But it may take awhile. My column today in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Bruce Ledewitz: Wait five years: The future of America is bright

Special to the Post-Gazette

Jan 12, 2026

4:30 AM

It is customary at the beginning of a new year for columnists to make predictions, but President Donald Trump frustrates prediction. 

His leadership style is too erratic and his changes in policy too unexpected. He could increase his tariffs, raise or lower them selectively, or end them altogether. He could substantially arm Ukraine or abandon its war with Russia. He could invade another country after Venezuela.

With a president like that, who can make predictions?

America the future

So, the focus of prediction has to shift to at least five years from now, after Trump has left office. At that scale, I have no trouble making a prediction: the future of America is bright.

Given how gloomy most people are these days, this prediction may be surprising. But the fundamental conditions for long-term prosperity and peace are in America’s favor. As Warren Buffett likes to say, “Never bet against America.”

Take economics. China is a manufacturing marvel. But innovation is where real economic value is created. Virtually alone, America created the internet-driven economy. America has now extended that lead into the development of AI. Undoubtedly, quantum computing is the next new development and America is right at the front there as well.

More important than America’s extraordinary past performance is the reason for it. American society is historically open — open to economic innovation, new ideas and people from all sorts of backgrounds.

Our rivals in the world do not share this spirit of openness. That is why they will not catch up. Europe regulates first and innovates second, if at all. In contrast, Americans exhibit an entrepreneurial attitude that celebrates the garage-tinkerer-turned-billionaire.

China has an extremely competitive domestic market — and greatly benefits from it — but iron control is exercised from the top. Americans favor small government and we shield civil society from government overreach through constitutional protections.

The most important such protection in keeping America open is our right of free speech. New ideas, and even bad ideas, cannot be suppressed. This benefits us economically. But the most important value of free speech is that it sustains our democracy.

In American politics, all ideas compete for influence. That leads to experimentation and diversity. Nationally, we currently have a reactionary president and a resurgent right-wing Christian nationalism. At the same time, New York City elected a democratic socialist as mayor and inaugurated him with a Muslim prayer. That is American openness.

America the free

Even our states compete with each other in terms of their systems of governance. If I don’t like the blue state policies of California, I can move to red state Texas. If I feel red state Florida is now stifling free speech in its universities, I can go to school in purple Pennsylvania.

Right now, America is experimenting wildly, moving in short order from Barack Obama to Trump, to Joe Biden and then back to Trump. Both parties are trying to solve a fundamental economic dilemma: how to keep the economy open to growth while at the same time spreading the wealth so that more Americans can share in the resulting prosperity.

The Democrats tried their usual government spending and that did not work. The Republicans are currently trying their usual tax cuts and that won’t work either. But somebody will figure it out.

Americans always do the right thing, after all else fails.

Of course, something could go wrong. We could abandon American openness. Right now, America is going through one of its sporadic anti-immigrant phases. This will prove harmful in many ways.

America needs immigrants. Not only is our workforce stagnant and aging, but immigration brings new ideas and energy.

Jensen Huang, the co-founder and CEO of AI chip maker Nvidia, one of the world’s important companies, immigrated from Taiwan as a child and is a naturalized U.S. citizen. What more do you need to know? I assume we will come to our senses on immigration.

America the powerful

The other major threat to America’s future is the hubris that comes with power. The American government today spends far more than it raises in taxes. The resulting national debt is enormous and growing. We irresponsibly imagine this can go on forever, but it cannot.

Trump was elected in part to deal with this issue and he has cut some government spending. But his tax cuts have far outpaced his spending cuts.

Our bloated sense of power also leads us to burdensome and unsuccessful foreign adventures. Trump was also elected to limit such adventures. But his impulses have gotten the better of him.

He has now intervened substantially in Gaza, Iran and Venezuela. Some of his actions are popular and have gone well. But these things generally turn out badly.

But, like immigration, I expect us to eventually deal with the debt and rein in our international ambitions.

Of course, the unexpected can always arise. New rivals could emerge that put America in the shadows. There could be a war with China. Climate change could accelerate.

But barring catastrophe, I believe America’s best days are ahead of us. Happy New Year, 2026.

Bruce Ledewitz is professor of law emeritus at the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University and a contributing writer for the Post-Gazette. He writes every other Monday. The views expressed do not represent those of Duquesne University. His previous article was “To keep up with China, the U.S. can’t let neighbors veto infrastructure.”

First Published: January 12, 2026, 4:30 a.m.