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So, I'm going to indulge in one of those annoying threads about my stories from the Trump era. I promise not to make it too long! (Honestly, just mute me now.)
About 7 years ago, a fluke blizzard and a rerouted flight ended with me spending a two days at Mar-a-Lago with Trump. Yes, he hated my story. (And yes, that picture was meant to be a joke.) In retrospect, this was the beginning of "the Trump era" for me. https://www.buzzfeed.com/mckaycoppins/36-hours-on-the-fake-campaign-trail-with-donald-trump
I revisited the Mar-a-Lago experience a couple years later when Trump was about to win the GOP nomination. My story on how Trump's campaign was part of his lifelong revenge march against the "haters" who'd snubbed and sneered at him (myself included): https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/mckaycoppins/how-the-haters-made-trump
I joined The Atlantic just before Trump took office, and began covering how his conquest of the GOP would shape Washington. After interviewing Jason Chaffetz, one thing was clear: Republicans were going to let him get away with whatever he wanted. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/03/jason-chaffetz-oversight/521271/
My profile of Mike Pence looks at the Faustian bargain he—and the religious right—made in allying themselves with Trump: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/01/gods-plan-for-mike-pence/546569/
I also wrote about the revealing meltdowns of Trump-world's lesser figures.
On Jason Miller and AJ Delgado: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/08/from-trump-aide-to-single-mom/536892/
On Sam Nunberg: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/03/nunberg-interview/554921/
On Jason Miller and AJ Delgado: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/08/from-trump-aide-to-single-mom/536892/
On Sam Nunberg: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/03/nunberg-interview/554921/
My profile of Stephen Miller looked at what happens when right-wing campus "trolls" grow up to run the world: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/05/stephen-miller-trump-adviser/561317/
And my profile of Newt Gingrich looked at how his brand of politics paved the way for Trump's rise: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/11/newt-gingrich-says-youre-welcome/570832/
And my profile of Newt Gingrich looked at how his brand of politics paved the way for Trump's rise: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/11/newt-gingrich-says-youre-welcome/570832/
After hearing early in 2017 that Mitt Romney might run for Senate in Utah ( https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/04/utahsen-mitt-romney/522096/) I followed his eventful first year in Washington closely: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/10/mitt-romney-middle-impeachment-fight/600373/
I began 2020 with a deep look at the billion-dollar disinformation campaign to reelect the president, and how Trump was working to hold his supporters in an alternate reality: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/03/the-2020-disinformation-war/605530/
My story on how Trump talks about people of faith in private: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/09/trump-secretly-mocks-his-christian-supporters/616522/
And finally, just because it was such a fitting end to the 2020 campaign, my story on getting kicked out Steve Bannon's election party (along with @RosieGray): https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/11/trump-bannon-election-party/617020/
I'm extremely grateful to have been able to do this work, and for the brilliant editors who assigned, sharpened, improved (and often saved) these stories: @denisewills, @YAppelbaum, @nora_kelly, @JohnGHendy, @NickBaumann, @katherinemiller, @SteveKandell, and @benyt.
(OK I'm done with the hyper-indulgent tweets now, you can unmute me.)
