A Fox & Friends host appeared to inadvertently echo one of Donald Trump’s wildest fantasies during a live segment this week.
Fox & Friends hosts Brian Kilmeade, Ainsley Earhardt and Lawrence Jones were interviewing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin about a new $70 billion immigration enforcement package signed into law by Trump on Wednesday when Earhardt made an eyebrow-raising slip that appeared to cast Trump as a monarch.
“So now ICE is funded through the end of Donald Trump’s reign,” Earhardt said.
The legislation, narrowly passed by the House, provides $38 billion for ICE, $26 billion for Customs and Border Protection, and an additional $5 billion for the Department of Homeland Security through September 2029, meaning the agencies are now funded until the end of Trump’s term in January 2029.
Democrats opposed the legislation after the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, leading to a 75-day partial government shutdown—the longest in U.S. history.
Mullin did not pick up on Earhardt’s gaffe, but said the legislation signaled Trump’s “vision.”
“And this is President Trump’s vision. He understood exactly what the Democrat’s play is. Unfortunately, sometimes Republicans were not always looking one year, two years, three years down the road like the Democrats do,” he said.
The White House has referred to Trump as a “king” on a number of occasions.
Trump made history this week as the first sitting U.S. president to attend an NBA Finals game, but his appearance at Madison Square Garden was met with loud boos from sections of the crowd when he was shown on the Jumbotron during the national anthem.
Clips from inside the arena circulated widely online. But the White House’s official account pushed back on the viral footage, posting a message referring to him as the “King of New York.”
That followed a post from the president in February, celebrating his decision to kill New York City’s congestion pricing plan, where he triumphantly posted on Truth Social: “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!”
The White House account echoed the sentiment, posting a mock Time magazine cover depicting Trump in a crown.
The same month, the White House shared a post that included a statement from Trump where he appeared to declare himself above the law.
“He who saves his Country does not violate any law,” Trump wrote.
In April, following King Charles’ visit to the U.S., the White House posted a picture of Trump with the monarch captioned: “TWO KINGS” paired with a crown emoji.
Trump has also likened himself to Jesus. Earlier this year, Trump shared a controversial AI-generated image on Truth Social depicting himself as a Jesus-like figure in red and white robes, bathed in light.
Separately, before beginning his second term, he said he would act like a dictator “on day one.”
Since the start of his second term, Trump has been accused of exceeding his constitutional authority after signing over 200 executive orders, some of which have sought to increase direct White House influence over regulatory agencies, and have been blocked by judges.
Trump also started a war in Iran without congressional approval and has carried out military-style immigration raids.
Trump’s actions have inspired a wave of “No Kings” protests across the country. The coalition described them as peaceful demonstrations against Trump’s “authoritarian power grabs.”
