Peter Baker
@peterbakernyt.bsky.social
Chief White House Correspondent for The New York Times and MS NOW analyst. Proud husband of @sbg1.bsky.social and equally proud father of @tab-delete.bsky.social. Co-author of "The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021."
Pinned
Peter Baker
@peterbakernyt.bsky.social
· Jan 23
The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • "The most comprehensive and detailed account of the Trump presidency yet published."—The Washington Post • A Best Book of the Year: The New Yorker and Financial Times • "Th...
politics-prose.com
As Trump opens his second term, it’s important to understand his first. “THE DIVIDER” w/@sbg1.bsky.social now in paperback or Kindle goes behind the scenes of his first four years in the White House and helps explain the next four.
politics-prose.com/book/9780593...
www.amazon.com/Divider-Trum...
politics-prose.com/book/9780593...
www.amazon.com/Divider-Trum...
The US ran a war game during Trump 1.0 to assess what Maduro’s fall might unleash. It found that chaos and violence would likely erupt as military units, rival political factions and even jungle-based guerrilla groups jockeyed for control. @michaelcrowley.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/u...
U.S. Ran a War Game on Ousting Maduro. Venezuela Fell Into Chaos.
www.nytimes.com
January 3, 2026 at 5:34 PM
The US ran a war game during Trump 1.0 to assess what Maduro’s fall might unleash. It found that chaos and violence would likely erupt as military units, rival political factions and even jungle-based guerrilla groups jockeyed for control. @michaelcrowley.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/u...
Jack Smith in newly released testimony: "Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election and to prevent the lawful transfer of power." @glennthrush.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/u...
In Hearing Transcript, Jack Smith Defends Decision to Indict Trump
www.nytimes.com
January 3, 2026 at 12:59 AM
Jack Smith in newly released testimony: "Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election and to prevent the lawful transfer of power." @glennthrush.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/u...
A compelling graphic look at all the ways that Trump and his family and friends have been monetizing the White House in his second term to enrich themselves more than any presidential clan has ever done before. @lazarogamio.bsky.social Amy Schoenfeld Walker
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Trump’s Tangled Web of Deal-Making, Policy and Riches
The president, his family and some of their closest associates have engaged in a sprawling campaign of deals that stretches across industries and the globe.
www.nytimes.com
January 1, 2026 at 10:53 PM
A compelling graphic look at all the ways that Trump and his family and friends have been monetizing the White House in his second term to enrich themselves more than any presidential clan has ever done before. @lazarogamio.bsky.social Amy Schoenfeld Walker
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Trump takes 325 mg of aspirin a day, four times the common low dose of 81 mg, because "they say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood and I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart." www.wsj.com/us-news/as-s...
Exclusive | As Signs of Aging Emerge, Trump Responds With Defiance
In an interview, President Trump—the oldest man to assume the office—said he has eschewed some advice from his doctors and regrets getting advanced imaging.
www.wsj.com
January 1, 2026 at 8:33 PM
Trump takes 325 mg of aspirin a day, four times the common low dose of 81 mg, because "they say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood and I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart." www.wsj.com/us-news/as-s...
Trump says he "saved" the Kennedy Center which allies cited to rename it after him without Congress. But ratings for the annual honors were way down, ticket sales have fallen, musicians are pulling out and shows are being canceled. www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Kennedy Center Honors ratings tank after Trump takeover
The Kennedy Center Honors earned record-low viewership of a little over 3 million after President Trump overhauled the cultural center.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 1, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Trump says he "saved" the Kennedy Center which allies cited to rename it after him without Congress. But ratings for the annual honors were way down, ticket sales have fallen, musicians are pulling out and shows are being canceled. www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Newly released emails raise serious questions about whether the Justice Department misled a judge by telling him that local prosecutors had acted alone in charging Abrego Garcia. @alanfeuer.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/12/30/n...
Justice Dept. Leaders Pushed to Charge Abrego Garcia, Emails Show
www.nytimes.com
January 1, 2026 at 2:08 AM
Newly released emails raise serious questions about whether the Justice Department misled a judge by telling him that local prosecutors had acted alone in charging Abrego Garcia. @alanfeuer.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/12/30/n...
Trump abandons for now efforts to deploy the National Guard in Chicago, Portland and Los Angeles after Supreme Court decision. The Guard is still deployed in Washington, New Orleans and Memphis. www.nytimes.com/live/2025/12...
Trump Administration Live Updates: President Abandons Effort to Deploy National Guard to 3 Cities
www.nytimes.com
December 31, 2025 at 10:59 PM
Trump abandons for now efforts to deploy the National Guard in Chicago, Portland and Los Angeles after Supreme Court decision. The Guard is still deployed in Washington, New Orleans and Memphis. www.nytimes.com/live/2025/12...
All kind of giants in politics, culture and society died in 2025, including Dick Cheney, Pope Francis,Diane Keaton, Frank Gehry, Jane Goodall, George Foreman, Charlie Kirk and Rob Reiner. But the @nytimes.com obituary that got the most page views: Val Kilmer. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/o...
Gone in 2025: A Yearlong Procession of Giants
www.nytimes.com
December 30, 2025 at 11:34 PM
All kind of giants in politics, culture and society died in 2025, including Dick Cheney, Pope Francis,Diane Keaton, Frank Gehry, Jane Goodall, George Foreman, Charlie Kirk and Rob Reiner. But the @nytimes.com obituary that got the most page views: Val Kilmer. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/o...
The man arrested on charges of placing two pipe bombs the night before a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, felt he needed to "speak up" after beginning to suspect that the 2020 election had been "tampered with," authorities say. @alanfeuer.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/12/28/u...
Suspect Confessed to Planting Pipe Bombs Near the Capitol Before Jan. 6
www.nytimes.com
December 29, 2025 at 2:41 AM
The man arrested on charges of placing two pipe bombs the night before a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, felt he needed to "speak up" after beginning to suspect that the 2020 election had been "tampered with," authorities say. @alanfeuer.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/12/28/u...
Trump, meeting with Zelensky, once again says he trusts that Putin really does want to make peace even as Russian forces pound Ukraine and Moscow rejects concessions. "I believe him," Trump says. www.nytimes.com/live/2025/12...
Trump Administration Live Updates: President and Zelensky Cite Progress but Peace Deal Remains Elusive
www.nytimes.com
December 29, 2025 at 12:36 AM
Trump, meeting with Zelensky, once again says he trusts that Putin really does want to make peace even as Russian forces pound Ukraine and Moscow rejects concessions. "I believe him," Trump says. www.nytimes.com/live/2025/12...
US launches strikes against the Islamic State in Nigeria, Trump announces, the latest American military campaign against a nonstate adversary — in this case, Islamic jihadis who the president asserts have been slaughtering Christians. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/25/u...
Trump Announces Strike Against ISIS in Nigeria
www.nytimes.com
December 26, 2025 at 1:01 AM
US launches strikes against the Islamic State in Nigeria, Trump announces, the latest American military campaign against a nonstate adversary — in this case, Islamic jihadis who the president asserts have been slaughtering Christians. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/25/u...
For two weeks, Russia has been pounding Odesa, the largest port in Ukraine, repeatedly hitting it with drones and missiles in the city’s worst shelling through almost four years of war. Some residents have been without power, heat or water. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/25/w...
No Power, No Heat, No Water: Odesa’s Days of Hell Under Russian Fire
www.nytimes.com
December 25, 2025 at 5:58 PM
For two weeks, Russia has been pounding Odesa, the largest port in Ukraine, repeatedly hitting it with drones and missiles in the city’s worst shelling through almost four years of war. Some residents have been without power, heat or water. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/25/w...
Trump's friends-and-family approach to clemency has spawned a pardon-shopping industry where lobbyists say their going rate is $1 million and some have been offered success fees as high as $6 million, per @rebeccaballhaus.bsky.social Josh Dawsey @cryanbarber.bsky.social www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Inside the New Fast Track to a Presidential Pardon
Even some of the president’s closest advisers have been surprised by a number of the recent series of pardons.
www.wsj.com
December 24, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Trump's friends-and-family approach to clemency has spawned a pardon-shopping industry where lobbyists say their going rate is $1 million and some have been offered success fees as high as $6 million, per @rebeccaballhaus.bsky.social Josh Dawsey @cryanbarber.bsky.social www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Tragic news from Ben Sasse, who shares that he was diagnosed last week with stage-four pancreatic cancer and "am gonna die." Writing online, he says he is "not going down without a fight," adding that "the process of dying is still something to be lived." www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/u...
Ben Sasse Says He Has Terminal Pancreatic Cancer
www.nytimes.com
December 24, 2025 at 4:27 AM
Tragic news from Ben Sasse, who shares that he was diagnosed last week with stage-four pancreatic cancer and "am gonna die." Writing online, he says he is "not going down without a fight," adding that "the process of dying is still something to be lived." www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/u...
Supreme Court bars Trump from deploying National Guard troops in the Chicago area over the objection of Illinois officials, signaling that the justices are likely to immediately block similar deployments in other American cities. www.nytimes.com/live/2025/12...
Trump Administration Live Updates: Borrowers in Default on Student Loans Could Have Wages Garnished Starting in January
www.nytimes.com
December 23, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Supreme Court bars Trump from deploying National Guard troops in the Chicago area over the objection of Illinois officials, signaling that the justices are likely to immediately block similar deployments in other American cities. www.nytimes.com/live/2025/12...
How did DOGE disrupt so much but save so little? In DOGE’s published list of canceled contracts and grants, the 13 largest were all incorrect. Of the 40 biggest claims on DOGE’s list, only 12 appeared accurate, per @nytimes.com analysis. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/u...
How Did DOGE Disrupt So Much While Saving So Little?
www.nytimes.com
December 23, 2025 at 7:47 PM
How did DOGE disrupt so much but save so little? In DOGE’s published list of canceled contracts and grants, the 13 largest were all incorrect. Of the 40 biggest claims on DOGE’s list, only 12 appeared accurate, per @nytimes.com analysis. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/u...
Trump administration orders nearly 30 ambassadors around the world to return to the US, a move that would leave a large gap in the diplomatic corps even as Trump says he wants to resolve conflicts through diplomacy. @ewong.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/12/22/u...
Trump Administration Orders Nearly 30 U.S. Ambassadors to Leave Their Posts
www.nytimes.com
December 23, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Trump administration orders nearly 30 ambassadors around the world to return to the US, a move that would leave a large gap in the diplomatic corps even as Trump says he wants to resolve conflicts through diplomacy. @ewong.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/12/22/u...
The economy grew at a vigorous 4.3% annualized rate in the third quarter despite the uncertainty created by tariffs and widespread concerns about affordability among households. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/b...
U.S. Economic Growth Surged in Third Quarter of 2025
www.nytimes.com
December 23, 2025 at 4:07 PM
The economy grew at a vigorous 4.3% annualized rate in the third quarter despite the uncertainty created by tariffs and widespread concerns about affordability among households. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/b...
In both pageantry and policy, Trump has established a new, more audacious version of the imperial presidency that goes far beyond even the one associated with Richard Nixon, for whom the term was popularized half a century ago. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/21/u...
Trump Takes America’s ‘Imperial Presidency’ to a New Level
www.nytimes.com
December 21, 2025 at 3:47 PM
In both pageantry and policy, Trump has established a new, more audacious version of the imperial presidency that goes far beyond even the one associated with Richard Nixon, for whom the term was popularized half a century ago. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/21/u...
Democrats didn't talk much about "affordability" when Biden was in office, but now it's become their go-to word and even Republicans have adopted it. Members of Congress now use the word 10 times as much in their email than last year. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/20/u...
How Democrats Used One Word to Turn the Tide Against Trump
www.nytimes.com
December 20, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Democrats didn't talk much about "affordability" when Biden was in office, but now it's become their go-to word and even Republicans have adopted it. Members of Congress now use the word 10 times as much in their email than last year. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/20/u...
And here is the version in the @washingtonpost.com by the great Adam Bernstein, who lucky for us now works at the @nytimes.com. He quotes Doug Brinkley calling Lou the "fountainhead of Reaganalia whose books on the president have never been transcended." www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2...
December 20, 2025 at 6:01 PM
And here is the version in the @washingtonpost.com by the great Adam Bernstein, who lucky for us now works at the @nytimes.com. He quotes Doug Brinkley calling Lou the "fountainhead of Reaganalia whose books on the president have never been transcended." www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2...
RIP Lou Cannon, the legendary White House reporter and Reagan biographer whose multiple books set the gold standard and remain the most textured and sophisticated portraits of our 40th president. He was also endlessly supportive of those who followed him. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/20/b...
Lou Cannon Dies at 92; Journalist Chronicled Reagan as an Author
www.nytimes.com
December 20, 2025 at 3:41 PM
RIP Lou Cannon, the legendary White House reporter and Reagan biographer whose multiple books set the gold standard and remain the most textured and sophisticated portraits of our 40th president. He was also endlessly supportive of those who followed him. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/20/b...
When Trump came back to office, Putin studied psychological profiles of his circle and decided he wanted to deal with Witkoff not Kellogg. A year later, Kellogg is out and Witkoff, who Trump says "knew nothing" about Russia, has been to Russia six times. www.wsj.com/world/putin-...
Witkoff’s Other Backer in His Unlikely Diplomatic Ascent: Putin
The Kremlin release of an American prisoner and a Saudi backchannel bolstered the rise of Trump’s longtime friend.
www.wsj.com
December 20, 2025 at 2:52 PM
When Trump came back to office, Putin studied psychological profiles of his circle and decided he wanted to deal with Witkoff not Kellogg. A year later, Kellogg is out and Witkoff, who Trump says "knew nothing" about Russia, has been to Russia six times. www.wsj.com/world/putin-...
Of 107 democracies studied by @pewresearch.org, only one other country uses the same redistricting approach as the US, that is, single-member districts drawn mainly by state legislatures: the Federated States of Micronesia, with a population of around 100,000. www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
U.S. stands out globally in how it draws legislative districts
Among 107 democracies, we found that only one other country uses the same redistricting approach as the U.S.
www.pewresearch.org
December 20, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Of 107 democracies studied by @pewresearch.org, only one other country uses the same redistricting approach as the US, that is, single-member districts drawn mainly by state legislatures: the Federated States of Micronesia, with a population of around 100,000. www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
When Trump visited Mount Vernon in 2018, he couldn't understand why George Washington didn't name it after himself. “You’ve got to put your name on stuff or no one remembers you.” Reupping this prescient piece from @politico.com which seems pretty relevant today. www.politico.com/story/2019/0...
Trump’s ‘truly bizarre’ visit to Mt. Vernon
The 45th president — no student of history — marveled at the first president's failure to name his historic compound after himself.
www.politico.com
December 19, 2025 at 8:56 PM
When Trump visited Mount Vernon in 2018, he couldn't understand why George Washington didn't name it after himself. “You’ve got to put your name on stuff or no one remembers you.” Reupping this prescient piece from @politico.com which seems pretty relevant today. www.politico.com/story/2019/0...