A White House Reporter on What It Takes to Cover Trump
When Tyler Pager joined The New York Times this year, it was something of a homecoming.
In 2018, Mr. Pager, who was then completing a master's degree in comparative social policy at Oxford University, had been selected by Nicholas Kristof, a Times Opinion columnist, as the winner of his annual 'win a trip' contest. Mr. Pager earned the opportunity to join Mr. Kristof on a global reporting trip.
Mr. Pager spent a little over a week visiting schools, homes and clinics across the Central African Republic, one of the poorest countries in the world, and one in the midst of a violent civil conflict. He filed dispatches about the daily lives of the people there, which were published in The Times upon his return. Later that year, Mr. Pager interned on The Times's Metro desk, and then eventually joined Bloomberg as a national politics reporter.
This February, after a four-year stint covering the Biden administration for The Washington Post, Mr. Pager returned to The Times as the newest addition to the team covering President Donald J. Trump and the White House. One day at a time, the team tackles the challenges of reporting on an administration that makes news at all hours, and on all platforms.
'I've always been drawn to the office of the American presidency, to understanding the power one individual in the country has,' said Mr. Pager, 29.
In an interview from The Times's Washington office, Mr. Pager, who is a co-author of a forthcoming book on the 2024 presidential election, reflected on his start in journalism and a typical day on the job. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
How did you become interested in covering politics?
When I was in journalism school at Northwestern, there was a program called 'Medill on the Hill' that allowed you to spend a quarter living and working in Washington. During my sophomore year of college, when Obama was president, I moved to D.C. for three months and covered Congress.
I had a press pass to Capitol Hill. It gave me a close-up view of what it meant to be a political reporter. I got a better grasp on how much of what happens in Washington affects people all around the country, around the world. I've always been interested in how people try to get power, and then what they do with that power.
You were 23 when you were hired to cover politics at Bloomberg. What was that like?
One of the advantages of being a young campaign reporter is having no responsibilities in your personal life. I spent a vast majority of that time living on the road. I worked seven days a week. I threw myself into it. I was eager to learn. I added days to nearly every campaign trip to meet people and develop sources. It really paid off.
It was definitely daunting to compete against people who were decades older than me and who had covered many presidential cycles. But I also think there were advantages to my naiveté about covering national politics. It was helpful to bring a fresh set of eyes to covering campaigns, which some reporters concede is an area where it is easy to get jaded.
What does a typical day look like for you now?
We have a 10:15 a.m. meeting every day that the whole New York Times White House team joins. Sometimes it's in person, sometimes it's over Zoom, and sometimes it's hybrid.
Every week, one team member is on duty, and that means that person is primarily responsible for covering Donald Trump's events, speeches and travel. Those weeks when you're on duty are intense because you're responsible for watching and covering everything the president does. Wherever the president travels, you travel. When he goes to Palm Beach to spend the weekend at Mar-a-Lago, you also go to Palm Beach.
A lot of what we learn about the president comes from speaking to people outside the White House. On any given day, I'm traveling for a Trump-related event or meeting sources. That's the thing I love most about my job: I wake up and often don't know what the day will bring.
How do you balance investigative reporting with daily coverage?
There is so much daily news that comes out of this White House, and we cover it relentlessly. But we also want to make sure we're not just covering what Trump is saying and doing every day. We want to ensure we are telling the full story of his presidency.
That's where having these duty rotations helps. On a day when I'm not assigned a story or monitoring Trump, I'll whittle away at a longer-term story. It's all about balance.
How do you set boundaries?
We try to set boundaries as best we can. I just proposed to my girlfriend — I have a personal life. But it is a unique responsibility, and an honor, to be part of The Times, covering Donald Trump. I take that responsibility seriously.
What are your goals for your beat?
I want to make sure we have the most comprehensive, scoopiest coverage of the Trump White House. I want to make sure we're not just covering the day-to-day, but capturing the broader effect he is having on American life, institutions and the world.
How do you relax?
I'm a big runner and go with my friends and my fiancée. I play basketball as much as I can. Travel is my big hobby. I like to go for a long run wherever I am — it's the best way to see a new place, especially a city.
I also love to try new restaurants, and covering politics and the White House has given me an incredible window into the culinary scene of so many places I would have most likely never visited. I track my favorite spots almost religiously on Google Maps.
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