NY Times DC bureau chief Bumilller returning to reporting

New York Times executive editor Joe Kahn sent out the following on Thursday:

Without a doubt, the biggest political story of the last decade has been the election of Donald Trump in 2016 and the disruption to the political system that followed. Numerous desks around the newsroom have contributed to our superb coverage of Trump’s administration and its impact on the United States and the world. But it is our Washington bureau, led by the incomparable Elisabeth Bumiller, that has in many ways reinvented what it means to cover a president.

She has done so with creativity, humor, stamina and an unflagging devotion to those who work for her.

And so, it is with gratitude and admiration that we share the news that Elisabeth has decided to step down as Washington bureau chief. We have been talking about her next chapter for the past year, and are glad that she’s not going far. Starting in January, Elisabeth will cast her keen eye on people and events in the capital and beyond as she returns to writing and reporting, both for the bureau and for other desks. She will also keep a hand in editing and helping others craft standout journalism.

Elisabeth became bureau chief in 2015 as the 2016 presidential election was heating up. Within a year she was navigating how to cover a president who eschewed traditional briefings in favor of social media missives, how to make sense of a near-constant rotation of government officials, how to break even more news on the most competitive story and how to help readers understand the bigger picture as a firehose of information came their way each day.

And when President Biden took office in 2021, Elisabeth ensured the bureau didn’t lose any momentum. It deftly juggled covering Biden’s presidency with the aftermath of Jan. 6, an ongoing global pandemic, and the emergence of two international wars.

To do it all, Elisabeth assembled an all-star roster of reporters and editors and built a camaraderie across the bureau that we should all aspire to.

In her nearly 30 years at The Times, Elisabeth has held a range of positions, including City Hall bureau chief on Metro, White House correspondent, Pentagon reporter and Politics reporter covering John McCain’s 2008 campaign. She’s also written for Travel, Culture and The New York Times Magazine. We’re thrilled we’ll soon get to see her byline in the report once again.

We’ll have more to say soon about the next Washington bureau chief. For now, please join us in congratulating Elisabeth on her incredible run.