Alexandra Ulmer
@alexandraulmer.bsky.social
Reuters reporter covering U.S. politics with a focus on Trump, Musk and $. Previously in Venezuela, India, Chile & Argentina. [email protected]
Pinned
Trump crypto venture partners with platform linked to Middle East militants
A crypto venture recently unveiled by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and his new Middle East envoy, billionaire Steve Witkoff, has partnered with a crypto platform that authorities and financial experts say has been used by criminals and Iran-backed militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah.
www.reuters.com
NEW: Trump crypto venture partners with platform linked to Middle East militants Hamas and Hezbollah
www.reuters.com/technology/t...
www.reuters.com/technology/t...
Our special report on the Trump-linked venture capital fund that just topped $1 billion in assets:
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
Trump-linked venture fund 1789 Capital tops $1 billion in assets
With Donald Trump Jr. as a partner, 1789 Capital is drawing a flood of new investments and landing stakes in hot emerging tech firms – including xAI and two other Elon Musk ventures – as it executes plans to cash in on a MAGA “parallel economy.”
www.reuters.com
September 8, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Our special report on the Trump-linked venture capital fund that just topped $1 billion in assets:
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
Reposted by Alexandra Ulmer
Happening tonight! Speakers include SFGATE’s editor-in-chief @grantmarek.bsky.social, Le Temps video journalist Cathy Dogon, Catchlight CEO @elodiemailliet.bsky.social and @alexandraulmer.bsky.social, U.S. National Affairs Correspondent for Reuters in San Francisco
You can also join us next Wednesday 8/13 for an invite-only mixer that will bring together Swiss and US journalists to explore challenges, from financial pressures to algorithmic bubbles, and examine how different media systems and professional cultures are responding. lu.ma/wf59qj15?utm...
Journalism Mixer · Luma
On August 13, Swiss and US journalists get together for an honest cross-cultural conversation about the state of journalism today and what the future of the…
lu.ma
August 13, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Happening tonight! Speakers include SFGATE’s editor-in-chief @grantmarek.bsky.social, Le Temps video journalist Cathy Dogon, Catchlight CEO @elodiemailliet.bsky.social and @alexandraulmer.bsky.social, U.S. National Affairs Correspondent for Reuters in San Francisco
Read the first interview with Sahil Lavingia since he left DOGE. He does not mince his words about Musk's project:
www.reuters.com/world/us/wit...
www.reuters.com/world/us/wit...
Without Musk, DOGE likely to fizzle out, says ex-staffer
Without billionaire Elon Musk in the Trump administration, his cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency project is likely to sputter out, a former DOGE staffer said in his first interview since leaving the team.
www.reuters.com
May 30, 2025 at 12:12 AM
Read the first interview with Sahil Lavingia since he left DOGE. He does not mince his words about Musk's project:
www.reuters.com/world/us/wit...
www.reuters.com/world/us/wit...
Exclusive: Musk’s DOGE expanding his Grok AI in US government, raising conflict concerns
www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
Exclusive: Musk’s DOGE expanding his Grok AI in US government, raising conflict concerns
Elon Musk’s DOGE team is expanding use of his artificial intelligence chatbot Grok in the federal government to analyze data, said three people familiar with the matter, potentially putting at risk sensitive information on millions of Americans.
www.reuters.com
May 23, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Exclusive: Musk’s DOGE expanding his Grok AI in US government, raising conflict concerns
www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
Reposted by Alexandra Ulmer
unlocked:
Trump’s Plan to Take Jet From Qatar Heightens Corruption Concerns
The second Trump administration is blowing through limits on the mixing of public office and personal benefits.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/u...
Trump’s Plan to Take Jet From Qatar Heightens Corruption Concerns
The second Trump administration is blowing through limits on the mixing of public office and personal benefits.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/u...
Trump’s Plan to Take Jet From Qatar Heightens Corruption Concerns
www.nytimes.com
May 13, 2025 at 2:34 PM
unlocked:
Trump’s Plan to Take Jet From Qatar Heightens Corruption Concerns
The second Trump administration is blowing through limits on the mixing of public office and personal benefits.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/u...
Trump’s Plan to Take Jet From Qatar Heightens Corruption Concerns
The second Trump administration is blowing through limits on the mixing of public office and personal benefits.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/u...
Reposted by Alexandra Ulmer
With DOGE duties winding down, Elon Musk is laying the groundwork for a major role as a megadonor in the midterms — but not before asking Trump to boost Tesla’s image. Both men have denied Musk ever sought help. My latest w/ @alexandraulmer.bsky.social
www.reuters.com/business/aut...
www.reuters.com/business/aut...
Musk lays groundwork for big donor role in midterm elections as time with DOGE ends
As billionaire Elon Musk scales back work for U.S. President Donald Trump, he’s laying the groundwork for a major role as a Republican political megadonor in next year’s midterm elections, according to four people with direct knowledge of the matter.
www.reuters.com
April 28, 2025 at 6:12 PM
With DOGE duties winding down, Elon Musk is laying the groundwork for a major role as a megadonor in the midterms — but not before asking Trump to boost Tesla’s image. Both men have denied Musk ever sought help. My latest w/ @alexandraulmer.bsky.social
www.reuters.com/business/aut...
www.reuters.com/business/aut...
"I think he's exhausted and exasperated," one source says of Elon Musk as he wraps up his time at DOGE.
Latest with @nanditab1.bsky.social
www.reuters.com/business/aut...
Latest with @nanditab1.bsky.social
www.reuters.com/business/aut...
Musk lays groundwork for big donor role in midterm elections as time with DOGE ends
As billionaire Elon Musk scales back work for U.S. President Donald Trump, he’s laying the groundwork for a major role as a Republican political megadonor in next year’s midterm elections, according to four people with direct knowledge of the matter.
www.reuters.com
April 28, 2025 at 5:56 PM
"I think he's exhausted and exasperated," one source says of Elon Musk as he wraps up his time at DOGE.
Latest with @nanditab1.bsky.social
www.reuters.com/business/aut...
Latest with @nanditab1.bsky.social
www.reuters.com/business/aut...
Reposted by Alexandra Ulmer
Scoop from me and @alexandraulmer.bsky.social
As Trump administration intensifies efforts to acquire Greenland — or take it by force — some Silicon Valley tech investors are promoting the island as a site for a so-called freedom city, a libertarian utopia with minimal corporate regulation, people familiar with the matter said reut.rs/3FZj5Qw
Exclusive: Greenland ‘Freedom City’? Rich donors push Trump for a tech hub up north
As the Trump administration intensifies efforts to acquire Greenland from Denmark — or take it by force — some Silicon Valley tech investors are promoting the frozen island as a site for a so-called freedom city, a libertarian utopia with minimal corporate regulation, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
reut.rs
April 10, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Scoop from me and @alexandraulmer.bsky.social
Reposted by Alexandra Ulmer
NEW DOGE reporting, per sources:
* DOGE using AI to surveil EPA workers, Trump officials say
* DOGE team is "heavily" using Grok
* Musk privately mused that AI could replace govt workers
www.reuters.com/technology/a...
* DOGE using AI to surveil EPA workers, Trump officials say
* DOGE team is "heavily" using Grok
* Musk privately mused that AI could replace govt workers
www.reuters.com/technology/a...
Exclusive: Musk's DOGE using AI to snoop on U.S. federal workers, sources say
Trump administration officials have told some U.S. government employees that Elon Musk's DOGE team of technologists is using artificial intelligence to surveil at least one federal agency’s communications for hostility to President Donald Trump and his agenda, said two people with knowledge of the matter.
www.reuters.com
April 8, 2025 at 5:09 PM
NEW DOGE reporting, per sources:
* DOGE using AI to surveil EPA workers, Trump officials say
* DOGE team is "heavily" using Grok
* Musk privately mused that AI could replace govt workers
www.reuters.com/technology/a...
* DOGE using AI to surveil EPA workers, Trump officials say
* DOGE team is "heavily" using Grok
* Musk privately mused that AI could replace govt workers
www.reuters.com/technology/a...
NEW DOGE reporting, per sources:
* DOGE using AI to surveil EPA workers, Trump officials say
* DOGE team is "heavily" using Grok
* Musk privately mused that AI could replace govt workers
www.reuters.com/technology/a...
* DOGE using AI to surveil EPA workers, Trump officials say
* DOGE team is "heavily" using Grok
* Musk privately mused that AI could replace govt workers
www.reuters.com/technology/a...
Exclusive: Musk's DOGE using AI to snoop on U.S. federal workers, sources say
Trump administration officials have told some U.S. government employees that Elon Musk's DOGE team of technologists is using artificial intelligence to surveil at least one federal agency’s communications for hostility to President Donald Trump and his agenda, said two people with knowledge of the matter.
www.reuters.com
April 8, 2025 at 5:09 PM
NEW DOGE reporting, per sources:
* DOGE using AI to surveil EPA workers, Trump officials say
* DOGE team is "heavily" using Grok
* Musk privately mused that AI could replace govt workers
www.reuters.com/technology/a...
* DOGE using AI to surveil EPA workers, Trump officials say
* DOGE team is "heavily" using Grok
* Musk privately mused that AI could replace govt workers
www.reuters.com/technology/a...
In Wisconsin court race, megadonor Musk's role helps fuel Democratic turnout
www.reuters.com/world/us/wis...
www.reuters.com/world/us/wis...
In Wisconsin court race, megadonor Musk's role helps fuel Democratic turnout
Elon Musk poured millions of dollars into a Wisconsin Supreme Court race and even donned a local cheese-shaped hat at a political rally, only to have his candidate soundly defeated in a race viewed as an early referendum on Donald Trump's presidency.
www.reuters.com
April 3, 2025 at 6:03 PM
In Wisconsin court race, megadonor Musk's role helps fuel Democratic turnout
www.reuters.com/world/us/wis...
www.reuters.com/world/us/wis...
Reposted by Alexandra Ulmer
NEW: Donald Trump Jr. Mixes Business and Politics in Serbia, as Protests There Rage
President Trump’s oldest son visited Belgrade, the site of a Trump International Hotel project, and pushed back on calls for the country’s president to resign.
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/19/u...
President Trump’s oldest son visited Belgrade, the site of a Trump International Hotel project, and pushed back on calls for the country’s president to resign.
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/19/u...
Donald Trump Jr. Mixes Business and Politics in Serbia, as Protests There Rage
President Trump’s oldest son visited Belgrade, the site of a Trump International Hotel project, and pushed back on calls for the country’s president to resign.
www.nytimes.com
March 19, 2025 at 8:49 PM
NEW: Donald Trump Jr. Mixes Business and Politics in Serbia, as Protests There Rage
President Trump’s oldest son visited Belgrade, the site of a Trump International Hotel project, and pushed back on calls for the country’s president to resign.
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/19/u...
President Trump’s oldest son visited Belgrade, the site of a Trump International Hotel project, and pushed back on calls for the country’s president to resign.
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/19/u...
Reposted by Alexandra Ulmer
NEW: President Trump is hosting group and 1-1 dinners at Mar-a-Lago for $1M and $5M per seat, respectively. The've already become a "hot ticket" for business leaders.
Where's the money going? Unclear, though one source said it would fund Trump's presidential library.
www.wired.com/story/people...
Where's the money going? Unclear, though one source said it would fund Trump's presidential library.
www.wired.com/story/people...
People Are Paying Millions to Dine With Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago
Business leaders are paying as much as $5,000,000 to meet one-on-one with the president at his Florida compound, sources tell WIRED, while others are paying $1,000,000 apiece to dine with him in a gro...
www.wired.com
March 4, 2025 at 4:35 PM
NEW: President Trump is hosting group and 1-1 dinners at Mar-a-Lago for $1M and $5M per seat, respectively. The've already become a "hot ticket" for business leaders.
Where's the money going? Unclear, though one source said it would fund Trump's presidential library.
www.wired.com/story/people...
Where's the money going? Unclear, though one source said it would fund Trump's presidential library.
www.wired.com/story/people...
Reposted by Alexandra Ulmer
“It’s not so beyond the realm of possibility that (Musk) could flip a country politically." The world's richest man throws his support behind Europe's populist far-right parties as they make their biggest gains in decades. My story with Andrew MacAskill & Nick Carey. www.reuters.com/world/musk-r...
Insight: Musk rallies the far right in Europe. Tesla is paying the price.
For the past two months, tech billionaire Elon Musk has promoted Germany’s far-right party in at least two dozen posts on his X platform, interviewed its leader, and told his 219 million followers it was the country’s “only hope.”
www.reuters.com
March 4, 2025 at 1:17 PM
“It’s not so beyond the realm of possibility that (Musk) could flip a country politically." The world's richest man throws his support behind Europe's populist far-right parties as they make their biggest gains in decades. My story with Andrew MacAskill & Nick Carey. www.reuters.com/world/musk-r...
NEW:
Ultimatum to federal workers raises tensions between Musk, White House staff
www.reuters.com/world/us/ult...
Ultimatum to federal workers raises tensions between Musk, White House staff
www.reuters.com/world/us/ult...
Ultimatum to federal workers raises tensions between Musk, White House staff
U.S. President Donald Trump’s top aides are struggling to contain disputes at the White House and across the administration following billionaire Elon Musk's ultimatum to federal workers to list their accomplishments or lose their jobs, said three government officials familiar with the tensions.
www.reuters.com
February 27, 2025 at 5:35 PM
NEW:
Ultimatum to federal workers raises tensions between Musk, White House staff
www.reuters.com/world/us/ult...
Ultimatum to federal workers raises tensions between Musk, White House staff
www.reuters.com/world/us/ult...
Reposted by Alexandra Ulmer
NEW: Trump campaign co-chief Chris LaCivita is advising a conservative Albanian political party whose leader is under US sanctions for “significant corruption.”
LaCivita says the sanctions are political, & casts the party as Trump-aligned.
“I’m exporting MAGA — Make Albania Great Again!”
LaCivita says the sanctions are political, & casts the party as Trump-aligned.
“I’m exporting MAGA — Make Albania Great Again!”
Trump Administration Live Updates: News on Elon Musk, Russia Peace Talks and RFK Jr.
www.nytimes.com
February 18, 2025 at 10:44 PM
NEW: Trump campaign co-chief Chris LaCivita is advising a conservative Albanian political party whose leader is under US sanctions for “significant corruption.”
LaCivita says the sanctions are political, & casts the party as Trump-aligned.
“I’m exporting MAGA — Make Albania Great Again!”
LaCivita says the sanctions are political, & casts the party as Trump-aligned.
“I’m exporting MAGA — Make Albania Great Again!”
Reposted by Alexandra Ulmer
NEW: Elon Musk's tactics frustrate some White House senior officials
www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
Insight: Elon Musk’s tactics frustrate some senior White House officials
As tech billionaire Elon Musk expands his influence over more than a dozen U.S. federal agencies, frustration is growing among some top aides to President Donald Trump, who want more coordination from Musk's team as he slashes the U.S. government, according to four people aware of the tensions.
www.reuters.com
February 14, 2025 at 6:08 PM
NEW: Elon Musk's tactics frustrate some White House senior officials
www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
Reposted by Alexandra Ulmer
US Defense Department contract "inaccurately represented" on social media, says Thomson Reuters - www.reuters.com/business/us-...
US Defense Department contract "inaccurately represented" on social media, says Thomson Reuters
Thomson Reuters said on Thursday its business with the Department of Defense was "inaccurately represented," in response to accusations on social media by Elon Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump that the company played a role in "large scale social deception" for the government.
www.reuters.com
February 13, 2025 at 9:22 PM
US Defense Department contract "inaccurately represented" on social media, says Thomson Reuters - www.reuters.com/business/us-...
NEW: Elon Musk's tactics frustrate some White House senior officials
www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
Insight: Elon Musk’s tactics frustrate some senior White House officials
As tech billionaire Elon Musk expands his influence over more than a dozen U.S. federal agencies, frustration is growing among some top aides to President Donald Trump, who want more coordination from Musk's team as he slashes the U.S. government, according to four people aware of the tensions.
www.reuters.com
February 14, 2025 at 6:08 PM
NEW: Elon Musk's tactics frustrate some White House senior officials
www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
Reposted by Alexandra Ulmer
For one Honduran single mom fleeing threats, Trump dashes American dream
My dispatch from the border:
My dispatch from the border:
For one Honduran single mom fleeing threats, Trump dashes American dream
Shortly after Donald Trump was sworn in as U.S. president on Monday, Honduran migrant Denia Mendez's phone started buzzing with news that the app she had used to book her U.S. asylum appointment was down.
www.reuters.com
January 21, 2025 at 1:39 PM
For one Honduran single mom fleeing threats, Trump dashes American dream
My dispatch from the border:
My dispatch from the border:
Reposted by Alexandra Ulmer
Smugglers are jacking up their prices following the CBP One asylum cancelations and increased enforcement on the US side, according to our reporting. From Tijuana, for example, crossing went from $4,200 to $6,900, per one migrant.
Latest from the border: After Trump clampdown, some migrants turn to pricey smugglers or riskier routes
www.reuters.com/world/americ...
www.reuters.com/world/americ...
Some migrants turn to pricey smugglers or riskier routes after Trump clampdown
After Honduran migrant Alex Diaz' U.S. asylum appointment was canceled following Donald Trump's immigration and border crackdown, the 23-year-old former bus driver began considering what he had been determined to avoid: entering the United States illegally.
www.reuters.com
January 24, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Smugglers are jacking up their prices following the CBP One asylum cancelations and increased enforcement on the US side, according to our reporting. From Tijuana, for example, crossing went from $4,200 to $6,900, per one migrant.
Smugglers are jacking up their prices following the CBP One asylum cancelations and increased enforcement on the US side, according to our reporting. From Tijuana, for example, crossing went from $4,200 to $6,900, per one migrant.
Latest from the border: After Trump clampdown, some migrants turn to pricey smugglers or riskier routes
www.reuters.com/world/americ...
www.reuters.com/world/americ...
Some migrants turn to pricey smugglers or riskier routes after Trump clampdown
After Honduran migrant Alex Diaz' U.S. asylum appointment was canceled following Donald Trump's immigration and border crackdown, the 23-year-old former bus driver began considering what he had been determined to avoid: entering the United States illegally.
www.reuters.com
January 24, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Smugglers are jacking up their prices following the CBP One asylum cancelations and increased enforcement on the US side, according to our reporting. From Tijuana, for example, crossing went from $4,200 to $6,900, per one migrant.
Latest from the border: After Trump clampdown, some migrants turn to pricey smugglers or riskier routes
www.reuters.com/world/americ...
www.reuters.com/world/americ...
Some migrants turn to pricey smugglers or riskier routes after Trump clampdown
After Honduran migrant Alex Diaz' U.S. asylum appointment was canceled following Donald Trump's immigration and border crackdown, the 23-year-old former bus driver began considering what he had been determined to avoid: entering the United States illegally.
www.reuters.com
January 24, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Latest from the border: After Trump clampdown, some migrants turn to pricey smugglers or riskier routes
www.reuters.com/world/americ...
www.reuters.com/world/americ...
Reposted by Alexandra Ulmer
For one Honduran single mom fleeing threats, Trump dashes American dream @alexandraulmer.bsky.social www.reuters.com/world/americ...
For one Honduran single mom fleeing threats, Trump dashes American dream
Shortly after Donald Trump was sworn in as U.S. president on Monday, Honduran migrant Denia Mendez's phone started buzzing with news that the app she had used to book her U.S. asylum appointment was down.
www.reuters.com
January 21, 2025 at 11:19 PM
For one Honduran single mom fleeing threats, Trump dashes American dream @alexandraulmer.bsky.social www.reuters.com/world/americ...
For one Honduran single mom fleeing threats, Trump dashes American dream
My dispatch from the border:
My dispatch from the border:
For one Honduran single mom fleeing threats, Trump dashes American dream
Shortly after Donald Trump was sworn in as U.S. president on Monday, Honduran migrant Denia Mendez's phone started buzzing with news that the app she had used to book her U.S. asylum appointment was down.
www.reuters.com
January 21, 2025 at 1:39 PM
For one Honduran single mom fleeing threats, Trump dashes American dream
My dispatch from the border:
My dispatch from the border: