Michael McKenna
Columns by Michael McKenna
Trump’s crime initiative, Memphis homicides and Tito Porter
President Trump went to Memphis, Tennessee, at the top of this week to talk about law and order and crime and punishment. Published March 25, 2026
White House’s ‘banger memes’ trivialize Iran war
George Orwell was rude enough to point out the truth about political rhetoric: "Political language ... is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable." Published March 23, 2026
From Paul Ehrlich to today’s alarmists, doom predictions keep missing reality
At the beginning of this week there were predictions of a weather-borne apocalypse, replete with torrential rains, ferocious winds and tornadoes. Published March 18, 2026
Sen. Cornyn’s filibuster flip shows self-preservation, not principle
A week ago, Sen. John Cornyn wrote a letter to the editors of the New York Post explaining that, after 24 years in the Senate, he had come to the sudden epiphany that the filibuster had to go. Published March 15, 2026
Carbon border tariffs threaten to become America’s next energy tax
Last week in these pages, Sen. Kevin Cramer, North Dakota Republican, offered a few thoughts with respect to my column about his attempt to create the foundation for a tax on carbon dioxide. Published March 11, 2026
To win in November, Republicans must focus on seniors
The news at the end of last week that employment actually fell by 92,000 in February underscored the strong possibility that November may bring difficult midterm elections for Republicans. Published March 8, 2026
Trump checks Iran off presidential punch list previous leaders avoided
The administration has given a lot of scattershot and ad hoc reasons for attacking Iran. Published March 4, 2026
Miracle on Ice 1980 revived American confidence; 2026 men’s hockey gold medal entertained a nation
The staging of the American hockey team during the State of the Union was pretty good. Published March 1, 2026
Why are we still doing State of the Union addresses?
Like most of us, I watched the State of the Union (well, some of it) Tuesday night. Published February 25, 2026
George Washington deserves celebration while Presidents Day deserves retirement
Last week, we had to suffer through, once again, the misery and degradation that is Presidents Day. Published February 22, 2026
It’s Rubio, Trump in defense of Western civilization
In 1095, Pope Urban II, in a speech to the Council of Clermont, urged Christians in Western Europe to help the Byzantine church and liberate the Holy Land from Muslim rule. Published February 18, 2026
Trump should insist on E-Verify
Last week, the Trump administration essentially declared defeat in Minnesota and announced that it would withdraw pretty much all of the federal agents who had been part of the immigration enforcement surge. Published February 15, 2026
Thanks to Sen. Kevin Cramer, Republicans vote for an energy tax
A week or two ago, it surfaced that Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer had inserted language into the energy appropriations bill to require the Department of Energy to lay the foundation for a nationwide energy tax. Published February 11, 2026
The problem with nationalized law enforcement
For the past millennium, local laws and customs have been predictably enforced in ways that made sense to those who lived under it. Published February 4, 2026
Spanberger and Virginia Democrats’ extremist reign begins
The crew over at the U.S. Census Bureau released their latest batch of state population data last week. Published February 1, 2026
Stealing from the sick: New York’s Medicaid disgrace
What kind of morally compromised person steals money from the poor and the sick and dying? Published January 28, 2026
After Trump, Republicans face a reckoning over conservatism
Some folks in President Trump's orbit of "influencers" have been engaged in an ongoing debate about which person or faction may be able to properly claim the mantle of conservatism. Published January 25, 2026
Politics, not the electrical grid, stands as the top obstacle for data centers
Last week, President Trump publicly encouraged the PJM Interconnection to change its rules to encourage the building of more power plants. Published January 21, 2026
Republicans should not panic about midterm elections just yet
At the moment, it is fashionable to predict that congressional Republicans are going to lose their current majority, at least in the House of Representatives, in the wake of November's elections. Published January 18, 2026
Trump must focus on the voters’ agenda
It has been a tough few days for the president as he works through problems left for him by his predecessors and some problems of his own making. Published January 14, 2026
