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Trump, at Fox News Town Hall, questions Biden's competence: 'There's something going on there'
President Trump, speaking at a Fox News Town Hall in Joe Biden's hometown of Scranton, Pa., on Thursday evening, openly suggested that the new Democratic front-runner's repeated gaffes could be a sign of a competency issue -- honing a line of attack that Republicans are expected to repeatedly deploy if Biden becomes his party's nominee.
Trump also wasted little time in criticizing ex-rival Elizabeth Warren's decision to drop out of the race only after Super Tuesday, saying she may have sabotaged Bernie Sanders' struggling presidential bid by siphoning the progressive vote. "Bernie Sanders would have won five, six, seven states," Trump remarked. "When you look at it, she did him no favors. That was not a good friendship. We started to see that during the debates, by the way. It became unhinged."
The Super Tuesday results, Trump said, had come as a surprise -- especially given what he suggested were Biden's possible cognitive impairments. "I'm all set for Bernie, communist," he said. "And then we have this crazy thing that happened on Tuesday, which he thought was Thursday. But he also said 150 million people were killed with guns, and that he was running for the U.S. Senate -- there's something going on there." Click here for more on our top story.
Other developments from Fox News' town hall with President Trump:
- Trump says he was ‘mentally' set to battle Sanders but it'll be ‘very hard for him to come back
- Trump says coronavirus gives him reason not to shake hands, adds he won't shun supporters' greetings
- Trump says COVID-19 may take a toll on the economy, but he has a plan for every possibility
Trump to sign $8.3B coronavirus funding bill Friday, Pence says
President Trump on Friday will sign newly approved legislation allocating more than $8 billion in emergency funding to combat the spread of coronavirus.
The disclosure came Thursday from Vice President Mike Pence during his visit to Washington state, which has seen at least 70 cases of the virus and at least 11 deaths – more fatalities than anywhere else in the nation. Pence has been overseeing U.S. efforts to contain the outbreak after Trump appointed him to head a special task force that includes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.
The vice president said the efforts by health officials and lawmakers represented the “very best of D.C. coming together, putting the health and wellbeing of the American people first and making nearly $8 billion available not only to federal agencies but to state and local efforts as we confront coronavirus.” Click here for more.
In other coronavirus developments:
- Video shows subway rider spraying Febreze at fellow passenger in possible hate crime
- Maryland governor confirms 3 coronavirus cases
- How churches are adapting services to combat the coronavirus spread
- Capitol Hill braces for coronavirus contingencies, politicians consider world without handshakes
FILE - In this Feb. 10, 2020, file photo, Attorney General William Barr speaks at the National Sheriffs' Association Winter Legislative and Technology Conference in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
Federal judge slams Attorney General Barr over Mueller report, vows to review unredacted version
A federal judge has vowed to review an unredacted version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on the Russia investigation in order to determine if those redactions, ordered by Attorney General William Barr, were warranted and followed federal guidelines.
U.S. District Court Judge Reggie Walton, who is presiding over a lawsuit brought forth by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) -- a nonprofit in Washington, D.C., focused on privacy and First Amendment issues -- in conjunction with BuzzFeed News, said an independent review of the full, unredacted report was necessary because he has "grave concerns about the objectivity" of Barr's Justice Department in authorizing redactions in line with department rules and exemptions allowed under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Walton -- who was appointed to the bench by former President George W. Bush and was a former FISA court judge -- said in his ruling Thursday that Barr's "lack of candor" was evidenced by his decision to release a summary of the Mueller report effectively exonerating Trump from potential charges of obstruction without the report being made available to the public so they could draw their own conclusions. Click here for more.
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TODAY'S MUST-READS
McConnell calls Schumer's response to Supreme Court 'not much of an apology.'
MEDIA BUZZ: Gender questions swirl as Warren leaves race to two old men
ICYMI: Bill Clinton says he had affair with Monica Lewinsky to 'manage my anxieties': report.
Anti-PornHub petition gains steam, accuses adult video giant of facilitating sex trafficking.
Remembering Fox News' Wendell Goler.
THE LATEST FROM FOX BUSINESS
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon recovering from emergency heart surgery.
Old Navy boss to take the helm at Gap.
Boeing CEO David Calhoun rips Dennis Muilenberg's handling of 737 Max crisis.
#TheFlashback: CLICK HERE to find out what happened on "This Day in History."
SOME PARTING WORDS
Sean Hannity vows to vet Joe Biden, saying the Democratic Party will dismiss his numerous gaffes, questions about his competency and ignore his "atrocious" record.
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Fox News First is compiled by Fox News' Bryan Robinson. Thank you for making us your first choice in the morning! Enjoy your day and weekend! We'll see you in your inbox first thing Monday morning.
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