Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro stated on Thursday, November 12, 2026, that congressional Democrats intend to weaken the U.S. economy over the next two years. During an appearance on Sean Hannity’s "Hang Out" podcast, Shapiro argued that Democrats would use this strategy to assign political blame to President Donald Trump.
The comments followed recent discussions regarding midterm election results. Shapiro, a co-founder of The Daily Wire, claimed that Democrats have a "strong incentive" to cause economic decline to undermine the president's standing with voters and the media.
Shapiro cited potential opposition to artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure as a specific mechanism for this predicted slowdown. He referenced a recent campaign in Maryland where an activist collected thousands of signatures to block a proposed $5 billion AI data center. According to Shapiro, Democrats may introduce "affordability bills" that he claims would actually harm the AI industry under the guise of worker protection and populist economic relief.
For the American public, the impact described by Shapiro would involve a shift in how the federal government regulates emerging technologies and manages the cost of living. If such a strategy were enacted, workers in the technology sector and residents in areas slated for infrastructure development, such as the $5 billion Maryland data center project, would see direct changes in local investment and job availability. Shapiro suggested that the resulting economic "fallout" would be visible to voters through these legislative actions and their subsequent impact on national growth figures.
The specific timeline and legislative details of these predicted "affordability bills" were not reported in the discussion. Hannity noted that voters might experience "buyer’s remorse" regarding new congressional majorities within five months, placing the potential public reaction in the first half of 2027. However, the source did not provide specific dates for when such legislation might be introduced or voted upon in Congress. What happens next depends on the legislative priorities set by the new congressional majorities and how they interact with President Trump’s economic proposals as the new term begins.