I focus on domestic policy, immigration, the regulatory state and life at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. I am particularly interested in helping readers understand decision-making inside the West Wing by exploring the debates that lead to major policy shifts — especially those involving the president and his most senior advisers. I also try to pay close attention to the moments that define a president’s tenure, including the history-making successes and the political and policy defeats.
I joined The Times in 2010, and have written extensively about national politics and policy-making in Washington, including documenting President Obama’s eight years in office and President Trump’s tumultuous four.
During 2020, I was a leading member of the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for public service for coverage of the pandemic and its health and economic consequences. I am the co-author of “Border Wars: Inside Trump’s Assault on Immigration,” published in 2019 by Simon & Schuster.
I spent 18 years at The Washington Post, writing about local communities, school districts, state politics, the 2008 presidential campaign and the White House. I am a 1990 graduate of Claremont McKenna College and have a master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. I have two college-age children, and I live in Washington with my wife.
I believe fiercely that it is my job to hold the president and his administration to account, regardless of who occupies the office. All Times journalists are committed to upholding the standards of integrity outlined in our Ethical Journalism Handbook. But it is the particular mission of a White House reporter to pierce the secrecy that so often cloaks the most important office in the world. I seek to do it fairly, objectively and without regard to any political viewpoint.
That has been my approach in more than 30 years of political reporting, from the time I covered the Prince William County Board of Supervisors in Virginia in the early 1990s. I have written tough stories about Democrats, Republicans and independents and always seek to give those I am reporting about the opportunity to engage with me before publication.
Email: michael.shear@nytimes.com
X: @shearm
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While imposing sanctions on Iran, U.S. and European governments are urging restraint amid fears of a cycle of escalation as Israel weighs retaliation for an Iranian attack.
By Michael D. Shear and Michael Levenson
The president’s campaign has featured initiatives aimed at young people, union workers and environmentalists, but it is not clear that they will be sufficient to rekindle support in those groups.
By Michael D. Shear
This was featured in live coverage.
By Michael D. Shear
In a speech to union steelworkers in Pittsburgh, the president will announce several new measures meant to raise new barriers against floods of Chinese imports.
By Jim Tankersley and Nicholas Nehamas
The president told Israel that the interception of nearly all of the Iranian drones and missiles used to attack it constituted a major victory, and so further retaliation might not be necessary, U.S. officials said.
By Peter Baker and Michael D. Shear
The killing, which Israel called a “terrorist attack,” prompted rioting by Israeli settlers that killed one Palestinian and raised fears of a broader escalation.
By Aaron Boxerman, Christopher F. Schuetze and Julia Jacobs
This was featured in live coverage.
By Michael D. Shear, Aaron Boxerman and Eric Schmitt
This was featured in live coverage.
By Michael D. Shear
President Biden discussed security in the South China Sea with the leaders of Japan and the Philippines at the White House.
By Michael D. Shear
As they look to contain an increasingly aggressive China, the United States and Japan announced dozens of new agreements, including on military, economic, climate and space matters.
By Michael D. Shear
