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Michael McKenna

Michael McKenna, a columnist for The Washington Times, is the president of MWR Strategies. He was most recently a deputy assistant to the president and deputy director of the Office of Legislative Affairs at the White House. He can be reached at mike@mwrstrat.com.

Columns by Michael McKenna

If Trump wins next week, speed will be of the essence

The shambolic, wandering and vituperative remarks from Vice President Kamala Harris in Tuesday's closing argument were, of course, more like a typically dreadful State of the Union address.

October 30, 2024

Lies, fascism and violence: News outlets run with John Kelly’s dubious story about Trump

One truly depressing thing about the end of campaigns is that they tend to devolve into desperation and ugliness.

October 25, 2024

Trump will win

As we approach the end of an election cycle, it is probably time to make some predictions. I have two to offer.

October 23, 2024

Biden’s bumbling eulogy did a disservice to devout Catholic Ethel Kennedy

I recently read Robert F. Kennedy's ruminations on the death of his mother, in which he described her devotion to the Roman Catholic Church as "blind." He didn't mean it in a good way.

October 18, 2024

Will Trump or Harris be constrained by their margin of victory?

It is a depressingly safe bet that, irrespective of who wins -- or who thinks they should have won -- after the presidential election, there will be violence in the streets.

October 16, 2024

Taylor Swift vs. Elon Musk

Courtesy of "Monday Night Football," we got to enjoy yet another victory by the Kansas City Chiefs, and yes, even more shots of Taylor Swift and her entourage.

October 13, 2024

We finally have a way to recycle plastic: California wants to destroy it

The leaders of our nation's largest and wealthiest state have moved decisively against the real problem facing our country: Those who recycle plastics may not be doing it in a way that completely fits the disordered, obsessive-compulsive worldview of California bureaucrats.

October 9, 2024

Hopelessly broken Nuclear Regulatory Commission needs overhaul for U.S. to compete with China on AI

Americans have various sentiments about artificial intelligence, ranging from a collective shrug to enthusiasm about the technology's enormous economic potential to fear of the apocalypse.

October 4, 2024

Federal government encouraging dependence is a terrible policy

The Economic Innovation Group recently issued a report that makes a pretty conclusive case that a large and growing percentage of the population gets a significant portion of its income from government transfers.

October 2, 2024

Politicians think we’re stupid

A friend has contended for several years that politicians think we are stupid. I have routinely resisted that, but recent events are causing me to reassess my resistance.

September 28, 2024

Can Harris or Trump stop the killing in Ukraine and Middle East?

I was recently part of a conversation about the election with a crew from finance land, and the question arose, what Donald Trump's plan is to "solve" the war between Ukraine and Russia should he return to the White House.

September 25, 2024

Real estate developer Larry Silverstein’s vision realized after 9/11

In the wake of the sack of Athens about 500 years before Christ, the city's citizens were faced with a decision.

September 21, 2024

Keep the circus in perspective: Many things are more important to life than Harris, Trump

A friend of mine who intends to vote for Vice President Harris recently wondered whether our friendship would survive the upcoming election.

September 18, 2024

Harris, Trump both met expectations in debate, but it doesn’t matter

The unavoidable and sometimes unpleasant reality of this presidential campaign is that it can be reduced to those voters who are for former President Donald Trump and those who are voting against Mr. Trump.

September 15, 2024

D.C. appeals court prepares to scuttle Trump policies on energy production

I'm certain we are all grateful that Vice President Kamala Harris was ecumenical enough in Tuesday night's debate to acknowledge that she is in favor of increased oil and natural gas production.

September 11, 2024

Musk’s ability to game the system may pay off for Trump’s efficiency panel

Former President Donald Trump announced last week that he would create a government efficiency commission if elected. He also announced, that Elon Musk would lead this commission.

September 6, 2024

Harris in hiding: Democratic nominee’s advisers know she is weak

Kamala Harris has been the de facto nominee of the Democratic Party for about six weeks now, yet has managed to sit for only one softball interview with a reliable stooge of the legacy media, Dana Bash at CNN.

September 4, 2024

Trump, Harris now need specific commitments

After months of twists and turns, the presidential campaign has been reduced to its essentials. In nine weeks, about 500,000 voters in seven swing states will decide who will be the next president.

September 1, 2024

Tax cuts lead to more growth, more tax revenue

Last weekend, as part of his renewed emphasis on policy, former President Donald Trump said that tax cuts in general and the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in particular lead and have led to economic growth and (as a result of that growth) to increased federal tax revenue. In making that correct assertion, Mr. Trump placed himself squarely on the side of the right thinkers concerning tax issues.

August 28, 2024