Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a potential White House hopeful for 2028, said on Wednesday that he wants a mandatory retirement age of 75 for the president and people holding office in other branches of government.

‘You’re 75 years old: done,’ Emanuel, a Democrat, said at a Center for American Progress event. ‘And that would be in the legislative branch, it’d be in the executive branch — including the Cabinet — and it’d also be in the Supreme Court, and all the federal courts.’

Emanuel, 66, acknowledged that he would be affected by this proposal if he happens to be elected president in 2028 and seeks re-election, as he would be 73 at the start of a potential second term.

‘I know where I am in my age. Of course it would apply to me,’ Emanuel told Politico. ‘You can’t say ‘here’s what I want to do to change Washington, one of the things I want to do’ — but I get an exemption because I bought it beforehand.’

The proposal would make President Donald Trump, 79, ineligible to continue serving and would have prevented former President Joe Biden, now 83, from serving his term in the White House.

In Congress, 17 senators and 45 House members are currently 75 or older and would be impacted by the standard.

Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas, 77, and Samuel Alito, 75, would also be barred from continuing to serve on the bench, while Justices Sonia Sotomayor, 71, and John Roberts, 70, are nearing Emanuel’s mandatory retirement age.

‘You can’t serve in the armed forces, you can’t serve in private sector jobs,’ Emanuel told reporters on Wednesday. ‘Go work on your golf swing, it’s not that good to begin with.’

Emanuel, who served as ambassador to Japan under Biden and chief of staff under former President Barack Obama, is reigniting a topic that was hot during the last presidential election.

Biden, then 81, and Trump, then 78, were both campaigning for a second term ahead of the 2024 election while facing questions surrounding repeated gaffes. Biden ultimately dropped out of the race amid pressure to end his campaign over his mental and physical fitness.

Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley, who ran in the GOP primary in the last presidential election, proposed mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over the age of 75 during her campaign.

Emanuel, also a former House member, said he would push for legislation to set the limit instead of attempting a constitutional amendment. It is unclear whether that proposed legislation would be constitutional, and could be difficult to receive support in a Congress where the median age for senators is 64.

He said the age limit would be part of a broader demand for ‘comprehensive ethics, lobbying [and] anti-corruption reform’ across the federal government that he said would include a crackdown on lawmakers and judges accepting and stock trading. He wants the Democratic Party to push that proposal as part of a midterms message that also includes raising the minimum wage.

‘You have a president of the United States, in my view, that has expanded, deepened the swamp. Our job is to drain the swamp as Democrats,’ Emanuel said. ‘There’s not a day that goes by that you don’t read a story about either his family, [Commerce Secretary Howard] Lutnick’s family or [Special Envoy Steve] Witkoff’s family making money.’

A rare filing from economic heavyweights could shape how Supreme Court justices view the limits of presidential control over the Federal Reserve and U.S. monetary policy.

On Wednesday, the nation’s highest court heard oral arguments for two hours on whether President Donald Trump has the authority to remove Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors. 

That debate has drawn an extraordinary amicus brief from some of the most influential figures in U.S. economic policy. An amicus brief is a submission from a group not directly involved in a suit that offers information, expertise or arguments to help a court decide the matter.

It was signed by every living former chair of the Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan, Ben Bernanke and Janet Yellen, as well as six former Treasury secretaries who served presidents of both parties.

The group, which also includes seven former White House economic advisers, spans roughly five decades of U.S. economic policymaking.

Such intervention is almost unheard of, as former Fed chairs and Treasury secretaries typically steer clear of public legal battles.

In the 32-page amicus brief, the group argues that allowing the Trump administration to remove a sitting Fed board member would ‘erode public confidence in the Fed’s independence and threaten the long-term stability of the economy.’

Expanding the president’s power over Fed board membership is ‘neither necessary nor appropriate’ and would be counterproductive, the group writes, because it would weaken the central bank’s independence and lead to higher inflation and economic instability.

That concern, the group argues, is already playing out in real time. 

‘Sectors that pay close attention to the Federal Reserve — including the financial markets, the public, employers and lenders — are watching the current dispute over the President’s removal of Governor Cook to judge how credible the Fed will be going forward.’

John Sauer, the solicitor general, said Cook’s amici filing did not address the ‘legal issues at the heart of this case.’

‘Most of Cook’s amici emphasize policy arguments, touting the perceived benefits of the Federal Reserve Board’s independence in setting monetary policy,’ Sauer wrote, adding that ‘policy preferences are not the law, and these particular preferences lack any logical limit.’

In deciding Cook’s case, the justices could also shape Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s future at the Fed.

In a notable departure from his typically measured and low-profile approach, Powell attended the oral arguments at the Supreme Court. His appearance comes amid a criminal investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., related to his congressional testimony on a multibillion-dollar renovation of the Fed’s headquarters. 

Powell described the investigation as ‘unprecedented,’ calling it another instance of the Trump administration using legal threats to pressure the central bank on policy decisions.

Cook’s ascent to the Federal Reserve was historic from the start. 

Now, she stands at the center of an even more consequential moment, as President Donald Trump moves to fire her — a step that would be unprecedented in the Fed’s 112-year history.

The court is expected to issue a ruling on Cook’s case by the summer.

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom slammed foreign world leaders for ‘rolling over’ when confronted by President Donald Trump, declaring he should have brought ‘kneepads’ for foreign dignitaries attending the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. 

‘People are rolling over. I should have brought a bunch of kneepads for all the world leaders,’ Newsom told reporters at the World Economic Forum in Davos. ‘It’s just pathetic.’

Newsom is attending the World Economic Forum and is expected to address the forum with a speech Thursday. Trump is set to depart for Switzerland Tuesday evening, which comes as the president levels threats of imposing steep tariffs on a handful of nations as he works to acquire Greenland for the United States. 

Greenland is a self-governing island within the Kingdom of Denmark that is located in the Arctic. European leaders have balked at Trump as he intensified rhetoric that it is crucial for the U.S. to take control of Greenland from a national security standpoint. 

China has recently intensified its activities in the Arctic region, while Greenland has historically served as a strategic outpost for the military to conduct missile detection during the Cold War. 

Newsom said European leaders were ‘being complicit’ with Trump, urging them to ‘have a backbone’ while slamming gifts foreign leaders have given Trump, such as Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado gifting her Nobel Peace Prize to the president in January. 

‘This is pathetic,’ Newsom continued in his comment to reporters. ‘Nobel Prizes, they are being given away. I mean, it’s just pathetic. And I hope people understand how pathetic they look on the world stage. I mean, at least from an American perspective. It’s embarrassing.’

Newsom suggested that Trump is ‘playing folks for fools’ and compared Trump to a T. rex who is on the prowl to mate or eat. 

‘This is diplomacy with Donald Trump. He’s a T.rex. You mate with him, or he devours you, one or the other. The Europeans could be (devoured) if they continue down this path and process. They need to stand tall, stand firm, stand united,’ Newsom said. 

‘Look, a year ago we should have been having this conversation, and they didn’t. And now you’re paying the price — exactly what any one objective observer would have anticipated we’d be where we are today.’ 

Newsom’s office did not provide additional comment on the governor’s remarks when approached by Fox News Digital Tuesday afternoon. 

Amid his meetings in Davos, Newsom was photographed with left-wing billionaire Alex Soros, the son of billionaire philanthropist George Soros, who is also attending the World Economic Forum. 

Trump announced in January that he would levy a 10% tariff on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the U.K., the Netherlands and Finland starting Feb. 1 if no deal to acquire Greenland is reached. The tariffs are bumped to 25% on June 1 if there is no deal at that stage, the president said, which has flared tensions with European leaders. 

‘The proposed additional tariffs are a mistake, especially between long-standing allies. The European Union and the United States have agreed to a trade deal last July. And in politics, as in business, a deal is a deal,’ European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at the forum. 

Trump was asked about Newsom’s presence in Davos Tuesday during a press briefing considering the pair’s ongoing political spats that commonly focus on Trump criticizing the left-wing governor’s policies in the deep blue state. 

‘I had a very good relationship with Gavin Newsom when we were, you know, in office together,’ Trump told the media, referring to his first term in the Oval Office. ‘I was president. He was the governor of California. We had a really … he would talk about it often. And, somewhere, we just went astray. I just, I just hate the way California is being run. 

‘We actually have people leaving. It’s never happened before, but I hate the way it’s being run. He and I had a very good relationship. Really, close to the word exceptional, but now we seem not to.’

Gunfire echoed through Tehran Tuesday as heavily armed militias were deployed across the Iranian capital, transforming some districts into fortified zones under intense security.

Video footage showed bursts of automatic weapons after dark as government buildings, state media sites and major intersections were reportedly placed under guard, with armored pickups and masked fighters patrolling the streets in Toyotas.

The trucks were mounted with heavy machine guns and were moving in convoys with weapons firing into the darkness as armed men shouted commands.

In the video, large-caliber guns can be heard rattling as vehicles maneuver through urban streets.

‘There has been a deployment of dozens of Toyotas mounted with heavy machine guns (DShK) and other heavy weapons in Tehran,’ Ali Safavi, a senior official with the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), told Fox News Digital.

‘They are reportedly being used by elements linked to Lebanese Hezbollah and Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF),’ he said.

‘Their commander speaks in Farsi, and these fighters are Iraqi Hashd al-Sha’bi, Popular Mobilization Force and Hezbollah fighters who have joined the IRGC. The IRGC are their commanders, and you can hear them shouting in Farsi.’

According to Safavi, the Iranian regime has increasingly relied on foreign proxy forces to maintain control of the capital.

‘The regime has brought in at least 5,000 foreign elements now from Iraq and Hezbollah to control Tehran,’ he explained.

‘They are guarding the government buildings and the state radio and TV and are using heavy machine guns, which are Russian-made and 50 caliber.’

Safavi added that ‘at night, there are fierce clashes that are ongoing as well as running street battles between the protesters and the special unit forces.’

The footage emerged as the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported what it described as Day 24 of nationwide protests marked by a continued communications blackout.

‘The number of confirmed deaths has reached 4,519, while the number of deaths still under investigation stands at 9,049,’ the agency said, adding that at least 5,811 people have been seriously injured and 26,314 arrested.

HRANA reports also described an overwhelming security presence, particularly with law enforcement, the IRGC, Basij units and plainclothes agents after nightfall, creating what the group called an atmosphere of deterrence and fear.

The first protests began Dec. 28 and rapidly spread nationwide, driven by economic grievances and opposition to clerical rule.

Demonstrations have persisted despite mass arrests, lethal force and internet shutdowns.

‘Sometimes the protesters hold their ground to the gunfire, ammunition and volleys of tear gas,’ Safavi said.

He alleged that IRGC units attacked a hospital in Gorgan, killing wounded patients, stationing snipers on rooftops and firing into surrounding areas.

‘They then took around 76 bodies to a warehouse and are refusing to hand them over to families because the forces want to bury them in secret,’ he claimed.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has repeatedly blamed foreign enemies for unrest while backing the IRGC’s response.

President Trump on Tuesday warned Iran that continued assassination threats from leaders in Tehran would trigger overwhelming retaliation.

‘Anything ever happens, we’re going to blow the whole — the whole country’s going to get blown up,’ Trump told NewsNation.

NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi rejected the notion that external military action could topple the regime.

‘A foreign war cannot bring down this regime,’ she said in a statement. ‘What is required is an organized nationwide resistance rooted in active, combat-ready forces inside Iran’s cities to defeat one of the most brutal and repressive apparatuses in the world today — the IRGC.’

Israel is watching Iran and is sending a blunt warning to the regime, which is facing international pressure over growing protests.

‘We are in high readiness,’ Israeli United Nations Ambassador Danny Danon told reporters. ‘We are ready with our defense capability, and we’re ready with our offensive capabilities… We would advise Iran not to test our capabilities.’

Danon also said that Israel was aware of where Iran is keeping its ballistic missiles, something Tehran used against Jerusalem during the 12-day war in June 2025.

In June 2025, Israel started ‘Operation Rising Lion,’ which was aimed at destroying Iran’s nuclear capabilities. The U.S. ultimately got involved and launched ‘Operation Midnight Hammer,’ in which it destroyed Iran’s Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities.

The diplomat said that what happened over the summer was a ‘partial’ showing of Israel’s capabilities, though he did not elaborate on the point.

Danon told reporters that it would ultimately be up to the U.S. to decide what and whether this could happen and that Israel would ‘respect that decision.’

‘Our position is very clear, it is a decision of the United States. We are ready,’ Danon said. ‘We will not tell the U.S. if they should do it or not do it and when to do it.’

The diplomat also implied that the U.S. could be ready to come to Israel’s aid, saying that if Iran were to attack Israel that ‘the U.S. or somebody else will attack them.’

On Tuesday, Iran warned President Donald Trump not to take action against its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

‘Trump knows that if any hand of aggression is extended toward our leader, we not only cut that hand, but also we will set fire to their world,’ Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesman for Iran’s armed forces, said, according to The Associated Press.

The remarks came in response to Trump’s call for ‘new leadership in Iran.’ He made the comment in an interview with Politico and told the outlet that Khamenei ‘is a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people.’

Since the protests in Iran began in late December, both the U.S. and Israel have expressed support for the civilians taking to the streets. President Donald Trump threatened that if the regime met protesters with violence, the U.S. would act. However, the U.S. has yet to intervene, and the president has signaled that he has held off on military strikes because of canceled executions.

‘I greatly respect the fact that all scheduled hangings, which were to take place yesterday (over 800 of them), have been cancelled by the leadership of Iran. Thank you!’ Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed a similar message to reporters, saying that all options remained on the table. She told reporters at a White House briefing that Trump told Iran ‘if the killing continues, there will be grave consequences.’

Israel has been open about its support for the people of Iran, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying on Jan. 11 that the country was ‘closely monitoring’ what was taking place. He also vowed that once Iran was ‘liberated from the yoke of tyranny’ Israel would be prepared to be a partner in peace.

‘Israel is closely monitoring the events unfolding in Iran. The protests for freedom have spread throughout the country. The people of Israel, and the entire world, stand in awe of the immense bravery of Iran’s citizens. Israel supports their struggle for freedom and firmly condemns the mass killings of innocent civilians,’ Netanyahu said at the beginning of his weekly cabinet meeting.

‘We all hope that the Persian nation will soon be liberated from the yoke of tyranny, and when that day comes, Israel and Iran will once again be faithful partners in building a future of prosperity and peace for both nations,’ he added.

Iran has also linked the U.S. and Israel to the protests. On Jan. 16, an Iranian ambassador said that both the U.S. and Israel were responsible for instilling ‘political destabilization, internal unrest and chaos.’ The representative also blamed the U.S. and Israel for ‘the innocent blood that has been shed in my country.’

Days before the diplomat made his comments, the Iranian mission to the U.N. said on X, ‘The satanic plot hatched by the United States and the Zionist regime to fragment Iran and to engineer an internal civil war will be neutralized through the national solidarity of the Government and the people of Iran, the ignominy of which will remain upon them.’

Iranian officials frequently use the phrase ‘Zionist regime’ to refer to Israel.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which tracks unrest in Iran, reported on Monday that the number of confirmed fatalities reached 4,029 since the protests began. The agency said at least 5,811 people were severely injured and that 26,015 people had been arrested during the protests.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House, the State Department and the Iranian Mission to the U.N. for comment.

President Donald Trump slammed Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., a member of the far-left ‘Squad’ in the House, over her multimillion-dollar net worth during a news conference from the White House Tuesday afternoon.

Trump called the Somali-born lawmaker from Minnesota ‘crooked’ Tuesday amid a probe by congressional Republicans on the House Oversight Committee looking into how Omar’s wealth exploded after she became a lawmaker. 

In just one year, Omar’s net worth reportedly jumped $30 million, according to financial disclosures first reported last week.

‘I was told that Ilhan Omar is worth $30 million,’ Trump then quipped. ‘She never had a job. She’s a crooked congressman. So here you – it’s another one.

‘Nobody talks about the fact that $19 billion, at a minimum, is missing in Minnesota, given to a large degree, but, by Somalians — they’ve taken it. Somalians. Can you imagine? And they don’t do it. A lot of very low-IQ people, they don’t do it. Other people work it out, and they get them money, and they go out and buy Mercedes-Benzes.

‘They have no money. They never had money. They never had a life. They never had a government. They never had a country because there’s basically no country. Somalia is not even a country. They don’t have anything that resembles a country. And if it is a country, it’s considered just about the worst in the world. They come here, and they become rich, and they don’t have a job,’ Trump complained from the podium in the White House briefing room before turning his focus to Omar. 

Omar denied being a millionaire earlier this year, posting on X that she ‘barely’ has thousands, let alone ‘millions’ and has argued she is being targeted by House Republicans’ investigation.

The concern, according to Republican Oversight Chairman James Comer, is tied to both Omar and her politically connected husband Tim Mynett.

Omar disclosed 2024 evaluations of Rose Lake Capital LLC, a business firm co-founded by her husband, at somewhere between $5 million and $25 million in 2024. 

Just one year before, in 2023, she reported that the same company’s value was between $1 and $1,000.

Meanwhile, a winery registered in Santa Rosa, California, that first appeared on Omar’s disclosure reports in 2020, reported a value between $1 million and $5 million in 2024. The company, ESTCRU LLC, was evaluated at just $15,000 to $50,000 the previous year. 

Trump on Tuesday took to the White House briefing room to tout his achievements roughly one year after he was sworn in for his second term, including the arrest of thousands of criminals in Minnesota amid his administration’s federal immigration enforcement efforts in the state. Trump also slammed Minnesota and its leaders for the rampant fraud the Trump administration has been investigating involving the state’s large Somalian population.

‘Ilhan Omar, she comes from Somalia, a backward country,’ Trump added from the podium Tuesday. ‘But she’ll come here, and then she wants to tell us how to run our country. ‘The Constitution says that I have a title to this.’ I can’t stand her.’

In addition to House Republicans, officials within the Trump administration have also reportedly indicated they are aware of allegations against Omar and would be looking into them.

Fox News Digital’s Leo Briceno contributed to this report.

Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she believes America is ready for a woman president, pushing back on recent comments by former first lady Michelle Obama, who said U.S. voters were not ready to elect a woman to the White House.

In an interview with NPR released on Tuesday, Whitmer said she has ‘love’ for the former first lady and ‘the last thing I want to do is disagree with her,’ but that she has a different perspective.

‘I think America is ready for a woman president,’ Whitmer said. ‘The question comes down to a choice between two people, and what we saw in this last election, while Kamala Harris didn’t beat President Trump, we saw women get elected across the country.’

‘We saw women win up and down the ballot in hard, important states to win, so I do think there’s an appetite,’ she added. ‘I just, for whatever reason, we have not had a woman president yet. I think we will at some point in the near future.’

The governor cited the election victories last year for Democratic Govs. Abigail Spanberger in Virginia and Mikie Sherill in New Jersey, as well as Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., in 2024.

In November, Obama said Americans are ‘not ready’ to elect a woman to the White House, pointing to former Vice President Kamala Harris’ election loss to President Donald Trump in the last presidential election.

‘As we saw in this past election, sadly, we ain’t ready,’ the former first lady said at the Brooklyn Academy of Music at the time while promoting her book, ‘The Look.’

‘That’s why I’m like, don’t even look at me about running, because you all are lying. You’re not ready for a woman. You are not … We’ve got a lot of growing up to do, and there’s still, sadly, a lot of men who do not feel like they can be led by a woman, and we saw it,’ she added.

Pressed on whether Harris lost to Trump in the presidential election because she is a woman, Whitmer responded: ‘I don’t think it was just gender, no.’

Whitmer, who is term limited and cannot seek a third term as governor, said she does not currently have plans to run for another office.

She has been floated as a potential presidential candidate in 2028, but the governor said her focus remains on serving Michigan and helping her party’s candidates win the upcoming midterm elections.

Asked about how Democrats could win in the midterms this year, Whitmer pointed to her gubernatorial campaign’s decision to remain ‘focused on the fundamentals.’

‘I don’t think Michigan is unique in that,’ Whitmer said. ‘I think every person in this country wants and expects government to make their lives better, and so that’s been our formula here in Michigan and I think that can be replicated everywhere successfully.’

President Donald Trump has Europe on edge as he prepares to meet with foreign leaders in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday and Thursday at the World Economic Forum.

The World Economic Forum is a Switzerland-based organization that convenes global political leaders, business executives, academics and activists each year in Davos to discuss major economic, political and social issues, with the U.S. and Trump expected to take center stage this year. Leaders from Germany to France to Norway and beyond are expected to attend. 

Calls for the U.S. to acquire Greenland and tariff threats loom over the event as Trump puts European allies on notice to reach a deal on the island by Feb. 1 or face the consequences. Goods from Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom will face a 10% tariff if no deal is reached by February, with the taxes increasing to 25% by June 1 if there is no deal. 

Top European leaders have balked over Trump’s demands to make a deal on Greenland, citing that NATO allies can work together to ensure the Arctic is secure. Greenland is a self-governing Danish territory nestled between North America and Europe in the Arctic Circle. 

Trump wants to acquire the island — the largest island in the world –—from a national security standpoint, noting Russia’s and China’s growing presence in the Arctic. Greenland as a pivotal outpost during the Cold War because it was along the shortest routes between North America and the Soviet Union, allowing for speedy missile detection. 

The World Economic Forum kicked off Monday, with some European leaders questioning their relationship with the U.S. as tariff threats loom. The threats follow the U.S. and EU reaching a comprehensive trade framework in 2025 that fixed a 15% tariff level on most EU exports. 

‘The European Union and the United States have agreed to a trade deal last July,’ European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said from Davos on Monday, according to The Associated Press. ‘And in politics as in business — a deal is a deal. And when friends shake hands, it must mean something.’

‘We consider the people of the United States not just our allies, but our friends. And plunging us into a downward spiral would only aid the very adversaries we are both so committed to keeping out of the strategic landscape,’ she added.

Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said from a press conference in Nuuk ahead of the forum that there needs to be respect for ‘territorial integrity.’ 

‘International law, it’s not a game,’ he said. ‘We have been a close and loyal ally to the United States, to NATO, through many, many, many years. We can do lots more in that framework. We are willing to cooperate much more, but of course in mutual respect, and if we cannot see that, it will be very difficult to have a good and reliable partnership.’

Trump is set to hold a signing ceremony for the Gaza Board of Peace in Davos, Fox News confirmed Tuesday, which is styled as a new oversight body tied to the next phase of the Gaza peace plan. ‘Dozens’ of countries have been invited to join the board, Fox News confirmed. 

Some invited countries, however, have raised concerns about the terms of the proposed Gaza peace board, as participation would come with a substantial financial commitment, adding to the heightened tensions at the forum, Bloomberg reported. 

French President Emmanuel Macron, for example, has increasingly become a target for Trump’s criticisms and denied membership on the board. 

Macron’s office said the Board of Peace proposal ‘goes beyond the framework of Gaza and raises serious questions, in particular with respect to the principles and structure of the United Nations, which cannot be called into question,’ according to Politico. 

Trump threatened additional tariffs on France when asked about Macron’s refusal to join the board. 

‘I’ll put a 200 percent tariff on his wines and Champagnes and he’ll join. But he doesn’t have to join,’ Trump told reporters on Monday. 

Trump is expected to kick off his first day in Davos at about 8 a.m. EST for a day of events and meetings, before returning to the U.S. Thursday. 

Fox News Digital’s Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday he would join President Donald Trump’s new Board of Peace, after previously criticizing the makeup of its executive committee.

Netanyahu confirmed that he would join the newly established Board of Peace, which the Trump administration says will supervise the next phase of the Gaza peace plan.

The Israeli prime minister’s announcement comes after he initially pushed back on Trump’s proposal, following the inclusion of Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Qatari diplomat Ali Al-Thawadi as appointed members to a separate ‘Gaza Executive Board.’

Netanyahu’s office said that move was not coordinated with Israel and ‘runs contrary to its policy.’

The announcement coincides with Trump’s trip to the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, where he is expected to provide more details about the board. Fox News confirmed that the president is planning to arrange a signing ceremony for the Gaza Board of Peace during his visit.

On Tuesday, when asked if the board should replace the United Nations, Trump said, ‘It might.’

Trump said that the world body ‘hasn’t been very helpful’ and ‘has never lived up to its potential,’ but added that the U.N. should continue to exist ‘because the potential is so great.’

On Jan. 16, the White House said the Board of Peace will play an ‘essential role’ in carrying out all 20 points of the president’s Gaza plan, including providing strategic oversight, mobilizing international resources and ensuring accountability as Gaza transitions from conflict to peace and development.

Dozens of countries have been invited, with notices going out over the weekend, according to officials, including Belarus, China, Ukraine, India, Canada, Argentina, Jordan, Egypt, Hungary, and Vietnam, among others.

Others, including the executive arm of the European Union, confirmed that they have received invitations, but have not responded.

On Monday, Trump confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin received an invitation to join the new board.

The Kremlin said Putin had received the invitation and was ‘studying the details,’ adding it will seek clarity on ‘all the nuances’ in communications with the U.S. government.

France also received an invitation, but does not plan to join ‘at this stage,’ according to a French official close to President Emmanuel Macron.

The White House has said Trump will chair the Board of Peace and be joined by senior political, diplomatic and business figures, including Jared Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, and billionaire Marc Rowan.

Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion, Ashley Carnahan, Gillian Turner and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Air Force One was forced to return to Joint Base Andrews shortly after takeoff Tuesday evening with President Donald Trump aboard, the White House said.

The crew experienced a ‘minor electrical issue’ after takeoff at 10:20 p.m. and returned ‘out of an abundance of caution,’ according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Trump was en route to Davos, Switzerland, to attend the World Economic Forum.

Air Force One landed at Joint Base Andrews at 11:07 pm. The president is expected to board a different aircraft and continue on to Switzerland.

Leavitt joked aboard Air Force One that a Qatari jet sounded ‘much better’ at the moment.

The lights in the press cabin briefly went out after takeoff, reporters on board said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.