President Trump was in China this week, negotiating with Xi Jinping over Iran, Taiwan, and trade deals. China’s economic miracle has transformed the country into a major global power over the past few decades. The American left likes to spin that success story as a win for central planning and socialism, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Scandinavia tells a similar story. Bernie Sanders and Zohran Mamdani laud the “Nordic model” as proof that democratic socialism works, but leaders across the political spectrum in those countries would disagree. During the ‘70s and ‘80s, Sweden tried going in an actually socialist direction and soon paid the price. Since then, the country has successfully backtracked, balancing budgets, privatizing schools and hospitals, lowering taxes, and enjoying the fruits of capitalism.

How many supposed “wins” for socialism have to exposed as capitalism before the left updates its priors?