Damian Paletta

I think 2026 is going to be fun.

The 250th birthday of the United States is going to be parades and parties and festivals.

And Trump's going to make the most of it in a way that only he can.

And I think Americans are going to love it.

And there's going to be red, white and blue everywhere you look.

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.