Calder McHugh

New York

Freelance Writer at Freelance

Co-Founder and Writer at Southpaw Report

Deputy Editor at POLITICO

Deputy Editor, @politico Nightly, writing/editing @politicomag

Articles

Trump’s big crypto play

1 week ago | politico.com | Calder McHugh

A cutout of President Donald Trump holding a Bitcoin token during the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas, Nevada on Tuesday, May 27. | Bridget Bennett/Bloomberg via Getty Images THE ART OF THE BITCOIN DEAL — Trump Media and Technology Group — the parent company of Truth Social that counts President Donald Trump as its controlling shareholder — announced today it had raised $2.5 billion from around 50 large investors.
The one idea Americans can agree on this summer

2 weeks ago | politico.com | Calder McHugh

A woman sunbathes on a beach in the Manhattan borough of New York on June 16, 2024. | Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images HAVE A GREAT SUMMER — With Memorial Day weekend marking the unofficial start of summer, Americans are starting to embark on their travel plans. Over half of Americans — 55 percent — say they plan to take at least two nights away from home on a vacation this summer, according to a new survey from the Institute of Politics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
‘By Far the Most Serious Attack on the University to Date’

2 weeks ago | politico.com | Calder McHugh

Former Harvard President Larry Summers has been a frequent critic of his old university, but he’s been an enthusiastic defender amid Trump’s latest attacks. “Courage and capitulation are both contagious,” he said in an interview with POLITICO Magazine.
Larry Summers Says Trump’s Latest Attack on Harvard Is a ‘Prescription for Failure’

2 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Calder McHugh

In just the last 24 hours, the Trump administration announced it would effectively ban international students from attending Harvard University, Harvard sued, and a federal judge temporarily blocked the administration’s ban. The whirlwind of attacks and counterattacks surrounding one of America’s preeminent educational institutions represented a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s war on Harvard.
Donald Trump’s new ‘flying palace’ won’t be much like Air Force One

2 weeks ago | politico.com | Calder McHugh

Qatari F-15 jets perform a fly over Air Force One as U.S. President Donald J. Trump departs the Al Udeid Air Base for Abu Dhabi on May 15, 2025 in Doha, Qatar. | Win McNamee/Getty Images THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING — President Donald Trump is back in Washington after a four-day trip around the Middle East that both put more miles on the aging current Air Force One and set the stage for what Trump hopes will be a shiny new model.
The German Musk whisperer

4 weeks ago | politico.com | Calder McHugh

Naomi Seibt speaks during a workshop at the Conservative Political Action Conference 2020 in National Harbor, Md. | Samuel Corum/Getty Images THE NEW GLOBAL ORDER — Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany party announced Monday it would file suit to challenge a decision by the country’s intelligence agencies that classified the party as an extremist organization. And as the party fights Germany’s establishment, they’re finding influential allies in the American conservative movement.
The Democrats’ 100-day measuring stick

1 month ago | politico.com | Calder McHugh

Former Vice President Kamala Harris accepts the Chairman's Award onstage during the 56th NAACP Image Awards on February 22, 2025 in Pasadena, California. | Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET RETURN TO THE SPOTLIGHT — Tuesday marks Donald Trump’s 100th day in office, a useful milepost for judging the early performance of his second term in the White House.
The Tiny Canadian Islands That Contain Hints About Canada’s Election

1 month ago | politico.com | Calder McHugh

In the small towns along the St. Lawrence River, Trump’s outsized presence could shape a national election outcome. Photos by Calder McHugh/POLITICO Calder McHugh is deputy editor of POLITICO Nightly. GANANOQUE, Ontario — The Canadian officer who pulled me over had a question I wasn’t expecting.
A River of Regret Runs Through Trump’s Trade War With Canada

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Calder McHugh

GANANOQUE, Ontario — The Canadian officer who pulled me over had a question I wasn't expecting. I had just turned my rental car out of the Gananoque marina after dinner on an island in the middle of the St. Lawrence River. Had I been speeding? Constable Gibson of the Gananoque Police Service had something else on her mind. “You know there’s a border, right?” she asked.
How Canada’s election will be won

1 month ago | politico.com | Calder McHugh |Catherine Kim

Liberal Party of Canada leader Mark Carney waves to supporters outside a Georgetown pub as he leaves a campaign stop on March 31, 2025 in Halton Hills, Ontario, Canada. | Cole Burston/Getty Images CANADIAN COUNTDOWN — On Monday, Canadians will head to the polls to vote in the most consequential national election in decades. Their ballots will dictate who gets to lead the government during a time of unprecedented attacks coming from the president of their closest ally — Donald Trump.