E.J. Dionne
@ejdionne.bsky.social
Prof. McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown, senior fellow at The Brookings Institution, New York Times opinion writer. Passionate Celtics fan. Opinions here are my own.
Thanksgiving is the most traditional holiday & the most radical. On this day, striving gives way to the reality that the best things we do are contingent on support from others & on social circumstances that make our successes possible.
#HappyThanksgiving
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/tha...
#HappyThanksgiving
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/tha...
Opinion | Thanksgiving is not just about gratitude. It’s about setting a moral example.
We owe so much to so many.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 27, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Thanksgiving is the most traditional holiday & the most radical. On this day, striving gives way to the reality that the best things we do are contingent on support from others & on social circumstances that make our successes possible.
#HappyThanksgiving
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/tha...
#HappyThanksgiving
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/tha...
V-enlightening piece from @gregsargent.bsky.social
on an overlooked aspect of Abigail Spanberger’s victory in Virginia — her successful use of the immigration issue against Trump & the GOP. Greg also points to Trump’s inconsistencies & MAGA splits on the issue.
newrepublic.com/maz/article/...
on an overlooked aspect of Abigail Spanberger’s victory in Virginia — her successful use of the immigration issue against Trump & the GOP. Greg also points to Trump’s inconsistencies & MAGA splits on the issue.
newrepublic.com/maz/article/...
All this is being widely mocked as a gaffe: Doesn’t suggesting we have “no” talented people here undercut “America First”? But we should also see it as something else: an expression of Trump’s growing political weakness on the broader immigration issue. It also hints at a deeper schism in MAGA that Democrats should get serious about exploiting.
newrepublic.com
November 12, 2025 at 9:08 PM
V-enlightening piece from @gregsargent.bsky.social
on an overlooked aspect of Abigail Spanberger’s victory in Virginia — her successful use of the immigration issue against Trump & the GOP. Greg also points to Trump’s inconsistencies & MAGA splits on the issue.
newrepublic.com/maz/article/...
on an overlooked aspect of Abigail Spanberger’s victory in Virginia — her successful use of the immigration issue against Trump & the GOP. Greg also points to Trump’s inconsistencies & MAGA splits on the issue.
newrepublic.com/maz/article/...
Reposted by E.J. Dionne
Spanberger, Sherrill & Mamdani all saw Trump’s contempt for his own voters.
My column: Trumpism began in anger, alienation, frustration and division. The antidote is empathy, solidarity, mutual respect and hope. Tuesday’s elections delivered a starter dose.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/o...
My column: Trumpism began in anger, alienation, frustration and division. The antidote is empathy, solidarity, mutual respect and hope. Tuesday’s elections delivered a starter dose.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/o...
Opinion | Now We Know Trump’s Kryptonite
www.nytimes.com
November 10, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Spanberger, Sherrill & Mamdani all saw Trump’s contempt for his own voters.
My column: Trumpism began in anger, alienation, frustration and division. The antidote is empathy, solidarity, mutual respect and hope. Tuesday’s elections delivered a starter dose.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/o...
My column: Trumpism began in anger, alienation, frustration and division. The antidote is empathy, solidarity, mutual respect and hope. Tuesday’s elections delivered a starter dose.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/o...
Spanberger, Sherrill & Mamdani all saw Trump’s contempt for his own voters.
My column: Trumpism began in anger, alienation, frustration and division. The antidote is empathy, solidarity, mutual respect and hope. Tuesday’s elections delivered a starter dose.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/o...
My column: Trumpism began in anger, alienation, frustration and division. The antidote is empathy, solidarity, mutual respect and hope. Tuesday’s elections delivered a starter dose.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/o...
Opinion | Now We Know Trump’s Kryptonite
www.nytimes.com
November 10, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Spanberger, Sherrill & Mamdani all saw Trump’s contempt for his own voters.
My column: Trumpism began in anger, alienation, frustration and division. The antidote is empathy, solidarity, mutual respect and hope. Tuesday’s elections delivered a starter dose.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/o...
My column: Trumpism began in anger, alienation, frustration and division. The antidote is empathy, solidarity, mutual respect and hope. Tuesday’s elections delivered a starter dose.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/o...
Good for Mark Wolf for resigning as a judge to oppose Trump more effectively for “using the law for partisan purposes, targeting his adversaries while sparing his friends and donors from investigation, prosecution, and possible punishment.”
He also calls out the Supreme Court’s “emergency” rulings.
He also calls out the Supreme Court’s “emergency” rulings.
“I no longer can bear to be restrained by what judges can say publicly or do outside the courtroom,” Judge Mark L. Wolf writes on his decision to resign from the federal bench. “President Trump is using the law for partisan purposes”:
https://theatln.tc/MHDWR78I
https://theatln.tc/MHDWR78I
November 9, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Good for Mark Wolf for resigning as a judge to oppose Trump more effectively for “using the law for partisan purposes, targeting his adversaries while sparing his friends and donors from investigation, prosecution, and possible punishment.”
He also calls out the Supreme Court’s “emergency” rulings.
He also calls out the Supreme Court’s “emergency” rulings.
This is very important from @gregsargent.bsky.social.
When the people drawing a gerrymander get too greedy, they can put a lot of their own seats in danger in anything like a wave election. And if there is a 2026 wave, it won’t be Republican.
When the people drawing a gerrymander get too greedy, they can put a lot of their own seats in danger in anything like a wave election. And if there is a 2026 wave, it won’t be Republican.
Crucial thing to watch: The Dem blowout wins suggest it'll be way more risky for GOPers to gerrymander, because the GOP safer seats may become more vulnerable than expected. Rs in those seats will now be very nervous.
Exchange on this w/Dem operative Jessica Post:
newrepublic.com/article/2028...
Exchange on this w/Dem operative Jessica Post:
newrepublic.com/article/2028...
November 7, 2025 at 6:46 PM
This is very important from @gregsargent.bsky.social.
When the people drawing a gerrymander get too greedy, they can put a lot of their own seats in danger in anything like a wave election. And if there is a 2026 wave, it won’t be Republican.
When the people drawing a gerrymander get too greedy, they can put a lot of their own seats in danger in anything like a wave election. And if there is a 2026 wave, it won’t be Republican.
Retweeted for the pretty pic, my love of New England, and my affection for The Globe.
Peak fall foliage is coming to a close. Don’t worry, though, this weekend you can still catch some peak colors. Here's where to look.
Fall foliage: If you still want to catch the peak colors, here’s where to head this weekend. - The Boston Globe
Peak fall foliage season has come to a close but there’s still time to catch some beautiful colors in Southern New England.
trib.al
November 7, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Retweeted for the pretty pic, my love of New England, and my affection for The Globe.
Zohran Mamdani needs to take this excellent advice from @mjtoma.bsky.social (Mike Tomasky).
Appointing a competent and squeaky clean government is essential to everything else. Mike knows the territory and he is right to point to the threats Mamdani should think about
newrepublic.com/post/202875/...
Appointing a competent and squeaky clean government is essential to everything else. Mike knows the territory and he is right to point to the threats Mamdani should think about
newrepublic.com/post/202875/...
The Quicksand Pits That Await
Zohran Mamdani—and How He Can Avoid Them
It’s not socialism or Israel that could bring the mayor-elect down. It’s corruption scandals. Competent, honest appointments are key to his success.
newrepublic.com
November 7, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Zohran Mamdani needs to take this excellent advice from @mjtoma.bsky.social (Mike Tomasky).
Appointing a competent and squeaky clean government is essential to everything else. Mike knows the territory and he is right to point to the threats Mamdani should think about
newrepublic.com/post/202875/...
Appointing a competent and squeaky clean government is essential to everything else. Mike knows the territory and he is right to point to the threats Mamdani should think about
newrepublic.com/post/202875/...
Headline writers all! Thanks for these.
The replies write themselves
November 6, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Headline writers all! Thanks for these.
Advice to Microsoft Word and various other entities: Now that Mikie Sherrill is New Jersey’s next Governor, you will have to stop telling me that “Mikie” is a spelling mistake.
November 6, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Advice to Microsoft Word and various other entities: Now that Mikie Sherrill is New Jersey’s next Governor, you will have to stop telling me that “Mikie” is a spelling mistake.
“This debate about whether the Democrats should focus on economics or threats to democracy is silly. I can do two things at once. So can you. And so should the Democrats. Americans are mad about it all—so talk about it all.”
Correct.
@mjtoma.bsky.social: The elections
newrepublic.com/maz/article/...
Correct.
@mjtoma.bsky.social: The elections
newrepublic.com/maz/article/...
Jones won by nearly 7 percent, or more than 300,000 raw votes.
newrepublic.com
November 6, 2025 at 2:04 PM
“This debate about whether the Democrats should focus on economics or threats to democracy is silly. I can do two things at once. So can you. And so should the Democrats. Americans are mad about it all—so talk about it all.”
Correct.
@mjtoma.bsky.social: The elections
newrepublic.com/maz/article/...
Correct.
@mjtoma.bsky.social: The elections
newrepublic.com/maz/article/...
“Democrats have the momentum. They can’t stop now.”
Very clear and compact analysis of three options for Senate Democrats on the shutdown from @normornstein.bsky.social
All are principled. All make sense politically. None of them involves selling out.
contrarian.substack.com/p/democrats-...
Very clear and compact analysis of three options for Senate Democrats on the shutdown from @normornstein.bsky.social
All are principled. All make sense politically. None of them involves selling out.
contrarian.substack.com/p/democrats-...
Democrats have the momentum. They can’t stop now.
Trump and his fellow Republicans are finally in a very bad and difficult place.
contrarian.substack.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:51 PM
“Democrats have the momentum. They can’t stop now.”
Very clear and compact analysis of three options for Senate Democrats on the shutdown from @normornstein.bsky.social
All are principled. All make sense politically. None of them involves selling out.
contrarian.substack.com/p/democrats-...
Very clear and compact analysis of three options for Senate Democrats on the shutdown from @normornstein.bsky.social
All are principled. All make sense politically. None of them involves selling out.
contrarian.substack.com/p/democrats-...
Trump and his party are “far more likely to harvest anger & disappointment for his second-term agenda than to build anything like a permanent majority. The opposition can now emerge from the shadow of an especially cursed year, and fight back.”
V-good @edkilgore.bsky.social
nymag.com/intelligence...
V-good @edkilgore.bsky.social
nymag.com/intelligence...
The Democrats Have Undone Trump’s Magic
The voters who flocked to the GOP last year ran away on Tuesday.
nymag.com
November 5, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Trump and his party are “far more likely to harvest anger & disappointment for his second-term agenda than to build anything like a permanent majority. The opposition can now emerge from the shadow of an especially cursed year, and fight back.”
V-good @edkilgore.bsky.social
nymag.com/intelligence...
V-good @edkilgore.bsky.social
nymag.com/intelligence...
Why did the attacks on Mamdani’s socialism fail? A key reason: He made clear he was a “sewer socialist,” a forgotten American tradition created by left-wing mayors who asked to be judged not by theories but by whether they deliver public services effectively & fairly.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/o...
Opinion | The ‘Sewer Socialism’ of Zohran Mamdani
www.nytimes.com
November 5, 2025 at 3:45 AM
Why did the attacks on Mamdani’s socialism fail? A key reason: He made clear he was a “sewer socialist,” a forgotten American tradition created by left-wing mayors who asked to be judged not by theories but by whether they deliver public services effectively & fairly.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/o...
Well said, Greg!
The factional grifters will hate this, but the Mamdani-Spanberger-Sherrill axis actually suggests the outlines of a broad, emerging Dem coalition organized around both anti-Trump *and* affordability politics, not a party bitterly divided against itself.
These big wins will embolden Dems to take on Trump's lawbreaking and show there's a price for GOP enabling of him. Folks hate to hear this, but normal patterns are asserting themselves: Liberalism isn't dead, Rs are likely to lose in 2026, and Trump is really unpopular, not a magical exception.
November 5, 2025 at 3:37 AM
Well said, Greg!
Zohran Mamdani is one of the most talented politicians we’ve seen in a long time. He not only unleashed extraordinary energy. He also reassured doubters & ran the most hope-inspired campaign since Obama’s in 2008. I wrote the piece below in July about what he built.
www.brookings.edu/articles/why...
www.brookings.edu/articles/why...
Why Zohran Mamdani’s victory matters: How it happened, what it means | Brookings
Brookings senior fellow E.J. Dionne breaks down the importance of Zohran Mamdani's victory in the New York Mayoral Democratic Primary.
www.brookings.edu
November 5, 2025 at 3:36 AM
Zohran Mamdani is one of the most talented politicians we’ve seen in a long time. He not only unleashed extraordinary energy. He also reassured doubters & ran the most hope-inspired campaign since Obama’s in 2008. I wrote the piece below in July about what he built.
www.brookings.edu/articles/why...
www.brookings.edu/articles/why...
There can be no spinning away from how big a warning tonight is for Republicans & how deep these Dem victories are. Yes, Virginia & New Jersey backed Harris. But in both, red & blue counties alike shifted sharply away from the GOP. Young voters moved bigly toward the Dems. A bad night for Trumpism.
November 5, 2025 at 2:59 AM
There can be no spinning away from how big a warning tonight is for Republicans & how deep these Dem victories are. Yes, Virginia & New Jersey backed Harris. But in both, red & blue counties alike shifted sharply away from the GOP. Young voters moved bigly toward the Dems. A bad night for Trumpism.
This is so important. Thanks @jamellebouie.net. The Mamdani & Spanberger appeals had a lot in common even as they started from different places and were speaking to very different electorates.
i want to repeat this: mamdani and spanberger have run similar campaigns tailored to their respective electorates and it is maddening to watch political journalists attempt to create some broad contrast where none exist
the other thing about this is that there is no reason to pit these candidates against each other? each are good fits for their respective electorates and each shows the value of vigorous campaigns focused on the stated material problems of voters.
November 4, 2025 at 5:22 PM
This is so important. Thanks @jamellebouie.net. The Mamdani & Spanberger appeals had a lot in common even as they started from different places and were speaking to very different electorates.
Mike Johnson referred to No Kings as the Hate America rally, implying that if you oppose his party or the president, you hate America. One party, one leader, one country is not an American idea.
From my @nytimes.com
chat with David Brooks & Robert Siegel:
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/o...
From my @nytimes.com
chat with David Brooks & Robert Siegel:
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/o...
Opinion | Trump Has a Religion. What Do Democrats Have?
www.nytimes.com
October 23, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Mike Johnson referred to No Kings as the Hate America rally, implying that if you oppose his party or the president, you hate America. One party, one leader, one country is not an American idea.
From my @nytimes.com
chat with David Brooks & Robert Siegel:
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/o...
From my @nytimes.com
chat with David Brooks & Robert Siegel:
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/o...
Reposted by E.J. Dionne
Mamdani is persuading center-left doubters by making clear his goal is to deliver services to New Yorkers under stress, not to build some left-wing utopia. Welcome to the old American tradition of Sewer Socialism.
My @nytimes.com column:
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/o...
My @nytimes.com column:
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/o...
Opinion | Mamdani Is a ‘Sewer Socialist.’ That’s a Good Thing.
www.nytimes.com
October 16, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Mamdani is persuading center-left doubters by making clear his goal is to deliver services to New Yorkers under stress, not to build some left-wing utopia. Welcome to the old American tradition of Sewer Socialism.
My @nytimes.com column:
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/o...
My @nytimes.com column:
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/o...
Mamdani is persuading center-left doubters by making clear his goal is to deliver services to New Yorkers under stress, not to build some left-wing utopia. Welcome to the old American tradition of Sewer Socialism.
My @nytimes.com column:
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/o...
My @nytimes.com column:
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/o...
Opinion | Mamdani Is a ‘Sewer Socialist.’ That’s a Good Thing.
www.nytimes.com
October 16, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Mamdani is persuading center-left doubters by making clear his goal is to deliver services to New Yorkers under stress, not to build some left-wing utopia. Welcome to the old American tradition of Sewer Socialism.
My @nytimes.com column:
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/o...
My @nytimes.com column:
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/o...
Reposted by E.J. Dionne
While there is a move toward peace in Gaza, Trump is escalating political war at home.
I joined Michelle Cottle & @davidfrenchjag.bsky.social in a @nytimes.com Opinion discussion of the president using the state against his political foes & this radical disconnect.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/o...
I joined Michelle Cottle & @davidfrenchjag.bsky.social in a @nytimes.com Opinion discussion of the president using the state against his political foes & this radical disconnect.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/o...
Opinion | Who Can Stop a President Deploying Troops?
www.nytimes.com
October 11, 2025 at 12:27 PM
While there is a move toward peace in Gaza, Trump is escalating political war at home.
I joined Michelle Cottle & @davidfrenchjag.bsky.social in a @nytimes.com Opinion discussion of the president using the state against his political foes & this radical disconnect.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/o...
I joined Michelle Cottle & @davidfrenchjag.bsky.social in a @nytimes.com Opinion discussion of the president using the state against his political foes & this radical disconnect.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/o...
While there is a move toward peace in Gaza, Trump is escalating political war at home.
I joined Michelle Cottle & @davidfrenchjag.bsky.social in a @nytimes.com Opinion discussion of the president using the state against his political foes & this radical disconnect.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/o...
I joined Michelle Cottle & @davidfrenchjag.bsky.social in a @nytimes.com Opinion discussion of the president using the state against his political foes & this radical disconnect.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/o...
Opinion | Who Can Stop a President Deploying Troops?
www.nytimes.com
October 11, 2025 at 12:27 PM
While there is a move toward peace in Gaza, Trump is escalating political war at home.
I joined Michelle Cottle & @davidfrenchjag.bsky.social in a @nytimes.com Opinion discussion of the president using the state against his political foes & this radical disconnect.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/o...
I joined Michelle Cottle & @davidfrenchjag.bsky.social in a @nytimes.com Opinion discussion of the president using the state against his political foes & this radical disconnect.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/o...
Good morning! I reunited with David Brooks and Robert Siegel, who hosted us for many years on @npr.org, to discuss Trump, authoritarianism and the next phase of American politics. Happy to say it’s my inaugural contribution as a @nytimes.com opinion writer.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/11/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/11/o...
Opinion | When Authoritarianism Looms, Old Friends Reunite
www.nytimes.com
September 11, 2025 at 11:39 AM
Good morning! I reunited with David Brooks and Robert Siegel, who hosted us for many years on @npr.org, to discuss Trump, authoritarianism and the next phase of American politics. Happy to say it’s my inaugural contribution as a @nytimes.com opinion writer.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/11/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/11/o...