Peter Baker

Peter Baker
Birthplace	United States
Nationality	American
Occupation	Journalist, author
Employer	The New York Times
Known for	White House correspondent, political journalism, collaborative books with Susan Glasser
Spouse(s)	Susan Glasser

Peter Baker is an American journalist and author who serves as the chief White House correspondent for The New York Times. Over the course of a career spanning more than three decades, Baker has established himself as one of the most prominent chroniclers of the American presidency, covering every administration from that of Bill Clinton to that of Donald Trump's second term. His reporting focuses on the intersection of presidential power, domestic politics, and foreign policy, and he has produced extensive coverage of some of the most consequential political events in modern American history. Baker is also a prolific author, having written or co-written several books on American politics and the presidency, frequently in collaboration with his wife, fellow journalist Susan Glasser. Their partnership as both a married couple and a writing team has drawn public attention and media discussion, including appearances on programs such as C-SPAN's America's Book Club. Baker's journalism for The New York Times has included detailed analyses of presidential decision-making, the use of executive power, and the evolving role of the presidency in American public life.

Career

Journalism at The New York Times

Peter Baker serves as the chief White House correspondent for The New York Times, a position from which he has produced sustained and detailed coverage of multiple presidential administrations. His reporting is characterized by in-depth analysis of presidential conduct, policy decisions, and the broader political dynamics of the executive branch.

Baker's coverage during Donald Trump's second term as president has been particularly extensive. In March 2026, Baker reported on the Trump administration's decision to brand a U.S. military operation against Iran as "Operation Epic Fury," analyzing how the naming choice reflected the president's broader approach to leadership and public messaging. Baker wrote that the branding was "a quintessentially Trumpian choice for a leader whose tenure has been marked by" a particular style of governance centered on dramatic rhetoric and assertive action.

In late February 2026, Baker authored a major analysis examining what he described as a fundamental shift in Trump's foreign policy posture. The article documented how Trump, who had campaigned as a candidate critical of regime change and had "propelled himself to the highest office" in part on an anti-interventionist platform, had "become increasingly willing to assert American power overseas." Baker's reporting traced the evolution of Trump's stance over the preceding decade, highlighting the tension between his self-declared identity as a "peace president" and his administration's pursuit of regime change abroad. A companion video report produced by The New York Times further examined this reversal, noting that Trump had previously criticized regime change as "a proven, absolute failure" before pursuing policies that embodied the same approach he had condemned.

Baker also produced extensive coverage of the Trump administration's domestic conduct. In February 2026, he reported on what he described as Trump's "spree of self-aggrandizement unlike any of his predecessors," documenting the ways in which the president fostered "a mythologized superhuman persona" through relentless self-promotion. The article analyzed the phenomenon of a presidential cult of personality within the American political system.

In January 2026, Baker reported on the Trump administration's handling of a series of police shootings in Minneapolis, analyzing how the administration had "advanced one-sided narratives to justify each of the killings, even when bystander video shows something else entirely." The article examined the broader theme of presidential truth-telling and the relationship between official narratives and documented facts, with Baker observing that for Trump, "the truth in Minneapolis is what he says it is."

In March 2026, Baker contributed reporting to a story based on new oral histories revealing how David Plouffe, Barack Obama's political adviser, had discouraged then-Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. from running for president in the 2016 election cycle. The article drew on a new set of oral histories that provided previously unreported details about internal deliberations within the Obama administration regarding Biden's political future.

Book Writing and Collaboration with Susan Glasser

In addition to his journalism, Peter Baker is a prolific author of books on American politics and the presidency. He has written or co-written several works, frequently in collaboration with his wife, Susan Glasser, who is also a prominent journalist. Their collaborative writing process has been the subject of public discussion and media interest.

In February 2026, Baker and Glasser appeared together on C-SPAN's America's Book Club program, hosted by David M. Rubenstein, where they discussed a work related to artifacts from the Library of Congress's collection. During the program, titled "The Treasures with Peter Baker and Susan Glasser," the couple and Rubenstein viewed artifacts from the Library of Congress's collection as part of a broader conversation about American history and the presidency.

In March 2026, Baker and Glasser appeared on another C-SPAN program in which they discussed their collaborative approach to writing books. The program was part of C-SPAN's classroom series and provided insight into how the married journalists work together as a writing team, balancing their individual reporting careers with their joint book projects.

Reporting Style and Approach

Baker's reporting for The New York Times is characterized by long-form analytical pieces that seek to place individual political events within broader historical and thematic contexts. His coverage frequently examines the gap between presidential rhetoric and presidential action, tracing how leaders' stated principles evolve or contradict their eventual governance decisions. His work on Trump's foreign policy reversal, for example, involved documenting the president's trajectory from anti-interventionist candidate to commander-in-chief pursuing regime change, a narrative arc that Baker constructed through detailed chronological reporting and contextual analysis.

Baker's analytical work also extends to the cultural and psychological dimensions of the presidency. His February 2026 article on Trump's "cult of personality" examined not merely specific acts of self-promotion but the broader phenomenon of mythologized presidential personas in American political life, drawing comparisons with historical precedents and analyzing the implications for democratic governance.

His reporting on the Minneapolis shootings demonstrated a focus on the relationship between official narratives and documented evidence, a theme that has recurred throughout his coverage of the Trump administration. Baker's work in this area has involved close examination of administration claims alongside available video and documentary evidence, analyzing how presidential messaging shapes public understanding of contested events.

Personal Life

Peter Baker is married to Susan Glasser, a journalist who has held senior editorial and reporting positions at several major American news organizations. The couple is known for their collaborative approach to writing, having co-authored books on American politics and the presidency. Their working partnership has been the subject of public appearances and media features, including a 2026 C-SPAN program in which they discussed their collaborative writing methods with host David M. Rubenstein. The couple has also appeared together on C-SPAN's America's Book Club to discuss their work related to artifacts from the Library of Congress.

Recognition

Baker's work as a White House correspondent and political analyst has established him as one of the most prominent journalists covering the American presidency in the contemporary era. His position as chief White House correspondent for The New York Times places him among a select group of journalists with sustained, high-level access to the executive branch. His appearances on C-SPAN's programming, including the America's Book Club series, reflect his profile as a public intellectual and commentator on American political history.

His reporting has been featured prominently in The New York Times across multiple formats, including long-form analytical articles, breaking news coverage, and multimedia video reports. The range of his 2026 output alone—encompassing foreign policy analysis, domestic governance, presidential psychology, historical oral histories, and the intersection of truth and political power—reflects the breadth of his portfolio as one of the paper's most prominent correspondents.