Ronda Kaysen
@rondakaysen.bsky.social
Reporter @nytimes Find my work at nytimes.com/by/Ronda-kaysen
Trump's ballroom reminded me of the Gilded Age ballrooms in the Newport mansions. So Dan Levin and I set out to find out why they were once a status symbol of the super rich, why they faded from fashion, and who still wants one. (RuPaul is a ballroom devotee!) www.nytimes.com/2025/10/27/r...
Ballrooms May Be a Gilded Relic, but They Still Have Their Devotees
www.nytimes.com
October 28, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Trump's ballroom reminded me of the Gilded Age ballrooms in the Newport mansions. So Dan Levin and I set out to find out why they were once a status symbol of the super rich, why they faded from fashion, and who still wants one. (RuPaul is a ballroom devotee!) www.nytimes.com/2025/10/27/r...
Reposted by Ronda Kaysen
At 90,000 square feet, the East Wing Ballroom will nearly double the White House’s footprint. From NYT Politics:
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Trump Is Making Major White House Renovations. See What's Changing. (Gift Article)
In less than a year, President Trump has already significantly remade the White House. Here is what to know about five key renovations.
www.nytimes.com
October 22, 2025 at 2:09 AM
At 90,000 square feet, the East Wing Ballroom will nearly double the White House’s footprint. From NYT Politics:
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Reposted by Ronda Kaysen
Scoop: Trump has started demolishing the White House's East Wing facade to build his ballroom. The president had claimed construction of the $250 million building wouldn’t ‘interfere’ with the existing White House structure. /W @ddiamond.bsky.social wapo.st/4hqBNiU
White House begins demolishing East Wing facade to build Trump’s ballroom
The president had claimed construction of the $250 million ballroom wouldn’t ‘interfere’ with the existing White House structure.
wapo.st
October 20, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Scoop: Trump has started demolishing the White House's East Wing facade to build his ballroom. The president had claimed construction of the $250 million building wouldn’t ‘interfere’ with the existing White House structure. /W @ddiamond.bsky.social wapo.st/4hqBNiU
Reposted by Ronda Kaysen
Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE
nyti.ms
October 8, 2025 at 11:29 PM
Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE
Gov Hochul announced a new plan to bring manufactured homes to rural and suburban New York. In my exclusive interview with her, she talked about the stigma of manufactured housing and how building more of it is the only way to convince people that it can work. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/22/r...
With New Plan, Hochul Fast-Tracks Housing Supply
www.nytimes.com
September 22, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Gov Hochul announced a new plan to bring manufactured homes to rural and suburban New York. In my exclusive interview with her, she talked about the stigma of manufactured housing and how building more of it is the only way to convince people that it can work. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/22/r...
Reposted by Ronda Kaysen
President Trump didn't like the jobs numbers, so he fired the person responsible for producing them.
It's a move that has been tried before, by leaders of countries from Argentina to Greece to the Soviet Union. It rarely ends well.
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/03/b... #EconSky
It's a move that has been tried before, by leaders of countries from Argentina to Greece to the Soviet Union. It rarely ends well.
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/03/b... #EconSky
Trump Fired America’s Economic Data Collector. History Shows the Perils.
www.nytimes.com
August 3, 2025 at 5:21 PM
President Trump didn't like the jobs numbers, so he fired the person responsible for producing them.
It's a move that has been tried before, by leaders of countries from Argentina to Greece to the Soviet Union. It rarely ends well.
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/03/b... #EconSky
It's a move that has been tried before, by leaders of countries from Argentina to Greece to the Soviet Union. It rarely ends well.
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/03/b... #EconSky
Reposted by Ronda Kaysen
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/04/r...
Search activity for American listings plummeted in the wake of President Trump’s unpredictable trade war. Via @rondakaysen.bsky.social earlier this month.
Search activity for American listings plummeted in the wake of President Trump’s unpredictable trade war. Via @rondakaysen.bsky.social earlier this month.
Canadian Buyers Are Dropping Out of the U.S. Housing Market
www.nytimes.com
July 26, 2025 at 5:56 PM
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/04/r...
Search activity for American listings plummeted in the wake of President Trump’s unpredictable trade war. Via @rondakaysen.bsky.social earlier this month.
Search activity for American listings plummeted in the wake of President Trump’s unpredictable trade war. Via @rondakaysen.bsky.social earlier this month.
As Trump started rolling out tariff policies and calling for Canada to be a US state, Canadians stopped looking for houses to buy here. My story today www.nytimes.com/2025/07/04/r...
Canadian Buyers Are Dropping Out of the U.S. Housing Market
www.nytimes.com
July 4, 2025 at 12:52 PM
As Trump started rolling out tariff policies and calling for Canada to be a US state, Canadians stopped looking for houses to buy here. My story today www.nytimes.com/2025/07/04/r...
Reposted by Ronda Kaysen
“There isn’t any urgency to buying right now — if anything it feels more risky to put a down payment into a home when you might not have a job six months from now.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/02/r...
By @nytimes.com’s @rondakaysen.bsky.social
#housing+ #urbanism+ #urbanism
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/02/r...
By @nytimes.com’s @rondakaysen.bsky.social
#housing+ #urbanism+ #urbanism
The Housing Market Was Supposed to Recover This Year. What Happened?
www.nytimes.com
June 5, 2025 at 6:35 PM
“There isn’t any urgency to buying right now — if anything it feels more risky to put a down payment into a home when you might not have a job six months from now.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/02/r...
By @nytimes.com’s @rondakaysen.bsky.social
#housing+ #urbanism+ #urbanism
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/02/r...
By @nytimes.com’s @rondakaysen.bsky.social
#housing+ #urbanism+ #urbanism
The US has not built enough housing in decades. It’s a big reason why home prices are high and why rents are high. Builders depend on steel to build apartment buildings.
Trump makes a tariff announcement in Pennsylvania: "We are going to be imposing a 25% increase -- we're gonna bring it from 25% to 50%, the tariffs on steel into the US."
June 3, 2025 at 1:29 AM
The US has not built enough housing in decades. It’s a big reason why home prices are high and why rents are high. Builders depend on steel to build apartment buildings.
Last year was the slowest housing market in 30 years. This year is looking worse. I looked into what's dragging the market down now (spoiler alert: it's the threat of a recession) www.nytimes.com/2025/06/02/r...
The Housing Market Was Supposed to Recover This Year. What Happened?
www.nytimes.com
June 2, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Last year was the slowest housing market in 30 years. This year is looking worse. I looked into what's dragging the market down now (spoiler alert: it's the threat of a recession) www.nytimes.com/2025/06/02/r...
For @nytimes.com I am looking to speak with American home buyers who have been trying to buy their first home this spring. How competitive is the market in your area? How are you thinking about mortgage rates? Home prices? My DMs are open or email ronda.kaysen@nytimes.com
May 23, 2025 at 12:02 PM
For @nytimes.com I am looking to speak with American home buyers who have been trying to buy their first home this spring. How competitive is the market in your area? How are you thinking about mortgage rates? Home prices? My DMs are open or email ronda.kaysen@nytimes.com
The most Jersey thing ever. “The Book of Exodus details the 10 plagues that God inflicted upon the Egyptian pharaoh and his people… lately it seems that ancient Egypt has nothing on modern New Jersey.“ www.nytimes.com/2025/05/18/n...
New Jersey, State of Constant Motion, Learns to Live With Immobility
www.nytimes.com
May 18, 2025 at 6:21 PM
The most Jersey thing ever. “The Book of Exodus details the 10 plagues that God inflicted upon the Egyptian pharaoh and his people… lately it seems that ancient Egypt has nothing on modern New Jersey.“ www.nytimes.com/2025/05/18/n...
In the wake of the LA fires, thousands of Angelenos fanned out across the city, the state and the region in search of housing. My colleague Rob Gebeloff and I learned where they went. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/16/r...
Swept by the Fires, Away From Their Lives
www.nytimes.com
May 16, 2025 at 5:44 PM
In the wake of the LA fires, thousands of Angelenos fanned out across the city, the state and the region in search of housing. My colleague Rob Gebeloff and I learned where they went. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/16/r...
Reposted by Ronda Kaysen
In NYT, @rondakaysen.bsky.social shows how housing construction costs could increase substantially under Trump Administration's tariffs and immigration policy.
A single-family home in Phoenix could increase in construction costs by hundreds of thousands of dollars.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
A single-family home in Phoenix could increase in construction costs by hundreds of thousands of dollars.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
April 2, 2025 at 11:42 AM
In NYT, @rondakaysen.bsky.social shows how housing construction costs could increase substantially under Trump Administration's tariffs and immigration policy.
A single-family home in Phoenix could increase in construction costs by hundreds of thousands of dollars.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
A single-family home in Phoenix could increase in construction costs by hundreds of thousands of dollars.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Reposted by Ronda Kaysen
“Nearly half of roofers in the United States are not citizens. Without them, labor costs could rise by 30 percent.” 🏘️ @rondakaysen.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
How Trump’s Tariffs and Immigration Policies Could Make It More Expensive to Build a New Home
Take a line-by-line look at the estimated costs of building this four-bedroom home in Phoenix, Ariz., under President Trump’s agenda.
www.nytimes.com
April 2, 2025 at 8:52 AM
“Nearly half of roofers in the United States are not citizens. Without them, labor costs could rise by 30 percent.” 🏘️ @rondakaysen.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
I wanted to write about the impact of Trump's immigration and tariff polices on home construction. My editor, Nikita Stewart, had the brilliant idea to consider how they would affect one house. Our amazing graphics team worked their magic and we produced this. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
How Trump’s Tariffs and Immigration Policies Could Make It More Expensive to Build a New Home (Gift Article)
Take a line-by-line look at the estimated costs of building this four-bedroom home in Phoenix, Ariz., under President Trump’s agenda.
www.nytimes.com
April 1, 2025 at 8:39 PM
I wanted to write about the impact of Trump's immigration and tariff polices on home construction. My editor, Nikita Stewart, had the brilliant idea to consider how they would affect one house. Our amazing graphics team worked their magic and we produced this. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Reposted by Ronda Kaysen
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac support around 70% of the U.S. mortgage market. Privatizing them could be a windfall for investors, but would likely make buying a home more expensive in the midst of an affordability crisis. @rondakaysen.bsky.social @nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/r...
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/r...
If Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Go Private, Buying a Home Could Get Pricier (Gift Article)
Privatizing the government-sponsored mortgage giants could be a windfall for investors and raise interest rates for home buyers.
www.nytimes.com
March 26, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac support around 70% of the U.S. mortgage market. Privatizing them could be a windfall for investors, but would likely make buying a home more expensive in the midst of an affordability crisis. @rondakaysen.bsky.social @nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/r...
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/r...
I wrote about #Severance and the real life story of Lumon’s headquarters www.nytimes.com/2025/03/07/r...
Step Into the Real-Life Lumon Industries, the Breakout Star of ‘Severance’
www.nytimes.com
March 14, 2025 at 5:43 PM
I wrote about #Severance and the real life story of Lumon’s headquarters www.nytimes.com/2025/03/07/r...
When I was in Altadena in January, I had the privilege to meet Clarence Wright as he saw the remnants of his home for the first time. We’ve stayed in touch and spoken about the things he took with him as he fled his home of 40 years. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
What Survivors of the L.A. Fires Took With Them (Gift Article)
They rushed to flee the fires in Southern California, grabbing their belongings and their pets. They took the precious and the mundane, each with its own story to tell.
www.nytimes.com
February 22, 2025 at 9:48 PM
When I was in Altadena in January, I had the privilege to meet Clarence Wright as he saw the remnants of his home for the first time. We’ve stayed in touch and spoken about the things he took with him as he fled his home of 40 years. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
I joined CBS morning news yesterday to talk about why the rent is too darn high. Spoiler alert: it's not going to get much better anytime soon. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pkn6...
U.S. rents on the rise in 2025
YouTube video by CBS News
www.youtube.com
February 18, 2025 at 5:26 PM
I joined CBS morning news yesterday to talk about why the rent is too darn high. Spoiler alert: it's not going to get much better anytime soon. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pkn6...
Reposted by Ronda Kaysen
Builders describe an unpredictable atmosphere where they are passing the burden of tariffs onto consumers. Add in the risk of inflation from tariffs, interest rates could rise in response, and it would drive up costs even more. @rondakaysen.bsky.social @nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/15/r...
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/15/r...
Home Builders Say Trump Tariffs Are Raising Construction Costs (Gift Article)
Some developers describe an unpredictable climate that could drive up building costs and home prices.
www.nytimes.com
February 18, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Builders describe an unpredictable atmosphere where they are passing the burden of tariffs onto consumers. Add in the risk of inflation from tariffs, interest rates could rise in response, and it would drive up costs even more. @rondakaysen.bsky.social @nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/15/r...
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/15/r...
A month into congestion pricing and my bus commute into NYC is consistently 15-20 min faster each way, no matter what time of day I travel. It has given me 40 minutes of my life back. I work in midtown and crossing the street is no longer gridlock.
February 7, 2025 at 8:52 PM
A month into congestion pricing and my bus commute into NYC is consistently 15-20 min faster each way, no matter what time of day I travel. It has given me 40 minutes of my life back. I work in midtown and crossing the street is no longer gridlock.
Reposted by Ronda Kaysen
Read @rondakaysen.bsky.social and @emmbadger.bsky.social for more:
www.nytimes.com/2025...
www.nytimes.com/2025...
4/4
www.nytimes.com/2025...
www.nytimes.com/2025...
4/4
L.A. Faces Pressure From Wealthy Residents as the Pacific Palisades Rebuilds
The neighborhood is likely to grow more expensive and exclusive as millionaire Angelenos demand a fast-track recovery.
www.nytimes.com
February 5, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Read @rondakaysen.bsky.social and @emmbadger.bsky.social for more:
www.nytimes.com/2025...
www.nytimes.com/2025...
4/4
www.nytimes.com/2025...
www.nytimes.com/2025...
4/4
Pacific Palisades is home to Hollywood royalty, hedge fund managers and political donors. Some have a direct line to the mayor, the governor and the president. I talked to them about their vision for the future -- one that will likely be richer and more exclusive. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/04/r...
L.A. Faces Pressure From Wealthy Residents as the Pacific Palisades Rebuilds (Gift Article)
The neighborhood is likely to grow more expensive and exclusive as millionaire Angelenos demand a fast-track recovery.
www.nytimes.com
February 5, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Pacific Palisades is home to Hollywood royalty, hedge fund managers and political donors. Some have a direct line to the mayor, the governor and the president. I talked to them about their vision for the future -- one that will likely be richer and more exclusive. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/04/r...