Jess Bidgood

Washington, D.C.

Managing Correspondent and Writer at On Politics

I write the On Politics newsletter for @nytimes. Forever @BostonGlobe fan. Send me your ideas. [email protected]

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Articles

Elon Musk Faces Questions About His Government Influence After Setbacks

5 days ago | nytimes.com | Jess Bidgood

At the start of the new Trump administration, Elon Musk's influence seemed to have no limits. He was in the Oval Office, one of his sons on his shoulders. He was meeting with heads of state. He was putting the United States Agency for International Development through the "wood chipper." He gave a Fox News interview with President Trump.
The Next Phase of DOGE

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Jess Bidgood

Since it was created in January, DOGE has resisted requests for basic transparency, arguing that it doesn't need to reveal exactly what it is up to. Now, a federal judge might be about to change that. Yesterday, Judge Christopher R. Cooper, who is overseeing a lawsuit against DOGE, ordered Musk's team to clear up a lot of the uncertainty around its operations.
Elon Musk's DOGE Cuts and Their Moving Goal Posts

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Jess Bidgood

"This is an old story," he said. HELP US REPORTAs my colleague David Fahrenthold works to analyze Musk's claims about savings, he has realized there's a key "receipt" he can't find. Today, we're going to do something a little different: We're asking if you know where it is. David explained what he's looking for. Here's what we know: On its website, DOGE lists the contracts it has terminated, and the money it saved by canceling each.
The Moving Goal Posts in Musk’s DOGE Cuts

1 week ago | flipboard.com | Jess Bidgood

Tesla (TSLA) has to replace computer in ~4 million cars or compensate their ownersTesla (TSLA) has to replace the ‘self-driving’ computer inside about 4 million vehicles or likely compensate the owners of those vehicles. The liability could be more significant than the largest automotive recall in terms of cost. In 2016, Tesla claimed that all its vehicles in production going …
Elon Musk and Social Security's Effort to Curb Illegal Immigration

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Jess Bidgood |Alexandra Berzon

One hallmark of Elon Musk's 12 weeks in government has been his focus on Social Security. He has sent one of his closest advisers to work at the Social Security Administration. He has falsely insisted that the program is rife with fraud. And he has depicted the entitlement as a tool - a " giant magnet," to be specific - that he says entices illegal immigrants to come to the United States.
What's at Stake in Wisconsin

3 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Jess Bidgood

About nine minutes into his time onstage in Green Bay last night, Elon Musk neatly explained why he - a billionaire technologist who is already distracted by a little project in Washington - had poured $20 million and hours of his time into a Wisconsin Supreme Court election. "What's happening on Tuesday is a vote for which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives," he said.
In Wisconsin Supreme Court Race, Republicans Shrug at Democrats' Focus on Elon Musk

3 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Jess Bidgood

In 2022, when Musk took over the platform, he liked the crowdsourcing idea so much that he expanded it sharply. Musk viewed content moderation as akin to censorship and preferred to put such decisions in the hands of users. So he effectively replaced all of Twitter's content-moderation work with Birdwatch, which - in a purge of all avian-themed nomenclature - he renamed Community Notes.
The Importance of Being SpaceX

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Jess Bidgood

Some of that attention is being supplied by Trump himself. "I know you've been through a lot," Trump told Musk during today's cabinet meeting, at which Musk perched at one end of the table wearing a red hat that said "Trump was right about everything." Trump portrayed him as stoically weathering the backlash against his businesses. "He has never asked me for a thing," Trump said. Perhaps not.
How Elon Musk is Reshaping Politics

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Lisa Lerer |Jess Bidgood |Zolan Kanno-Youngs |Teddy Schleifer |Theodore Schleifer |Sophie Erickson | +5 more

Just two months into President Donald Trump's second term, Elon Musk is seemingly everywhere, dominating the news out of Washington and beyond. Mr. Musk's increasing influence in the White House has raised complicated questions about how he could reshape the nation.
How Elon Musk is Reshaping Politics

1 month ago | businessandamerica.com | Lisa Lerer |Jess Bidgood |Zolan Kanno-Youngs |Teddy Schleifer |Theodore Schleifer

He’s one of the most powerful and polarizing figures in American politics, wielding influence over media, technology and every corner of the federal government. “Yes!” In just a few short weeks since the inauguration, Elon Musk has taken a sledgehammer to the federal workforce and injected his companies into the center of the White House. He’s pushed legal boundaries and become one of the biggest donors in Republican politics, pouring his money into races across the country.