Lydia Polgreen
Verified- Opinion Columnist, The New York Times
- Podcast Co-Host, Interesting Times (Podcast)
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Articles by Lydia Polgreen
I Went to India and Found It Has Lessons for Us All
Narendra Modi, the barrel-chested strongman leader of India for the past dozen years, has finally met his match — and it looks a lot like Mohini Majumdar. Just 20 years old, slender and voluble, Majumdar is an English student at Delhi University: an unlikely antagonist for an omnipotent autocrat. Yet early on Oct. 10, she shared an early morning taxi to the center of Delhi with a gaggle of classmates.
In India, I Saw Things That Should Scare Trump
Narendra Modi, the barrel-chested strongman leader of India for the past dozen years, has finally met his match — and it looks a lot like Mohini Majumdar. Just 20 years old, slender and voluble, Majumdar is an English student at Delhi University: an unlikely antagonist for an omnipotent autocrat. Yet early on Oct. 10, she shared an early morning taxi to the center of Delhi with a gaggle of classmates.
I Went to India and Found It Has Lessons for Us All
BJP to hold nationwide protests today against Mallikarjun Kharge’s remarks on PM Modi’s late father "The language that was once associated with thugs and hooligans is now being used by the Congress President himself... Their entire style of …
America Is in Decline, and Trump Is Leading the Fall
Video‘The United States Is Abdicating’ The old world order is fraying. Who gets to shape the next one?CreditCredit...The New York Times Many of President Trump’s policies have brought changes to the international order that will last long after his second term ends.
Mamdani Is Showing the World How It’s Done
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Mamdani Is Showing the World How It’s Done Oct.
Opinion: Identity politics wasn’t supposed to be like this
“When people try to call me the establishment, I look at that as a slur, particularly as an African American candidate.” So spoke David Crowley during the Democratic primary campaign for Wisconsin governor.
Identity Politics Wasn’t Supposed to Be Like This
Opinion|Identity Politics Wasn’t Supposed to Be Like This https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/29/opinion/democrats-primaries-identity-politics.html You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Lydia Polgreen Aug.
Opinion: ‘The proximity to Trump is a stain at this point’
Ohio • Two years ago, Vivek Ramaswamy — the loquacious biotech billionaire and vanquished presidential candidate — stood on the stage of the Republican National Convention and delivered a thundering endorsement of Donald Trump for president. “If you want to make America great again, vote Trump,” he declared.
Vivek Ramaswamy Wants to Be the Future. First He Has to Win.
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Two years ago, Vivek Ramaswamy — the loquacious biotech billionaire and vanquished presidential candidate — stood on the stage of the Republican National Convention and delivered a thundering endorsement of Donald Trump for president. “If you want to make America great again, vote Trump,” he declared.
'The Proximity to Trump Is a Stain at This Point'
OHIO -- Two years ago, Vivek Ramaswamy -- the loquacious biotech billionaire and vanquished presidential candidate -- stood on the stage of the Republican National Convention and delivered a thundering endorsement of Donald Trump for president. "If you want to make America great again, vote Trump," he declared.
Our American Ideals: Our Optimism
Like many Americans, I found myself unexpectedly transfixed this spring by the Artemis II space mission. We have been living through a relentless barrage of grim news unfolding all across the world, a great deal of it authored by the government of the United States under President Donald Trump. And space travel, once the stuff of collective wonder, has become a plaything of the very richest men.
This Is the Perfect Film for Our Savage Era
This Is the Perfect Film for Our Savage Era June 24, 2026, 5:01 a.m. ET Credit...Illustration by The New York Times; photograph, via Neon I was a few months shy of my seventh birthday the first time I saw looting up close. We were living in Nairobi, Kenya, in an apartment complex near the downtown shopping district. All of a sudden, people started streaming back to our building with armloads of brand-new stuff.
I Love Heist Films. This One Is Special.
I was a few months shy of my 7th birthday the first time I saw looting up close. We were living in Nairobi, Kenya, in an apartment complex near the downtown shopping district. All of a sudden, people started streaming back to our building with armloads of brand-new stuff. I watched in awe as a man balanced a small refrigerator on his head, blood pouring out of a gash above his eyes. "All the shops are open and everything is free," I declared to my mother. "Can we go?" We did not go.
I Love Heist Films. This One Is Special.
Hot Ones 1 day ago Keke Palmer seems to confirm she’s dating ‘Hot Ones’ host Sean Evans The Mercury News - Jami Ganz • 1d Keke Palmer addressed, but did not shut down, speculation that she’s dating “Hot Ones” host Sean Evans. Emmy winner Palmer, 32, told podcaster Jay … Culture 1 day ago Stream It Or Skip It: ‘I Love Boosters’ on VOD, Boots Riley’s Madcap Surrealist Satire of Late Capitalism Decider - John Serba • 1d Nobody makes movies like Boots Riley, case file no.
I Went to Lebanon and Found Something Strangely Hopeful
Fresh from his evening shower on May 15, Ibrahim Nehme was settling onto the couch to watch the news in a quiet neighborhood in Tyre, an ancient city in southern Lebanon. There was a lot to catch up on. A Lebanese delegation had just met with Israeli officials in Washington, part of the first direct negotiations between the two countries in decades. In theory, the talks had been positive: The two sides had agreed to meet again in June and to extend the month-old cease-fire between them for 45 days.
Lebanon Is Fed Up, and Ready to Remake Itself
BEIRUT -- Fresh from his evening shower on May 15, Ibrahim Nehme was settling onto the couch to watch the news in a quiet neighborhood in Tyre, an ancient city in southern Lebanon. There was a lot to catch up on. A Lebanese delegation had just met with Israeli officials in Washington, part of the first direct negotiations between the two countries in decades.
Trump Doesn’t Know What Power Is
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Trump Doesn’t Know What Power Is May 18, 2026, 5:02 a.m. ET Credit...Max Slobodda for The New York Times In January, Stephen Miller gave a blustery and revealing interview to the CNN journalist Jake Tapper. Flush with the triumph of the military raid to abduct Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, Miller was taking a victory lap.
Trump and His Advisors Clearly Haven't Actually Read Thucydides
In January, Stephen Miller gave a blustery and revealing interview to CNN journalist Jake Tapper. Flush with the triumph of the military raid to abduct Venezuela's president, Nicolás Maduro, Miller was taking a victory lap. America was done being the world's nice guy, footing the bill for a global order that no longer served its interests. From now on, he said, the gloves were off. America would act boldly and with unapologetic force to impose its will on the world.
No es Trump. Es Estados Unidos
Como muchos otros estadounidenses, en estos tiempos sombríos he oscilado entre dos polos emocionales. En algunos momentos, me digo a mí misma que Donald Trump es una figura singularmente malévola que se ha apoderado de hilos del poder que ningún presidente anterior se había atrevido a tomar. El relato no detiene la violencia estatal en las calles ni las operaciones militares ilegales en el extranjero. Sin embargo, tiene su consuelo.
No es Trump. Es Estados Unidos
Ante una denuncia efectuada por una asociación que gestiona los derechos de propiedad intelectual de autores y editores, hemos decidido, como medida preventiva, inhabilitar de forma temporal el acceso a determindso contenidos.
Opinion: It’s Not Trump. It’s America.
Like a lot of other Americans, I’ve oscillated in these dark times between two emotional poles. At points, I tell myself that Donald Trump is a uniquely malevolent figure who has seized levers of power that no previous president had ever dared to grasp. The story doesn’t stop state violence in the streets or illegal military operations abroad. Yet it has its comforts.
No es Trump. Es Estados Unidos.
Como muchos otros estadounidenses, en estos tiempos sombríos he oscilado entre dos polos emocionales. En algunos momentos, me digo a mí misma que Donald Trump es una figura singularmente malévola que se ha apoderado de hilos del poder que ningún presidente anterior se había atrevido a tomar. El relato no detiene la violencia estatal en las calles ni las operaciones militares ilegales en el extranjero. Sin embargo, tiene su consuelo.
It’s Not Trump. It’s America. Original
Like a lot of other Americans, I’ve oscillated in these dark times between two emotional poles. At points, I tell myself that Donald Trump is a uniquely malevolent figure who has seized levers of power that no previous president had ever dared to grasp. The story doesn’t stop state violence in the streets or illegal military operations abroad. Yet it has its comforts.
It’s Not Trump. It’s America.
Like a lot of other Americans, I’ve oscillated in these dark times between two emotional poles. At points, I tell myself that Donald Trump is a uniquely malevolent figure who has seized levers of power that no previous president had ever dared to grasp. The story doesn’t stop state violence in the streets or illegal military operations abroad. Yet it has its comforts.
It's Not Trump. It's America.
Like a lot of other Americans, I've oscillated in these dark times between two emotional poles. At points, I tell myself that Donald Trump is a uniquely malevolent figure who has seized levers of power that no previous president had ever dared to grasp. The story doesn't stop state violence in the streets or illegal military operations abroad. Yet it has its comforts.
President Trump’s fantasy is crashing down
In Donald Trump’s fantasy world, America is invincible and impregnable. Its military is so advanced and skillful that it can pluck a sitting head of state from a hostile country and deposit him in a New York City jail cell without losing a single soldier. It can slap punitive tariffs on any nation it likes, abandon long-standing alliances on a whim, bomb any country at any time and freely blow up boats it may suspect of carrying drugs.
Opinion- Trump’s fantasy is crashing down
In Donald Trump’s fantasy world, America is invincible and impregnable. Its military is so advanced and skillful that it can pluck a sitting head of state from a hostile country and deposit him in a New York City jail cell without losing a single soldier. It can slap punitive tariffs on any nation it likes, abandon long-standing alliances on a whim, bomb any country at any time and freely blow up boats it may suspect of carrying drugs.
Artigo: Fantasia de Trump no Irã ignora vulnerabilidade de mundo interconectado
No mundo de fantasia de Donald Trump, os Estados Unidos são invencíveis e inexpugnáveis. Seu exército é tão avançado e habilidoso que pode capturar um chefe de Estado em exercício de um país hostil e colocá-lo em uma cela de prisão em Nova York sem perder um único soldado. Pode impor tarifas punitivas a qualquer nação que desejar, abandonar alianças de longa data por capricho, bombardear qualquer país a qualquer momento e explodir livremente barcos que suspeite transportar drogas.
Trump’s Fantasy Is Crashing Down
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Trump’s Fantasy Is Crashing Down Credit...Photo Illustration by Damon Winter/The New York Times In Donald Trump’s fantasy world, America is invincible and impregnable. Its military is so advanced and skillful that it can pluck a sitting head of state from a hostile country and deposit him in a New York City jail cell without losing a single soldier.
Trump's Fantasy Is Crashing Down
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Trump's Fantasy Is Crashing Down
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Opinion | Gessen and Polgreen on Prince Andrew and the Epstein Files
Congress last November passed a law ordering the Department of Justice to release its unclassified investigative files on Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and sex offender. The Justice Department has since disclosed batches of redacted documents. Stephen Stromberg, an editor in Opinion, convened the Opinion columnists M. Gessen and Lydia Polgreen to discuss what the public has learned from the files’ disclosure. The conversation has been edited for clarity.
'We Can See Quite Obvious Patterns': Two Columnists on Andrew and the Epstein Files
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Why did I trust Jeff Bezos?
In June 2017, in one of those strange turns of life, I found myself at a dinner in a palazzo in Turin, Italy, sitting next to Jeff Bezos. We had both been invited to speak at a conference convened by an Italian billionaire to discuss the future of newspapers, I as the editor of HuffPost and Bezos as the owner of The Washington Post, which he had bought four years earlier. I was surprised and, I’ll confess, a little delighted to find myself alongside the man of the hour.
I trusted Jeff Bezos. The joke is on me.
In June 2017, in one of those strange turns of life, I found myself at a dinner in a palazzo in Turin, Italy, sitting next to Jeff Bezos. We had both been invited to speak at a conference convened by an Italian billionaire to discuss the future of newspapers, I as the editor of HuffPost and Bezos as the owner of The Washington Post, which he had bought four years earlier. I was surprised and, I'll confess, a little delighted to find myself alongside the man of the hour.
Opinion | Why Did I Trust Jeff Bezos?
In June 2017, in one of those strange turns of life, I found myself at a dinner in a palazzo in Turin, Italy, sitting next to Jeff Bezos. We had both been invited to speak at a conference convened by an Italian billionaire to discuss the future of newspapers, I as the editor of HuffPost and Bezos as the owner of The Washington Post, which he had bought four years earlier. I was surprised and, I’ll confess, a little delighted to find myself alongside the man of the hour.
Opinion | Why Did I Trust Jeff Bezos?
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Lydia Polgreen Feb. 14, 2026 Credit...Illustration by The New York Times; source photograph by Saul Loeb/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Listen to this article · 7:52 min Learn more In June 2017, in one of those strange turns of life, I found myself at a dinner in a palazzo in Turin, Italy, sitting next to Jeff Bezos.
Why Did I Trust Jeff Bezos?
In June 2017, in one of those strange turns of life, I found myself at a dinner in a palazzo in Turin, Italy, sitting next to Jeff Bezos. We had both been invited to speak at a conference convened by an Italian billionaire to discuss the future of newspapers, I as the editor of HuffPost and Bezos as the owner of The Washington Post, which he had bought four years earlier. kAmx H2D DFCAC:D65 2?5[ xV== 4@?76DD[ 2 =:EE=6 56=:89E65 E@ 7:?5 >JD6=7 2=@?8D:56 E96 >2?
This Week Has Revealed 3 Types of Americans
About halfway through the 2024 film “Civil War,” actor Jesse Plemons appears in an unforgettable cameo. Playing a psychopathic militiaman of unknown allegiance in an anarchic conflict that has divided America, he stands next to a mass grave filled with bodies. He has just sprinkled them with powder, but somehow his candy-colored sunglasses and eerily still demeanor are even more menacing. Brandishing his rifle at a multiracial group of journalists, he asks a question.
Opinion | This Moment Is Asking What Kind of America We Are
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. About halfway through the 2024 film “Civil War,” the actor Jesse Plemons appears in an unforgettable cameo. Playing a psychopathic militiaman of unknown allegiance in an anarchic conflict that has divided America, he stands next to a mass grave filled with bodies.
This Week Has Revealed 3 Types of Americans
About halfway through the 2024 film "Civil War," actor Jesse Plemons appears in an unforgettable cameo. Playing a psychopathic militiaman of unknown allegiance in an anarchic conflict that has divided America, he stands next to a mass grave filled with bodies. He has just sprinkled them with powder, but somehow his candy-colored sunglasses and eerily still demeanor are even more menacing. Brandishing his rifle at a multiracial group of journalists, he asks a question. kAmQ(92E <:?5 @7 p>6C:42?
Opinion | ‘We Are Creating the Conditions for a Catastrophe.’ Three Columnists on the Shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Original
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT You have been granted access, use your keyboard to continue reading. Matthew Rose, an Opinion editorial director, hosted an online conversation with three Opinion columnists. Matthew Rose: On Saturday, agents from the Border Patrol in Minneapolis shot and killed Alex Pretti, an American citizen.
Opinion | ‘We Are Creating the Conditions for a Catastrophe.’ Three Columnists on the Shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
Opinion|‘We Are Creating the Conditions for a Catastrophe.’ Three Columnists on Minneapolis. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/opinion/minneapolis-alex-pretti-ice-shooting.html You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Guest Essay Jan.
'Kristi Noem Needs To Go.' Three Columnists on ICE in Minneapolis.
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In Minneapolis, I glimpsed a civil war
Late last Wednesday night, I was standing on a street corner in the Hawthorne neighborhood in North Minneapolis, when I witnessed an extraordinary confrontation. A federal agent marched up a narrow residential sidewalk, flanked by modest bungalows, kitted out in gear fit for the battle of Fallujah: full body armor, camouflage fatigues and helmet, military boots, and a heavy machine gun slung by his side.
In Minneapolis, I Glimpsed a Civil War
Late last Wednesday night, I was standing on a street corner in the Hawthorne neighborhood in North Minneapolis when I witnessed an extraordinary confrontation. A federal agent marched up a narrow residential sidewalk flanked by modest bungalows, kitted out in gear fit for the battle of Falluja: full body armor, military boots and camouflage fatigues and helmet, with a heavy machine gun slung by his side.
In Minneapolis, I Glimpsed a Civil War
Late last Wednesday night, I was standing on a street corner in the Hawthorne neighborhood in North Minneapolis, when I witnessed an extraordinary confrontation. A federal agent marched up a narrow residential sidewalk, flanked by modest bungalows, kitted out in gear fit for the battle of Fallujah: full body armor, camouflage fatigues and helmet, military boots, and a heavy machine gun slung by his side.
Opinion | There’s a reason Trump Is Targeting Minneapolis
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Late last Wednesday night, I was standing on a street corner in the Hawthorne neighborhood in North Minneapolis, when I witnessed an extraordinary confrontation.
In Minneapolis, I Glimpsed a Civil War
Late last Wednesday night, I was standing on a street corner in the Hawthorne neighborhood in North Minneapolis, when I witnessed an extraordinary confrontation. A federal agent marched up a narrow residential sidewalk, flanked by modest bungalows, kitted out in gear fit for the battle of Fallujah: full body armor, military boots and camouflage fatigues and helmet, with a heavy machine gun slung by his side.
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