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

Illustration on Soros funded prosecutors by Alexander Hunter/The Washington times

George Soros and his ‘woke’ prosecutors

George Soros has written a column for The Wall Street Journal defending his donations to liberal prosecutors who are releasing criminals on low or no bail. Published August 3, 2022

FILE - Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., talks to reporters about the expansive agreement reached with Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., that they had sought for months on health care, energy and climate issues, and taxes on higher earners and corporations at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, July 28, 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Humpty Dumpty Democrats and their recession

In Washington, things are rarely what they seem. It's why Congress labels bills with names they think will be more palatable to the public rather than a name that would accurately reflect the content of the legislation. Published August 1, 2022

Another Loophole for Illegal Immigrants Illustration by Greg Groesch/The Washington Times

Dems want to give ID cards to illegal immigrants while opposing voting reform

During recent election seasons, there has been a debate over whether a voter must present an identification card to cast a ballot and, if so, what type? Published July 27, 2022

President Joe Biden speaks about climate change and clean energy at Brayton Power Station, Wednesday, July 20, 2022, in Somerset, Mass. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Biden’s hyperbole and his dubious oil slick

President Biden has repeated a story he has told before, but repetition does not necessarily make it true. Published July 25, 2022

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden speak with the NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center on Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., and families calling into the NORAD system, via teleconference in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus in Washington, Friday, Dec. 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Jill to Joe Biden: It’s over

When your wife suggests you have failed at your job, it's probably time to retire or see if there is an opening as a Walmart greeter. Published July 20, 2022

FILE - Abortion-rights activists rally at the Indiana Statehouse following Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, on June 25, 2022 in Indianapolis. The lawyer for an Indiana doctor who has found herself at the center of a political firestorm after revealing the story of a 10-year-old girl who traveled from Ohio for an abortion says her client provided proper treatment. (AP Photo/AJ Mast, File)

Unanswered questions in the 10-year-old rape case

Ever since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last month, pro-choice activists and their media allies have been on a campaign to influence public opinion that the decision was a mistake. Published July 18, 2022

President Joe Biden is greeted by Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, right and President Isaac Herzog, left, as they participate in an arrival ceremony after Biden arrived at Ben Gurion Airport, Wednesday, July 13, 2022, in Tel Aviv. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Biden’s poorly timed visit to the Middle East

In 1988, five years after calling the Soviet Union an "evil empire," President Ronald Reagan visited Moscow where he addressed an audience of students from Moscow State University. Published July 13, 2022

FILE - U.S. border patrol officers contain a group of migrants on the shore of the Rio Grande after they crossed from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, into Del Rio, Texas, Sept. 19, 2021. Border Patrol agents on horseback engaged in "unnecessary use of force" against non-threatening Haitian immigrants but didn't whip any with their reins, according to a federal investigation of chaotic scenes along the Texas-Mexico border last fall. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez, File)

Biden’s slanderous rush to judgment of the Texas Border Patrol

Only in America, it seems, can border patrol agents be cleared of breaking any laws but still be punished, while those entering the country illegally mostly escape punishment. Published July 11, 2022

The Babylon Bee Talking to the Woke Illustration by Greg Groesch/The Washington Times

The Babylon Bee explains the age of ‘wokeness’

"And I'm proud to be an American..." (Lee Greenwood) Published July 6, 2022

FILE - A 2021 Ford Mustang Mach E charges at a Ford dealer in Wexford, Pa on May 6, 2021. Major automakers wrote a letter to Congress Monday, June 13, 2022, to lift the cap on the number of tax credits available to buyers of qualifying hybrid and fully electric vehicles. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

It’s not easy being green

With apologies to Kermit the Frog, it's not easy being green. Published July 4, 2022

Illustration: Abortion (after Da Vinci)

Choosing life in circumstances less than ideal

Some editorial writers, columnists and activists are working overtime to tell stories of women who oppose last week's ruling by the Supreme Court that overturned Roe v. Wade. Published June 29, 2022

Grace Miller 11, left, and Leo Miller 5, right, hold signs during a Pro-Life rally at Federal Plaza Friday, June 24, 2022, in Chicago, after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

Roe v. Wade overturned: Pro-lifers persistence paid off

There were times over the last 50 years when some pro-lifers felt they would never see Roe v. Wade overturned and the right to life again recognized by the government. Published June 27, 2022

Illustration on schools grooming children by Alexander Hunter/The Washington Times

Skirting the issue: U.S. Court of Appeals rules NC charter schools cannot have gendered dress code

In the 1950s when television was in black and white as was the distinction between acceptable and unacceptable behavior, comedian Milton Berle would occasionally wear a dress in a skit. How things have changed. Published June 22, 2022

Illustration on America's decline by Alexander Hunter/The Washington Times

The decline of America

Two recent Gallup polls reveal an erosion of foundational principles that are key to a stable and enduring society. Published June 20, 2022

Former President Donald Trump speaks during the Leadership Forum at the National Rifle Association Annual Meeting, at the George R. Brown Convention Center, May 27, 2022, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke) **FILE**

Voters, not Democratic lawmakers, should decide Trump’s political future

If the House Jan. 6 committee proceeds to its conclusion that former President Donald Trump incited the Capitol riot and tried to reverse the results of the 2020 election, President Biden will face a serious choice. Published June 15, 2022

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., tells reporters he is furious that the Supreme Court could overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, May 3, 2022. Schumer called the news &quot;a dark and disturbing day for America.&quot; (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Schumer, Pelosi and the Democrats’ incendiary rhetoric

Most people are familiar with the phrase "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." Published June 13, 2022

FILE - Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., and Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., listen as the House select committee tasked with investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol meets on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 19, 2021. Republican Party officials have voted to punish Cheney and Kinzinger and advanced a rule change that would prohibit candidates from participating in presidential debates organized by the Commission on Presidential Debates. GOP officials took a voice vote to approve both measures at the Republican National Committee’s winter meeting in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Jan. 6 congressional hearings: Prime time for anti-Trumpers

If things aren't going your way on issues such as high gas and food prices, inflation, and the hordes flowing across the southern border, the only strategy left is to try and change the subject. Published June 8, 2022

Honorary degree recipient Gloria Steinem, left, applauds fellow honorary degree recipient New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as she is introduced at Harvard's 371st Commencement, Thursday, May 26, 2022, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)

Predictable and troubling commencement addresses

What comes to mind in the month of June? Weddings. Vacations (and how to pay for record-high gas prices if you're driving). Graduations. Published June 6, 2022

In this May 19, 2017, file photo, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm talks in his office about the benefits of placing prosecutors with police officers in neighborhoods to address crime and seek alternatives to prison. (AP Photo/Ivan Moreno) ** FILE **

The missing element in the gun debate

The heightened debate over gun violence following the massacre of 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, is leaving out one critical element. Published June 1, 2022

Law enforcement personnel walk outside Uvalde High School after shooting a was reported earlier in the day at Robb Elementary School, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (William Luther/The San Antonio Express-News via AP)

Texas shooting: A failure of several levels

There are no adjectives that can accurately describe the gruesome act committed by 18-year-old Salvador Ramos at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Published May 30, 2022