Michael Kruse
@michaelkruse.bsky.social
Senior staff writer, POLITICO, POLITICO Magazine. michaelkruse.bio
POLITICO Weekend.
Trump is running the economy like Saudi Arabia
www.politico.com
November 9, 2025 at 7:01 PM
POLITICO Weekend.
“It’s going to take four years to rebuild what happened on Tuesday.”
Virginia Republicans turn on each other after crushing losses
“They should have seen this coming,” said one county Republican.
www.politico.com
November 9, 2025 at 6:57 PM
“It’s going to take four years to rebuild what happened on Tuesday.”
“One of the main challenges pollsters face is how to poll something after a politician has announced it. By that point, it can be impossible to separate genuine support for the policy, from support for the politician, from support for the arguments being made for and against it.”
Poll: What Trump voters would pay to support his agenda
The POLITICO Poll measured how much economic pain voters will tolerate — if it aligns with their partisan views.
www.politico.com
November 9, 2025 at 6:56 PM
“One of the main challenges pollsters face is how to poll something after a politician has announced it. By that point, it can be impossible to separate genuine support for the policy, from support for the politician, from support for the arguments being made for and against it.”
“Out with the old, in with the new,” @rokhanna.bsky.social tells @playbookdc.bsky.social. “If you were part of the old establishment, you probably shouldn’t be leading the party.”
Dems chart a path to 2026
And the Senate tries to find a shutdown breakthrough.
www.politico.com
November 9, 2025 at 6:52 PM
“Out with the old, in with the new,” @rokhanna.bsky.social tells @playbookdc.bsky.social. “If you were part of the old establishment, you probably shouldn’t be leading the party.”
"Look, I am so pro-choice. I know the devastation it breeds when women don't have access to make these choices with their doctor. But if I am talking to you about abortion and you cannot pay your rent, then we can't talk. We've got to talk about the first-tier issue."
‘Blowout Is the Word’
Mikie Sherrill knows why she — and Zohran Mamdani — got elected.
www.politico.com
November 7, 2025 at 6:41 PM
"Look, I am so pro-choice. I know the devastation it breeds when women don't have access to make these choices with their doctor. But if I am talking to you about abortion and you cannot pay your rent, then we can't talk. We've got to talk about the first-tier issue."
Ran (really only) five years ago today.
Donald Trump Confronts a New Label: Loser
For the first time in a life that has been free of consequences for his failures, Trump has been held to account on the world’s largest stage.
www.politico.com
November 7, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Ran (really only) five years ago today.
One strategist talking to @nymag.com about @katmabu.bsky.social: “She has clearly fucking put her own health and safety on the line to stand up to ICE in a way that 99 percent of members of Congress have not.”
The 25 Young(ish) New Democrats to Watch
The most promising politicians of the next generation defy easy categorization.
nymag.com
November 3, 2025 at 9:34 PM
One strategist talking to @nymag.com about @katmabu.bsky.social: “She has clearly fucking put her own health and safety on the line to stand up to ICE in a way that 99 percent of members of Congress have not.”
“In Iowa,” says @zachwahls.bsky.social, “we know that rotating the crops is good for our soil, and you better believe it’s good for our politicians.”
The 25 Young(ish) New Democrats to Watch
The most promising politicians of the next generation defy easy categorization.
nymag.com
November 3, 2025 at 9:25 PM
“In Iowa,” says @zachwahls.bsky.social, “we know that rotating the crops is good for our soil, and you better believe it’s good for our politicians.”
“Construction can be intended to project authority, dignity, glory and a desire for immortality. But the reality is that many of things we think of as being done for that reason later come to represent the exact opposite — the vanity and the ephemerality of human wishes.”
The imperial aesthetic at the heart of Donald Trump’s presidency
In addition to his accumulation of political power, Trump has embraced visual cues designed to project personal command and grandeur.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 3, 2025 at 2:38 PM
“Construction can be intended to project authority, dignity, glory and a desire for immortality. But the reality is that many of things we think of as being done for that reason later come to represent the exact opposite — the vanity and the ephemerality of human wishes.”
Maine voter: “If you look at the controversies surrounding the current president, this is nothing.”
Graham Platner says controversies have 'strengthened' his Maine Senate campaign
In an interview with NBC News after a packed event, Platner bashed "establishment politics" and said he's still more electable than Democratic rival Janet Mills.
www.nbcnews.com
November 3, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Maine voter: “If you look at the controversies surrounding the current president, this is nothing.”
“While other presidents may have ruminated about this issue privately, I am not aware of any of them making a public statement questioning whether they will go to heaven.”
Trump’s Search for Eternity: Heaven? Maybe Not, He Says. Monuments? Absolutely.
www.nytimes.com
November 3, 2025 at 1:56 PM
“While other presidents may have ruminated about this issue privately, I am not aware of any of them making a public statement questioning whether they will go to heaven.”
"... our electoral regimes have devolved into frameworks amenable to politicians who stoke fear and manufacture enemies to secure votes. This phenomenon has become so normalized that ordinary people have begun to reflect the sociopathologies of the leadership class."
Joe Sacco Thought He Was Done With Comics Journalism
www.nytimes.com
November 3, 2025 at 1:48 PM
"... our electoral regimes have devolved into frameworks amenable to politicians who stoke fear and manufacture enemies to secure votes. This phenomenon has become so normalized that ordinary people have begun to reflect the sociopathologies of the leadership class."
"You know, I feel like I'm on an island sometimes. I do feel like the weirdo sometimes."
Jasmine Crockett on Trump, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Her Own Party’s Struggles
In a new interview, the Texas Democrat gets candid about Democratic messaging and her role in the party.
www.politico.com
November 3, 2025 at 1:47 PM
"You know, I feel like I'm on an island sometimes. I do feel like the weirdo sometimes."
“I was able to pay my bills, but it left me with about 22 bucks.”
A Shutdown Reality Check, From 1 Federal Worker
This isn’t what Ron Dunmore signed up for.
www.politico.com
November 3, 2025 at 1:39 PM
“I was able to pay my bills, but it left me with about 22 bucks.”
“What’s happening is public support for political violence is growing in the mainstream, it’s not a fringe thing, and the more it grows, the more it seems acceptable to volatile people.”
POLITICO Poll: Americans are bracing for political violence to get worse
POLITICO Poll: Americans think it’s likely a political candidate will be assassinated in the next five years.
www.politico.com
November 3, 2025 at 1:36 PM
“What’s happening is public support for political violence is growing in the mainstream, it’s not a fringe thing, and the more it grows, the more it seems acceptable to volatile people.”
“The emir broke all the protocols for President Trump because he understands the value of the relationship.”
How tiny Qatar became Trump's indispensable ally
The small but rich Gulf nation has helped shape some of President Donald Trump’s biggest diplomatic wins in the Middle East and beyond.
www.politico.com
November 3, 2025 at 1:33 PM
“The emir broke all the protocols for President Trump because he understands the value of the relationship.”
“There is a realization — if you want life to be more affordable, if you want a strong middle class — people need to have some money left after they pay rent or their mortgage. If there’s no money left or not even enough to eat, then your entire society collapses.”
Why Zohran Mamdani May Want to Look to Toronto
Canada’s most prominent mayor is a fan — and she has some advice for the potential next mayor of New York.
www.politico.com
November 3, 2025 at 1:24 PM
“There is a realization — if you want life to be more affordable, if you want a strong middle class — people need to have some money left after they pay rent or their mortgage. If there’s no money left or not even enough to eat, then your entire society collapses.”
Five things we learned about Zohran Mamdani.
Five things we learned about Zohran Mamdani
The Democratic socialist has revealed a lot about himself since the primary.
www.politico.com
November 3, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Five things we learned about Zohran Mamdani.
An expert on international law weighs in on the legality and global implications of the Trump administration’s drug boat killings.
‘At What Point Does This Cross a Line Into International Criminality?’
An expert on international law weighs in on the legality and global implications of the Trump administration’s drug boat killings.
www.politico.com
November 2, 2025 at 6:07 PM
An expert on international law weighs in on the legality and global implications of the Trump administration’s drug boat killings.
“We have a crisis of connection and meaning in this country, and Trump is a symptom, not the cause, of that crisis,” @chrismurphyct.bsky.social tells @politico.com.
America is like “someone who is feeling lost, confused, or beat up … or uncertain of what to do, and looking around and saying this isn’t right, this isn’t the way.”
Dems say the American Dream is dead. A lot of Trump voters agree.
The POLITICO Poll found more Americans say the country’s best times are behind than ahead.
www.politico.com
November 2, 2025 at 6:03 PM
“We have a crisis of connection and meaning in this country, and Trump is a symptom, not the cause, of that crisis,” @chrismurphyct.bsky.social tells @politico.com.
America is like “someone who is feeling lost, confused, or beat up … or uncertain of what to do, and looking around and saying this isn’t right, this isn’t the way.”
Dems say the American Dream is dead. A lot of Trump voters agree.
The POLITICO Poll found more Americans say the country’s best times are behind than ahead.
www.politico.com
November 2, 2025 at 5:59 PM
America is like “someone who is feeling lost, confused, or beat up … or uncertain of what to do, and looking around and saying this isn’t right, this isn’t the way.”
“Our own federal government is making this choice to hurt its people ...”
Nearly 42 million Americans lose their food stamp benefits
The lapse in benefits could be temporary if the Trump administration complies with a recent court order requiring them to use emergency money to fund SNAP.
www.politico.com
November 1, 2025 at 5:59 PM
“Our own federal government is making this choice to hurt its people ...”
“What country am I living in? Where is the law?”
What I Saw at the Epicenter of Trump’s War on ‘Illegals’
Migrants thought they were following the rules. Then the rules changed.
www.politico.com
November 1, 2025 at 5:54 PM
“What country am I living in? Where is the law?”
The latest from JMart: Trump Is the Democrats’ Best Campaigner.
Trump Is the Democrats’ Best Campaigner
GOP candidates for Tuesday’s elections are trapped between Trump’s demands for fealty and voters who want independence.
www.politico.com
November 1, 2025 at 5:44 PM
The latest from JMart: Trump Is the Democrats’ Best Campaigner.
POLITICO Weekend.
Scenes from the epicenter of Trump’s deportations
Migrants thought they were following the rules. Then the rules changed.
www.politico.com
November 1, 2025 at 5:21 PM
POLITICO Weekend.