Politics

Melania Trump really must be feeling proud of the red, white, and blue ... because she was just named "Patriot of the Year" at a Fox event.

The First Lady received the award at the Fox Nation Patriot Awards ceremony, which was held at the Tilles Center Concert Hall in Brookville, New York, on Thursday evening, according to Fox News.

Fox News host Sean Hannity presented Melania with the award, declaring the former model is "reinventing the role of America’s First Lady."

Melania then addressed the ceremony's attendees, whom she described as a group of patriots.

The First Lady spoke about defying expectations and innovation, which she sees as "a form of patriotism."

Melania's been active in Washington, D.C. since her husband Donald started his second term in office ... she co-signed the Take it Down Act into law in May, and made an appeal to Vladimir Putin to reunite children displaced by Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine with their families.

Did you know that in Maine, you can be a convicted killer and get elected to the Bangor City Council?

Well, now you do because that's exactly what happened in Bangor this week!

Here's the deal ... In 2002, a woman named Angela Walker and her brother, Benjamin Humphrey, reportedly got into an altercation with Canadian tourist Derek Rogers on Old Orchard Beach -- a resort town in Maine.

Congressman Pat Harrigan has been keeping up with Harvey Levin's OWTA -- which stands for "Out With Their Asses" -- and he told us on TMZ Live he's on board.

With the federal government shutdown now in its record-setting 37th day, Harrigan told us, "The only thing that's assured during a government shutdown is that the American people lose, and we're watching the American people lose in real time."

And for that reason, the Republican representing North Carolina thinks Harvey makes a good point by proposing every congressperson's office be up for grabs next election.

Sean Kingston and his mother, Janice Turner, have multiple years in prison time looming ... but a handful of his famous friends are doing their part to ensure President Donald Trump swoops through with a golden pardon!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained a pardon application filed by Kingston's legal reps at Goldberg Segalla, in addition to letters written on behalf of Soulja Boy, Jack Doherty and Safaree from July sent to the White House, pleading for SK's freedom.

A legal rep for Sean confirms they filed the paperwork, which they're hopeful will spring into action once it graces the White House's offices.

Dr. Oz is always on call ... because he swooped in to help a man who collapsed during a press conference inside the Oval Office ... and President Trump had a front row seat.

Ya gotta see the video ... Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks is talking about a deal the company signed with the Trump Administration to lower prices on obesity drugs -- when an unidentified man in the background suddenly suffers a medical emergency.

The man falls to his knees and Dr. Oz rushes over ... he helps lay the man down on his back and elevates his legs and feet.

Nancy Pelosi's been a fixture in Washington, D.C. for almost 40 years ... but she's finally calling time on her tenure in Congress.

The Democratic Party politician revealed the big news in a social media video message Thursday, saying she will put a bow on her career in Congress at the end of her current term, on January 3, 2027.

Pelosi said she's proud of what she accomplished during her historic time in Congress ... and she's happiest about having represented the people of San Francisco, where she's lived for decades.

Erika Kirk wanted to see Charlie Kirk's dead body in the hospital to see "what they did to my husband," but she has never seen the video of him being shot and doesn't plan to.

In an emotional interview with Jesse Watters, Erika explained why she hasn't seen the assassination footage and why she will never watch it.

Erika says she doesn't want the last image in her mind of Charlie to be him getting shot in the neck and dying at Utah Valley University during a Turning Point USA event.

Marjorie Taylor Greene's been raising eyebrows over her perceived anti-Republican behavior lately, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez thinks she knows why.

FYI ... MTG -- the Representative from Georgia -- has been making out-of-character remarks lately, and some people have taken that as an indication she's moving to the political center.

New York Congresswoman AOC commented on Greene's new political direction during an Instagram Live session this week, claiming MTG has been eyeing a run for Senate in her home state of Georgia -- although it was allegedly shut down by President Donald Trump, reports Fox News.

Ocasio-Cortez said Greene decided to embark on a "revenge tour" in response to the presidential snub -- hence all the interesting public remarks about the government shutdown, Israel, and the Epstein Files.

MTG has made a name for herself for pushing far-right positions for years, but she's appeared to break recently with the Republican Party on big issues, including the ongoing conflict in Gaza, which she's called a "humanitarian crisis."

Still, Greene claimed she still had plenty of affection for Trump while appearing on "The View" on Tuesday.

California Governor Gavin Newsom celebrated his fellow Democrats leaping from the top rope and scoring a big win on election night ... sharing a clip where he and his compatriots are wrestling Republicans.

Newsom posted the meme clip late Tuesday night after polls across the country closed ... and, it kicks off with him and former President Barack Obama taking out the trash -- smashing a receptacle over President Donald Trump's head.

Congressman from New York Hakeem Jeffries jumps in to help his fellow pols in the melee ... taking on Speaker of the House Mike Johnson -- and, AOC even gets in on the fun, too.

Zohran Mamdani made history Tuesday night, becoming the first Muslim mayor of New York City -- and his first order of business was going after his nemesis, President Trump!

The democratic socialist breezed to victory over his closest opponent, Andrew Cuomo, in the NYC mayoral race -- then took the stage at the Paramount Theater in Brooklyn, delivering a 20-minute speech celebrating his big win, and vowed to stop Trump once and for all.

Standing at a podium flanked by his wife, Rama Duwaji, Mamdani told his huge crowd of supporters, "If any city can show a nation how to stop Donald Trump, it is the city that gave rise to him." Trump, of course, was born and raised in Queens -- and spent much of his life building his real estate empire in Manhattan.

Sean "Diddy" Combs thinks he's not long for FCI Fort Dix ... because he's telling fellow inmates he will get a presidential pardon from President Donald Trump early next year.

Sources at the federal prison in New Jersey tell TMZ ... Diddy is yapping about Trump pardoning him in early 2026.

As we first told you ... last month, Trump was vacillating on whether to pardon Diddy or not, and was seriously considering it. Some folks on Trump's staff at the White House were telling him not to pardon Diddy, but one source told us, "Trump will do what he wants."

Texas Governor Greg Abbott told New Yorkers to think twice about moving to Texas this week.

Abbott posted on his X account Monday warning folks from the Big Apple he'll hit them a whopping "100% tariff" if they decamp to Texas following Tuesday's mayoral election. The threat isn't really being taken seriously though -- how do you apply a tariff to a person? -- it's clearly a reference to President Donald Trump's ongoing tariff declarations on foreign country trading partners.

The British newspaper Daily Mail reports about 765,000 New Yorkers will "definitely" leave the Big Apple if Zohran Mamdani is elected mayor of NYC Tuesday night, according to a poll ... and the poll claims as much as 25 percent of the population would "consider" leaving. Take those results with a grain of salt.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries stopped by "TMZ Live" on the 35th day of the government shutdown Tuesday ... telling us Republicans have been on a taxpayer-funded vacation while Democrats have been reporting to Capitol Hill, hoping to hash out a deal.

With the shutdown now the longest on record in U.S. history, our Harvey Levin has been gaining traction with his new political movement, OWTA -- "Out With Their Asses." And he explained to Jeffries why he thinks every congressional office should be up for grabs.

Harvey said, "It seems like you, as a body, are not suited to run the government because you guys are at loggerheads."

Congresswoman Lauren Boebert is getting shredded online after she and her boyfriend, Kyle Pearcy, dressed up in what many are calling racist Halloween costumes for a party in Loveland, Colorado Friday night.

Check out the pic -- the ultra-conservative politician put on a traditional Mexican dress and a sombrero, and tried to crack a joke on the chalkboard she was toting around. It reads ... "Mexican Word of the day: JUICY. Tell me if Juicy Ice coming" ... a questionable play on the Spanish-accented pronunciation of "you see."

And, completing the costume was her real-estate-broker beau, standing right next to her, proudly dressed up as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.

Erika Kirk hasn't said much about Jimmy Kimmel mentioning her husband Charlie Kirk's killer on his late-night show ... but in a new interview, she told Fox News' Jesse Watters what she would say to the comedian.

As controversial as Jimmy's comments were -- they led to a brief shutdown of the funnyman's late-night TV show and a huge critical backlash -- Erika apparently never considered it a major issue for her.

She said, "If you want to say 'I'm sorry' to someone who's grieving, go right ahead. But if that's not in your heart, don't do it. I don't want it. I don't need it."

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is blaming the government shutdown on male lawmakers in Washington, D.C. ... she says it boils down to a "pissing contest" ... and she's sick and tired of what's going on between Republicans and Democrats.

The Congresswoman from Georgia ripped her male colleagues Tuesday in an appearance on ABC's "The View" ... telling the all-female panel she felt comfortable calling out the men because she was surrounded by women.

MTG says the federal government shutdown -- now in its 35th day -- is an "embarrassment," ... adding Congress should be in session and working every day just like everyone else.