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
Democrat Leaders Deny the Declaration’s First Right
This year, Americans are celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, which declared the “self-evident” truth that “all men are created equal” and “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights,” including the rights to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The leaders of the Democratic Party, however, deny this self-evident truth…. -
opinion
In the Cradle of Liberty, Educational Freedom Should Be the Default
RealClearWire—This summer, Philadelphia is celebrating its role as the birthplace of America. Tourists from around the world are descending on Independence Hall, where 250 years ago a group of colonists declared that governments exist to secure the rights of the people, not the other way around. It’s a fitting moment to ask whether Pennsylvania is… -
opinion
Abraham Lincoln and America’s Electric Cord
Welcome to the fourth in our series, Landmark Speeches in American History. We are celebrating America’s 250th anniversary with articles by prominent authors about how some of the greatest speeches in our history—by celebrated orators like Ronald Reagan, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King Jr.—honored the vision of our founding document, the Declaration of Independence…. -
opinion
Reclaiming the Exceptionalism That Built the Greatest Nation on Earth
RealClearWire—As fireworks light the sky this July Fourth and we mark the 250th anniversary of American independence, we celebrate more than a birthday. We honor the most successful experiment in human freedom the world has ever known—an experiment that delivered unprecedented abundance, opportunity, and dignity to ordinary people. No nation in history has lifted the… -
opinion
This Summer, the Kids Are ‘Nixon Maxxing’
History is written by the victors, and more than 30 years after his death, Richard Nixon is finally being vindicated. During an interview earlier this month at the Nixon Presidential Library, Vice President JD Vance observed that “Nixon’s historical legacy is enjoying a bit of a cultural renaissance, and deservedly so.” Vance has clearly noticed… -
opinion
Patriotism Is in Peril. Here’s How to Fix That.
The World Cup has led to many displays of patriotism from European visitors to the United States. The Scottish “Tartan Army” marched into Florida behind a wall of bagpipes. Norwegians have carried their “Viking row” chant through stadium concourses, airport escalators, and Times Square. A strong country must produce those willing to sacrifice for its… -
opinion
Some Laws Kill
Car accidents kill 100 Americans every day. But now an amazing solution is available: self-driving cars. Robotaxis like Google-owned Waymo, for example. Passengers who try them, like them. Wherever robotaxis are allowed, ridership increases fast. Two years ago, there were 50,000 trips per week—today 500,000. “The car did a better job than if somebody was… -
opinion
MSCI’s SpaceX Rating Discredits the ESG Cartel
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, recently became the first trillionaire in history when SpaceX—the rocket company he founded—debuted in a record-breaking IPO. Though market volatility has since pushed his net worth below the trillion-dollar mark in some trading sessions, the milestone endures, as does SpaceX’s groundbreaking innovation in reusable spaceflight and its expanding work… -
opinion
Army ROTC Taught Me Never to Call Independence Day ‘the Fourth of July’
Most Americans think nothing of calling our nation’s birthday “the Fourth of July.” But I learned the hard way not to do that in my Army Reserve Officer Training Corps days in college. I’ll never forget the day Sgt. Thayer, a regular Army soldier, decided to randomly quiz our ROTC squad on American history while… -
opinion
America’s Founders Show Us How to Defeat Socialism
Can America survive if the next generation meant to preserve it believes our best days are behind us? As the Daily Signal has worked on a special project for America’s 250th birthday, I’ve been fixating on this question and struggling to answer it. But we might soon know the answer. A recent study from Pew Research found that just… -
opinion
Bill Maher, Liberalism’s Apostate
Bill Maher is the perfect liberal, at least on paper—yet despite his talk shows being nominated for Emmy awards more than 40 times, it’s only in Donald Trump’s Washington that Maher finally gets the recognition he craves. He’s now the 27th recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, an award first won by… -
opinion
The Democratic Socialists’ War on America
America’s most radical left-wing movement is no longer content to protest from outside; it is now working to dismantle the republic from within. It would be a grave error to dismiss members of the Democratic Socialists of America as mere campus radicals or online agitators. In New York City and beyond, the group and its… -
opinion
The EPA Is Unaccountable to the People. Congress Can Rein It In.
For decades, Americans have lived under a tyranny of unelected bureaucrats. In Trump 2.0, the power of the deep state has been significantly curtailed. But there are still redoubts of unaccountable pencil pushers in the federal government, perhaps nowhere more present than in the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA was created to enforce federal laws,… -
opinion
Supreme Court Says 14th Amendment Guarantees Birthright Citizenship to Children of Illegal Aliens and Tourists
In Trump v. Barbara, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority of justices that the citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment requires all children born within the United States to automatically qualify as citizens at birth. The 14th Amendment provides, in part, that “[a]ll persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject… -
opinion
Supreme Court Decides ‘Day’ Does Not Mean Day in Watson v. RNC
What’s in a word? Does “day” really mean day? That’s essentially the issue the Supreme Court was asked to decide in Watson v. RNC, where Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote for a 5-4 majority that “Election Day,” as used in a statute passed by Congress, does not really mean a single day. Justice Samuel Alito,… -
opinion
One Judge Tells ICE to Stop. The Supreme Court Already Said No.
A federal judge in San Francisco just halted the Trump administration’s policy of arresting migrants at immigration courthouses—everywhere in the country, for everyone. On June 23, 2026, Judge P. Casey Pitts of the Northern District of California issued a 71-page ruling in Pablo Sequen v. Albarran vacating three Immigration and Customs Enforcement courthouse-arrest policies and a… -
opinion
Terminating TPS: The US Conference of Catholic Bishops Weighs In
Following the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision in Mullin v. Doe last week, which upheld the Trump administration’s authority to terminate Temporary Protected Status designations for over 350,000 individuals from Haiti and Syria, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued several statements supporting the continuation of TPS. Bishops Brendan J. Cahill and A. Elias Zaidan wrote: “There is simply no realistic… -
opinion
Supreme Court Defends Girls Sports in a Win That Stops Short of the Finish Line
For years, American girls have lined up at the starting blocks only to lose races, scholarships, and records to males who “identify” as females. This morning, the Supreme Court finally said the obvious out loud: Schools can keep girls’ teams for girls. In a 6-3 decision in West Virginia v. B.P.J., the court upheld laws… -
opinion
Supreme Court Cooked Trump’s Efforts to Remove Fed Board Member Lisa Cook From Office
In a 5-4 decision written by Chief Justice John Roberts, the Supreme Court rejected President Donald Trump’s challenge to lower federal court orders blocking his efforts to fire Federal Reserve Board of Governors member Lisa Cook. Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, accused Cook of untruthfully designating two properties as her… -
opinion
For the USDA, Equal Still Means Equal at 250
Scott Wynn grows sweet potatoes and corn and raises cattle on land his family has farmed for decades. When the pandemic crushed beef prices in 2020, the federal government offered farmers in his position relief from their loans. Unfortunately, Wynn did not qualify—not because his need was small, but because he is white. In June…