David Von Drehle

Kansas City

Deputy opinion editor and columnist focusing on national affairs and politics
David Von Drehle is a deputy opinion editor and columnist for The Post, where he writes about national affairs and politics from a home base in the Midwest. He joined The Post in 2017 after a decade at Time magazine, where he wrote more than 60 cover stories as editor-at-large. During a previous stint at The Post, Von Drehle served as a writer and editor on the National staff, in Style, and at the magazine. He is the author of a number of books, including the award-winning bestseller “Triangle: The Fire That Changed America.” He lives in Kansas City with his wife, journalist Karen Ball, and th
Latest from David Von Drehle

The Iron Man of America’s op-ed pages

George F. Will’s conservative outlook and cheerful erudition have been the hallmarks of an extraordinary career.

November 22, 2024

Politics, a love story

A dark and ghastly campaign comes to an end. Can the country overcome the ugliness?

November 5, 2024
Voters wait in line to vote outside a polling site in Philadelphia on Tuesday. (Caroline Gutman for The Washington Post)

Venezuelan gangs terrorizing my hometown? This I had to see.

I looked all over for the “armed illegal alien gang members” — but nada.

October 22, 2024
A demonstrator carries a sign outside of the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center in Aurora, Colorado, the site of a Donald Trump campaign rally on Oct. 11. (Jason Connolly/AFP/Getty Images)

Democrats thought their Senate hopes were dead. They were just in Nebraska.

Dan Osborn, an independent, could win the state’s Senate race — and determine control of the chamber.

October 15, 2024
Independent Senate candidate Dan Osborn during his campaign stop in O'Neill, Neb., on Monday.

Chappell Roan is bigger, and better, than politics

The social media rocket fuel that made her a star scorched her over politics. But what she represents is so much bigger.

October 4, 2024
Chappell Roan in her dressing room at the House of Blues in Chicago in October 2023. (Mary Mathis for The Washington Post)

Live, from New York! A sort of meh TV show.

Going into Season 50, “Saturday Night Live” is a predictable old friend. It could use a dose of its original anarchy.

September 29, 2024
Maya Rudolph as Vice President Kamala Harris and Jim Gaffigan as Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in this weekend's premiere of the 50th season of "Saturday Night Live."

Should Democrats tone down their rhetoric on Trump?

Republicans are blaming Democrats for the second assassination attempt on Trump. Is that fair?

September 17, 2024
Former president Donald Trump gestures at a rally in Las Vegas on Sept. 13.

Barney’s purple haze

We have the exclusive on the controversial purple dinosaur’s lost years since his show ended.

September 11, 2024

Was CNN’s big Kamala Harris interview a dud?

Or have the Democrats become a party that runs against the mainstream news media?

August 30, 2024
Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and running mate Tim Walz are interviewed by CNN’s Dana Bash in Savannah, Ga., on Thursday. (Will Lanzoni/CNN)

Why Austin should leave the 9/11 plea bargain alone

The deal, while not perfect, reflects something good about the United States of America.

August 3, 2024
The annual Tribute in Light, which honors the memory of the twin towers, is seen from Brooklyn, N.Y., on Sept. 11. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)