digital, is an attempt to get to the heart of the same claims while respecting the restrictions reached by the arbiters.

News of her testimony next week, first shared with Fox News Digital, comes shortly after Meta blocked Wynn-Wiliams from publishing a memoir earlier this year detailing her six-year tenure at the company. 

Republicans on the panel announced their investigation into Meta’s censorship work just one day earlier. They said their work will focus primarily on Meta’s dealings with China and whether it provided certain AI tools to the CCP.

Hawley and a group of other panel Republicans also demanded Meta provide them with all ‘records and communications pertaining to Meta’s operations within China, including the potential use of AI models developed by or in collaboration with the CCP.’

The memoir, titled ‘Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism,’ was among the most eagerly anticipated books of the year, earning early accolades and positive reviews from the New York Times and other book reviewers. For a time, it was available for pre-sale on Amazon and other major retailers. 

The memoir attempted to shed new light on what Wynn-Williams claimed is a problematic culture at the social media company, both internally – where the book develed into allegations of personal harassment that stretched to the company’s top leadership – as well as its dealings with certain unsavory regimes. 

In March, however, Meta secured a victory in arbitration proceedings to block the memoir’s release. They have since attempted to refute the validity of Wynn Williams’s remarks, characterizing her as a ‘disgruntled employee.’

Lawyers for Meta cited nondisclosure agreements signed by Wynn-Williams as a condition of her employment prohibiting her from sharing certain information about her time at the company, including disparaging remarks. 

The news comes as Senate Republicans have pushed for more information regarding Meta’s business in China and the extent of its work. 

The muzzling attempts from Meta employees have done little to thwart the GOP-led Senate Judiciary probe, however.

Citing internal documents received by the subcommittee, members said this week that Facebook’s plan ‘reportedly included more engagement with the CCP, and later included plans to partner with a Chinese company to build censorship tools and provide the CCP with user data.’

‘Further, Facebook’s censorship efforts on behalf of the CCP allegedly extended to dissidents outside of China, including in the United States,’ they said.

Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

A key House committee is moving to block one of former President Joe Biden’s parting gifts to the U.S.’s largest progressive stronghold.

Rep. John Joyce, R-Pa., vice chairman of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, introduced a resolution of disapproval on Wednesday night targeting a Biden administration-era waiver granted to California that would help the state realize its goal of a full ban on the sale of new gas cars by 2035.

It’s backed by committee Chairman Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., who called the Biden administration waiver a ‘de facto EV mandate’ for the Golden State.

‘The American people should choose what vehicle is right for them, not California bureaucrats. Congressman Joyce’s resolution would block a disastrous ban on the gas-powered vehicles that millions of Americans rely on each and every day,’ Guthrie told Fox News Digital. 

‘The Energy and Commerce Committee has been committed to addressing this issue since California first attempted to create a de facto EV mandate.’

Joyce said his resolution was ‘long overdue.’

‘Since arriving in Washington, I have fought to protect consumer freedom and allow American families to choose the vehicle that best fits their budget and needs,’ Joyce said.

A resolution of disapproval, under the Congressional Review Act, allows lawmakers a mechanism to oppose unilateral rules made by federal agencies.

Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved a waiver for California in December 2024, just over a month before he left office, that would make it possible for the state to phase out new gas-powered car sales by 2035.

The waiver was granted despite concerns raised by major automakers earlier that year about the feasibility of California’s goals – but state officials pushing the plan have insisted it’s critical to take on climate change.

At the time, the Biden administration argued the waiver amounted to an order rather than a regulatory rule, meaning it would not be subject to congressional review.

But it’s been the subject of a standoff between the Trump administration and the federal bureaucracy since then.

The Trump administration asked Congress to review the waiver in late February of this year – paving the way for a potential repeal under the GOP-controlled House and Senate.

But the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said last month that California’s waiver is not subject to the Congressional Review Act.

Backers of the Trump administration’s goal, however, still insist it’s Congress’ job alone to review agency rules.

‘Despite misleading reports, the Congressional Review Act is crystal clear: once an agency action is submitted to Congress, it is Congress—and Congress alone—that holds the unassailable power to approve or disapprove that action,’ American Energy Alliance President Tom Pyle said last month. ‘The GAO’s role is purely advisory, with no legal authority to block Congress from exercising its constitutional duty.’

Joyce’s resolution is the first step toward testing those waters. And with the backing of the powerful House Energy & Commerce Committee, the legislation is likely to see wide Republican support.

President Donald Trump’s administration is moving to reclassify federal workers at two agencies in order to more easily fire them, Reuters reported Thursday.

The efforts are reportedly taking place at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Department of Energy (DOE). Trump had announced plans during his earliest days in office to recategorize tens of thousands of federal workers, arguing many of them oppose his policies.

‘I understand that there is a lot of concern and uncertainty about Schedule Policy/Career and want to provide the best information currently available,’ acting assistant administrator Emily Menashes wrote in an email to affected employees at the NOAA on Tuesday.

Most federal workers have protections requiring that they only be fired for cause. Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office creating a new classification of worker that can be fired at will, however.

In their new category, NOAA employees would remain career staff, not political appointees, but would be expected to support the administration’s agenda, an email to some NOAA staff said.

The DOE and the White House did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. The NOAA declined to comment.

The reported effort comes as Trump has already sought to fire tens of thousands of federal workers, many of whom have sued to keep their jobs.

At least one federal judge has ordered Trump’s administration to reinstate federal probationary workers that were fired in recent mass layoffs.

U.S. District Court Judge James Bredar issued an order on Tuesday directing 18 federal agencies to ‘undo’ the ‘purported terminations’ of thousands of probationary federal workers before Tuesday, April 8, though the order only applies to states whose attorneys general brought the case.

The states impacted by Wednesday’s ruling include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.

Since Trump entered office, he has faced a slew of nationwide injunctions to halt actions of his administration. So far in his new term, the courts have hit him with roughly 15 wide-ranging orders, more than former Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden received during their entire tenures.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich condemned the wave of injunctions as a ‘judicial coup d’etat’ during testimony before a House Judiciary subcommittee on Tuesday.

The former lawmaker highlighted that the vast majority of judges filing injunctions or restraining orders against Trump’s executive actions have been appointed by Democrats.

Reuters contributed to this report.

The Trump administration is slashing millions of dollars in DEI grants from a library and museum system as part of its overall Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) push to rid the government of waste, fraud and abuse.

The administration is cutting $15 million from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) in the form of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) grants in a move the agency says is aligned with both DOGE and President Donald Trump’s executive orders aimed at eliminating DEI from the federal government. 

The grants include $6.7 million to the California State Library to enhance equitable library programs and $4 million to the Washington State Library for diverse staff development and incarcerated support. 

A $1.5M DEI grant to the Connecticut State Library system to ‘integrate social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion’ into their daily operations is also being cut along with $700,000 for a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit to study ‘post-pandemic DEI practices’ in American children’s museums that would formulate ‘enhanced equity-focused strategies.’

Additionally, a DEI grant of $265,000 going to Queens College in New York to conduct a research project on why ‘BIPOC’ teens read Japanese comic books will be cut along with $250,000 to fund the ‘Gay Ohio History Initiative’ to erect 10 ‘LGBTQ+ historical markers’ will be cut.

‘In keeping with the vision of the President’s executive orders, we are taking action to end taxpayer funding for discriminatory DEI initiatives in our nation’s museums and libraries,’ Acting IMLS Director Keith Sonderling told Fox News Digital in a statement.

‘Our cultural institutions should bring Americans together—not promote divisive ideologies. Moving forward, we must champion programs that uphold our founding ideals and reaffirm that the American Dream is within reach for all, through hard work and determination, not identity politics.’

The grant cuts come after IMLS reportedly cut 80% of its staff in a move aimed at slashing the bloated federal government while saving taxpayers additional millions. 

A recent study by the American Academy of Arts & Sciences found that federal funds represent only 0.3% of the total operating revenue for public libraries. The vast majority of funding comes from state and local sources.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services was one of seven government agencies targeted in Trump’s ‘Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy’ executive order last month.

Trump’s DOGE efforts have saved the American taxpayer $140 billion, according to its website, which represents almost $900 saved per taxpayer.

The Trump administration says it has slashed hundreds of millions of dollars in DEI contracts, including at least $100 million at the Department of Education.