Fox News host Harris Faulkner pressed former Democratic State Sen. David Carlucci of New York on Wednesday over his remarks about President Donald Trump, questioning if he was “rooting against” the United States. Elected Democrats have criticized Trump’s decision to establish the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which he charged with hiring new federal employees, overseeing wasteful spending, and suspending several programs.
After Carlucci claimed that Republicans would “crash” the country after “begging” for control of the government, Faulkner began to challenge him. “You’re not rooting for America not to win, are you?” Faulkner asked. “You’re not rooting against the country? Because that’s what it sounds like. Is that what you are doing?” Carlucci responded, “No, absolutely not! The best jab-” before Faulkner cut him off, saying, “But you want the leader that the majority just elected to fail.”
Since taking office on January 20, Trump has signed multiple executive orders, focusing on issues such as illegal immigration, cutting regulations, ending federal involvement in diversity programs, and energy production. However, federal judges have blocked or delayed several of Trump’s executive actions, including those related to birthright citizenship, restricting biological male inmates from women’s prisons, and freezing foreign aid programs.
“No! Absolutely not! I hope the president does well, but he has only done announcements,” Carlucci claimed. “There hasn’t been any actual result. There hasn’t been cost savings and his budget proposal that’s coming up will prove that. There might be tax cuts for the wealthiest but layoffs for Americans,” he added, echoing a familiar — but false — Democratic talking point.
“People on the left are pushing, saying no, no, no, we want to see the receipts of what is being done with DOGE, for instance,” Faulkner responded. “Go to the border. Look at what the president has already done there. It has dwindled to a trickle, which means illegals can’t get in.”
Republicans in both chambers of Congress have introduced competing budget proposals aimed at reducing federal spending, with Trump endorsing the House proposal on Wednesday. During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump advocated for eliminating taxes on Social Security benefits, overtime, and tips, while also pushing to make his 2017 tax cuts permanent.
