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Brandon Wetherbee

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President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivers his 1954 State of Union Address to a joint session of Congress in 1954, the year he signed legislation setting the top tax rate at 91 percent. (CQ Roll Call file photo)

Make taxes great again?

By Brandon Wetherbee
Posted April 15, 2026 at 5:15pm
President Donald Trump greets members before delivering his State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the Capitol on Tuesday, Feb. 24. Trump's interactions with the public at large are rare, Brandon Wetherbee writes.

Life in this White House bubble

By Brandon Wetherbee
Posted March 3, 2026 at 1:08pm
Team U.S.A. hockey gold medalists Quinn Hughes, right, his brother Jack Hughes, left, and their teammates are recognized by President Donald Trump during Tuesday's State of the Union address in the House Chamber.

That’s entertainment! Or not. State of the Union 2026

By Jason Dick and Brandon Wetherbee
Posted February 25, 2026 at 5:59pm
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend the world premiere of Amazon MGM Studios’ film “MELANIA” in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 29.

We watched ‘Melania’ to figure out who this is for

By Brandon Wetherbee
Posted February 2, 2026 at 4:11pm
Capitol Police officers receive medical treatment in the crypt of the U.S. Capitol after clashes with protesters who later broke in and disrupted the joint session of Congress to certify the Electoral College vote of the 2020 presidential election on Jan. 6, 2021.

Should Jan. 6 be a national holiday?

By Brandon Wetherbee
Posted January 13, 2026 at 6:00am
President Donald Trump met with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in the Oval Office of the White House on Friday, and their interactions suggest there might be a way out of the morass of identity politics, Brandon Wetherbee writes.

Did Trump, Mamdani and MTG preview an end to identity politics?

By Brandon Wetherbee
Posted November 24, 2025 at 1:49pm
The late Hulk Hogan, seen here at the 2024 Republican National Convention, previously won a huge lawsuit against Gawker in Florida that changed the media permanently.

‘Injustice’ — The facts don’t matter if you’re not able to present them

By Brandon Wetherbee
Posted November 17, 2025 at 1:11pm
Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene talks with reporters after a meeting of the House Republican Conference at the Capitol Hill Club on Sept. 9.

Making sense of Greene’s stance on the government shutdown

By Brandon Wetherbee
Posted October 29, 2025 at 9:30am
Marc Maron, seen here on tour earlier this year, ended his “WTF with Marc Maron” podcast last week with an interview with former President Barack Obama. Their conversation offers a different path for politics from the one we are on, writes Brandon Wetherbee.

‘We can make it better’ — the end of ‘WTF with Marc Maron’ and the future of politics

By Brandon Wetherbee
Posted October 21, 2025 at 6:00am
Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand are pictured in New York City circa 1972 while filming "The Way We Were."

Robert Redford, the natural in politics

By Brandon Wetherbee
Posted September 24, 2025 at 6:15am
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the pressure to pull Jimmy Kimmel came from local affiliates. Not all local audiences, and voters, will be pleased, Brandon Wetherbee writes.

How will canceling Kimmel play in Peoria? Scranton?

By Brandon Wetherbee
Posted September 18, 2025 at 5:41pm
Fred Rogers introduced a generation of kids to emotions, sharing, self-acceptance and Daniel Tiger. His legacy at PBS Kids doesn’t have to be partisan, Wetherbee writes.

Introduce the Daniel Tiger Act, keep your seat

By Brandon Wetherbee
Posted August 13, 2025 at 6:00am
A demonstrator holds a sign in support of Stephen Colbert outside the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City last week.

The Stephen Colbert firing is the dumbest political firing of this administration

By Brandon Wetherbee
Posted July 21, 2025 at 2:53pm
Head to head? If President Donald Trump, right, seen here at his 2017 inauguration with President Barack Obama, runs for a third term, maybe Obama should threaten to do the same, Wetherbee writes.

If Trump runs for third term, why not Obama?

By Brandon Wetherbee
Posted June 23, 2025 at 1:33pm
President Donald Trump, seen on the South Lawn of the White House on May 12, has some strong feelings about Broadway plays. Maybe that's because he helped finance one himself, Wetherbee writes.

Can a musical that flopped on Broadway save PBS?

By Brandon Wetherbee
Posted May 19, 2025 at 2:37pm
Folk musician Woody Guthrie is on the list of potential National Garden of Heroes statues proposed by the Trump administration. (Universal History Archive/ Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Trump would like to honor the artist that kills fascists

By Brandon Wetherbee
Posted May 5, 2025 at 5:12pm
President Donald Trump attends the UFC 314 event alongside UFC President and CEO Dana White at Kaseya Center on Friday in Miami. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa via Getty Images)

After UFC appearance, don’t expect Trump at WrestleMania

By Brandon Wetherbee
Posted April 15, 2025 at 1:08pm
A Maracas Ice Pop is prepared during the Washington Nationals media preview day at Nationals Park on Friday, March 21, 2025.

The Thai popcorn does not detract

By Jason Dick and Brandon Wetherbee
Posted March 27, 2025 at 10:26am
Sports thrive in every aspect of the game when they lean into diversity, inclusion and equity, Wetherbee writes. Above, the field is seen during Friday’s media preview day at Nationals Park.

Organizations that believe in DEI should follow Major League Baseball’s lead

By Brandon Wetherbee
Posted March 25, 2025 at 6:00am
Among the small number of Democrats who have shown they can navigate the current political environment, according to Brandon Wetherbee, is Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

‘If I can get you to feel’ — politics, wrestling and connecting with people

By Jason Dick and Brandon Wetherbee
Posted February 19, 2025 at 5:22pm
CM Punk at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo. on April 29, 2024.

The pro wrestlers the Democratic Party needs to emulate

By Brandon Wetherbee
Posted February 14, 2025 at 12:39pm
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee, and a big Replacements fan. Did not win.

Replacements fans don’t belong on national tickets

By Brandon Wetherbee
Posted December 20, 2024 at 6:00am
Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s budget director, doesn't think much of Meals on Wheels . (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Opinion: The Trump White House: A Modest Proposal

By Brandon Wetherbee
Posted March 21, 2017 at 2:32pm
President Donald Trump, seen here during his press conference Thursday, has the media right where he wants them, Wetherbee writes. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

The Donald vs. Very Fake News

By Brandon Wetherbee
Posted February 17, 2017 at 3:46pm
Linda McMahon did not get New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker’s vote, but he did express an interest in working out with her son-in-law. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Cory Booker’s Bear Hug

By Brandon Wetherbee
Posted February 3, 2017 at 10:29am