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Cal Thomas

Cal Thomas is one of the most widely syndicated political columnists in America. Based in Washington, he is a wide-ranging social commentator, not a "beltway insider," who supports traditional conservative values and the American "can-do spirit." He'll take on virtually any topic, from the decline of the family to growing terrorism worldwide.
A syndicated columnist since 1984, he is the author of “America’s Expiration Date: The Fall of Empires, Superpowers and the United States” (HarperCollins/Zondervan, January 2020). His latest book is “A Watchman in the Night: What I’ve Seen in 50 Years Reporting on America” (Humanix Books, May 2023). Readers may email Mr. Thomas at tcaeditors@tribune.com.

Columns by Cal Thomas

Do presidents and politicians need faith advisers?

If I am deficient in my knowledge about chemistry, or a medical issue, or what kind of car to buy, I consult people who know more than I do on these subjects.

November 16, 2020

Without Trump, where should evangelicals go now?

Evangelical Christians have unquestionably been a loyal and largely unmovable base of support for President Trump since he has been in office and in some cases before.

November 11, 2020

Biden and Democrats’ version of ‘healing and unity’ means bowing to their policies

Mr. Biden reportedly plans to issue a slew of executive orders, reversing those by Mr. Trump. It is his right to do so, but how does that promote healing and unity?

November 9, 2020

Pollsters got it wrong again

Pundits claimed Republicans would lose between five and 15 seats in the House. It appears they've picked up a few. And because final results will not be known until states count mail-in votes and end their extended vote-counting processes, Republicans could pick up a few more.

November 4, 2020

If the choice is between personality and policies, the advantage goes to Trump

Every four years this columnist writes about the stark choice between the candidates for president (and vice president) and their views on how the country should be run.

November 2, 2020

What problems did Joe Biden solve during his decades in government?

The "60 Minutes" interviews of the presidential and vice-presidential candidates last Sunday were more revealing for questions not asked and for sidestepping than for what inquiring minds really want to know prior to Election Day.

October 28, 2020

Joe Biden’s ‘climate change’ cult worship puts America’s energy future at risk

During last Thursday's debate, Joe Biden said his goal as president would be to "transition away from the oil industry." He has also said the future is in cars powered by electricity.

October 26, 2020

Topics picked for presidential debates aren’t priorities for most voters

The supposedly nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates has selected the following topics for Thursday night's final encounter between President Trump and Joe Biden: "Fighting COVID-19," "American Families," "Race in America," "Climate Change," "National Security" and "Leadership."

October 21, 2020

Media must press Biden to explain son Hunter’s financial dealings in Ukraine and Beijing

It was President Nixon who said in the midst of the enveloping Watergate scandal: "People have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well, I'm not a crook. I earned everything I've got."

October 19, 2020

The unmentioned national debt issue in this campaign

The unmentioned "it" is the national debt, which days ago reached $27 trillion and continues to grow like an untreated tumor on the economic body of the nation.

October 14, 2020

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris mask the far left’s scary agenda

Halloween, like so much else, will be different this year from previous years, but it also offers an analogy that can be applied to the current presidential campaign.

October 12, 2020

Pollsters mistaken assuming Hispanics only care about immigration

Hispanics are 60% of the population of Miami-Dade County, according to the U.S. Census. In the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton won Hispanic votes here by a margin of about 290,000, which was not enough to win the state for her.

October 7, 2020

Learning from Trump’s COVID-19 experience

President Trump's infection with COVID-19 adds to a year no fiction writer could have contrived.

October 5, 2020

Presidential debate devoid of substance and more a phony professional wrestling match

I had initially thought of Tuesday night's first presidential debate as the equivalent of a heavyweight boxing match, something like the classic fights between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali in the 1970s.

September 30, 2020

My list of debate questions for Joe Biden

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has made himself largely unavailable to questions from reporters since before his nomination.

September 28, 2020

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy on COVID-19 and presidential campaign

From the moment Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, was made aware of the threat of COVID-19, he acted faster than most other states and the federal government.

September 23, 2020

GOP Senators must vote to restore role of Supreme Court as interpreter of the Constitution

The passing of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg gives conservatives and Republicans what they claim to have wanted since judicial activism became the norm in the 1960s.

September 21, 2020

Americans angry at Washington should be looking in the mirror

It is not the fault of a train that it cannot fly. A car mechanic should not be blamed because he can't perform open-heart surgery. Government has a purpose, but it is not to solve problems only an individual can address.

September 16, 2020

Joe Biden pushes Bob Woodward’s ‘Rage’ to politicize COVID-19 against Trump

On hearing that President Trump sat for 18 interviews with Bob Woodward of The Washington Post, my first reaction was "what the ..." Why Mr. Woodward?

September 14, 2020

Another stream of political toxic waste dumped on Trump with Atlantic allegations

The cable networks, including Fox News, could talk of little else Labor Day weekend but The Atlantic magazine piece by Jeffrey Goldberg alleging President Trump had said Americans who have died in wars are "losers" and "suckers."

September 9, 2020

EVENT: IndoPac 2026 Naval Dominance: Shipbuilding, Autonomy & C2

WATCH: Ranked choice voting is coming to D.C. — here’s how it works

Celebrating America’s 250th Honoring the milestones that got us here