FIRST ON FOX: Former President Trump is getting a blessing from the bayou as he seeks a second term in the Oval Office.
Fox News Digital has learned that House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., is endorsing Trump, the leading GOP candidate, for president.
'When Donald Trump was President, American workers and families were thriving,' Scalise said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital.
'The economy was strong and interest rates were low — grocery costs were affordable, and families could afford to buy a house and provide for their children,' Scalise continued. 'The border was secure and crime was down. America had secure energy policies, keeping gas and utility prices low.'
Scalise said President Biden 'has driven our country into chaos with skyrocketing costs, and hardworking taxpayers are the ones paying the price,' and that under his administration, 'gas prices more than doubled, housing affordability reached all-time lows, mortgage rates doubled, inflation hit the highest level in 40 years, and interest rates are at the highest level in 22 years.'
'Hardworking Americans are fed up — consumer sentiment fell to its lowest level ever under President Biden,' Scalise said.
The House majority leader said Americans need 'a strong leader to fix the problems Joe Biden has created and — with rising aggression from adversaries abroad — deter foreign actors who wish to harm us,' noting the 'over 6.2 million encounters at the southern border' and the '1.7 million known gotaways' coming and being arrested from 'hundreds of countries,' not just Latin America.
'Fiscal Year 2023 surpassed Fiscal Year 2022 as the worst year at the border with the most migrant encounters on record, 169 individuals on the terrorist watchlist apprehended attempting to enter illegally, and over 27,000 pounds of fentanyl seized by the CPB.'
'In Joe Biden’s America, our communities aren’t safe,' Scalise said.
Scalise said, 'American families and workers deserve a president who will stand up for them and their safety, rescue us from failed Bidenomics, and restore our nation to greatness.'
'In this race, there is one man who has a proven track record of being able to save our country and get us back on track: Donald Trump,' Scalise said. 'He has done it once before, and I know he will do it again.'
'I am proud to endorse Donald Trump for president in 2024, and I look forward to working with President Trump and a Republican House and Senate to fight for those families who are struggling under the weight of Biden’s failed policies,' he concluded.
Sarafina Chitika, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) national press secretary, told Fox News Digital, 'MAGA House Republicans keep showing America they’ve turned the House into little more than an arm of Donald Trump’s campaign – so it’s no surprise Steve Scalise, who called himself ‘David Duke without the baggage,’ is joining the parade of House extremists backing Trump’s bid.'
'Scalise’s top priority has always been pushing Trump’s unpopular agenda: He voted against certifying the 2020 election, is hellbent on banning abortion nationwide, and worked with Trump to try to rip away Americans’ health care,' Chitika said.
'Scalise’s endorsement is the latest proof that while the House GOP is unable to accomplish anything on behalf of the American people, they are laser-focused on advancing Trump's MAGA agenda and ripping away freedoms,' she added.
Scalise's endorsement comes as Trump, the leading GOP nominee, faces attempts from several states to remove him from their primary ballots.
Last month, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled 4-3 to remove Trump from the ballot over the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots, citing the 14th Amendment's insurrection clause.
Following the ruling, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows removed Trump from the state's ballot, citing the same clause of the 14th Amendment.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Trump and Biden campaigns for comment.
