In a post-election interview, Josh Hammer, senior editor-at-large at Newsweek and host of The Josh Hammer Show, characterized the election results as a “thorough repudiation” of the Biden-Harris administration and its policies. Speaking with Rabbi Pesach Wolicki as part of Arutz Sheva and Israel365’s election coverage, Hammer described the moment as a vote for “normalcy and sanity,” driven by Americans’ frustration with what he called the “cultural rot and economic catastrophe” overseen by the current administration.
“For many Americans, this election wasn’t about traditional left-versus-right divides,” Hammer explained. “It was about rejecting extremism and returning to common sense.” Hammer noted that issues like the debate over gendered spaces in schools and concerns about unvetted immigration pushed voters towards a party advocating, in his view, “for the sane.”
Hammer believes the results reflect Americans’ rejection of the notion that the country’s trajectory is one of inevitable progressive transformation—a view espoused by President Obama as the “arc of history” bending toward progressivism. “Leftism is fundamentally at odds with America’s DNA,” Hammer argued, expressing his belief that the public’s desire for change has echoes of Reagan-era optimism.
Turning to the implications of Republican control across branches, Hammer voiced a call to action for GOP leaders. “This is a rare opportunity. Republicans hold the White House, Congress, and have a strong influence on the Supreme Court. We have to seize this moment to deliver tangible results for the American people,” he urged.
On the legal front, Hammer weighed in on the criminal cases facing Donald Trump. Two cases, he noted, are federal and will likely be dismissed when Trump takes office, as he is positioned to remove Special Counsel Jack Smith, whom Hammer labeled as “overstepping his mandate.” The state-level cases, however, present a more complicated legal landscape. Hammer speculated that attempts to imprison a sitting president could lead to a constitutional crisis, although he expressed hope that “a modicum of common sense” would prevail in the judiciary.
Hammer also addressed Israel’s role in the election discourse, acknowledging that while it wasn’t a primary focus, it nonetheless resonated with voters concerned about global instability. He linked the chaos of the Middle East, particularly the Israel-Iran conflict, to American anxieties about the country’s place in an unpredictable world. “The world was a far more stable place under Trump,” he contended, asserting that Trump’s foreign policy—exemplified by the Abraham Accords—had brought peace and stability to the region.
Finally, Hammer highlighted a notable shift among American Jewish voters. Preliminary data, he suggested, indicates Trump may have garnered the highest percentage of Jewish support since Reagan’s presidency in 1980. “We’re witnessing a long-term trend,” Hammer said, pointing to growing Republican support among Orthodox Jewish communities. He predicted that American Jews might become a Republican-leaning demographic within the next decade or so, propelled by both demographic and ideological shifts.
As Hammer concluded, he struck a note of optimism, suggesting that “the trend line is heading in the right direction”—both for the Republican Party and, he hopes, for American society as it seeks a new equilibrium.
