Joel Pollak
Politics • Lifestyle • News • Travel • Writing
I will share my thoughts about American politics, as well as current events in Israel and elsewhere, based on my experiences in the U.S., South Africa, and the Middle East. I will also discuss books and popular culture from the perspective of a somewhat libertarian, religiously observant conservative living in California. I will also share art and ideas that I find useful and helpful, and link to my content at Breitbart News, Amazon, and elsewhere.
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Why I believe Trump will win -- and no, it's not quite rational

I believe Trump will win simply because the alternative is too dangerous for too many people.

Inflation will not be solved under Kamala Harris except through far higher interest rates, and through deep recessions -- and the Fed is signaling it lacks the stomach to do what Volcker did in the early 1980s, at least when a Democrat is in office, so I don't think we'd solve the problem in the near future.

War is not going to stop. There will be more of it, and it may reach our shores.

Lawfare. Targeting political opponents through the justice system. "Reform" by prosecutors who have allowed criminals to run rampant. Transgenderism in the schools. Censorship on social media. Forced EV cars and higher energy prices.

I could go on. Basically, there are enough people for whom all the hoopla -- debates, ads, polls, etc. -- simply doesn't matter. People are going to vote for change because we cannot leave the incompetent Ivy Leaguers in charge.

But the obstacles are immense, as the debate this week reminded us, with its crazy bias from the moderators. Vote-by-mail is a scam. Media bias is real. Censorship is going on, quietly. Trump has to overcome all of that.

Can he?

I don't know, but I've chosen to believe that he will. I want to be clear: that's a belief that I've chosen. It would be more logical to conclude that he cannot win and that the machine behind Kamala Harris will simply win (and fail in office).

So I am aware that I am choosing a belief that is likely to fail, possibly so that I can make it through the next few months, possibly because doing so makes the outcome more likely to happen.

It's not crazy, just perhaps unlikely. But I do believe.

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What else you may like…
Videos
Posts
Time-lapse sunrise at Temescal Falls
00:00:17
This is what is left of my special place in the forest

Burned, then covered in mudslides and rockslides. The river still flows through it. But we have lost so much. I have to believe the spirit still lives on.

00:00:16
The drive home 💔
00:00:46
Breitbart News Sunday: show rundown (July 13, 2025)

This is my first broadcast from the new office and studio in Washington, DC, where I'll be for a couple of years my neighborhood back in L.A. cleans up -- and as we follow the Trump administration from a little closer up than usual.

Topics:

  • The anniversary of the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump
  • The escalating tariff battle with various different trading partners
  • The future of the Middle East peace talks, and ongoing antisemitism
  • The Jeffrey Epstein files and whether they mean anything at all
  • The continued crisis of the Texas floods, and stories of heroism and survival

And more!

Special guests:

  • James Rosen - Newsmax chief Washington correspondent
  • Bob Price - Breitbart News Texas reporter, on the ongoing floods
  • Robert Cahill - Trafalgar Polling, on a new alliance of reliable pollsters
  • Rabbi Yaakov Menken - Coalition for Jewish Values - on Israel & antisemitism

Tune in: 7-10 p.m. ET, 4-7 p.m. PT
Call: 866-957-2874

Weekly Torah reading: Balak (Numbers 22:2 - 25:9)

This week’s portion tells the grand story of the prophet who tried to curse people of Israel and instead ended up blessing them.

I am reminded that these portions continue to be relevant anew, as this particular reading lent the title for Israel’s recent 12 Day War against Iran, “Operation Rising Lion.”

https://www.chabad.org/parshah/torahreading_cdo/aid/2495769/p/complete/jewish/Balak-Torah-Reading.htm

Weekly Torah portion: Chukat (Numbers 19:1 - 22:1)

This week's portion includes the commandment of the red heifer -- one of the classic "irrational" commandments whose fulfillment is an expression of faith. It also includes the regrettable episode in which Moses strikes the rock.

I referred to this story in a wedding speech last night. Why was Moses punished for striking the rock in Numbers, when he struck the rock without incident in Exodus -- both for the purpose of providing water to the people?

The answer is that in the interim, the Jewish people had received the Torah, which is like the marriage contract between the people of Israel and God. In a marriage, you do not resolve things by breaking boundaries, but through love.

The additional reading, from Judges Chapter 11, is the story of Jephthah (Yiftach), a man whom the leaders spurn, but to whom they must turn to save the nation. The parallels to our present political circumstances are striking.

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Fourth of July!

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