The Trump transition team [yesterday] announced the selections of Wilbur Ross and Steve Mnuchin as Commerce and Treasury secretaries. Both men have extensive business backgrounds and greatly compliment Trump’s commitment to revitalize the American economy.

Ross is well-known for investing in struggling American industries, especially U.S. steel and textile companies. He is keenly aware of the challenges foreign competition creates for U.S. industries, and he has been critical of China’s aggressive trade practices. Ross is widely seen as a champion of American manufacturing, a businessman committed to America’s workers.

Steve Mnuchin is a former Wall Street executive who recently jumped into the movie production business. One of the films he produced was “American Sniper,” which drove the left nuts. The film was banned from some college campuses because it offended some Muslim students.

Like Trump and Ross, Mnuchin is betting big on the American economy. He is promising major tax reform, and he wants to see the U.S. economy growing at 3 to 4 percent a year. That is something Barack Obama’s failed left-wing policies never achieved.

Dinner With Mitt

Donald Trump had dinner with 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney [Tuesday] night. Some suggested it was Romney’s second audition for secretary of state. But bringing Romney into the cabinet is proving controversial.

Kellyanne Conway, along with Steve Bannon, really turned Donald Trump’s campaign around. Conway has been very critical of Romney. On CNN Sunday, she said this:

“I’m all for party unity, but I’m not sure we have to pay for that with the secretary of state position. It’s just breathtaking in scope and intensity the type of messages I’ve received from all over the country … the number of people who feel betrayed to think that Gov. Romney would get the most prominent cabinet post after he went so far out of his way to hurt Donald Trump.”

Speaking on Fox News, former Speaker Newt Gingrich echoed Conway’s concerns, saying that most Trump supporters “will be enormously disappointed if he brought Mitt Romney into any position of authority.” Newt went on to repeat some of the truly nasty things that Romney said about Trump, things he never said about Barack Obama.

Like Conway and Gingrich, I am also hearing a lot of opposition from conservative movement leaders to the notion of Mitt Romney as secretary of state. While few would question Romney’s competence, his loyalty and commitment to Trump’s agenda would be highly suspect.

Already Delivering

Donald Trump has yet to take office and he is already delivering on his promise to save American jobs. Late [Tuesday] night, Trump tweeted, “I will be going to Indiana on Thursday to make a major announcement concerning Carrier A.C. staying in Indianapolis. Great deal for workers!”

Carrier confirmed the news in its own tweet, stating, “We are pleased to have reached a deal with President-elect Trump & VP-elect Pence to keep close to 1,000 jobs in Indy.”

This is great news for several reasons. Many Carrier workers have devoted years to this company and they were facing the prospect of losing their livelihoods.

But there is also great political symbolism. Donald Trump has an opportunity to make these blue collar voters not just temporary visitors in the GOP, but permanent residents in a new governing coalition.

As I have repeatedly argued, if values voters and blue collar populists can unite, they can keep the left out of power for decades. It won’t be easy. The GOP establishment will resist on many issues. But as McCain and Romney demonstrated, much of the establishment’s message is a losing message.

Free trade, open borders, marginal tax rates and cuts to your mother’s Social Security check really don’t inspire many people. But Reagan/Trump populism can have tremendous appeal.

Speaking Of Appeal…

Every time our media and cultural elites berate Donald Trump for saying something “stupid and scary,” it is a good bet that he just said something important, but the left doesn’t get it. Trump instinctively connects with Middle Americans in a way reminiscent of Ronald Reagan.

Trump has the media in fits for tweeting the following: “Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag — if they do, there must be consequences — perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail!”

He was reacting to a controversy raging at Hampshire College in Massachusetts. Radical students lowered the flag to half-staff on Nov. 9th to protest the election results. Then they burned it. Then the college decided that no flags would be flown, essentially banning Old Glory.

Hundreds of people, including many veterans, showed up to protest this nonsense. Even some Democrats are outraged.

But largely without explaining the context, the media began hyperventilating about Trump’s tweet. MSNBC [yesterday] morning was streaming at the bottom of the screen, “Trump recommends two illegal acts against those who burn the American flag.”

No he wasn’t. Trump merely offered his view about what the law should be. And I guarantee you that in much of the country where people are still proud to be Americans, unlike in the faculty lounges of many colleges, they nodded in agreement with Trump’s sentiments.

This is what the values voter, populist coalition looks like. Faith, family and freedom isn’t just a slogan. It is a way of life for millions of Americans.

Ohio State Jihadist & Israel

Earlier this week, the U.S. suffered another likely “lone wolf” attack by an ISIS-inspired jihadist at Ohio State University. Abdul Razak Ali Artan posted an anti-American rant on social media before attacking his fellow students. Eleven people were seriously injured when Artan rammed his car into a crowd of students and then went on a stabbing spree.

Using vehicles and knives to wage jihad is not a new phenomenon. Israel has been the target of such attacks by Palestinian extremists for over a year, while the Obama administration and European governments have remained virtually silent or have blamed Israel. American citizens, including Taylor Force and Hallel Yaffa Ariel, were among those killed in the “stabbing intifada.”

Western governments must wake up! Virtually every tactic deployed against Israel soon ends up being used against America and Europe.

The Left-wing Mindset

Here’s a story that is sure to get your blood boiling.

Several conservative media outlets are reporting that an official at Ohio State University posted a Facebook message urging compassion for the jihadist attacker.

The official wrote that Artan “was a Buckeye, a member of our family.” She went on to urge those tempted to “celebrate his death” to instead “Think about the pain he must have been in to feel that his actions were the only solution.”

An OSU spokesman refused to comment on the official’s remarks, saying, “This is clearly not an official university statement.”

It is beyond bizarre that this official couldn’t help feeling concerned by the fact that some co-workers might be angry with the attempted murderer. If we don’t overcome this left-wing nonsense, a lot more people will be in pain.

The left’s idea of compassion isn’t going to stop ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad from inflicting pain. What will stop the pain radical Islam is inflicting across the globe is the same thing that stopped it at Ohio State University — courageous men and women who are willing to do what must be done to stop such evil.