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Michelle Cottle @mcottle

I cover national politics and all manner of Washington insanity for NYTimes Opinion.

Joined July 2009
  • Tweets 5,708
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32 Photos and videos
Trump suddenly loves reparations!! Jamelle, David and I unpack the president's $1.8 billion slush fund for his allies. nytimes.com/2026/05/23/opini…

Opinion | Has Trump Gone Full ‘Mob Boss’?

The president’s $1.8 billion slush fund is causing further cracks in the Republican Party.

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A labor of love: Trump continues his hollowing out of the GOP. nytimes.com/2026/05/19/opini…

Opinion | Kentucky Had an Easy Choice Between Massie and Trump

The president wants a loyal Republican Party — even if the country might not.

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MAGA congresswomen channeling their bomb-throwing outrage at congressional men behaving badly? I'm so here for it. nytimes.com/2026/05/18/opini…

Opinion | MAGA Women Are Leading a #Me2.0 in Washington

These G.O.P. crusaders might be the perfect people to fight sexual misconduct on Capitol Hill.

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What on Earth Is Happening in California? Your Guide to a Very Weird Election. nytimes.com/2026/05/04/opini…

Opinion | 8 Candidates. 4 Weeks Left. This Race Has Become a Hot Mess.

Why is the country’s most populous state stuck with such a bad choice for governor?

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Come for the votes. Stay for the cake pops. The Dems' path to a House win in this South Texas district runs straight through sparkly pink quinceaneras. nytimes.com/2026/04/23/opini…

Opinion | ‘People Here Do Not Consider Themselves Poor. They Consider Themselves Broke.’

Big parts of the Rio Grande Valley turned against the party in recent years. One candidate is trying to win it back, one quinceañera at a time.

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Enough With the Nepo Candidates, Democrats nytimes.com/2026/04/06/opini…

Opinion | Enough With the Nepo Candidates, Democrats

Democrats smother their best message — change — when they try to reserve public offices for relatives and cronies.

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Hoosiers Hate Cheaters, and Other Reasons a Trump Revenge Campaign Might Fail nytimes.com/2026/04/01/opini…

Opinion | Stolid Midwestern Republicans Might Be the Real #Resistance

In the Indiana primaries, a crucial test of the MAGA loyalty machine.

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The Dems need to prove they aren't weak, whiny and scared to shake up the system. Pennsylvania's Paige Cognetti has already done that. nytimes.com/2026/03/17/opini…

Opinion | The Scrappy Mayor Showing Democrats How It’s Done

Democrats can’t just sit back and expect the prevailing political winds to produce a blue wave.

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It was always going to end this way for ICE Barbie nytimes.com/2026/03/05/opini…

Opinion | What Noem Should Do After Trump Fired Her

It’s hard out there for a MAGA woman.

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Dems could claw back ground in Texas -- though maybe not in the way you'd think. nytimes.com/2026/02/18/opini…

Opinion | The Democrats’ Texas Fever Dream Might Actually Come True This Time

A shock Democratic victory in a Texas special election shows what the party needs to do to win more there and many other places, too.

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For the love of God, can someone please get Trump a copy of Ozymandias? nytimes.com/2026/02/10/opini…

Opinion | Trump Steaks, Trump University, Trump International Airport? This Has to Stop.

The president wants to change the public landscape to honor himself. It’s not the worst thing he’s done, but it will require fixing.

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It is not House Dems' job to shield the Clintons. nytimes.com/2026/01/28/opini…

Opinion | Democrats Are Holding the Clintons in Contempt? Way to Go!

As Democrats work to regain the public trust and to shed their image as the party of elites, they cannot be seen as treating elites in their party as above the law.

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Senate Dems get a shot of hope. nytimes.com/2026/01/14/opini…

Opinion | Suddenly, Alaska Is in Play

Mary Peltola’s entry into the Alaska Senate race is a building block in an electoral strategy Democrats have been working on for months.

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Trump's least fav Republican is testing whether we have a president or a king. nytimes.com/2026/01/12/opini…

Opinion | The Rare Republican Who Brawls With Trump — and Is Ready for More

Thomas Massie says his primary against a Trump-supported challenger will be a referendum on whether you can “have a thought that diverges from the president’s.”

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Yes, Nancy Pelosi Says, the Country Is Ready for a Woman to Be President nytimes.com/2025/12/19/opini…

Opinion | Yes, Nancy Pelosi Says, the Country Is Ready for a Woman to Be President

The speaker emerita is disappointed and a little surprised that the presidential glass ceiling remains intact but is confident that it will change.

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An unhappy new phase for Trump. nytimes.com/2025/12/04/opini…

Opinion | He’s Unpopular. A Lame Duck. And Taking Heat From Multiple Directions.

Rare pushback from his party and troubling poll numbers reflect the newly precarious situation in which Trump finds himself.

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A bit of dark caregiving humor as the holidays approach. ‘We Had No Idea What Was Coming’: Caring for My Aging Father nytimes.com/2025/11/24/opini…

Opinion | The People Holding Everyone Together Are Coming Apart

Caregivers are at the brink of despair.

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When Senators get spicy: "The problem is that we can't get shit done." ‘It’s Completely Unappealing’: Why the Senate Is Broken nytimes.com/2025/08/04/opini…

Opinion | ‘It’s Completely Unappealing’: Why the Senate Is Broken

Creative obstructionism in the Senate, says Tina Smith of Minnesota, has become “a fine art” that has nearly paralyzed the institution.

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New MoO for you! Join me, @CarlosNYT & @DouthatNYT as we talk Trump-era culture, past and future. Plus, a holiday hot-cold for my Gen Xers. nytimes.com/2024/12/06/opini…

Opinion | The Highbrow and Lowbrow of the Trump Era (Published 2024)

Trump culture has been renewed for a second season.

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Giving Tuesday is upon us! Hopefully, you haven't maxed out those credit cards already. So much need, so many worthy causes -- including one that particularly impressed me during my reporting on the Aging of America... nytimes.com/2024/12/03/opini…

Opinion | Seniors Need Our Help to Stay in the Homes They Love (Published 2024)

Habitat for Humanity helps older people who can’t afford to make their homes safe and workable as they age.

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