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 the Supreme Court, Dobbs case and Abortion by Alexander Hunter/The Washington Times

Connecting the dots between abortion and the unique value of human life

The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard oral arguments for and against a Mississippi law that would ban abortions after 15 weeks. Published December 1, 2021

FILE - Composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim gestures during a gathering at Tufts University in Medford, Mass., on April 12, 2004. Sondheim, the songwriter who reshaped the American musical theater in the second half of the 20th century, has died at age 91. Sondheim's death was announced by his Texas-based attorney, Rick Pappas, who told The New York Times the composer died Friday, Nov. 26, 2021, at his home in Roxbury, Conn. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

The genius of Stephen Sondheim

The death of composer Stephen Sondheim at 91 is more than the end of an era. Published November 29, 2021

Illustration on the actual first Thankgiving in America by Alexander Hunter/The Washington Times

Thanks for giving

For some, this Thanksgiving - like last year -- is a more difficult occasion than previous ones. Published November 24, 2021

Rittenhouse Trial Illustration by Greg Groesch/The Washington Times

The Rittenhouse verdict and the right to keep and bear arms

Before the right to keep and bear arms is stated in the Second Amendment, the Founders wrote why they believed it necessary for people to arm themselves as part of a "militia." Published November 22, 2021

President Joe Biden signs the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill into law during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday, Nov. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

‘Shovel-ready 2.0,’ another Washington fraud in the name of ‘infrastructure’

Remember those "shovel-ready jobs" promised by the Obama-Biden administration in 2011? Published November 17, 2021

Brooklyn Borough President and a Democratic mayoral candidate Eric Adams greets NYPD officers as participants gather for a march through the financial district during a parade honoring essential workers for their efforts in getting New York City through the COVID-19 pandemic, Wednesday, July 7, 2021, in New York. The parade kicked off at Battery Park and travel up Broadway in lower Manhattan, the iconic stretch known as the Canyon of Heroes, which has hosted parades honoring world leaders, celebrities and winning sports teams. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Threats of more lawlessness in New York

Eric Adams, the incoming mayor of New York City, met last week with Hawk Newsome, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter (BLM) of Greater New York, and about a dozen other members of the organization. Published November 15, 2021

French President Emmanuel Macron and Vice President Kamala Harris wave Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 at the Elysee Palace in Paris. Kamala Harris will try to smooth French feathers after a diplomatic crisis. The U.S.-France relationship hit a historic low this year after a U.S.-British submarine deal with Australia scuttled a French contract to sell subs to the Australian navy. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Kamala Harris: An unsuccessful American in Paris

When past presidents have seen their approval numbers take a dive, they went on foreign trips. Published November 10, 2021

Winsome Sears Portrait by Greg Groesch/The Washington Times

Winsome Sears: A historic victory for an inspirational woman

The significance of Virginia Lt. Governor-elect Winsome Sears' victory cannot be overstated. Published November 8, 2021

Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin, left, greets a supporter during a rally in Chesterfield, Va., Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. Youngkin will face Democrat former Gov. Terry McAuliffe in the November election. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Youngkin’s victory goes beyond Virginia

My how quickly things can change with the right message and the right messenger. Published November 3, 2021

From left, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., update reporters on Democratic efforts to pass President Joe Biden's "Build Back Better" agenda, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Voodoo economics II: The cost of ‘fundamentally transforming America’

The annual "trick-or-treat" ritual is over. Not so the "tricks" perpetuated by congressional Democrats about their tax-and-spend ritual, and their phony numbers. Published November 1, 2021

Illustration on the promise of free stuff by Alexander Hunter/The Washington Times

Subsidizing failure and mediocrity in America

It's open enrollment season for Medicare. Local TV stations and cable networks are flooded with ads for various insurance supplements. Published October 27, 2021

Immigration woes increase with Biden illustration by Linas Garsys / The Washington Times

Migrant invasion fundamentally transforming America

The numbers are staggering. Should we call them invaders instead of migrants, since that word better describes the hordes of humanity coming across what used to be our southern border. Published October 25, 2021

Vice President Kamala Harris waves at the end of a discussion of different care policies ranging from at-home medical care to childcare, during a virtual town hall, Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021, in the South Court Auditorium on the White House complex in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Kamala Harris and the Hatch Act

Vice President Kamala Harris, who appears to be in the witness protection program when it comes to her assigned role of restoring our southern border, has resurfaced in a video she sent to 300 Black churches in Virginia. Published October 20, 2021

Ron Klain, White House chief of staff. (Associated Press photograph)

‘Show me an elitist, and I’ll show you a loser’

White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain brought criticism on himself last week when he retweeted a post from Harvard economist Jason Furman. Published October 18, 2021

Migrants, most from Haiti, cross the Rio Grande towards Del Rio, Texas, from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

Illegal immigration is destroying our country

Britain's Home Office says more than 12,500 migrants have broken the law to get into the U.K. so far this year. Compare this to the nearly 200,000 migrants who have crossed the southern border just in July of this year. Published October 13, 2021

Illustration on American education by Alexander Hunter/The Washington Times

Defining America’s education dumb down

What is the greatest threat to educating children today? Is it COVID-19 or ignorance? I'm going for number two. There is growing evidence to back me up. Published October 11, 2021

Illustration on a wealth tax by Alexander Hunter/The Washington Times

Pandora Papers help fuel progressive Democrats’ tax schemes

The Pandora Papers, "an expose of the financial secrets and offshore dealings of dozens of heads of state, public officials and politicians," writes CNN, could not have come at a better time for congressional "progressives." Published October 6, 2021

United States Postal Service illustration by Linas Garsys / The Washington Times

Stamp out the U.S. Postal Service

The USPS has announced it will slow service for first-class mail and periodicals while "temporarily" increasing prices on all "commercial and retail domestic" packages ... because of the holidays. Published October 4, 2021

Illustration on Democrat debauchery by Alexander Hunter/The Washington Times

Death, debt, and debauchery: Radical Democratic Party running amok

The Democratic Party has now hit the trifecta. It has become the party of death, debt, and debauchery. Deception could be added, but that would require changing the metaphor to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Published September 29, 2021

Haitian migrants rest by fresh water plants near the Del Rio International Bridge as part of a group of people from Haiti waiting in Del Rio and Ciudad Acuña to get access to the United States, Friday, Sept. 17, 2021, in Del Rio, Texas. Haitians crossed the Rio Grande freely and in a steady stream, going back and forth between the U.S. and Mexico through knee-deep water with some parents carrying small children on their shoulders. Unable to buy supplies in the U.S., they returned briefly to Mexico for food and cardboard to settle, temporarily at least, under or near the bridge in Del Rio, a city of 35,000 that has been severely strained by migrant flows in recent months. (Marie D. De Jesús/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Undocumented immigrants and public schools stealthily destroying America

There are forces that wish to destroy America. Some of them are visible and some are stealth. Published September 27, 2021