Israeli President Isaac Herzog is praising Donald Trump on Inauguration Day, calling him a ‘true friend’ of the country and thanking him for his efforts to secure the release of hostages from Hamas. 

‘On behalf of the people of Israel, I send my heartfelt congratulations to you, President Donald Trump on your inauguration as the 47th POTUS,’ Herzog wrote on X. 

‘You are a true friend of Israel. Thank you for your unwavering commitment to Israel’s security and to building a better future for our region. A special thank you for your commitment to bringing all our hostages home,’ he continued. 

‘We wish you and your administration great success in your service to the American people. Good luck!’ Herzog added. 

The comments come a day after Hamas released to Israel three hostages it has been holding in captivity for nearly 500 days, as part of a cease-fire and hostage release agreement. 

In exchange, Israel released 90 Palestinian prisoners in the West Bank. 

‘Let’s face it, the fact that President Trump had a clear message, ‘By my inauguration, I want to see hostages coming out, or else there will be hell to pay,’ made a huge impact in the Middle East, and we are hopeful that with his leadership, we’re going to see all 98 hostages coming out starting today with the three female hostages,’ Ronen Neutra, whose son Omer was killed by Hamas terrorists, told Fox News on Sunday. 

Trump said last week, ‘This EPIC cease-fire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies.  

‘I am thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home to be reunited with their families and loved ones,’ he had written on Truth Social. 

Fox News’ Taylor Penley contributed to this report. 

President Biden pardoned his siblings just minutes before leaving office on Monday.

The pardon applies to James Biden, Sara Jones Biden, Valerie Biden Owens, John Owens, and Francis Biden, the White House announced. The president argues that his family could be subject to ‘politically motivated investigations’ after he leaves office.

‘I believe in the rule of law, and I am optimistic that the strength of our legal institutions will ultimately prevail over politics. But baseless and politically motivated investigations wreak havoc on the lives, safety, and financial security of targeted individuals and their families,’ Biden said in a statement.

‘Even when individuals have done nothing wrong and will ultimately be exonerated, the mere fact of being investigated or prosecuted can irreparably damage their reputations and finances,’ Biden added.

The pardons come after House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer requested that Trump’s Justice Department investigate and prosecute James Biden for allegedly making false statements to Congress.

House Republicans in June sent criminal referrals for James Biden and Hunter Biden to the Justice Department recommending they be charged with making false statements to Congress about ‘key aspects’ of the impeachment inquiry of President Biden.

Biden issued another wave of pre-emptive pardons earlier Monday morning, those going to Dr. Anthony Fauci, Gen. Mark Milley and people associated with the House select committee investigation into January 6.

Biden had teased the possibility of issuing pre-emptive pardons weeks ago in an interview with USA Today. Biden’s pardons at the end of his term have proven to be some of his most controversial actions as president, particularly the pardon for his son, Hunter Biden.

Biden had repeatedly vowed that he would not intervene on his son’s behalf, but he issued a blanket pardon regardless. The president later claimed that he had broken the promise after finding out Hunter had paid his back taxes.

Biden’s pardon of Hunter was defended in some corners as a natural move from someone protecting his own family, but many prominent figures derided it as a craven flip-flop that would damage the White House and the president’s legacy.

‘Everyone looks stupid,’ Pod Save America co-host and ex-Obama aide Tommy Vietor said at the time. ‘Everyone looks like they are full of s—. And Republicans are going to use this to argue it was politics as usual when Democrats warned of Trump’s corruption or threat to the rule or the threat to democracy.’

This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates.

President Biden delivered a two-word message to President-elect Trump at the White House on Monday. 

‘Welcome home,’ Biden shouted to Trump, as the soon-to-be 47th president arrived outside the White House with his wife, Melania Trump. 

Trump walked up the steps and greeted Biden and first lady Jill Biden. The couples posed for photos, but did not answer questions shouted by the press. The Bidens and the Trumps turned around and entered the White House together to have tea. 

After the private tea concluded, Biden and Trump got into their motorcade and traveled together to the Capitol for the inauguration ceremony. Trump will be sworn in as president around noon ET. 

The two-word message mirrored the ‘welcome back’ Biden told Trump when the two met in the Oval Office on Nov. 13 following the Republican’s decisive victory over Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris. 

The welcoming tone is a stark contrast to the combative nature of the June debate between Biden and Trump, as the Democratic president’s rocky performance ultimately led to him suspending his re-election campaign and Harris topping the ticket.

Just weeks later, Trump survived a July 13 assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, that sent shock waves through the 2024 election cycle. 

Over concern about Biden’s age and mental fitness, Democratic donors and insiders pushed for his ouster from the race, and Harris became the nominee without any primary. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was her vice presidential running mate. 

A new poll released on Inauguration Day reveals some of the most popular, as well as the least liked aspects, of President-elect Trump’s agenda. 

The survey conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research provides insight into the stances among U.S. adults on mass deportations, tariffs, potential pardons for Jan. 6 rioters and increased drilling of U.S. oil and gas, among other proposals brought by the soon-to-be 47th president on the 2024 campaign trail. The poll found that a sizable share of Americans hold a neutral view on parts of Trump’s agenda, signaling that public opinion could easily shift in coming weeks. 

The poll of 1,147 adults was conducted Jan. 9 through 13, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

Mass deportations

Among his campaign promises, Trump has vowed to launch the largest deportation program in U.S. history. According to the AP-NORC poll, targeted deportations of immigrants who have been convicted of a crime would be popular among U.S. adults, even if they involved immigrants who are in the country legally. 

The poll found that about eight in 10 U.S. adults favor deporting all immigrants living in the U.S. illegally who have been convicted of a violent crime – including about two-thirds who are strongly in favor – and about seven in 10 support deporting all immigrants living in the U.S. legally who have been convicted of a violent crime. Yet, only four in 10 of U.S. adults are in support of deporting immigrants who are in the country illegally and have not been convicted of a crime, according to the survey.

Tariffs

Trump has also proposed sweeping tariffs on foreign goods imported into the United States, and the transition team reportedly has been working on a gradual roll-out plan aimed at off-setting the potential of inflation rising as a result. 

Almost half of U.S. adults ‘somewhat’ or ‘strongly’ oppose imposing a tariff, also referred to as an import tax, on all goods brought into the U.S. from other countries, according to the AP-NORC poll. 

The poll found that about three in 10 are in favor, and about one-quarter are neutral, saying they neither favor nor oppose this policy. The AP assesses that opinion could move in either direction if the tariffs are implemented.

Republicans are much likelier than Democrats and independents to support broad tariffs, but about four in 10 are either opposed or unsure. Just over half of Republicans favor imposing a tariff on all goods brought into the U.S.

Jan. 6 pardons

Trump indicated on the campaign trail that he would likely issue pardons for many of the more than 1,500 people charged in connection to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. 

The AP-NORC poll found that about two in 10 U.S. adults ‘somewhat’ or ‘strongly’ favor pardoning most people who participated in the Capitol riot. 

Meanwhile, about six in 10 ‘somewhat’ or ‘strongly’ oppose the proposal, including half who are strongly opposed, and about two in 10 are neutral.

As for members of Trump’s party, the poll found that about four in 10 Republicans favor pardoning many of the Jan. 6 participants, while about three in 10 are neutral, and about three in 10 are opposed.

‘Drill Baby Drill’

Trump has vowed to establish American ‘energy dominance,’ often repeating the chant, ‘Drill, baby, dill’ at rallies while touting his plan to bring down energy costs by increasing U.S. oil and gas drilling, including on federal lands. 

But the AP-NORC poll found the majority of U.S. adults are split on the issue. About one-third of Americans ‘somewhat’ or ‘strongly’ favor increasing oil drilling on federal lands, while about 4 in 10 are opposed. 

The rest – about one-quarter – are neutral, saying they neither favor nor oppose increasing oil drilling on federal lands. 

Republicans broadly favor increasing oil drilling, but the proposal is not popular among Democrats or independents, according to the poll. 

Paris Climate Accords

Trump has indicated that he would pull out of the Paris climate agreement a second time once he takes office.

According to the AP-NORC poll, about half of Americans ‘somewhat’ or ‘strongly’ oppose withdrawing from the agreement. 

Only about two in 10 U.S. adults are ‘somewhat’ or ‘strongly’ in favor of pulling out of the deal aimed at reducing carbon emissions, while about one-quarter are neutral.

The AP assesses that most of the opposition comes from Democrats, but Republicans show some uncertainty as well. Slightly less than half of Republicans are in favor, while about three in 10 are opposed.

Title IX

A federal judge in Kentucky recently rejected the Biden administration’s attempt to redefine sex in Title IX as ‘gender identity,’ blocking the change nationwide.

The AP-NORC poll categorized Biden’s Title IX rewrite as promoting discrimination ‘protections’ for transgender or LGBTQ+ students, but the Trump campaign has highlighted stories from women and girl athletes who have spoken out about losing scholarship opportunities and feeling uncomfortable and unsafe when forced to compete against, or change in locker rooms with, biological males identifying as female. 

The survey found opposition is higher than support ‘for eliminating protections for transgender students’ under Title IX, the federal law that prohibits any high school or college that receives federal funds from discriminating on the basis of gender.

Almost half of U.S. adults ‘somewhat’ or ‘strongly’ oppose getting rid of these protections, while about three in 10 are in favor, and the rest are neutral, according to the survey. 

Eliminating the debt ceiling

Trump pressured lawmakers to raise or eliminate the national debt ceiling at the end of last year as Congress scrambled to reach a spending deal that averted a government shutdown. 

The poll found that about half of U.S. adults oppose eliminating the debt ceiling, while about one-quarter are in favor, and about three in 10 are neutral, signaling there could be room for public opinion to shift. 

Democrats are only slightly more likely than Republicans to oppose getting rid of the debt ceiling, according to the survey. 

Trump has also pushed for tax cuts for Americans, and notably coined the campaign slogan ‘No tax on tips.’ The poll found that just over half of U.S. adults favor eliminating taxes on earnings from tips. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., called out the hypocrisy of politicians attending inaugural festivities for President-elect Trump after having previously decried the Republican figure as a ‘threat to democracy.’

‘People are more upset at performers/artists attending Trump’s inaugural events but not upset at all the politicians who told them he was a ‘threat to democracy’ going to these events are not serious,’ the progressive congresswoman declared in a post on X. 

‘Performers at least know they are there to perform and get paid, but these politicians who ran their mouth for 4 yrs and are now willing to be there and clap for him, that’s who they should be mad at. They lied to you and your criticism/anger should be rightfully directed at them,’ she continued.

Omar suggested that performers should not be expected to have loyalty to a political party.

‘Also, no one should ask people who are performers/artists to be loyal to a party because that’s what dictatorships do. In a free country like ours, people should be able to support any party they want without having their livelihood compromised,’ the lawmaker concluded.

Fox News Digital emailed the Trump-Vance transition team and the Trump Vance Inaugural Committee on Monday to ask whether any of the performers at the inauguration ceremony or related celebrations are being paid. 

A committee spokesperson replied, stating that the committee did not pay for performances. 

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have both previously described Trump as ‘a threat to our democracy,’ but are expected to attend Trump’s inauguration ceremony.

Omar has previously described Trump as ‘an existential threat to our democracy.’ 

The Trump Vance Inaugural Committee announced that Carrie Underwood, Christopher Macchio, and Lee Greenwood will perform at the swearing-in ceremony. 

Various celebratory ball events will also feature performers, including Rascal Flatts and Parker McCollum at the Commander-in-Chief Ball, as well as Jason Aldean, The Village People, and Nelly at the Liberty Ball, and Gavin DeGraw at the Starlight Ball, according to the committee’s announcement.

Pope Francis shared his prayers and extended ‘cordial greetings’ to President-elect Trump ahead of his inaugural ceremony Monday morning.

‘I ask God to guide your efforts in promoting peace and reconciliation among peoples,’ Pope Francis said in a message addressed to the president-elect.

‘On the occasion of your inauguration as the forty-seventh President of the United States of America, I offer cordial greetings and the assurance of my prayers that Almighty God will grant you wisdom, strength, and protection in the exercise of your high duties,’ his message read.

‘Inspired by your nation’s ideals of being a land of opportunity and welcome for all, it is my hope that under your leadership the American people will prosper and always strive to build a more just society, where there is no room for hatred, discrimination or exclusion.’

Pope Francis continued on to ‘ask God to guide your efforts in promoting peace and reconciliation among peoples’ amid ‘numerous challenges’ and ‘the scourge of war.’

‘With these sentiments,’ Pope Francis continued, ‘I invoke upon you, your family, and the beloved American people an abundance of divine blessings.’

Pope Francis criticized Trump’s deportation policy just one day prior, saying Sunday on an evening television program, ‘If true, this will be a disgrace.’

‘This won’t do. This is not the way to solve things. That’s not how things are resolved,’ the pope said of Trump’s planned deportations.

Trump’s incoming administration is said to be eyeing immigration arrests of illegal immigrants across the country as soon as day one, as top officials say they are ready to ‘take the handcuffs off’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The pope also recently cited ‘fake news’ as the root cause of Trump’s assassination attempts last year. 

During the pontiff’s annual ‘state of the world’ address earlier this month, Francis pointed to ‘fake news’ as the root of division and distrust in society that ultimately led to two attempts on Trump’s life in 2024. 

‘This phenomenon generates false images of reality, a climate of suspicion that foments hate, undermines people’s sense of security, and compromises civil coexistence and the stability of entire nations. Tragic examples of this are the attacks on the chairman of the government of the Slovak Republic and the president-elect of the United States of America,’ he said.

Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw, Gabriel Hays and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Republican lawmakers are reacting furiously to President Biden’s 11th-hour decision to pardon several allies who President-elect Trump and his circle have threatened retribution against, made hours before ceding power to the new commander in chief.

‘Implication is that they needed the pardons,’ Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, wrote on X, formerly Twitter. ‘So, let’s call them all before Congress and demand the truth. If they refuse or lie – let’s test the constitutional ‘reach’ of these pardons with regard to their future actions.’

Biden announced early on Monday that he was issuing preemptive pardons for Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley, and members and staff of the now-defunct House select committee on the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., now the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee after Republicans swept the Senate and White House in November, pledged to investigate Fauci in particular with his new leadership power. Fauci has already been the subject of multiple inquiries and public attacks by Paul, who accused him of mismanaging the COVID-19 pandemic, along with other government officials. Fauci has consistently defended his actions, stating that they were solely guided by science.

‘If there was ever any doubt as to who bears responsibility for the COVID pandemic, Biden’s pardon of Fauci forever seals the deal. As Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, I will not rest until the entire truth of the coverup is exposed,’ Paul wrote on X. ‘Fauci’s pardon will only serve as an accelerant to pierce the veil of deception.’

Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., said in his own statement: ‘Joe Biden just issued preemptive pardons for Mark Milley, Anthony Fauci, and Members of Congress and staff of the sham J6 Committee. In its final hours, the most CORRUPT Administration in American history is covering up Democrats’ trail of criminal activity.’

‘Sneaking this through in the last hours of his presidency only makes them look more guilty. What’s he so desperate to hide? It’s been clear to any honest observer that there is plenty to investigate,’ said Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., chairman of the House Western Caucus.

On the other side of the aisle, Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, praised the decision and accused Trump of abusing his power.

‘As someone who strongly advocated for these pardons, I applaud President Biden for making this bold and righteous decision. Trump has repeatedly abused power to serve his own interests and threatened to punish his political opponents,’ Boyle said in a statement. ‘These pardons are essential to protecting the public servants and law enforcement who defended our democracy and worked tirelessly to keep us safe.’

Trump has previously threatened retribution against his critics when he returned to the White House, though he’s also clarified at times that he believed his second term would be retribution enough.

Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., who leads a subcommittee investigating the Jan. 6 committee’s probe, called for the criminal prosecution of the former panel’s vice chair, ex-Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., in a 128-page report. Cheney said the report ‘intentionally disregards the truth and the Select Committee’s tremendous weight of evidence, and instead fabricates lies and defamatory allegations in an attempt to cover up what Donald Trump did.’

The incoming president has pardoned political allies like Paul Manafort and Michael Flynn, though unlike Biden’s latest decision, both were charged by the Department of Justice (DOJ) when those pardons were issued.

There is precedent for preemptive pardons, however. Former President Gerald Ford preemptively pardoned Richard Nixon after the Watergate scandal.

Fauci said in a statement regarding the pardon, ‘Despite the accomplishments that my colleagues and I achieved over my long career of public service, I have been the subject of politically motivated threats of investigation and prosecution. There is absolutely no basis for these threats. Let me be perfectly clear: I have committed no crime and there are no possible grounds for any allegation or threat of criminal investigation or prosecution of me. The fact is, however, that the mere articulation of these baseless threats, and the potential that they will be acted upon, create immeasurable and intolerable distress for me and my family. For these reasons, I acknowledge and appreciate the action that President Biden has taken today on my behalf.’

Milley said he and his family were ‘deeply grateful’ for Biden’s decision.

‘After forty-three years of faithful service in uniform to our Nation, protecting and defending the Constitution, I do not wish to spend whatever remaining time the Lord grants me fighting those who unjustly might seek retribution for perceived slights. I do not want to put my family, my friends, and those with whom I served through the resulting distraction, expense, and anxiety,’ Milley said. ‘It has been an honor and a privilege to serve our great country in uniform for over four decades, and I will continue to keep faith and loyalty to our nation and Constitution until my dying breath.’

Fox News Digital has reached out to the members of the Jan. 6 committee who are still serving in Congress for comment. 

Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report

President Biden plans to leave a letter to President-elect Trump before he departs the White House, according to a report, continuing the modern presidential tradition that first began with President Ronald Reagan.

Biden is expected to leave a note for his successor on the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, CNN first reported.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for confirmation but did not immediately hear back.

Four years after succeeding Trump, Biden finds himself in the unique position, in both history and politics, of writing a letter to his successor who left a note for him four years ago.

Despite a history of bucking tradition during his first term as president, like attending Biden’s inauguration, Trump curiously continued this rite of presidential passage by writing a letter to Biden.

Biden said it was a ‘very generous letter,’ but has so far declined to share the content of what Trump wrote, deeming it private and saying he wouldn’t discuss it until he had a chance to speak with Trump. 

Trump has also declined to share details, saying he thought it was up to Biden to share the letter.

‘It was a nice note,’ Trump said during a September 2023 interview with NBC’s ‘Meet the Press,’ adding, ‘I took a lot of time in thinking about it.’

Trump had received what he has described as a ‘beautiful letter’ from his predecessor, President Barack Obama. 

Obama told Trump they were both blessed with good fortune, that American leadership ‘really is indispensable’ in the world, that they are the ‘guardians’ of democratic institutions and traditions, and that family and friends will see him through the ‘inevitable rough patches.’

When Trump takes office on Monday, he’ll be the first president to serve nonconsecutive terms since Grover Cleveland in the late 1800s, when the letter-writing tradition didn’t exist.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Supporters of Donald Trump massed in the nation’s capital this weekend to welcome back the president-elect – enduring lengthy drives, hours-long lines and punishing winter weather for a chance to share in Trump’s second win. 

Fox News Digital spoke to dozens of Trump backers who massed in and around the Capital One arena in Washington, D.C., to attend the ‘Make America Great Again’ rally hosted by the president-elect Sunday night. 

The free event was a victory lap, both for the president and for his longtime fans. Rally-goers descended into Washington in droves – among the dozens of attendees interviewed, few were from the D.C.-area – but saw their endurance tested by the sheets of rain, sleet and snow that came in waves as temperatures plummeted, prompting D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to activate a city-wide hypothermia alert.

Lines to get in the door wrapped around city blocks and weaved through miles of 10-foot fencing designed to block off roads and bolster security. Wait times were upward of three hours, according to some attendees. 

One Indiana man who drove from the Hoosier State to D.C. for the rally said he camped out at 10 p.m. Saturday before the rally Sunday afternoon. In an interview with Fox News, he said he had no regrets about his decision – gesturing to the plum post he had secured, right next to the stage. 

He also wasn’t alone. Some 100 others had also opted to camp out, he estimated in the interview – a sense of camaraderie and commitment that was starkly on display in the Sunday rally. 

Though the event itself was held inside, the lines were massive, stretching as far as the eye could see, and subjecting all but a few donors and VIPs to hours of winding lines in the bitter winter cold.

Not one of the supporters interviewed expressed any regrets about the cold they endured – even the people who had waited upward of nine hours to get in the door. 

‘I’m just happy to be here,’ one woman said alongside her partner, one of the last groups admitted into the rally, nearly six hours after doors opened to the public. 

The speech was Trump’s first in D.C. since Jan. 6, 2021. It saw a hodgepodge of performers with little in common: Two women who dubbed themselves ‘Girls Gone Bible’ led the audience in a lengthy prayer for Trump, before Kid Rock jumped onstage for a raucous musical performance. 

Other speakers included Stephen Miller, who offered policy-focused remarks, UFC President and CEO Dana White, whose fiery remarks riled up the group, and Donald Trump Jr., whose children led the rally-goers in the Pledge of Allegiance before Trump took the stage.

But if crowd size is to be measured as a sign of success, as Trump so often appears to see it, then his second term is poised to be met with sweeping approval from his base.

‘I’d do it again,’ one Florida woman told Fox News Digital of the lines, crowds and stamina required for the duration of the hours-long rally. ‘I have no regrets.’

Soon-to-be first lady Melania Trump was donning a dark navy coat, dark navy hat with a white stripe, dark navy heels and black gloves as she and her husband, President-elect Donald Trump, left St. John’s Episcopal Church after a prayer service ahead of the inauguration.

Melania’s outfit is fitting for the cold weather currently in Washington, D.C., which has moved the inauguration indoors to the Capitol Rotunda for the first time in 40 years.

The couple has been welcomed by President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, where they will share tea and coffee at the White House.

‘Welcome home,’ Biden said to Trump after the president-elect stepped out of the car.

While tea is a presidential transition tradition, it is a stark departure from four years ago, when Trump refused to acknowledge Biden’s victory or attend his inauguration.

Melania, a Slovenian American former model, attracted attention during the first Trump administration for her striking style sense. French designer Hervé Pierre created her 2017 inaugural ball gown that is now on display at the National Museum of American History, according to the Smithsonian. 

Pierre has served as a stylist for first ladies in the White House since the 1990s, the South China Morning Post reports.  

The Associated Press contributed to this report.