3 minPolitics
Trump asks Vance to target corruption and crime in Democrat-run states
President Donald Trump has directed Vice President JD Vance to focus on alleged corruption and crime in cities and states led by Democrats, naming Minnesota, California and Illinois, while offering no specific examples to support his claims.
President Donald Trump has asked Vice President JD Vance to concentrate on what he described as corruption and crime in cities and states governed by Democrats, a directive Trump published on his Truth Social platform. In the post, Trump named Minnesota, California and Illinois, and asserted that billions of dollars are being stolen each month. He did not provide specific examples to support that figure.
Vance already leads the White House fraud task force, which was created under a March 16 executive order. That order tasks the group with checking eligibility for benefits, identifying improper payments and addressing fraud across federal benefit programs. The same executive order flagged Minnesota, California and Illinois as states with fraud vulnerabilities, so the new directive builds on an existing focus. It remains unclear whether Trump's post expands Vance's responsibilities or shifts the emphasis of the work already underway.
The task force has pointed to enforcement results. In October, it planned charges against more than 40 people in an alleged $40 million fraud involving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP. The group has also claimed it has identified $260.7 billion in suspected fraud and prevented $72 billion in payments. Those figures have not been independently verified. Trump, for his part, said the federal budget could be balanced by stopping corruption, but he did not explain how that would work.
The post on fraud was one of several Trump published the same day, and the others covered immigration and foreign policy. He described the situation at the southern border as an "invasion" and threatened to double tariffs on Mexico over migrant caravans. Reporting indicates that roughly 1,500 migrants were walking north through southern Mexico, far from the U.S. border, and that Mexican forces have intercepted caravans. Border crossings have been reported near historic lows. Trump tied the caravans to Republican losses in last week's midterm elections, in which Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress.
In a separate post, Trump declared that there would be no further talks on an Iran deal, citing what he said were "hundreds of billions" of dollars in Iranian funds. He did not explain the details of those funds or the Strait of Hormuz, which he also referenced. The State Department and the White House were asked for comment, and their responses had not been reported at the time of publication.
Source: foxnews.com
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