When Kevin Hassett told Laura Ingraham that Americans are optimistic about 2026, he wasn’t trading in partisan wishful thinking — he was pointing to real, measurable momentum. After back-to-back quarters of surprisingly strong GDP growth and a consumer spending boom, the National Economic Council director called next year “an absolute blockbuster,” and that kind of language matters because it signals confidence that pays off in factories and paychecks.
Hassett highlighted the shocking reality that mainstream Wall Street forecasters have repeatedly underestimated this recovery, a reminder that the usual chorus of doomsayers got it wrong. The data — from retail booms to unexpected job reports — shows people are voting with their wallets, not with the panic-driven headlines pushed by the same coastal institutions that missed the last turn in the economy.
This optimism is no accident; it’s the product of policy choices that put American industry first. Full expensing for equipment, tax rules that reward investment, and a trade policy focused on bringing manufacturing home are starting to produce groundbreakings and capital plans that translate into long-term jobs and higher productivity.
Hassett also warned that many taxpayers will see relief next filing season because of the changes in the tax code, calling it potentially the biggest tax refund season ever. That kind of tangible relief for seniors, hourly workers, and tipped employees is exactly the sort of outcome that proves policy should be judged by its impact on ordinary people, not by pundit polls.
Predictably, left-wing elites and financial naysayers have tried to rewrite the story, insisting every positive sign is a mirage or a fluke. But when policy delivers growth, factories, and pay increases, it exposes those narratives as political noise — Washington careerists and media alarmists should stop forecasting recessions and start explaining why they were so wrong.
There are still risks — shutdowns and central-bank missteps can sap momentum — but the core engine is humming: investment, manufacturing, and consumer confidence. Conservative governance that trusts Americans to build and earn is finally being vindicated, and the best response from policy-makers is to double down on growth-friendly measures, not revert to the failed playbook of overregulation and hand-wringing.
Watch the results in the months ahead: stronger payrolls, rising factory activity, and the kind of household relief that actually improves lives. If the data continues to confirm what Hassett highlighted, the political establishment that mocked the rebound will have to answer to the American people for their failed forecasts and for their refusal to put prosperity first.
