VICTOR DAVIS HANSON: The socialist monster awakens

Fear about “affordability” supposedly fueled the new, strident socialism. Yet annual inflation during former President Joe Biden’s four years averaged almost 5 percent. It peaked at more than 9 percent, while prices for some key staples rose by 30 percent over his tenure — all to silence from the left. (By contrast, annual inflation during Donald Trump’s first term averaged 1.9 percent. In his second term, it averaged 2.6 percent in 2025 — and may rise to 4.5 percent in 2026, given the war with Iran.) The socialists were not just quiet during Biden’s four years; they were themselves responsible for the rampant Biden inflation. They had implemented an inflationary de facto third Obama term, ramming through the most radical and costly agenda in decades under the veneer of that cognitively ch