Political Commentary & Opinion
Analysis, commentary, and opinion essays on politics and policy from The Daily Signal’s contributors and experts.
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opinion
Introducing the American Investor Initiative
The Heritage Foundation’s Free Enterprise Initiative is now the American Investor Initiative, a name that says plainly what its predecessor implied: that the American economy runs to no small degree on the decisions of ordinary people who own shares—in their 401(k)s, their pension funds, their modest brokerage accounts—and who have a personal stake in how… -
opinion
Alex Clark on What It Will Take to Make America Healthy Again
Do you really know what’s in your food? The Make America Healthy Again movement is top of mind for swathes of Americans concerned about what they’re putting into their bodies. To understand more about these Americans, I sat down with Turning Point USA’s Alex Clark, host of the “Culture Apothecary” podcast, and discussed the fight… -
opinion
Digitization and the Housing Crisis
Americans are struggling with everyday expenses from fuel and food to health care and housing. Polling consistently shows that housing affordability is a top concern for Americans, and the underlying data makes it clear why. Rents have grown faster than take-home pay, and down payments take longer than ever to save for—exceeding 20 years in… -
opinion
Democrats Say They Hate Data Centers—While Using Data Centers
Top Democrats hate nothing more than President Donald Trump, but data centers are a very close second. And yet Democrats and data centers are the best of frenemies. “We need a federal moratorium on AI data centers,” insists Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. He also said on Sept. 15, “AI is an existential threat to humanity.” Even… -
opinion
Fetterman Talks Like a Republican, but His Record Says Democrat
A year ago, Sen. John Fetterman’s estrangement from the Democrats seemed like an amusing political sideshow. Now the Pennsylvania Democrat is appearing at a GOP convention and being openly courted by Republican leadership. Fetterman made a surprise video appearance at the GOP midterm convention in Dallas earlier this month to introduce his Pennsylvania colleague, Republican… -
opinion
Marxism and Islamism Are Making Our System Blink Red—and Green
By the summer of 2001, “The system was blinking red” from threats related to Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda. These included known planning and training for hijacking airplanes. That is the testimony that then-CIA Director George Tenet told the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. The 9/11 Commission preserved Tenet’s statement in… -
opinion
Patrick Clancy’s Riveting Interview
Patrick Clancy’s interview on “60 Minutes” was among the most riveting, painful, and spiritually challenging conversations I have witnessed in years. It was not merely an interview about a criminal trial or a family tragedy. It was the testimony of a father attempting to remain alive after the world he knew was destroyed. Patrick lost… -
opinion
A 6-Pack, an Airplane, and Excessive Fines
Imagine a judge imposing a million-dollar fine for jaywalking. Or suppose a shoplifter stole a tube of toothpaste from CVS and was ordered to pay $10,000. Those punishments would strike nearly everyone as outrageous—not because the offenses are imaginary, but because the penalties would be wildly disproportionate to them. The Eighth Amendment’s excessive fines clause… -
opinion
Putting Law Schools Back on Track
The U.S. Department of Education says the country’s largest legal association shouldn’t be allowed to accredit law schools. A long track record of ideological bias and a cozy relationship between an accrediting committee and the American Bar Association proves that public officials are correct in their judgment. Even with major changes to the ABA, law… -
opinion
Federal Reserve Chair Treats Inflation With Quack ‘Cure’
Kevin Warsh—the new, spiffy Federal Reserve chairman—just offered an old, threadbare “therapy” for nagging inflation. On Sept. 16, the central bank increased the federal funds rate from 3.75% to 4%, up 0.25%—the first such hike since Aug. 1, 2023. This move was both disappointing and counterproductive. Betraying his supply-side supporters, Warsh is peddling the exhausted… -
opinion
China Tried to Silence the Philippines. Instead, It Proved Teodoro Right.
China tried to intimidate the Philippine defense secretary in the middle of an international security conference. Instead, Beijing gave the world a live demonstration of the coercion its neighbors have been writing about for years, and the Philippines gave a master class in how to push back against Chinese bullying. On Sept. 8, Philippine Secretary… -
opinion
Canadian Socialists Are Not Leading the ‘Free World’
Loathing of President Donald Trump and his trash-talking trade wars has launched Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney into the socialist stratosphere. Try not to laugh at this headline from Rolling Stone Canada: “How Mark Carney Became Leader of the Free World by Standing Up to Trump.” This is the hot anti-Trump take: Socialists can run… -
opinion
Victor Davis Hanson: The Sudden AI Panic Has a Lot to Do With the November Midterms
We’re about 40 days, close to 40 days, out of the midterm, and all of a sudden there’s been a melodramatic announcement that artificial intelligence could destroy the human race. I think everybody’s always accepted that remote possibility, and it’s been very popular in popular culture, such as “The Terminator” series. But why did all… -
opinion
Steelers QB Carries His Faith Onto the Field
LATROBE, Pennsylvania—The late afternoon sun catches the twin spires of the Archabbey Basilica at St. Vincent College, casting a long shadow across the pristine practice fields of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ training camp. For 60 years, this rural patch of Westmoreland County has played host to an annual cross-cultural pilgrimage. Here, the secular spectacle of professional… -
opinion
The Difference Between Liberty and License
The Founding Fathers who fought for liberty wouldn’t recognize how people define the word today. A recently released survey from the Indispensable Institute for Family Studies shows vice has a vice grip on young men. Among men 18 to 29 years old, 27% view pornography daily, and another 16% do so several times a week…. -
opinion
How the Trump White House and the USDA Are Protecting People of Faith
As director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Center for Faith, I witness every day the power of faith in action—feeding the hungry, strengthening families, and healing communities. Under President Donald Trump and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, the quiet miracle of faith is no longer sidelined. It is welcomed, protected, and given room to grow. The Coptic Christian community I belong to knows what it means… -
opinion
Victor Davis Hanson: Elon Musk Is Powering the American Renaissance
Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of today’s video from Daily Signal senior contributor Victor Davis Hanson. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see more of his videos. Hello, this is Victor Davis Hanson for the Daily Signal. There’s a lot of controversy about Elon Musk. His reputation took a big hit, remember,… -
opinion
Why Every State Should Study the Election Laws in Tennessee and Florida
For years, election officials and lawmakers in Tennessee have been quietly doing the hard work of strengthening their election system. This week, that effort earned national recognition. Tennessee finished first in The Heritage Foundation’s 2026 Election Integrity Scorecard, receiving 87 points and claiming the top ranking among all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The… -
opinion
On the Constitution’s Birthday, Honor Her Virtues
For my birthday, my neighbors hold events listing my faults and describing how I should do better. Who am I? I’m the United States Constitution on Constitution Day at some colleges. Constitution Day is Sept. 17. Federal law requires that every college hold an educational program for students about the Constitution each year. The law doesn’t say… -
opinion
Sweden’s Election Has a Harsh Lesson for ‘America First’ Conservatives
Sweden’s conservatives may have discovered a painful electoral paradox: Winning the immigration argument does not guarantee winning the election. Mass migration has transformed Sweden’s social fabric, strained public order, and helped create an electorate very different from the one that built the country’s postwar consensus. Policies once dismissed as unacceptable have become governing orthodoxy. Yet…