menu_open Columnists
Michelle Cottle

Michelle Cottle

The Atlantic

We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

What Kristi Noem Should Do After President Trump Fired Her

It’s hard out there for a MAGA woman.

05.03.2026 8

The New York Times

Michelle Cottle

In Texas, the Old, Kinder, Gentler G.O.P. Faces Its Alamo Moment

John Cornyn says his challenger doesn’t have the character to serve in the Senate. MAGA voters might not care.

01.03.2026 10

The New York Times

Michelle Cottle

The Baby-Steps Strategy for Democrats to Win in Texas

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.

18.02.2026 100

The New York Times

Michelle Cottle

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.

10.02.2026 30

The New York Times

Michelle Cottle

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...

28.01.2026 6

The New York Times

Michelle Cottle

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.

15.01.2026 50

The New York Times

Michelle Cottle

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...

12.01.2026 80

The New York Times

Michelle Cottle

The 2025 Politics Yearbook: Most Likely to Be Extreme and Chaotic

How much more chaotic could a second Trump term be? 2025 did not disappoint.

31.12.2025 20

The New York Times

Michelle Cottle

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 confident that it will change.

19.12.2025 20

The New York Times

Michelle Cottle

Why Republicans Are Starting to Inch Away From Trump

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

04.12.2025 10

The New York Times

Michelle Cottle

‘We Had No Idea What Was Coming’: Caring for My Aging Father

Caregivers are at the brink of despair.

24.11.2025 70

The New York Times

Michelle Cottle

The Three G.O.P. Women Who Broke Trump’s Grip on Congress

Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Nancy Mace resisted pressure from the president and made the vote to release the Epstein files possible.

19.11.2025 9

The New York Times

Michelle Cottle

Democrats Need a Wartime Consigliere. Hakeem Jeffries Isn’t One.

The House Democratic leader’s fatal flaw may be that he is too unobjectionable for a Democratic Party spoiling for a fight with President Trump.

14.11.2025 8

The New York Times

Michelle Cottle

Rock Star Glamour and Centrist Pragmatism: Democrats Had It All

The constructive, if messy, path forward is for the party to embrace an all-of-the-above approach.

06.11.2025 20

The New York Times

Michelle Cottle

Adelita Grijalva Just Wants to Get to Work. The House Speaker Won’t Let Her.

Mike Johnson, the speaker, won’t swear in the Democratic representative-elect from Arizona.

28.10.2025 6

The New York Times

Michelle Cottle

When the Gerrymander Comes for MAGA

When the president starts rigging the system for his own benefit, no one is safe.

22.09.2025 10

The New York Times

Michelle Cottle

‘Weak, Woke and Whiny’ No More

The Democratic Party is counting on a new type of leader to counteract Trump.

27.08.2025 20

The New York Times

Michelle Cottle

‘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.

04.08.2025 10

The New York Times

Michelle Cottle

‘The High Road’s Not Available to Us’: Texas Democrats Have Had Enough

The Republican redistricting effort in Texas has emerged as a clear opportunity for Democrats to prove they have the stomach for a fight.

31.07.2025 10

The New York Times

Michelle Cottle

Governors Should Be the Face of the Democratic Party

The state leaders may be the party’s best shot at reconnecting with the American people.

14.07.2025 6

The New York Times

Michelle Cottle

How the Ravages of Age Are Ravaging the Democratic Party

Democrats need to figure out how to elevate new voices.

25.05.2025 10

The New York Times

Michelle Cottle

Matt Gaetz Fell From Grace. But Not Too Far, Apparently.

As he strives to stay relevant, Matt Gaetz, the former Florida congressman, is showing how, in Trump World, political resurrection remains a...

14.04.2025 10

The New York Times

Michelle Cottle

What Ocasio-Cortez Wants for the Democrats

The New York progressive believes economic populism is the path forward for Democrats. Can she unite her party around that?

30.03.2025 5

The New York Times

Michelle Cottle

How to Win, According to a Democrat Who Just Did in Trump Country

A focus on bread-and-butter issues, not the culture wars, helped an Iowa Democrat win in a red area. His playbook is now being used in Pennsylvania.

21.02.2025 9

The New York Times

Michelle Cottle

The Truth About Democrats, According to Amy Klobuchar

The Minnesota moderate has thoughts on how her party can move forward.

01.02.2025 10

The New York Times

Michelle Cottle

What This New Era of Power Looks Like in Washington

The vibe around the halls of Congress has been quite different from this time four years ago.

10.01.2025 10

The New York Times

Michelle Cottle

A Mild Defense of Lara Trump

Advertisement Supported by Michelle Cottle By Michelle Cottle Ms. Cottle writes about national politics for Opinion and is a host of the podcast “...

18.12.2024 10

The New York Times

Michelle Cottle