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Many Americans know who helps President Donald Trump advance his agenda, but fewer Americans know who supports those Cabinet members behind the scenes. Now, the wives of several top Trump administration officials are speaking candidly about their lives and roles.

"It’s interesting being on the inside looking out to see how decisions are made and how much can be done and achieved," said Cheryl Hines, wife of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Hines was one of eight Cabinet spouses who sat down with "Fox & Friends Weekend" co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy, who is married to Trump's Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, to discuss their experiences adjusting to life in the administration. 

"It feels like we’re all one big team, led by this really incredible leader who has a lot of courage and makes very quick decisions," said Kathryn Burgum, wife of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.

RUBIO REFLECTS ON REMARKABLE POLITICAL JOURNEY FROM TRUMP CRITIC TO TRUSTED CABINET MEMBER

Burgum said the pace of the Trump administration has been faster than anything she has seen in government, including her time as first lady of North Dakota. She described the atmosphere as "entrepreneurial" and "patriotic."

Several of the women said they were surprised by how quickly their families adapted to the new normal. Jennifer Hegseth, whose husband Pete Hegseth serves as secretary of war, said the public does not always see how deeply committed the Cabinet members are to serving the country.

"He does this only because he cares about the troops and our country," said Hegseth.

VICE PRESIDENT JD VANCE DECLARES MARRIAGE TO WIFE USHA 'IS AS STRONG AS IT'S EVER BEEN'

"He starts with God and goes from there to make sure he’s doing the right thing."

That sense of dedication was a common theme among the spouses when describing their partners. For some, the transition itself came as a shock.

Allison Lutnick, wife of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, said she learned her husband was being considered for a Cabinet position when she saw his face on television.

TOP TRUMP ADMIN HEALTH OFFICIALS SHARE VISION FOR HHS TO 'MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN'

"My biggest surprise initially was learning Howard was even going into the Cabinet," she said.

"I learned about it in my kitchen when his picture came up on the TV screen."

Others said the biggest changes have come through smaller, everyday adjustments. Marlo Greer, whose partner Jamieson Greer is the United States trade representative, said her husband can no longer help with school drop-offs.

JD VANCE DISCUSSES INTERFAITH MARRIAGE AND RAISING CHRISTIAN CHILDREN WITH HINDU WIFE

"It’s just a little busier," said Greer.

"But we love getting to participate in all these things and feel like what my husband is doing is making a difference and really helping Americans."

Robin Turner, the wife of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner, said their marriage and approach to public service have always been grounded in faith. The wives revealed that Turner has acted as a spiritual leader within the Cabinet, often leading the group in prayer.

"If God is first, and then each other, and then our family, then when all of that is strong, then everything else [kind of] falls in place," she said.

The women repeatedly emphasized how closely bonded the Cabinet has become as it works toward shared goals. Jeanette Rubio, the wife of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said she was already familiar with political life from her husband’s years in the Senate but still found it "surprising" how well the Cabinet gets along.

"That, to me, is great," she said.

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The photos, which do not imply wrongdoing, are part of a trove of images the House Oversight Committee received from Epstein's estate.

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The idea came from the miners building makeshift altars in the mine in the 1930s, to pray for their safety before starting their shifts.

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The top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee was lambasted, almost immediately, for referring to the shooting of two West Virginia National Guardsmen in Washington as an "unfortunate accident" during a hearing Thursday.

On Thanksgiving Eve, WVNG Spc. Sarah Beckstrom of Webster County was killed and Andrew Wolfe of Berkeley County was gravely wounded allegedly by Rahmanullah Lakanwal – an Afghan refugee living in Bellingham, Washington.

During the "Worldwide Threats to the Homeland" hearing, Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi pivoted to Homeland Security Kristi Noem after sparring with FBI Operations Director Michael Glasheen about the whereabouts of Antifa’s headquarters, to ask who approved Lakanwal’s vetting.

"Madam Secretary, you and the gentleman from NCTC (Joe Kent) reference the unfortunate accident that occurred with the National Guardsman being killed," Thompson told Noem.

TED CRUZ RESPONDS TO POORLY AGED CNN FACT-CHECK OF HIS 2021 CLAIM AFGHAN REFUGEES WEREN'T PROPERLY VETTED

The secretary shot back: "You think that was an unfortunate accident? It was a terrorist attack."

Thompson waved his hand up to gesture toward Noem, replying: "I’ll get it straight – then you can respond."

Noem replied: "He shot our national guardsmen in the head."

NOEM CALLS FOR 'FULL TRAVEL BAN' ON COUNTRIES 'FLOODING' US WITH IMMIGRANTS AFTER DC ATTACK

Thompson appeared to wince before turning to Chairman Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., to ask him to direct Noem to let him finish his question:

"It was an unfortunate situation, but you blamed it solely on Joe Biden. I want you to know who approved the asylum application for this same person."

Noem countered that Lakanwal was one of thousands of Afghans admitted through Biden’s "Operation Allies Welcome" and "Operation Allies Refuge," programs that her predecessor Alejandro Mayorkas repeatedly claimed had undergone full vetting.

KRISTI NOEM FACES FIRST MAJOR HOMELAND SECURITY GRILLING AS LAWMAKERS PRESS HER ON TERROR THREATS

"I want to remind everybody in Congress. We follow the law, and every asylum is supposed to have a check-in every single year, and the Biden administration failed to do that – they vetted this individual, allowed them into our country, and did not do due diligence."

Garbarino then told Noem to let Thompson speak – who in turn pressed again as to who issued final approval for Lakanwal’s application.

When she responded similarly, Thompson floated perjury charges against her, saying he did not want to do so, but that he believes the Trump administration approved Lakanwal’s asylum claim. CBS News reported after the November attack that the Trump administration did issue final approval.

TRUMP FREEZES AFGHAN VISAS AFTER DC SHOOTING — AS HE QUIETLY EYES LAND STRIKES IN VENEZUELA

"The asylum application moved forward under all of the information and vetting processes that were put in place under the Biden administration, which is when vetting happened," Noem replied.

She said Lakanwal was vetted to serve as a "soldier in Afghanistan" alongside U.S. assets, and that Biden then used that standard "as a ruse to bring him here."

"Had we followed the standard operating procedures for special immigrant visas, that individual and none of the "Allies Welcome" people would have come to America: That's on Joe Biden."

NATIONAL GUARD KILLING REIGNITES IMMIGRATION WAR IN CONGRESS AS REPUBLICANS DEMAND SWEEPING REFORMS

As Garbarino reclaimed the floor, Rep. Andy Ogles IV, R-Tenn., erupted at Thompson:

"That was a murder that took place in DC – It was not an unfortunate incident."

"And, those comments are effin’ disrespectful."

Garbarino ruled Ogles’ comments an invalid point-of-order under House rules, and opened the floor to Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, as the next questioner.

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Adonay Berhane, Wongelawit Gebre Endrias and four others are accused by police of undermining public morality.

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Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, announced he would not seek re-election after a Supreme Court decision upheld the redline Republicans had drawn through his district, a decision emblematic of the tough calculus Democrats face in the Lone Star State amid a new slate of congressional districts. 

Despite his personal loss, Doggett, 79, believes Democrats have a unique reason for optimism: he thinks Republicans have given themselves a vulnerability in their redistricting efforts by basing their rework on the results of the last election — and that in doing so they may have spread themselves too thin. 

"My overall view is one of cautious optimism that people recognize that the midterm elections began this summer by Trump when he initiated the new redistricting," Doggett told Fox News Digital on Wednesday morning. 

"I think there are several state House seats that have become competitive that may not have been competitive last time," he said.

TRUMP TURNS UP THE HEAT ON RED-STATE REPUBLICANS BLOCKING NEW CONGRESSIONAL MAPS

The Supreme Court’s affirmation of the new maps cements new political realities in the Lone Star State designed to squeeze five Democrats out of office, and it puts to bed questions about the lawfulness of the change. Although Doggett’s exit makes a Democratic victory in Texas’ 37th Congressional District more unlikely and has forced other Democrats like Rep. Marc Veasy, D-Texas, into similar retirement decisions, questions remain about whether those advantages are short-term gains or if Republicans can reliably expect to benefit in years to come.

Matthew Green, professor of political science at the Catholic University of America, said the new political landscape — like all gerrymandering efforts — is an advantage that will change over time. 

"Gerrymandering can have different effects in differing states over time, but in general, partisan gerrymanders tend to ‘stack the deck’ towards one party or another," Green said. "Texas is potentially unpredictable; Latinos are increasingly swing voters, so it's not clear what the results might be in 2026 and beyond." 

Like Green, Doggett also pointed to the Latino vote as a particularly large wild card that Texas Republicans will likely have to reckon with. He believes Republican redistricting efforts have assumed that the Latino community in Texas will continue its right-leaning trend of the last election. Latinos make up roughly 40% of the population in Texas, according to data from the 2020 census.

"I see incredible engagement by people across ethnic and racial lines. But given the way the Republicans drew these districts, where they said they were basically packing Hispanics in some districts, I think that this could come back to create a problem for them," Doggett said.

In addition to shifting voting patterns among demographics, Doggett pointed out that Trump's messaging on immigration may not play as forcefully among voters as in 2024.

"They are fighting the last war, and we're fighting one now, where many people recognize that Trump's promises on affordability and the like are not working. And so I think the immigration issue is not the kind of hammer that he was able to use last time," Doggett said.

Republican strategists responding to those comments said those vulnerabilities exist everywhere.

"That's an interesting way to think about it," said a strategist familiar with the thinking of Republican candidates in Texas. "The same case could be made in California or any other state that's redistricting, right? Like in general, [the advantages] are temporary, no matter what the map is." 

The source said Republicans — and Democrats in other states — are all attempting to push advantages they can find as the margin deciding the balance of power on Capitol Hill has continued to shrink in recent years.

"You know, the days of having a House majority by more than 10, those are in the rearview mirror. The map is always going to be small, no matter what the redistricting situation is. So redistricting might help people right now, but it's always a game of inches. So there's always going to be a small margin no matter which party holds the House," the strategist said.

RED STATE MOVES FORWARD ON TRUMP-BACKED PUSH FOR NEW CONGRESSIONAL MAP

Up until the Supreme Court’s decision put the nail in the coffin, Doggett had been prepared to continue his public service. 

It was initially unclear if the new maps passed by the Texas Legislature in August would remain in place. Doggett had already announced his intention to retire but put those plans on hold when a lower court froze the implementation of the new maps, citing concerns that the new maps had gerrymandered along the lines of race in its 160-page ruling. In its decision on the matter, the Supreme Court wrote that the lower court had unfairly read race-based motives into the legislature’s deliberations.

"The District Court failed to honor the presumption of the legislative good faith by construing ambiguous direct and circumstantial evidence against the legislature," the Supreme Court said.

SCOTUS ALLOWS TEXAS TO USE TRUMP-PUSHED REDRAWN CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING MAP FAVORING REPUBLICANS

Doggett’s departure robs Democrats of a storied incumbent with deep ties to the region. Any alternative candidate the party might put up would likely face a harder time against a Republican opponent. 

Doggett, who was the first Democrat to call on President Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race, last won re-election in 2024 with a 74.2%–23.6% victory over Republican candidate Jenny Garcia Sharon.

"I am most appreciative for the opportunity to have represented our community in public office for most of the last 50 years — appreciative for the support and encouragement of so many neighbors as well as people from McAllen to San Antonio, from San Marcos to La Grange," Doggett wrote in a press release announcing his retirement.

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"Intensive work" is continuing, the leaders of Britain, France and Germany say after a joint call with Donald Trump.

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