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David Keene

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David Keene

keene123@washingtontimes.com

Editor at Large — David Keene, a trusted adviser to presidents, a longtime champion of personal liberty and one of conservatism’s most respected voices, is the former opinion editor of The Washington Times. An author, columnist and fixture on national television, Mr. Keene has championed conservative causes for more than five decades while offering advice to Republican presidents and countless candidates. He additionally served as chairman of the American Conservative Union and president of the National Rifle Association.
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Columns by David Keene

Illustration on what America faces by Linas Garsys/The Washington Times

What America faces with Biden and his Congress

An American in Des Moines like a Parisian in Paris can hardly be faulted for fearing that America's democracy is in crisis.

January 13, 2021

Ambassador J. William Middendorf details the dangerous and growing threat from China

In this book and in interviews, op-ed pieces and speeches, Mr. Middendorf has spent years arguing that we are being left behind by a newly aggressive Communist regime in Beijing dedicated to changing the world.

December 30, 2020

Illustration on a deal with Morocco by Linas Garsys/The Washington Times

Why Trump’s deal with Morocco is immoral and shamefully cynical

Donald Trump, like most presidents in the final days of their term, is frantically striving to enhance his "legacy" with little regard for positions he has previously taken or defended.

December 15, 2020

Voter fraud illustration by The Washington Times

Did state officials forget to read the Commission on Federal Election Reform’s report?

I think of "Landslide Jim" and Broyhill's assessment when I hear today's Democrats claim that there has never been any evidence of "widespread" voter fraud in this country.

November 30, 2020

Illustration on protecting the validity of the vote by Alexander Hunter/The Washington Times

Election irregularities unearthed by Trump team must be investigated

The president and his lawyers should continue to seek an honest and accurate vote count because voters deserve to know.

November 17, 2020

President-elect John F. Kennedy, left, and Vice President Richard Nixon are shown after their post-campaign conference at Key Biscayne in Miami, Fla., on Nov. 14, 1960. (AP Photo)

Public faith in system at risk if legitimate questions about election are not answered

The turmoil of the last few days must seem, in Yogi Berra's words, "like deja vu all over again" to Americans familiar with the presidential election of 1960.

November 9, 2020

Illustration on media projections of a Democratic sweep by Alexander Hunter/The Washington times

Democratic strategists and their expensive liberal pipe dreams

The mainstream media began circling the wagons even as the votes were being counted on Tuesday.

November 7, 2020

In this file photo from 2009, then-Vice President-elect, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., left, stands with his son Hunter during a re-enactment of the Senate oath ceremony, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009, in the Old Senate Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak) ** FILE **

Does Joe Biden take advice from son Hunter, ‘the smartest guy he knows’?

Former Vice President Joe Biden sat for an interview with Oprah Winfrey last Wednesday during which he declared that his son Hunter is "the smartest guy I know."

November 2, 2020

Illustration on Democratic Party campaigning by Linas Garsys/The Washington Times

For Trump and Biden campaigns, it’s not just having money, but spending it wisely

Money may be the "mother's milk of politics" as a wag described it years ago, but money alone has never been enough to guarantee victory.

October 25, 2020

During a break between morning church services, Beverly Sides, right, with the Prestonwood Cultural Impact Team shows Suzie Brewer election voter guides for various north Texas counties at Prestonwood Baptist Church Sunday, Oct. 11, 2020, in Plano, Texas. Evangelical churches and their suburban members are a key to President Trump's voter support in Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

How the 2020 presidential election may be won or lost in the suburbs

The November presidential election may well be decided, as analysts are predicting, in the nation's suburbs.

October 19, 2020

Illustration on Lincoln's nomination of Salmon P. Chase to the Supreme Court by Alexander Hunter/The Washington Times

Kamala Harris’ false ‘Honest Abe’ story and her misuse of American history

Sen. Kamala Harris is the very embodiment of today's progressives. She proved this again and again on the debate stage with Vice President Mike Pence, most clearly in her willingness to twist or rewrite history.

October 13, 2020

Beware of unquestioning science worship illustration by The Washington Times

Blindly following scientific experts leads to dangerous real-world policies

Today's Democratic "progressives," like the early 20th century "progressives" they admire, like to claim that their policies are based in science rather than politics.

October 6, 2020

Voting for Donald Trump illustration by The Washington Times

The dangers in declaring support for Donald Trump

It may have been "politically incorrect" to state one's intention to vote for Donald J. Trump four years ago, but the perception among much of the public that it might actually be dangerous today is real.

August 31, 2020

Illustration on gun rights by Linas Garsys/The Washington Times

Voters will rise up against Democrats’ jihad on guns

Most of the guns being bought now are by first-time buyers to have available in case they might need a gun to protect themselves from the very thugs the protesters champion.

August 8, 2020

2020 Presidential Debate Illustration by Greg Groesch/The Washington Times

Democrats hope Joe Biden avoids debates while surrogates stoke opposition to Trump

Joe Biden's allies are scrambling to find some way to avoid putting him on the same stage with the president for a debate.

August 6, 2020

Illustration on standing up for the rights of law enforcement officers by Linas Garsys/The Washington Times

Standing up against the left for the rights of police officers

Cops are Americans and deserve the same rights as every other American.

August 3, 2020

Gun Lockup Illustration by Greg Groesch/The Washington Times

Trump administration tackling Chicago’s crime-ridden neighborhoods

Illinois Democrats were outraged earlier this summer when the Trump administration decided to send federal agents to Chicago in an effort to help local police reduce the Windy City's escalating murder rate.

July 29, 2020

When governors try to seal off their states for COVID-19 illustration by The Washington Times

U.S. governors try to seal off states but forget about Americans’ economic and personal freedoms

The beauty of our federal system is that for every Jay Inslee there is someone like Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson willing to attack the same problem in ways that aim to preserve economic and personal freedom.

July 21, 2020

People pass the front of the defaced Surrogates Court Building, adjacent to City Hall, in New York, Wednesday, July 1, 2020. New York City lawmakers approved an austere budget early Wednesday that will shift $1 billion from policing to education and social services in the coming year, acknowledging protesters' demands to cut police spending — but falling short of what activists sought.(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

The cost of demonizing the police

It was reported last week that in New York City alone some 272 officers have put in for retirement in the last month and that most of them are among the most experienced in the department.

July 1, 2020

A person holds a sign as a Wendy's restaurant burns Saturday, June 13, 2020, in Atlanta after demonstrators set it on fire. Demonstrators were protesting the death of Rayshard Brooks, a black man who was shot and killed by Atlanta police Friday evening following a struggle in the Wendy's drive-thru line. (Ben GrayAtlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Rioters who burned police stations and businesses may find their nemesis, Trump, reelected

Rioters who have burned police stations, destroyed hundreds of businesses in dozens of cities and demanded defunding the police may reelect a president they despise.

June 27, 2020