When President Donald Trump returned to the White House in 2025, he faced the same formidable adversary that defined much of his first term: China. This time the stakes were even higher. The trade deficit with China had ballooned to roughly $300 billion, while IP protection, currency manipulation and predatory industrial and international development practices remained significant issues. And Beijing doubled down — weaponizing its control of rare earth minerals, tightening its grip on semiconductors and wielding economic coercion against U.S. allies from Australia to Lithuania. 

Against this backdrop, Trump 47 adopted a two-pronged approach. On offense, the administration has kept maximum pressure on Beijing, staying firm on negotiation positions and refusing to trade away leverage until real concessions emerge. On defense, it has wielded tariffs not only as bargaining chips but as engines of industrial revival — reshoring supply chains, rebuilding America’s manufacturing base and hardening strategic alliances to reduce dependence on China. 

These were not easy calls. Tariffs rattled markets. Pressure campaigns risked alienating partners. Yet the strategy has been to hold the line, play a long game and push forward until the U.S. secured fairer, reciprocal trade terms. In a world where semiconductors and rare earths are the new oil, this is about nothing less than U.S. national security. 

I have seen firsthand how high-stakes these negotiations can be. As I recount in my forthcoming book, ‘A Seat at the Table,’ Chinese officials have long relied on psychological tactics, slow-walking responses through layers of bureaucracy, handing us last-minute drafts in Chinese —  even removing chairs at negotiating tables. These are not trivial gestures. They are meant to unnerve, unsettle and push the U.S. team toward compromise. 

The Trump response was simple but powerful: don’t flinch. In Beijing, when presented with a Chinese draft that ignored our work, Secretary Steven Mnuchin waved it away and insisted the talks proceed on the American document. When a chair was removed to show disrespect, we calmly got it back—without ever conceding authority. 

That posture of confidence — staying the course under pressure — continues today in Trump 47. Tariffs are sharper, more targeted and higher than before; allied trade deals (Japan, South Korea, the EU) allow us to focus resources on China; and deadlines are extended when useful, but only on U.S. terms. 

Critics say tariffs raise consumer prices. In the short term, they can. But the broader truth is that tariffs are tools to rewire incentives, drive investment back home, and ensure the United States does not remain vulnerable in sectors critical to survival. Already, the tariffs of Trump 47 are accelerating investment in domestic chip foundries, battery plants and energy infrastructure. They are also forcing hard conversations with allies about aligning supply chains — from rare earth processing in Australia to semiconductor alliances with Japan and the Netherlands. 

When Beijing weaponized exports of gallium and graphite, vital for defense and electronics, Trump invoked the Defense Production Act and doubled down on Indo-Pacific partnerships. The message is clear: America will not be held hostage to coercion. Strategic autonomy requires resilience, even if it comes with short-term discomfort. 

How do you stay steady when the stakes are so high, when the pressure is relentless? Stand aside Hans Morgenthau. For me, the source I found was the timeless wisdom of ‘Kedushas Levi,’ an 18th-century Chassidic work by Rabbi Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev.  

The ‘Kedushas Levi’ teaches that challenges — no matter how overwhelming — are never insurmountable. ‘If you encounter an obstacle that is bigger than you, do not be fearful or frightened. With simple faith, what you fear will not harm you,’ it states. That teaching, echoing the Talmudic reality that the good Lord gives trials in proportion to a person’s strength, gave me composure when sprinting to translate a Chinese draft in a Beijing motorcade, or when facing off with officials determined to stall and delay. 

It also teaches that truth, even when inconvenient, carries divine weight. When Chinese officials resisted opening their financial markets, I pointed out the obvious but often ignored truth: Chinese banks in the U.S. had seen double- and triple-digit growth, while U.S. banks in China struggled for even single digits. That argument broke through where posturing could not.  

Negotiations with China will not be wrapped up overnight. But this is a contest of wills as much as economics. And here, the lessons of faith matter most. Facing giants, the Jewish tradition teaches, you do not shrink back. You lift your head high, stand on truth, and trust that what feels impossible can indeed be achieved. 

That is how we approached China in Trump 45. That is how we are approaching China in Trump 47. And that is how America, with faith and fortitude, can win. 

President Donald Trump has the golden touch — and nowhere is that more evident than in the Oval Office, where gilded accents now adorn the nation’s most famous workspace, reflecting his signature style.

The gold additions throughout the Oval Office were on full display last week as global leaders met with Trump to discuss a path to ending Russia’s war in Ukraine. 

A White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the gold Trump added to the Oval Office ‘is of the highest quality,’ declining to provide further details. The spokesperson also said that Trump personally covered the cost of the gold accents, though did not specify how much gold was added or how much Trump spent.

In March, Trump told Fox News host Laura Ingraham during a tour of the Oval Office that the room ‘needed a little life’ when asked about the gold details. 

‘Throughout the years, people have tried to come up with a gold paint that would look like gold, and they’ve never been able to do it,’ Trump told Ingraham. ‘You’ve never been able to match gold with gold paint, that’s why it’s gold,’ Trump added.

Since then, Trump has added gold accents throughout the Oval Office to include the room’s 18-foot-6-inch ceiling. Below is a picture of the presidential seal that overlooks the Resolute Desk, shown in 2008 and after the addition of all the gold.

Behind the Resolute Desk, Trump added gold curtains and a display of flags, including those representing the U.S. military’s sister services.

Meanwhile, gold trim was added to details along the ceiling and doorways. Even the cherubs inside the door frames were given a golden makeover.

In March, Trump said he had installed a copy of the Declaration of Independence in the Oval Office. He told Fox News host Laura Ingraham that the document must be kept behind heavy curtains to protect it from light damage. 

The signed Declaration of Independence is on permanent display at the National Archives on Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C., where it has been housed since 1952.

The framed document is seen on the wall behind Trump in the photograph below:

Presidents traditionally choose the portraits displayed in the Oval Office, with special attention given to the one above the fireplace.

Former President Joe Biden chose a portrait of Franklin Delano Roosevelt above the fireplace, accompanied by additional portraits of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson.

Above the fireplace, Trump chose to display a portrait of George Washington in military uniform, accompanied by several other prominent portraits.

Gold accents were applied to the white marble fireplace mantel, enhancing its neoclassical details.

Here’s a closer view of the details added to the fireplace:

Trump also placed gold trinkets on the fireplace mantel, though their arrangement has changed frequently.

In the Oval Office, Trump added gold coasters bearing his last name and the number 47, marking his position as the 47th president.

The gold details added to the Oval Office come as Trump undertakes broader renovations across the White House grounds.

Last month, the White House announced that Trump, together with private donors, will fund an estimated $200 million project to build a new ballroom. Intended to host official events, state dinners, and large ceremonial gatherings, the 90,000-square-foot addition will accommodate about 650 seated guests and maintain the White House’s classical design.

The announcement followed a similar move earlier this year, when Trump personally financed the installation of two 88-foot American flags flanking the White House, each reportedly costing around $50,000. 

Russia’s top nuclear official this week said Moscow is facing ‘colossal threats’ and needs to update its nuclear capabilities.

Without directly naming where Russia’s chief nuclear threat is coming from, Director General of the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom Alexei Likhachev said, ‘the current geopolitical situation, is a time of colossal threats to the existence of our country.’

‘Therefore, the nuclear shield, which is also a sword, is a guarantee of our sovereignty,’ he added, according to Russian state news agency RIA. ‘We understand today that the nuclear shield must only be improved in the coming years.’

The comments came less than a week after Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump convened for a face-to-face meeting that marked the first time a U.S. leader has met with the Kremlin chief since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. 

While Trump and Putin appeared positive following the talks, little seemed to have been concretely accomplished in the meeting and hope surrounding a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire appeared to decline as the week progressed. 

It is unclear why Likhachev issued comments regarding Russia’s nuclear program at this time, and he did not detail what sort of updates he would be looking to make to Moscow’s ‘shield’ program. 

Trump issued similar comments earlier this year when in May he announced his plans to develop the ‘Golden Dome’ missile defense system — inspired by Israel’s ‘Iron Dome’ defense system — and which is expected to cost at least $175 billion.

Though security experts have been sounding the alarm when it comes to China’s escalating nuclear development, together Russia and the U.S. continue to possess 90% of the world’s nuclear arsenal.

Moscow continues to hold nearly 4,400 nuclear warheads, over 1,500 of which are ‘strategically deployed’ while the U.S. possesses more than 3,700 warheads in its stockpiles with 1,400 deployed, according to the Arms Control Association. 

While nuclear disarmament was the standing international goal following the end of the Cold War, the trajectory of this policy remains dubious as relations between Washington and Moscow have once again turned precarious amid Putin’s war in Ukraine, and his burgeoning relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping. 

The New Start Treaty remains the only bilateral nuclear arms control agreement between the U.S. and Russia, and though it was extended in 2021, it is set to expire in February 2026. The future of the treaty – first signed in 2010 – also remains unclear as Moscow paused its participation in the agreement in 2023.

Putin said that this suspension meant he would continue to abide by stockpile limits under the treaty, but he would not allow for continued U.S. inspections. 

Fox News Digital could not immediately reach the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for comment as nations increasingly look to expand their nuclear capabilities just six months ahead of when the New Start Treaty is set to expire. 

EXCLUSIVE – New Republican National Committee (RNC) chair Joe Gruters outlined his mission as he took over steering the GOP’s national party committee.

‘The midterms are ahead, where we must expand our major majority in the House, in the Senate, and continue electing Republicans nationwide,’ Gruters said as he addressed committee members moments after being unanimously elected chair at the RNC’s summer meeting, held this year in Atlanta, Georgia.

Gruters, a state senator and RNC committee member from Florida, who, until his election as chair on Friday, briefly served as the national party committee’s treasurer, is a longtime ally of President Donald Trump. His move to the RNC chairmanship cements Trump’s dominance over the GOP as it prepares for midterm battles next year.

And a month ago, Trump endorsed Gruters to succeed now-former RNC chair Michael Whatley, who stepped down as he runs for the Senate in battleground North Carolina in the blockbuster race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Thom Tillis.

The ascension of Gruters to RNC chair is the latest sign of Trump’s complete control over the national party committee.

‘This is the president’s party. This is the president’s vision, overall. The party fully embraces the president,’ Gruters said as he and Whatley stood for an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.

Whatley, who Trump picked to steer the RNC a year and a half ago, noted that ‘we have transformed the RNC, basically the way that President Trump has transformed the Republican Party.’

Gruters has been a major Trump supporter dating back to the president’s first campaign for the White House. Gruters served as Florida co-chair Trump’s 2016 campaign.

The Democratic National Committee, taking aim at Gruters following his election as chair, claimed that ‘Gruters and Trump will have a lot to bond over while they turn the Republican Party into even more of a personal propaganda machine for Trump.’

Republicans swept back to power last November, with Trump winning the White House, the GOP retaking control of the Senate and holding onto their fragile majority in the House.

But looking ahead to next year’s midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses House and Senate seats, the GOP will be defending their congressional majorities.

A key part of the RNC’s strategy going forward is Trump.

‘We’re gonna ride the president all the way to victory in the midterms, and we are going to win big,’ Gruters emphasized.

Asked about the top three items on his to-do list as he takes over as RNC chair, Gruters said, ‘number one, it’s still election integrity. That’s the most important thing, protecting the vote. And it’s about winning the midterms.’

‘It’s about going back to the fundamentals of registering voters and turning our voters out,’ the new chair added.

Gruters also highlighted Trump’s sweeping GOP-crafted domestic policy bill, which the Republican majorities in Congress passed this summer along near-party lines.

‘It’s our agenda,’ Whatley said in a Fox News Digital interview last month, as he pointed to the massive tax cuts and spending bill that Trump signed into law on July 4.

The measure is stuffed full of Trump’s 2024 campaign trail promises and second-term priorities on tax cuts, immigration, defense, energy and the debt limit. 

It includes extending the president’s signature 2017 tax cuts and eliminating taxes on tips and overtime pay. 

By making his first-term tax rates permanent – they were set to expire later this year – the bill will cut taxes by nearly $4.4 trillion over the next decade, according to analysis by the Congressional Budget Office and the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. 

The measure also provides billions for border security and codifies the president’s controversial immigration crackdown.

And the new law also restructures Medicaid – the almost 60-year-old federal program that provides health coverage to roughly 71 million low-income Americans. 

The changes to Medicaid, as well as cuts to food stamps, another one of the nation’s major safety net programs, were drafted in part as an offset to pay for extending Trump’s tax cuts. The measure includes a slew of new rules and regulations, including work requirements for many of those seeking Medicaid coverage.

Democrats, for months, have repeatedly blasted Republicans over the social safety net changes. And they’ve spotlighted a slew of national polls conducted both  before and after the measure was passed into law, that indicate the bill’s popularity in negative territory.

But Gruters sees the new law as campaign ammunition.

‘Every single Democrat in Congress voted for a tax increase on average everyday Americans,’ Gruters argued. ‘And that big, beautiful bill has something for every single American, whether you’re working class, whether you’re a small business owner, everybody benefits, and we’re going to be able to ride that bill all the way to victory.’

On Saturday, Israeli tanks and troops began maneuvering ever closer to Gaza City’s outskirts in preparation for a full-scale offensive. Eyewitness accounts reported intensified shelling as Israel is moving toward what could be the defining battle of its war against Hamas terrorists: the capture of Gaza City.

Israel’s security cabinet approved the operation, known as Gideon’s Chariots B, and has deployed up to five IDF divisions toward the city’s outskirts—a highly significant mobilization. Thousands of reservists—some 60,000—have been called up.

John Spencer, chair of urban warfare studies at the Madison Policy Forum and executive director of the Urban Warfare Institute, told Fox News Digital the scale of this operation is unprecedented. ‘This will be a bigger challenge than anything the IDF has faced, arguably ever. It is the densest location in Gaza, the heart of Hamas’s stronghold. And you don’t really know what the tunnels are until you get into them.’

Spencer said that ‘Hamas built semi-circles of defenses oriented at Israel. But the IDF has shown creativity in maneuvering around obstacles.’ Israel plans to send more combat power into Gaza City than it has deployed across the entire Strip thus far. ‘If your goal is to clear Gaza City of Hamas’s military capabilities and search for hostages, you need that scale,’ he said.

Gadi Shamni, former commander of the Gaza Division and ex-head of IDF Central Command, told Fox News Digital, ‘It is a crowded city with refugee camps, dense neighborhoods, high-rises and a highly developed underground. People say the IDF controls above and below ground, but in the last campaign we saw that wasn’t always true. Even when you destroy tunnels, Hamas can rebuild them quickly. The longer you stay with more forces, the more opportunities you create for the other side to attack.’

A former senior Israeli security official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Fox News Digital, ‘The IDF can militarily conquer Gaza, but the costs will be immense on both sides. The IDF will fight with a method of ‘destroy everything first’—air force bombs, massive charges, detonating streets from afar, wiping out entire areas and advancing slowly.

‘The IDF has gained enormous experience over the past two years and will use those tactics in this battle. … You are strong, the enemy is weak, and you have patience. Even the weather is on Israel’s side, with winter not arriving until January.’

The tunnels remain the most formidable element of Hamas’s defense. Unlike ISIS terrorists in Mosul, Spencer said, Hamas has built an underground tunnel network that allows commanders and fighters to move between positions avoid strikes, and conceal hostages. ‘The IDF that will go into Gaza City is not the IDF of 2023,’ Spencer said, pointing to rapid adaptations in the use of drones, robots, and specialized units for tunnel warfare. ‘They’ve learned so much. But this will still be slow, very careful, and costly.’

To illustrate the scale, Spencer pointed to the 2004 battle for Fallujah in Iraq. ‘It took the Marine Corps about two weeks to clear Fallujah—every single home, building, shop. About 68,000 structures were cleared, as if somebody physically looked in them,’ he said. ‘If all five of these [IDF] divisions were doing that, absolutely, you could get it done in a few months. But the enemy always gets a vote. You can’t rush to failure.’

The former Israeli senior security official described the operation as ‘telescopic—very slow, with pistons working one by one. This pace also gives Hamas the chance at every stage to try to cut a deal.’

On the fate of hostages possibly held in Gaza City, the official was blunt: ‘Some of the hostages will die. I wouldn’t be surprised if more brigades are brought in—the IDF is using immense ground power to seize urban terrain.’

Shamni also warned Hamas may relocate hostages, 50 hostages, of whom 20 are still believed to be alive, into combat zones to deter strikes—a tactic he said the IDF would be reluctant to engage for fear of harming captives, a conflict between military necessity and core values.

Shamni highlighted a particularly fraught dilemma: evacuating civilians. ‘You don’t know who will leave, how many will leave, how they’ll react—or whether Hamas will even allow them to leave,’ he said. ‘I assume many will not evacuate, and then you face the hard dilemma of fighting in a place full of noncombatants.’

Spencer added that history shows around 10% of civilians stay behind. ‘Even 10% of a million is 100,000 people,’ he said.

Shamni forecast a protracted operation: ‘It could take months. Two months might seize the surface, but then you still have to clear tunnels. It will cost many lives—including civilians. The worst-case scenario is that no hostages are found alive or dead because of the destruction.’

Shamni, who also served as Israel’s military attaché in Washington, warned that the dual goals of defeating Hamas and returning hostages are contradictory, risking years of drawn-out fighting. 

Spencer, however, called the decision to press forward a ‘calculated risk,’ explaining that while military action carries dangers, ‘you weigh the risk of Hamas killing the hostages against the certainty that they’re being starved and tortured. Military pressure is the last resort. Without conquering Gaza City, Hamas will continue to hold a sanctuary.’

As the 11th member of former President Joe Biden’s administration appeared before the House Oversight Committee this week, Fox News Digital asked senators on Capitol Hill if former Vice President Kamala Harris should testify next. 

‘I think they should take her behind closed doors and figure out what she knows and what she’s willing to talk about,’ Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., said. 

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., is leading the investigation into the alleged cover-up of Biden’s cognitive decline and use of the autopen during his tenure as president. 

Comer said on Fox News’ ‘The Ingraham Angle’ last month that the ‘odds’ of Harris getting a subpoena to appear before the House Oversight Committee are ‘very high.’ 

While Marshall told Fox News Digital that Harris should testify, he admitted, ‘I don’t think you need her testimony to show Americans what I knew as a physician a long time ago, that Joe Biden had a neurodegenerative disease of some sort.’

Marshall has a medical degree from the University of Kansas and practiced medicine for more than 25 years before running for public office. 

‘All you had to do is look at his very fixed, flat face,’ Marshall explained. ‘Look at his gait, the way he walked. He had a shuffled walk. He didn’t move his arms, hardly at all. When he talked, it was very monotone, a very soft voice. He had malingering thought processes. I don’t think it took much to figure that out.’

After listing the former president’s symptoms, the Kansas senator lamented that Biden ‘turned weakness into war,’ creating a national security threat. 

During Biden’s presidency, the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan resulted in the death of 13 U.S. soldiers, Russia invaded Ukraine and Hamas attacked Israel, triggering the ongoing war in Gaza.

But as Republicans demand transparency, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told Fox News Digital he is far more worried about the ‘challenges we face right now,’ particularly on the economy, inflation and the effect of Trump’s tariff policies. 

Meanwhile, Sen. John Hoeven R-N.D., defended the accountability argument, telling Fox News Digital that Americans ‘always want more information and more transparency.’

‘If you’re involved in an administration, you [should] always be willing to come in and say what you did and why you did it, and you know what it’s all about. I mean, that’s how it works, and that’s what the American people want,’ he said. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Biden and Harris for comment but did not immediately receive a response. 

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report. 

FBI agents raided the Bethesda, Md., home of former national security adviser John Bolton on Friday morning, marking a new tension point in his difficult relationship with President Donald Trump. Agents also raided Bolton’s D.C. office.

The reason behind the raids was reportedly linked to a probe of allegations that Bolton sent classified documents to his family from a private email server while working at the White House, according to the New York Post. The Post cited a Trump administration official who said FBI Director Kash Patel ordered the raid.

The outlet also reported that yet-to-be-unsealed search warrants reference a controversy over his memoir to establish a pattern of behavior. However, a senior U.S. official told the Post the probe was a ‘clean break’ from the investigation regarding Bolton’s book.

Shortly after the raid began, Patel wrote on X that ‘no one is above the law… [FBI] agents on a mission.’

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino shared the post and wrote, ‘Public corruption will not be tolerated.’

Bolton, who served in Trump’s first administration, has not been arrested or taken into custody. Trump revoked his security clearance and Secret Service detail in January 2025.

Trump was asked about the raid on Friday and said he did not know about it ahead of time, claiming he saw it on television. The president then made clear his disdain for his former national security adviser.

‘I’m not a fan of John Bolton. He’s a real lowlife,’ Trump told reporters. He went on to call Bolton ‘not a smart guy’ and said ‘he could be very unpatriotic.’

The president also said Bolton was ‘a very quiet person except on television if he can say something bad about Trump.’

Vice President JD Vance told ‘Meet the Press’ on Friday that ‘we’re in the very early stages of an ongoing investigation into John Bolton.’ Vance denied Bolton was being targeted for criticizing Trump.

A source familiar with the Bolton raid and the evidence used to justify it told Fox News Digital that ‘Bolton really had some nerve to attack Trump over his handling of classified information,’ but would not give more details.

Bolton criticized Trump’s handling of classified documents after the FBI raided Mar-a-Lago in 2022. Trump was later indicted on 37 felony counts, which expanded to 40 before the case was dropped in July 2024.

During Trump’s first administration, a probe into classified documents was launched but later shut down by the Biden administration. The Justice Department argued that Bolton’s 2020 memoir, ‘The Room Where it Happened,’ contained classified material and attempted to block it from being published. 

The FBI and Bolton’s office declined to comment on the matter.

Reporting contributed by Axios and Fox News’ Michael Dorgan, David Spunt, Breanne Deppisch, Emma Woodhead and Brooke Singman.

Former National Security Advisor John Bolton, who served under President Donald Trump’s first administration, was the subject of FBI raids at his home and office Friday morning as federal authorities searched for classified documents. 

The raids follow a storied history between Trump and Bolton that has devolved into the pair trading repeated political blows on the public stage. 

News broke early Friday morning that FBI agents flocked around Bolton’s Maryland home and were seen carrying out boxes, which was followed hours later by the FBI raiding Bolton’s Washington, D.C., office.

‘I’m not a fan of John Bolton,’ Trump told reporters on Friday morning after the raids began, adding he saw the reports but was not aware of details on the raid ahead of time. ‘He’s a real sort of a lowlife.’

‘He’s a very quiet person, except on television, if he can say something bad about Trump,’ Trump added. ‘He’s not a smart guy, but he could be a very unpatriotic guy. We’re going to find out.’

The remarks echo years of past comments the pair have shared in public forums airing their dissatisfactions with one another, most notably after Trump tapped Bolton to serve as his national security advisor in 2018. 

Fox News Digital took a look back at the pair’s relationship since Trump’s mad dash to fill his first administration in 2017, through his ouster of Bolton as the national security advisor and the ongoing clashes the pair have shared since. 

‘I like (Bolton),’ Trump said in 2015 while appearing on ‘Meet the Press’ just weeks after announcing his candidacy for the White House. ‘I think he’s, you know, a tough cookie, knows what he’s talking about.’

Bolton was first speculated as a likely pick to serve as Trump’s secretary of state in December 2016, when Trump was preparing for his first inauguration after his upset victory over Hillary Clinton in the election that year. Pundits touted Bolton as an experienced foreign policy hawk who could bolster Trump’s diplomatic agenda, and conservative outlets such as the National Review’s editorial board implored the Trump transition team to choose Bolton, identifying him as a ‘hard-headed realist whose focus is always the national interest.’

Trump, however, ultimately tapped Rex Tillerson to serve as secretary of state. 

Bolton showered Trump with praise of his own ahead of his confirmation as national security advisor in 2018, calling the president ‘a terrific guy’ who ‘knows a lot’ when the administration kicked off in 2017. 

The warm relationship got cozier when Trump announced in 2018 on X that he called on Bolton to serve as his national security advisor 

‘I am pleased to announce that, effective 4/9/18, @AmbJohnBolton will be my new National Security Advisor. I am very thankful for the service of General H.R. McMaster who has done an outstanding job & will always remain my friend. There will be an official contact handover on 4/9.’

‘I didn’t really expect that announcement this afternoon,’ Bolton said on Fox News shortly after the announcement. ‘But it’s obviously a great honor and always an honor to serve our country.’

The pair found common ground on issues such as withdrawing the U.S. from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, otherwise known as the Iran nuclear deal, which was an Obama-era agreement with other world powers to limit Iran’s nuclear capabilities. 

Trump ultimately pulled the U.S. out of the agreement in 2018, slamming it as a ‘horrible one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made,’ and was backed by his hawkish group of foreign policy advisors, such as Bolton and then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. 

Bolton’s relationship with Trump began to sour as he advanced hard-line strategies toward U.S. adversaries, including Iran and North Korea. He had long advocated regime change in Tehran, though he later clarified in his role as national security advisor that American policy was ‘not regime change,’ but rather a push for ‘massive change in the regime’s behavior.’ Trump, by contrast, initially favored a more diplomatic path, urging that flaws he saw in the Iran nuclear deal be renegotiated before ultimately deciding to withdraw from the agreement altogether. 

‘John Bolton is absolutely a hawk. If it was up to him, he’d take on the whole world at one time, okay?’ Trump said of Bolton in June 2019, underscoring the bubbling tensions between the two on foreign policy. 

In April 2018, Bolton suggested North Korea follow Libya’s example of denuclearization, which he called the ‘Libya model,’ and included the country giving up its nuclear weapons in 2003 in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Bolton’s comments about such a model for North Korea set off condemnation in Pyongyang as they raised concerns this would lead to potential regime change. 

Trump cited the comment following Bolton’s abrupt exit from the White House in September 2019. 

‘We were set back very badly when John Bolton talked about the Libyan model … what a disaster,’ Trump told reporters at the time. 

Days ahead of Bolton’s ouster, Trump was slated to meet with Taliban leaders in an effort to negotiate peace in Afghanistan, but the meeting never took place and Bolton reportedly slammed such an effort in conversations with Trump, media outlets reported at the time. 

Bolton was ousted from his role as national security advisor Sept. 10, 2019, with Trump characterizing the departure as a firing, and Bolton saying he tendered his resignation and was not fired. 

‘I informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House,’ Trump tweeted in 2019. ‘I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the Administration, and therefore I asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning. I thank John very much for his service. I will be naming a new National Security Advisor next week.’

Bolton shot back on X that he ‘offered to resign last night and President Trump said, ‘Let’s talk about it tomorrow.”

The former national security advisor was replaced by Robert C. O’Brien, with Trump and Bolton continuing their contentious relationship years later. 

The raid on Bolton’s home is part of the ‘early stages of an ongoing investigation into John Bolton,’ Vice President JD Vance said Friday during an appearance on ‘Meet the Press.’ Bolton was not arrested or in custody amid the early morning raids. 

The searches are focused on potential classified documents agents believe Bolton may still possess, Fox News reported. 

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, the chain of southern-style restaurants with a gift shop that lines highways across America, has gotten a makeover. Their logo has lost the ‘Old Country Store’ tagline, as well as the iconic man in a chair resting his arm on a barrel in favor of the words Cracker Barrel in text only. Inside, per patron videos of remodeled locations, gone is the dark nostalgic feel replaced with a sterile renovation. The knick-knacks have gone from quirky kitsch from yesteryear to something you might see in a suburban craft store. 

While the company’s CEO has said that initial reaction to these changes was positive, the verdict across social media was very much the opposite. The new look removes the old-school charm and character that was central to the brand’s identity for decades. 

Cracker Barrel is just the latest in a string of companies, including Jaguar more recently and even Coca-Cola in the mid-’80s with their New Coke rollout, to violate the critical principle of making sure that you do not alienate your loyal customer base. 

I wear many hats in business and have more than 20 years of experience as an advocate for loyal customers and clients in business, working in an outsourced CCO (Chief Customer Officer) function and sharing my proprietary customer loyalty models via speeches and consulting with both the biggest companies in the world and a variety of small and mid-sized businesses. And I firmly believe that one of a company’s most important assets isn’t listed on its balance sheet: the company’s loyal customers. 

Loyal customers are easier to sell more to, both in frequency of purchases and upsells, because they already love your business and have often given you permission to communicate with them and build a relationship. They are also excellent advocates for generating new business via their own advertising efforts — word of mouth, posts on social media and more. 

While it is a challenge for companies to continually grow, and publicly traded companies are under even more pressure to do so, mathematically, growth becomes harder if you are losing customers from your key customer base. 

If you make your customers believe you do not care about them and their relationship with your brand and company, it is going to be very difficult for you to be successful in your business. This is the stark reality many businesses who have sought out new customers have faced lately. It’s fine to reach new customers, but you must do it carefully and in a way that doesn’t simultaneously burn goodwill with your existing customers. 

New customers should never be treated better or given more weight than existing, loyal customers. 

In my own social media post resharing a video of a Cracker Barrel dining room remodel, I received thousands of interactions. Among the majority comments from long-time customers expressing their displeasure at the changes, one other comment stood out. The poster said, ‘I don’t eat there but it looks nice to me.’ 

And that is the crux of the issue. The poster is not a customer, and based on the comment, is not likely to become a customer. So, seeking her approval is not a revenue-enhancing win for the company. Maybe it gets some ROE (return on ego) points for the marketing team, but it doesn’t get ROI (return on investment) for shareholders.  

For Cracker Barrel, losing character in a time when corporatization is making everything around us bland and soulless feels like something enjoyable from the past is being killed off. And for a brand which has been based on nostalgia — from their décor to their nostalgic candy and wares in their adjacent store — it doesn’t make a lot of sense.  

I am a long-time Cracker Barrel patron. I stop in whenever I am on the road. And as a long-time customer, as well as business advisor and executive, I can tell you that Cracker Barrel’s logo was not their issue.  

My last stop in was in June on a road trip. I noted that I hadn’t been there in a while prior, because I hadn’t been on the road much. And in a moment where convenience is a part of the equation and DoorDash has taken hold of younger generations, it is harder to get touchpoints with a brand, even if you want them. This is a much bigger strategic endeavor that Cracker Barrel needs to think through. 

My other issue was the menu. They had taken off my favorite item and their hashbrown casserole tasted off — the food overall wasn’t as fresh as I had experienced in the past. In my social media post, there were several comments about a decline in food quality over recent years. Making the menu and food quality rock-solid is critical for a restaurant, particularly when consumers are trying to stretch their dollars. 

Cracker Barrel isn’t the first and certainly won’t be the last company to fall into the trap of thinking that all change is good. Companies should be bringing their customer voices to the table, which can be accomplished with a CCO whose job it is to know the customers well and advocate for them within the company or other loyalty specialist advising.  

Loyalty is hard to build and easy to lose. Companies always want to attract new customers, but that isn’t effective if relationships with existing customers aren’t nurtured at the same time. 

As the 11th member of former President Joe Biden’s administration appeared before the House Oversight Committee this week, Fox News Digital asked senators on Capitol Hill if former Vice President Kamala Harris should testify next. 

‘I think they should take her behind closed doors and figure out what she knows and what she’s willing to talk about,’ Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., said. 

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., is leading the investigation into the alleged cover-up of Biden’s cognitive decline and use of the autopen during his tenure as president. 

Comer said on Fox News’ ‘The Ingraham Angle’ last month that the ‘odds’ of Harris getting a subpoena to appear before the House Oversight Committee are ‘very high.’ 

While Marshall told Fox News Digital that Harris should testify, he admitted, ‘I don’t think you need her testimony to show Americans what I knew as a physician a long time ago, that Joe Biden had a neurodegenerative disease of some sort.’

Marshall has a medical degree from the University of Kansas and practiced medicine for more than 25 years before running for public office. 

‘All you had to do is look at his very fixed, flat face,’ Marshall explained. ‘Look at his gait, the way he walked. He had a shuffled walk. He didn’t move his arms, hardly at all. When he talked, it was very monotone, a very soft voice. He had malingering thought processes. I don’t think it took much to figure that out.’

After listing the former president’s symptoms, the Kansas senator lamented that Biden ‘turned weakness into war,’ creating a national security threat. 

During Biden’s presidency, the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan resulted in the death of 13 U.S. soldiers, Russia invaded Ukraine and Hamas attacked Israel, triggering the ongoing war in Gaza.

But as Republicans demand transparency, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told Fox News Digital that he is far more worried about the ‘challenges we face right now,’ particularly on the economy, inflation and the impact of Trump’s tariff policies. 

Meanwhile, Sen. John Hoeven R-N.D., defended the accountability argument, telling Fox News Digital that Americans ‘always want more information and more transparency.’

‘If you’re involved in an administration, you [should] always be willing to come in and say what you did and why you did it, and you know what it’s all about. I mean, that’s how it works, and that’s what the American people want,’ he said. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Biden and Harris for comment but did not immediately receive a response. 

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.