Ben Johansen

Washington, D.C., United States

News Assistant at POLITICO

co-authoring west wing playbook @politico | upstate ny | alum @americanu

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Articles

Trump’s war on nonprofits

6 days ago | politico.com | Sophia Cai |Ben Johansen |Irie Sentner

Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook: Remaking Government, your guide to Donald Trump’s unprecedented overhaul of the federal government — the key decisions, the critical characters and the power dynamics that are upending Washington and beyond. | Subscribe | | | LATEST: President DONALD TRUMP announced this afternoon that he plans to invoke “Schedule F,” which would reclassify tens of thousands of federal workers.
The 100-year-old roots of Elon's politics

6 days ago | politico.com | Eli Stokols |Ben Johansen |Sophia Cai |Irie Sentner

Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook: Remaking Government, your guide to Donald Trump’s unprecedented overhaul of the federal government — the key decisions, the critical characters and the power dynamics that are upending Washington and beyond. | Subscribe | | | It’s often said that there are no coincidences. The impetus for President DONALD TRUMP’s recent fixation on annexing Canada remains something of a mystery.
DOGE comes for the little guy

1 week ago | politico.com | Ben Johansen |Sophia Cai |Irie Sentner

Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook: Remaking Government, your guide to Donald Trump’s unprecedented overhaul of the federal government — the key decisions, the critical characters and the power dynamics that are upending Washington and beyond.
DOGE dodges discovery

1 week ago | politico.com | Hassan Kanu |Sophia Cai |Ben Johansen |Irie Sentner

Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook: Remaking Government, your guide to Donald Trump’s unprecedented overhaul of the federal government — the key decisions, the critical characters and the power dynamics that are upending Washington and beyond. | Subscribe | | | | FIRST IN WEST WING PLAYBOOK: Several members of DOGE met with the president of the government-funded nonprofit Legal Services Corporation on Monday, a person familiar with the matter told West Wing Playbook.
Inside the DOGE immigration taskforce

1 week ago | politico.com | Sophia Cai |Ben Johansen |Irie Sentner

Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook: Remaking Government, your guide to Donald Trump’s unprecedented overhaul of the federal government — the key decisions, the critical characters and the power dynamics that are upending Washington and beyond. | Subscribe | | | LATEST: Transportation Secretary SEAN DUFFY had tough words for DOGE today: Dramatic cuts will not work here. “When I think of DOGE cutting things, I don’t know about that elsewhere, but we actually build things here.
DOGE fills power vacuum at IRS

1 week ago | politico.com | Sophia Cai |Bernie Becker |Ben Johansen |Irie Sentner

Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook: Remaking Government, your guide to Donald Trump’s unprecedented overhaul of the federal government — the key decisions, the critical characters and the power dynamics that are upending Washington and beyond. | Subscribe | | | LATEST: ELON MUSK is still kicking … for now. During today’s Cabinet meeting at the White House, President DONALD TRUMP was joined by Musk and all but four members of his Cabinet, where many took the opportunity to kiss the ring.
Musk's man at NASA?

2 weeks ago | politico.com | Ben Johansen |Eli Stokols |Sophia Cai |Irie Sentner

Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook: Remaking Government, your guide to Donald Trump’s unprecedented overhaul of the federal government — the key decisions, the critical characters and the power dynamics that are upending Washington and beyond. | Subscribe | | | LATEST: President DONALD TRUMP’s sudden decision today to put a 90-day pause on sweeping tariffs on every country except China was welcome news for some allies who disagreed with the strategy, including ELON MUSK.
Another SCOTUS fight Trump wants

2 weeks ago | politico.com | Hassan Kanu |Ben Johansen |Sophia Cai |Irie Sentner

Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook: Remaking Government, your guide to Donald Trump’s unprecedented overhaul of the federal government — the key decisions, the critical characters and the power dynamics that are upending Washington and beyond.
Musk’s war against the trade war

2 weeks ago | politico.com | Irie Sentner |Ben Johansen |Sophia Cai

Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook: Remaking Government, your guide to Donald Trump’s unprecedented overhaul of the federal government — the key decisions, the critical characters and the power dynamics that are upending Washington and beyond.
Stocks swing after unverified X post said Trump was considering a tariff pause

2 weeks ago | politico.com | Ben Johansen

The short-lived shift in the market comes as a global trade war escalates. Stock market numbers as traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during morning trading on April 07, 2025. | Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images Markets took a stunning swing Monday morning after an account on X erroneously claimed that President Donald Trump was weighing a 90-day pause on his sweeping tariffs.