Prominent Democratic governors refused to say in several conversations with the New York Times whether there should be a broad age limit put on the Democratic nominee for president in 2028, as issues about his age and mental fitness ended President Biden’s re-election efforts.

“It’s not a time of life, it’s a state of mind,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom told the New York Times, suggesting putting a specific limit on it would be “absurd.” Newsom had said in 2023 that Biden’s age wasn’t a problem.

With some exceptions, Democrats generally defended Biden against attacks on his age or ability to do the job ahead of his rough debate performance against Donald Trump in June. About a month after the debate, Biden dropped out of the race; his replacement on the ticket, Vice President Kamala Harris, went on to lose the election to Trump.

“When I was growing up, people who were 65 were almost dead,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul told the outlet. “I’m 65. I’m not almost dead.”

NEWSOM PROPOSES $25M FROM STATE LEGISLATURE TO ‘TRUMP-PROOF’ CALIFORNIA

“I don’t have an age test,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said. “The question is: Are you in the game? Are you — we have an incredible bench, and the bench is sort of a spectrum of ages.”

The Times report noted that the Democratic governors they spoke to were hesitant to criticize the president.

“There’s no such thing,” New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said when asked if there should be an age limit for the 2028 nominee. Other Democrats did not hesitate to say Biden couldn’t carry out their message. 

“With, you know, some of his, what appeared to be his health issues, he just wasn’t somebody that could forcefully carry the message that we needed in a tough election cycle,”  Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., told the outlet. She said she was partial to a Gen X Democratic presidential nominee for 2028.

President Joe Biden speaks after pardoning the national Thanksgiving turkey, Peach, during a pardoning ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024.  (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

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North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper pointed out that Americans just elected “somebody who is pretty old,” referring to Trump, who at 78 is the oldest elected president ever. The previous record-holder was Biden, who was just shy of 78 when he won in 2020.

Voters repeatedly expressed concern over the president’s age ahead of him dropping out of the race. He turned 82 last month.

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Newsom, Grisham and Cooper are considered to be potential White House contenders for Democrats in 2028.

President-elect Donald Trump’s new border czar warned local leaders that they will face justice if they defy the mass deportation effort.

Democratic leaders in blue states have declared that they will fight against the incoming Trump administration’s effort to mass deport illegal immigrants. Boston’s city council voted unanimously to double down on obstructing Trump’s plans for mass deportations. Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey and Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, all Democrats, are among those pushing back.

Tom Homan, the former acting ICE director and Trump’s border czar pick, told Dr. Phil that he is ready for such a showdown, and he has a concrete game plan for the changes that will occur when Trump takes office.

“Number one, we’ll secure the border. Number two, we’ll run the deportation operation, and number three, we’ll look for these 300,000 kids, we’ll find them too,” he told the talk show host. “President Trump has been clear we’re going to prioritize public safety threats and national security threats first because they pose the most danger to this nation.”

FORMER ICE DIRECTOR TOM HOMAN ‘HONORED’ TO BE APPOINTED TRUMP’S BORDER CZAR: ‘WE HAVE TO FIX IT’

The incoming border czar added, “So day one we’re going to be looking for these public safety threats, arresting them, detaining them and deporting them and if these Sanctuary City mayors don’t wanna help, then get the hell out of the way, because we’re coming, we’re doing it.”

Later in the show, Homan emphasized that lawmakers need to familiarize themselves with the actual legal text that states “if you knowingly conceal or harbor an illegal alien from a police officer, it is a felony. To impede a federal law enforcement officer is a felony, so don’t cross that line. We’ve got a strong AG coming in, Pam Bondi, and we will present these prosecutions, so you know, don’t test us!”

President Elect Donald Trump, left, and new appointed Tom Homan, right (Getty Images)

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THOMAS HOMAN, TRUMP’S INCOMING ‘BORDER CZAR’

He emphasized that sanctuary cities “are sanctuaries for criminals only” and that that by defying efforts to get rid of criminal illegal migrants, “by them putting up roadblocks and being a sanctuary city, they’re going to get the exact result that they don’t want, more ICE officers in their neighborhoods.”

He argued that the best thing that can be done with illegal immigrant criminals who have been arrested by local law enforcement is to be given to ICE so that they are not only removed from the community, but removed from the country too. 

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“Let us protect the American citizens, let us protect the immigrant community, give us the bad guy,” he said.

Fox News’ Taylor Penley contributed to this report

A University of Pennsylvania professor made some of her social media accounts private and appeared to take down her TikTok account after going viral for appearing to celebrate that the suspected killer of UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson was a graduate of the Ivy League school.

Luigi Mangione, 26, is accused of executing the former insurance executive on a New York City sidewalk last week. He was taken into custody on Monday at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

He is wanted in New York for charges including Murder in the Second Degree, Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree and Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree. 

Since Thompson’s murder last week, social media has been flooded with posts celebrating or mocking Thompson’s killing as justified because of anger people feel about their health insurance claims being denied.

CNN DROPS BANNER TO SHOW SHIRTLESS PHOTO OF LUIGI MANGIONE DURING DISCUSSION ABOUT HIS SOCIAL MEDIA FANDOM

After Mangione was taken into custody as a person of interest on Monday, UPenn professor Julia Alekseyeva appeared to share several social media posts fawning over the murder suspect.

In one TikTok, Alekseyeva, who posts under the name, “The Soviette,” smiles while playing the song, “Do You Hear the People Sing?” from the famous musical Les Miserables.

The text on screen reads, “Have never been prouder to be a professor at the University of Pennsylvania,” she wrote, replacing the “E” in Pennsylvania with the number 3. 

A Benjamin Franklin sculpture at the University of Pennsylvania is seen in 2011. (John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Alekseyeva is an Assistant Professor of English and Cinema & Media Studies at the university and identifies herself as “a socialist and ardent antifascist” on her website.

The posts picked up steam after they were reposted to X by popular account Libs of TikTok and UPenn graduate Eyal Yakoby.

“DISGUSTING,” Yakoby wrote in response. “UPenn professor Julia Alekseyeva celebrates the alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO’s assassin and that the murderer attended UPenn. To anyone wondering how America’s youth becomes so radical to murder someone, it is because of the extremist professors.”

EX-WAPO REPORTER DOUBLES DOWN ON POST WANTING HEALTH INSURANCE EXECUTIVES DEAD: ‘IT’S NATURAL TO WISH’

CEO murder suspect Luigi Mangione shouts as officers restrain him as he arrives for his extradition hearing in  Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania on Tuesday, December 10, 2024. (David Dee Delgado for Fox News Digital)

Yakoby also shared an alleged screenshot from Alekseyeva’s Instagram stories where she called Mangione, “the icon we all need and deserve,” in response to a magazine article purporting to know the murder suspect’s sexuality.

Yakoby also claimed the professor had a history of left-wing activism on campus.

Since her post was shared to X by others, Alekseyeva has made her Instagram account private and appears to have taken down her TikTok account under the same name, though her X account still remains public.

The University of Pennsylvania and Alekseyeva did not immediately return requests for comment.

Other professors have also received backlash for their hot takes mocking Thompson’s murder.

“Today, we mourn the death of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, gunned down…. wait, I’m sorry – today we mourn the deaths of the 68,000 Americans who needlessly die each year so that insurance company execs like Brian Thompson can become multimillionaires,” Anthony Zenkus, a senior lecturer in social work at Columbia University’s School of Social Work, posted to X on December 4.

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UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday morning last week. (Photo Credit: Businesswire | NYPD Crimestoppers)

Zenkus’ post racked up over 7 million views and was flooded with comments criticizing him. In reply to these comments, the professor clarified that he wasn’t justifying murder.

“Murdering someone publicly in cold blood in broad daylight is never okay,” he wrote in a follow-up post on December 6. “Best we kill them by denying or delaying their claim for life-saving medical treatment so their families can watch them wither away till they die slowly and in severe and excruciating pain.”

These professors certainly weren’t the only ones on social media expressing these sentiments.

Piers Morgan unloaded on Taylor Lorenz on Monday for claiming she felt joy over UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s murder. (Screenshot/PiersMorganUncensored)

Former Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz  shared multiple posts appearing to at least understand the killing while suggesting other health insurance executives should be targeted.

Hours after news broke of Thompson’s death, Lorenz wrote on the social media site Bluesky, “And people wonder why we want these executives dead,” alongside a report about Blue Cross Blue Shield no longer covering anesthesia for the full length of some surgeries. The insurance company has since reversed course on this proposed policy change after facing backlash.

Lorenz has since repeatedly doubled down, even appearing to tell TV host Piers Morgan that she felt “joy” over Thompson’s murder.

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Fox News’ David Rutz, Kaylee Holland contributed to this report.

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump transition, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.

Here’s what’s happening…

–DNC fundraiser Lindy Li takes aim at ‘vindictive’ torrent of criticism over Hegseth comments

-Republicans rip Hochul’s ‘inflation refunds’ as a bribe to ‘make NYers like her’

–Trump shooting task force says DHS, Secret Service haven’t produced docs on golf course incident

Lara in the Senate?

President-elect Trump is pressing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to name his daughter-in-law Lara Trump to fill Sen. Marco Rubio’s seat in the Sunshine State, Fox Digital has learned. 

President-elect Trump named Rubio as his pick for secretary of state last month, leaving DeSantis the decision to name a successor to the position. DeSantis said last month that he will likely name his pick for the seat by early January. 

Speculation has mounted in recent weeks that Lara Trump is a likely choice for the role, as Republican lawmakers such as Sens. Rick Scott, Lindsey Graham, Katie Britt and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida voiced support for her filling Rubio’s Senate shoes. Lara Trump is married to the 45th president’s son, Eric Trump, and co-chaired the RNC amid the 2024 presidential campaign…Read more

White House

‘DEBANKED’: Biden admin’s cold-shoulder approach to crypto concerns industry leaders: ‘needs to be looked at’…Read more

‘LAST DITCH EFFORT’: Biden admin report could slow Trump’s efforts to unleash domestic natural gas, experts say…Read more

LEAST THEY CAN DO: Biden administration approves project to limit Trump-era oil and gas lease mandate in Alaska…Read more

‘ENVY OF THE WORLD’: Biden says Trump inheriting ‘strongest economy in modern history,’ slams tariff plan as ‘major mistake’…Read more

Trump Transition

‘EYES AND EARS’: Meet Natalie Harp, Trump’s ‘valuable resource’ who lawmakers say is ‘critical’ to his operation…Read more

‘GREAT STATE OF CANADA’: Trump taunts ‘Governor’ Trudeau of ‘Great State of Canada’ as he continues tariffs push…Read more

HEGSETH HYPE: Trump transition rolls out Hegseth hype video amid Capitol Hill meetings…Read more

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be Defense Secretary, gives a thumbs-up as he walks with his wife Jennifer Hegseth, left, to meet with Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Capitol Hill

‘TOP PRIORITY’: GOP senator reveals ‘transformational’ bill Republicans want to pass in 2025…Read more

‘IT’S OFFENSIVE’: GOP senator wages war on airline industry’s ‘discriminatory pricing’ targets…Read more

RAKING IT IN: McConnell’s Senate money machine makes transition to Thune as new era begins…Read more

Mitch McConnell’s fundraising apparatus is changing hands to Thune allies.  (Reuters)

‘HE IS FINE’: Sen. McConnell reportedly fine after falling during GOP lunch…Read more

‘UNIFIED GOVERNMENT’: Incoming House Republican reveals agenda for new Congress after ousting Dem incumbent…Read more

‘LIBERTY IN LAUNDRY’: House set to challenge Biden green energy standards for washing machines with ‘Liberty in Laundry’ bill vote…Read more

Across America 

UNDER REVIEW: SCOTUS hears arguments in case that could reshape environmental law…Read more

‘FULL FORCE OF THE LAW’: DOJ arrests five Guatemalan nationals in connection with deaths of over 50 migrants…Read more

‘PROBLEMATIC’: Wisconsin mom mulls lawsuit alleging school district is pushing ‘horrifying’ race-based policy…Read more

‘COWARD’: Pennsylvania Dem Gov. Shapiro condemns UnitedHealthcare CEO murder suspect: ‘Coward, not a hero’…Read more

Josh Shapiro, governor of Pennsylvania, during a campaign event with US Vice President Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, governor of Minnesota and presumptive Democratic vice-presidential nominee, not pictured, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. Harris tapped Walz as her running mate, enlisting him to build an electoral coalition of coastal progressives and Midwest moderates to block Donald Trump from the White House. Photographer: Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

SANCTUARY SHUTDOWN: Blue city announces shuttering of migrant shelters as numbers drop…Read more

SWITCHING SIDES: DeSantis welcomes Florida state lawmaker to Republican Party as she ditches Democrats…Read more

Get the latest updates on the Trump presidential transition, incoming Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

Mark Gastineau sure can hold a grudge.

Nearly 23 years ago, Gastineau’s single-season sack record was broken by Michael Strahan, but it came in controversial fashion.

Favre’s Packers led Strahan’s Giants, 34-25, with under three minutes to go.

Favre faked a handoff (pretty passively), rolled out right and Strahan was right there.

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With Gastineau in attendance, Favre fell to the ground, and Strahan was credited with the sack, giving him 22½ for the season and surpassing Gastineau, who previously held the record since 1984 with 22.

The Packers’ next two plays were runs, and they never got the ball back before time expired, and it was the only sack Strahan had in the game.

It can be debated whether Strahan’s record is legitimate, and Gastineau still is not happy.

An upcoming ESPN 30 for 30 featuring Gastineau and his New York Sack Exchange captured a meeting between Gastineau and Favre in which Gastineau spoke his piece.

Defensive end Mark Gastineau celebrates during a game in 1986. Gastineau played for the Jets from 1979-88. (Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

“We finally met,” Gastineau says in the video. Favre begins to reply that he thought they had met previously, while extending his arm out for a handshake, which Gastineau ignores.

EAGLES TANDEM JALEN HURTS, AJ BROWN HAVE FRACTURED RELATIONSHIP, VETERAN TEAMMATE SAYS: ‘THINGS HAVE CHANGED’

“Yeah, right. When you fell down for him,” Gastineau said. “I’m gonna get my sack back. I’m gonna get my sack back, dude.”

“You’d probably hurt me,” Favre said.

“Well, I don’t care. You hurt me. You hurt me, Brett,” Gastineau answered. “He took my record away from me. Anybody will tell you Brett Favre took a dive. You know it. She knows it. He knows it. Everybody knows it.”

Michael Strahan of the New York Giants celebrates breaking Mark Gastineau’s single-season sack record during a game against the Green Bay Packers at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The Packers won 35-24. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

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Strahan’s record has since been tied by T.J. Watt, while Justin Houston and Jared Allen each had 22 in 2014 and 2011, respectively.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

The top outside group and financial boon for Senate Republicans, the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), is being equipped with allies of Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., as he prepares to take on the top GOP role in 2025. 

The SLF was built by those aligned with outgoing Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and quickly became a huge resource for the Senate GOP and its candidates in key races across the country. 

‘EXCEPTIONALLY QUALIFIED’: TRUMP TRANSITION ROLLS OUT VIDEO HYPING HEGSETH AMID CAPITOL HILL MEETINGS

Former Colorado Sen. Cory Garder will become chair of SLF’s board, a source familiar confirmed to Fox News Digital, and is expected to be involved in finding a replacement for SLF President and CEO Steven Law, who announced after the Senate leader race that he would be stepping down, following McConnell. 

Leaders of Thune’s outside political operation, Johnny DeStefano and Paula Dukes, are also expected to be involved in the search. 

RACHEL MORIN’S MOM PLEADS SENATORS ‘HEAR OUR CRIES FOR HELP’ IN MASS DEPORTATIONS HEARING TESTIMONY

Sen. Cory Gardner (Reuters)

“Cory understands the complexity of midterm elections and modern campaigns, and he knows firsthand the importance of working hand in glove with President Trump and his team to defeat Democrats,” DeStefano said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. 

This will be the first time since the group’s creation during McConnell’s time as leader that it will see new leadership and potentially operate differently, with a new Republican in charge in the Senate. 

GOP SENATOR QUESTIONS FBI OVER REPORTED IRANIAN HACK ATTEMPT OF TRUMP PICK KASH PATEL

Sen. Mitch McConnell (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

McConnell and his allies were credited with building a huge donor network and fostering significant resources for Senate Republicans over the years. While Thune has managed to build up impressive fundraising this cycle, it’s not yet clear whether he will be able to sustain it while serving as leader. 

JOHN CORNYN ‘INCLINED’ TO BACK TRUMP FBI PICK KASH PATEL AFTER SENATE MEETING

Thune was “adamant” about supporting Trump’s agenda as leader, one senator said. (Reuters)

The groups aligned with McConnell, SLF and sister group One Nation, have raised $2.3 billion in the past decade. The groups pulled in $400 million during the 2022 Senate cycle and $420 million in the recent 2024 cycle. 

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It will be up to Thune’s political operation to sustain this cash flow or learn to navigate GOP races with less resources if reaching McConnell-level fundraising proves too difficult. 

President Biden on Tuesday touted that President-elect Trump will inherit the “strongest economy in modern history” when he takes office in January – even as Americans continue to struggle to afford homes and groceries from inflation.

Biden delivered remarks about his “middle-out, bottom-up” economic approach at the Brookings Institution, a public policy think tank in Washington, D.C., claiming there are “a number of quotes” from commentators describing his administration’s economy as strong.

“President Trump has received the strongest economy in modern history, which is the envy of the world,” Biden said.

While inflation has eased significantly since its peak in 2022, grocery prices remain substantially higher than they did before the COVID pandemic swept the globe nearly five years ago.

HOUSE DEMS RIPPED FOR SOCIAL MEDIA POST ON KEY ISSUE AFFECTING AMERICANS: ‘EMBARRASSING’

According to the most recent Consumer Price Index inflation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans are spending 22% more on groceries in comparison to when Biden took office nearly four years ago.

Voters said the economy was far and away the top issue facing the country – with 40% saying inflation was the single most important factor in their vote – followed distantly by immigration and abortion, according to the Fox News Voter Analysis of the 2024 election.

Biden spoke about his administration’s economic playbook and the future of the American economy at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Even Trump noted during an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday that his White House victory last month came down to the economy.

“I won on the border, and I won on groceries,” the president-elect said.

CALIFORNIA’S UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS SYSTEM ‘BROKEN’ WITH $20B OWED TO FEDS IN LOAN DEBT: REPORT

Meanwhile, Biden held to his belief that Trump’s potential tariff plan is “a major mistake.”

Trump said during an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday that he won on “the border” and on “groceries.” (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“By all accounts, the incoming administration is determined to return the country to another round of trickle-down economics and another tax cut for the very wealthy,” Biden said. “That will not be paid for, or if paid for, is going to have a real cost, once again causing massive deficits or significant cuts in basic programs.” 

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When asked in his latest interview if he could guarantee that his tariffs wouldn’t force Americans to pay more for items, Trump answered, “I can’t guarantee anything.”

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.