Former President Trump said he ‘stopped wars with phone calls’ while commander in chief during his first outdoor rally since surviving an assassination attempt.

Trump held a campaign event in Asheboro, North Carolina, on Wednesday, where he focused his remarks on national security and how ‘the entire world was safer when I sat behind that beautiful, Resolute desk in the Oval Office.’ 

‘The world is on fire. And Kamala and Biden have marched us to the brink of World War III,’ Trump said from a podium surrounded by bulletproof glass.

The former president reflected on the state of national security under his administration, saying that ‘our allies admired us’ and ‘our enemies feared us.’

‘We defeated ISIS. We killed the world’s top terrorists. We secured our borders. We achieved energy independence. We stood up to China. We protected Israel. We made peace in the Middle East with the Abraham Accords and more. We did things like nobody ever heard of it,’ Trump said.

‘I talked this world out of a lot of wars with telephone calls. I don’t have to send in the troops,’ he told the crowd.

Trump pointed to President Biden’s erratic withdrawal from Afghanistan, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the devastating Oct. 7 attack on Israel — suggesting none of these things would have happened under his watch.

‘Since the Afghanistan catastrophe, it’s been open season on America and our allies,’ he said of the withdrawal, which saw 13 U.S. service members killed.

Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, Trump’s running mate, also spoke at the event, saying Trump was ‘the person who prevented nuclear war.’

‘Mean tweets and world peace have a pretty nice ring to it. I think we ought to bring it right back,’ Vance told a cheering crowd. ‘He’s too tough for the tyrants all over the world. He was too strong, even for an assassin’s bullet. Ladies and gentlemen, let’s return to a time when the bravest man led this nation with strength.’

During the speech, Trump addressed the revised job numbers after new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed there were 818,000 fewer jobs created this year than previously reported. 

‘The Harris-Biden administration has been caught fraudulently manipulating job statistics to hide the true extent of the economic ruin that they’ve inflicted on America,’ Trump said.

The Trump-Vance event came ahead of the third day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ secretary of Health and Human Services refused to say whether he would back any limits at all on late-term abortions, even with exceptions, instead deferring to Harris. 

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra was asked by Fox News Digital on Tuesday at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago if he would support any limits on late-term abortion, with exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother.

‘I think the president – the vice president may answer those questions really well,’ he said. 

He further said he could not answer questions related to Health and Human Services, because,’I’m here not as secretary, so I really can’t answer Health and Human Services questions.’ 

As Democrats have pushed abortion as a top issue going into the 2024 elections, Republicans have tried to hit back at their opponents and highlight a lack of clarity on whether they support any limits on abortion with the popular exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. 

Democrats have done little to refute claims that they support abortion without any limitations, meaning throughout all nine months, even with exceptions. When confronted with accusations, the party’s lawmakers have suggested the procedure doesn’t take place in the late term, or take place incredibly rarely, insinuating limits may not be necessary. 

The Harris campaign did not answer in time for publication whether she supports any limit on abortion throughout nine months, even with exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother, when asked by Fox News Digital. 

Prior to Harris’ candidacy, Biden avoided answering a question during his CNN debate against former President Trump on whether he believed in any limit on abortion. 

Trump went on to slam Biden and Democrats for their position. ‘So that means he can take the life of the baby in the ninth month and even after birth?’ he asked. ‘Because some states Democrat-run take it after birth. The former governor of Virginia: ‘put the baby down, then we decide what to do with it.’ So, he’s willing to, as we say, rip the baby out of the womb in the ninth month and kill the baby. Nobody wants that to happen – Democrat or Republican. Nobody wants that to happen.’

But Biden pushed back, saying, ‘You’re lying, that is simply not true.… We are not for late-term abortion, period,’ without providing a specific limit he supported. 

Democrats have largely avoided supporting any specific limits, often redirecting attention to their claim that Republicans would ban abortion entirely. A majority of Republicans have said they believe the abortion issue should be navigated at the state level. 

The moderate Democrat who defeated ‘Squad’ member Rep. Jamaal Bowman suggests the party’s voter base is largely pro-Israel.

Westchester County Executive George Latimer’s victory in late June was a decisive rebuke of the Democrats’ left-most flank, ending what was the most expensive primary election in U.S. history.

The fight was part of a wider fracture within the Democratic Party created by Israel’s war in Gaza. 

When I won the election in my area, they elected very strongly in favor of my position on a host of issues, Israel being one of them. And I do believe that reflects the broad base of the Democratic Party,’ Latimer told Fox News Digital.

‘There are different voices in the party. And I think support for a democracy is the bedrock of our support for Israel. Can we negotiate a peaceful settlement over there? Yes. But, by and large, it’s not going to come by more violence, and the violence that Hamas did on Oct. 7 is the single biggest impediment to peace in the Middle East.’

Bowman, a far-left progressive, was one of Israel’s most vocal opponents in the House. He’s part of a growing faction of Democrats critical of the U.S. government’s longstanding ties with Israel, a fight that has been exacerbated since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack and Israel’s ensuing response.

Latimer, by contrast, was propped up by pro-Israel groups like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), whose associated entities poured millions into the race. He also got the backing of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and even one of Bowman’s own colleagues in the House, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, who is Jewish.

Latimer was one of the hundreds of Democrats to descend on Chicago this week to see Vice President Kamala Harris accept the party’s 2024 nomination at the Democratic National Convention.

Asked if he was concerned for his safety and the safety of other elected officials with thousands of anti-Israel protesters demonstrating in Chicago this week, Latimer said, ‘Well, I’m not concerned for mine, but I am concerned for those who are in higher office. … But I think, so far, Chicago has done a good job of protecting us.’

He also argued that the protests showed the Democratic Party was largely pro-Israel.

‘But protests don’t change policy. That policy will change when the [Israeli hostages held by Hamas] are released,’ Latimer said.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to address the nation about his path forward in the presidential race this Friday.

Kennedy’s press secretary, Stefanie Spear, posted the announcement about ‘the present historic moment and his path forward’ on social media on Wednesday afternoon.

The announcement comes after Kennedy’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, blasted Democrats on Tuesday, saying she ‘fully supports’ a role for Kennedy in a future Trump administration. Shanahan also hinted that they could end their campaign and back former President Trump.

Shortly before the announcement, Amaryllis Kennedy, Kennedy’s daughter-in-law and campaign manager, emailed campaign staff.

‘For the last 19 months (22 months for the original core), this team – this family – has worked seven days a week, ten plus hours a day, in blizzards and blazing heat, sacrificing family time, personal commitments, and any hope of sleep, in service to our shared vision for this country,’ she wrote. ‘Never, in all these months, has Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sidestepped his movement to communicate his heart through back-channel leaks. Nor would he ever, especially in this most consequential moment for us all. So please, hold tight until you hear directly from him.’

Randall Terry is a lifelong pro-life activist who founded the Operation Rescue group, which he headed until 1991. He and the group were known for their controversial tactics targeting abortion clinics, blocking entrances and staging raucous protests as Terry and associates racked up dozens of arrests and enormous sums in civil judgments along the way.

In 2024, Terry won the Constitution Party nomination for president and is running to make the sanctity of human life the focal point of his campaign, with an advertising strategy explicitly designed to boost the Trump campaign and hurt the Democrats.

‘My mission is still the same, and that is to make it a criminal act to kill a human being from conception until birth. For that to happen, you have to be in the political realm. You have to be a lawmaker,’ he said. ‘I am not going to win the presidency. I’m not running to win. I’m running to be the margin of defeat … in the swing states. Because I’m a federal candidate, I can run television ads 60 days from the election, and the TV stations are required by law to take them, so I can target Catholic and African-American voters in Wisconsin, in Michigan, in Pennsylvania.’

He dismisses the argument that he is likely to serve as a spoiler, taking disproportionately more votes from Trump in the election.

‘My candidacy is based around the three Ds: defend children, defeat the Democrat nominee, destroy the Democrat[ic] Party. That’s the mission. And for every one voter that leaves voting for Trump, for me, there’s going to be 20 that leave the Democrats because of the way our ads are targeted, because of our messaging. So, Tom DeLay, the former House majority leader, he has thrown in with us. He’s raising money for us. And he has said every Republican in America should be giving you money. You’re the secret weapon, because we can torpedo the Democrats with this message, which ultimately is going to end up helping Trump.’

Terry’s economic policies focus on reducing regulation and taxation and boosting energy production and independence.

‘The Constitution Party’s economic policy is simple: less regulation, lower taxes,’ he said. ‘Stop putting a gun to people’s head to pay for your favorite giveaway. America had averaged a 1% tax on the entire populace up until 1913, with the exception of the Civil War when they were retiring war debt. When we had incredibly low taxes, low government regulations, we became the economic wonder of the world,’ he said. ‘And now, with so much government regulation and so much taxes, we are driving business to foreign shores, or we’re bankrupting it. You want to have a great and free and prosperous country? Drill, baby, drill, open up the pipeline. Bring fuel here. … Make us energy independent. Become an exporter of oil and tell Saudi Arabia and Venezuela bye-bye.’

Terry said he is concerned that the Ukraine conflict is serving as a distraction from the machinations of China, which he views as a far greater threat.

‘I think that Putin’s obsession with the ancestral territorial parts of Russia is what is driving him. And the question is, how much American treasure, how much American blood … are we prepared to be shed in these conflicts? And that, to me, is where we have real and honorable disagreements. We’re sitting by while China is ready to become literally the dominant force in the world. China is poising themselves to be the dominant force militarily and economically. … We’re sitting by while China is preparing to take over Taiwan and to become the military and economic powerhouse of the world, but we’re obsessing over Russia and Ukraine. I smell a rat.’

Terry believes that the emerging Moscow-Beijing axis will enable the export of tyranny and continues to pose a significant threat to the West. He also argues that failed American policies have driven the two powerhouses together.

‘Historically, the Russian communists and the Chinese communists have not gotten along,’ he said. ‘We are driving Russia into the arms of China. We have far more in common with the Russians historically with our connection to Christianity, Russian Orthodoxy,’ he said, ‘but they are discussing, now openly, breaking the stronghold of the American dollar over oil. Once oil is no longer forced by law, by international treaties to be traded in dollars, all bets are off.’

‘We don’t even know what’s going to happen at that point. And if they come up with some kind of a new triumvirate or any coalition between Russia, which has massive oil fields that are untapped, China, which is a massive economic powerhouse, and then maybe Iran or some other heavy oil producing [country] … they’re going to be able to tell the West, ‘Go to hell, we’ll do whatever we want.’ And they will be exporting their political tyranny, and they will be not just in control of Hollywood but in control of small governments.’

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday night defended Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign strategy – which has been criticized for being light on policy – insisting she will have ‘time to articulate nuances’ later. 

‘She’ll have more … detail, and I believe that will start on Thursday night,’ Newsom told Fox News’ Peter Doocy in Chicago Tuesday evening. Harris is slated to give her only formal address to the convention on Thursday, the final night of the convention.

Newsom has come to defend Harris’ campaign strategy, responding to detractors who have criticized her for an approach that appears to be lacking in any real, substantive policy details. Harris’ campaign website still contains no policy section, and as a candidate, she has yet to sit for any interviews or hold a press conference. Additionally, until last Friday, Harris had not released any formal policy positions since entering the race in mid-July, when she unveiled her economic agenda.

Meanwhile, four years ago, when then-Vice President Joe Biden was running for office, he tasked an entire group of advisers with generating a 110-page policy document, according to The New York Times. It was the same with Hillary Clinton in 2016, the Times also pointed out, which noted that she had more than 200 distinct policy proposals on record during her campaign. Former President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has outlined his policy platform in a lengthy, 20-point document, covering a wide range of topics. 

‘What kind of substantive campaign is Harris intending to run?’ Washington Post columnist Matt Bai asked last week. ‘Or does she really need substance at all?’

On Monday, the DNC released its policy platform after having to republish it following Biden’s decision to drop out of the race. The platform mentions Biden’s name 287 times and until it was corrected, had a reference to Biden’s ‘second term,’ suggesting Harris’ supposedly forthcoming policy positions may not differ dramatically from the last administration. However, her economic policies unveiled last week, which include price control measures for the food and grocery store industry, suggested a Harris-Walz administration could potentially be far more progressive than the Biden-Harris administration.  

Harris is set to accept the Democratic nomination on Thursday.

Vice President Kamala Harris has not released a policy page on her campaign website to detail her positions on key issues such as the economy and immigration, sparking the Trump campaign to create and release a platform website for her, Fox News Digital exclusively learned. 

‘Kamala Harris has yet to tell voters what her policies are, so we thought we’d help them out. Kamala Harris wants to open the borders, raise taxes, and free criminals,’ a Trump campaign national press secretary told Fox News Digital about the website. 

Kamala2024policies.com launched Wednesday morning on the third day of the DNC and takes viewers to a website declaring, ‘Kamala Harris’ dangerous policies are nothing to laugh about.’ The site details nine policy platforms for the Harris campaign, including declaring Harris fought ‘to set murderers free,’ wants to ‘abolish the border,’ seeks to ‘eliminate private health insurance’ and wants to give illegal immigrants Social Security and Medicare. 

‘Border Czar Kamala Harris opened the southern border to illegal alien criminals and deadly fentanyl, and as vice president, was the tie-breaking vote for far-left spending bills that raised taxes and sent prices skyrocketing for families across the country. While Harris has tried to rewrite history on her extreme record, she can’t hide from her promises to set murderers free, dismantle America’s border security, raise costs with massive spending bills, bring back the Green New Deal Scam, eliminate private health insurance, and more,’ the website states. 

The platform website notably hits the Harris camp on some of the most important issues this election cycle: the economy, spiraling inflation and taxes. 

‘Record high gas prices under the Harris-Biden administration is the ‘price to pay for democracy.’ Remember, Kamala proudly delivered the deciding vote that allowed the $1.9 trillion ‘stimulus’ to be passed. Don’t listen to former Obama economist Jason Furman, who said the spending bill is ‘too big,’ or former Obama and Clinton economist Larry Summers, who said the ‘tremendous wall of money’ led to inflation, or former Obama economic advisor Steven Rattner, who called Kamala’s $1.9 trillion stimulus ‘the original sin’ of inflation,’ the website says. 

On taxes, the Trump camp said ‘the middle-class will need to pay more’ under a potential Harris administration.  

‘Kamala Harris wants to eliminate the Trump tax cuts, which would mean a massive tax hike on middle-income families,’ the site says. ‘Harris was the deciding vote for the ‘Inflation Reduction Act,’ which decreased the ‘average after-tax income for taxpayers at every income level. Americans earning less than $200,000/year saw their taxes rise by $16.7 billion in 2023.’

Harris proposed a handful of economic policies last week, including plans to implement federal price controls on groceries and other everyday expenses and raising the corporate tax rate, but the campaign has not detailed those policies or any others on its official website. The campaign website instead features biographies of both Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as well as donation buttons and a merchandise shop. 

Harris and Walz are in Chicago this week, where thousands of supporters are gathered for the Democratic National Convention. Harris rose to the top of the Democratic ticket last month after President Biden dropped out of the race amid mounting concerns over his mental acuity and age. Shortly after dropping out, he endorsed Harris to take up the mantle. 

Despite becoming the party’s presumptive nominee 31 days ago, Harris has also not yet held a formal press conference or sit-down interview with the media to detail her vision of a potential Harris administration. She has instead held repeated campaign events and rallies across the country, speaking to the crowds and only giving informal remarks to reporters while on the trail. 

Historically, presidential candidates have had campaign policy pages readily available for voters. When President Biden was on the campaign trail in 2020, a group of advisers crafted a 110-page policy document, according to The New York Times, which also reported Harris’ lack of a campaign platform on her site. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2016 had a page with 200 distinct policy proposals on record. 

Former President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign website also includes a tab titled, ‘platform,’ which features the GOP’s 20-point policy agenda that covers issues ranging from the economy, ongoing crime and tax cuts.  

Pressure has also built on the Harris campaign to hold a press conference after weeks of avoiding the media, including CNN’s Jim Acosta questioning Harris’ communications director Michael Tyler last week on air. 

‘I’m sure this is not going to be the first time you’ve heard this question, but the Trump campaign is also going after the vice president for not doing enough interviews, for not holding a press conference. Would it kill you guys to have a press conference? Why hasn’t she had a press conference?’ Acosta asked. 

Tyler said that Harris and Walz have been ‘busy’ traveling across the country, citing multiple campaign rallies.

‘Michael, you know a campaign rally isn’t really a press conference,’ Acosta said to Tyler. ‘Why hasn’t she had a press conference? She’s the vice president, she can handle the questions. Why not do it?’ 

Tyler said Harris would hold a press conference at some point and would sit down for an interview with a media outlet by the end of the month. 

Some supporters of the Harris-Walz ticket have, meanwhile, struggled to identify the vice president’s accomplishments in interviews with Fox News in recent days. 

‘I really don’t know much of what she did,’ Bernard, an independent voter from New York who attended the American Federation of Teachers’ Convention last month, told Fox News Digital of Harris. 

‘I’m not sure I know enough about her accomplishments to answer that question,’ added Eric, a Harris supporter from Massachusetts.

The DNC kicked off in Chicago on Monday and has included a handful of high-profile Democrats taking the stage at the United Center to sing Harris’ praises, while also declaring support for Biden after dozens of Democrats called on him to exit the race last month. Biden, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, New York Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, former first lady Michelle Obama and former President Barack Obama have all held solo speeches this week in support of the Harris-Walz ticket. 

‘As a prosecutor, Kamala stood up for children who had been victims of sexual abuse,’ former President Obama said Tuesday evening. ‘As an attorney general of the most populous state in the country, she fought big banks and for-profit colleges, securing billions of dollars for the people they had scammed. After the home mortgage crisis, she pushed me and my administration hard to make sure homeowners got a fair settlement. Didn’t matter that I was a Democrat. Didn’t matter she had knocked on doors for my campaign in Iowa – she was going to fight to get as much relief as possible for the families who deserved it.’

He also praised Biden as a friend and ‘brother,’ despite his reported role in helping oust his former vice president from the 2024 White House run. 

‘History will remember Joe Biden as an outstanding president who defended democracy at a moment of great danger. And I am proud to call him my president, but even prouder to call him my friend,’ the 44th president said of Biden. 

Harris is slated to take the DNC’s stage on Thursday evening, when she will deliver her acceptance speech for the Democratic nomination. 

Fox News Digital’s Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.