Matt Bai

Washington, D.C.

Contributing columnist focusing on politics

Education: Tufts University; Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism

Matt Bai, a Washington Post contributing columnist, is a journalist, author and screenwriter. He spent more than a decade at the New York Times, where he was the chief political writer for the Sunday magazine and a columnist for the newspaper, and five years as the national political columnist for Yahoo News. His last book, "All The Truth Is Out: The Week Politics Went Tabloid," was named one of 2014’s best books by Amazon.com and NPR. He also co-wrote the screenplay for the feature film based on the book, “The Front Runner,” starring Hugh Jackman, which debuted nationally in 2018. Bai lives w
Latest from Matt Bai

The closing argument Harris should deliver

We have no idea what crisis will consume the next presidency, but it’s not something we’re talking about now.

October 14, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris during a campaign event at the Cochise College Douglas Campus in Douglas, Ariz., on Sept. 27. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post)

The left’s Elon Musk dilemma

Nothing I can think of has plunged liberal friends of mine into a kind of moral anguish quite like Tesla.

October 8, 2024
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk speaks with former president Donald Trump during a campaign event in Butler, Pa., on Saturday. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

Larry Hogan made the wrong choice

Former Maryland governor Larry Hogan should have left the Republican Party and run as an independent.

October 7, 2024
Former Maryland governor Larry Hogan waves from the campaign bus on May 14 in Davidsonville, Md. (Wesley Lapointe for The Washington Post)

Did Tim Walz miss a crucial moment at the VP debate?

The governor didn’t seem to have a clear objective in his face-off with Republican JD Vance.

October 2, 2024
Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz during his debate with Republican JD Vance in New York on Tuesday. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

Donald Trump, America’s white-collar rogue

Running for office while facing prison time has a long tradition in politics. But Trump has added a new twist.

September 30, 2024
Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Uniondale, N.Y., on Sept. 18. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

‘A true friend of Turkey’: Four writers on the Eric Adams indictment

Ronald L. Kuby, Ruth Marcus, Matt Bai and Elif Batuman contemplate the corruption charges against the New York City mayor.

September 27, 2024

The presidency of JD Vance

He is not just a running mate, but a man who stands a significant chance of running the country.

September 25, 2024
Vice-presidential nominee JD Vance (R-Ohio) walks onstage at a campaign event in Michigan on Aug. 27. (Tom Brenner for The Washington Post)

The Democratic freakout has begun. Everyone take a breath.

It was always going to be close, even if Harris remains better placed to win than Trump.

September 23, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to Wisconsin voters during a rally in Madison, Wis., on Friday. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post)

I say, without evidence, that the media’s Trump qualifiers are backfiring

We in the news media are making him less accountable for his mendacity, rather than more so.

September 18, 2024
(Washington Post staff illustration; photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

Harris doesn’t talk about her father. That might be a mistake.

She is failing to exploit an opening she has with voters who might well decide the election.

September 15, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks at a campaign rally in Greensboro, N.C., on Thursday. (Melissa Sue Gerrits for The Washington Post)