Damian Paletta

And what are Democrats going to do?

Like, say, I don't like parades and flyovers and Uncle Sam.

It's going to give him actually a huge advantage because Americans love to have fun.

They love distractions from the stresses of their daily life.

And so I would anticipate a really theatrical, probably slightly zany 2026 for Americans.

And there's going to be one thing after another.

And it's going to start like pretty much now.

Take care.

Thank you.

Hi, this is Damian Paletta, Washington Coverage Chief at The Wall Street Journal.

One of the biggest storylines that we've been following here in 2025 has been President Trump's implementation of his economic agenda, both through a huge tax cut package that passed Congress in the middle of the year, and then all along the way, these tariffs that the president has imposed on a number of countries.

And the tariffs remain a big story.

The Supreme Court now is reviewing his power to impose these tariffs.

And that's a decision that we could have soon to determine whether or not he can continue to impose tariffs against countries without congressional approval.

So that's going to be a big storyline going forward.

The economy is a huge story right now, especially for many Americans who remain unsettled, even though we have low gas prices and a high stock market.

Many Americans are feeling a disconnect with this economy, and this is creating mounting pressure on President Trump.

That's going to be a big story that we follow in 2026 as the White House is hoping to save the Republican majority in Congress.

It was a very busy 2025, and it's going to be an even busier 2026 here in the Washington Bureau.

The White House is not going to be happy with this meeting because the White House wants a lot of cuts now.