Trump-o-nomics. Jewish Flight?
Trump-o-nomics 101
Our neo-socialist president is at it again. Last year, while defending his tariffs and his effort to force the rest of the world to bend to his will, he said: “We’re a department store, a giant department store, the biggest department store in history. And on behalf of the American people, I own the store, and I set prices, and I’ll say, if you want to shop here, this is what you have to pay.” If he “owns the store and sets the prices,” why did he turn around and blame retailers for raising prices in response to those very tariffs? In a May 2025 posting, Trump wrote: “Walmart should STOP trying to blame Tariffs as the reason for raising prices throughout the chain. Walmart made BILLIONS OF DOLLARS last year, far more than expected. Between Walmart and China they should, as is said, ‘EAT THE TARIFFS,’ and not charge valued customers ANYTHING. I’ll be watching, and so will your customers!!!” Does that sound like someone who “sets prices”?
This summer, Walmart and Sam’s Club announced seasonal sales and Trump promptly claimed credit. The retailers announced “From backyard barbecues and family vacations to pool days and neighborhood gatherings, the savings are designed to help customers and members make the most of the season while spending less on the products they need, want and love most.” The president then tweeted: “Great news! I have just been informed that one of the biggest, best, and smartest Retailers in America, Walmart, will be lowering prices, by a lot, at my Administration’s request to celebrate our great Country’s 250th birthday. Walmart is stepping up in a big and bold way, and other Retailers should follow the lead of these absolute Patriots.”
It brings to mind the old line that the only law politicians really want to repeal is the law of supply and demand. Trump claims he controls prices, then blames companies when those same prices go up and then takes credit when they come back down. If he really believes that, why not just sit down with Lutnick and Bessent and set the price of everything? He’s already tried it with pharmaceuticals, credit card interest rates, and gasoline. Surely AI could handle the rest. Trump graduated from Penn with a bachelor’s degree in economics — which makes this either a failure to grasp the fundamentals he was taught, or a deliberate rejection of them. Either way, Penn should rescind his degree or fire its economics faculty.
Bring Me Your Huddled Masses…
In the Daily Signal— a publication of the Heritage Foundation — Michael Freund argues that “The rise of democratic socialism is an opportunity for Republicans.”https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/07/07/democratic-socialism-opportunity/
His argument echoes Ronald Reagan’s famous line that he didn’t leave the Democratic Party — the party left him. For Freund, the ascendance of the progressive wing now occupying the Democrats’ far left is reason enough for traditional democrats to bolt the party.
Freund points to the situation facing American Jews, who have encountered growing hostility from the left — hostility that surged after October 7 and Israel’s invasion of Gaza. Progressives led demonstrations against Israel, often turning violent, rarely acknowledging the country’s right to defend itself or respond to the terrorists who attacked it. Antisemitic incidents rose sharply. Jewish college students reported harassment and candidates openly hostile to Israel’s existence have since been elected to office. Some progressives insist that anti-Israel sentiment is not the same as antisemitism, but few are convinced, and democratic leadership has done little to press that distinction.
Can Jews — historically among the most reliable democratic voters — stay in the party? And what does that mean for Jewish elected officials like Chuck Schumer? There are currently 25 Jewish members of the House and 10 in the Senate. Notably, only Jerry Nadler, who is retiring, currently sits in the Progressive Caucus — though newly elected Brad Lander will likely join.
All of this underscores a deeper problem: America’s lack of real political diversity. In a parliamentary system, the far left would form its own party, leaving Jewish voters free to stay comfortably with an establishment democratic Party. Instead, some Jews may drift toward independent status until the progressive wave recedes, but I expect most will remain democrats. A few more might have considered the Republican Party were Trump not its standard-bearer. His support for Israel hasn’t been enough to offset domestic actions that many Jewish voters find off-putting.
James Carville has said the progressives should break off and form their own party, leaving his behind. Carville, no one’s idea of a moderate, is nonetheless rejecting the radicals who have seeped into his party. But moderate Democrats still exist — the kind once known as Scoop Jackson democrats, who love this country, believe in public safety and secure borders, respect its founders and traditions, and still believe in the American dream.
Freund writes that “the GOP should become the natural home for Americans who believe in ordered liberty, economic opportunity, strong families, religious freedom, public safety, and patriotism without apology.” It should — but so should the democratic party. Those ought to be American values, not partisan ones. Rather than extending an olive branch to Jewish voters alone, republicans should pair that appeal with the principles that actually define their party: limited government, economic freedom, less intrusive regulation, a strong defense, free markets, lower taxes, family values, and individual responsibility. Republicans should tout politics aimed not at dependency but at opportunity, enabling self-sufficiency rather than permanent assistance. Unfortunately, under Trump, those themes have eroded and in some cases been abandoned altogether. That makes it hard to court disaffected democrats when so many republicans are disaffected themselves.
