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Alex Shephard

Alex Shephard is senior editor of The New Republic, where he has covered politics and culture since 2015. His work has also appeared in New York, GQ, The Atlantic, The Nation, and other publications.  

All Articles
July 1, 2026
Alex Shephard
The Great American State Fair Is a Great Trumpian Disaster
The debacle on the National Mall captures an administration in free fall—and a president who is only interested in celebrating himself.
June 18, 2026
Alex Shephard
Donald Trump Has Fully Lost the Culture
The so-called “sports president” has been a major vibe-killer lately.
June 10, 2026
Alex Shephard
Can the 2026 World Cup Be Rescued From Trump and Infantino?
The tournament, which starts on Thursday, has already been defined by greed and xenophobia. But there’s still something beautiful worth celebrating.
May 28, 2026
Alex Shephard
Affordability Politics Are Here to Stay
Even if the Strait of Hormuz reopens and gas prices fall, many Americans will still believe that the economy is terrible. Do the Democrats have a solution for this “permacession”?
May 22, 2026
Alex Shephard
Gaza Wasn’t the Biggest Omission in the Democrats’ 2024 Autopsy
Two other issues went unmentioned in the report—and were even more decisive in the party’s loss to Donald Trump.
May 20, 2026
Alex Shephard
The Trump Administration’s Iran Plan Is Even Crazier Than We Thought
A bonkers new report suggests that the U.S. and Israel attempted to install Holocaust-denying former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Iran’s leader.
May 13, 2026
Alex Shephard
Bob Dylan’s Argument With God
A conversation with Ron Rosenbaum about what makes Dylan so unique.
May 7, 2026
Alex Shephard
Democrats Have a Joe Biden Problem. Again.
The former president is reentering politics at the worst possible time.
May 6, 2026
Alex Shephard
Trump Doesn’t Care If He Wrecks the Global Economy
What started with tariffs has escalated with the Iran war. He’s playing a giant game of chicken, and everyone will lose.
April 29, 2026
Alex Shephard
Trump Is Weighing Two Options for Iran. They’re Both Horrific.
The president might resume military strikes or maintain a blockade for months—or do both.
April 23, 2026
Alex Shephard
Iran’s Hard-Liners Have Trump’s Number
The president is desperate for a deal. But the war he launched with Israel has only served to empower those who are quick to call his bluff.
April 19, 2026
Alex Shephard
Trump and FIFA Have Already Broken the 2026 World Cup
Travel bans, ICE fears, and astronomical costs are ruining the tournament before it begins—not that Trump or Gianni Infantino care.
April 13, 2026
Alex Shephard
JD Vance Is on a Hell of a Losing Streak
The vice president just had his worst week in politics: rallying with a losing candidate in Hungary, then overseeing the failed negotiations over the Iran war. What new misery awaits him?
April 11, 2026
Alex Shephard
The MAGA Civil War Is Just Getting Started
Trump is fighting a growing list of right-wing pundits and influencers who are critical of the Iran war—and who are playing a long game.
April 8, 2026
Alex Shephard
Trump’s Staggering Humiliation in Iran
Desperate for an off-ramp, the president is setting up the U.S. to lose another war in the Middle East—even if the ceasefire doesn’t hold.
March 27, 2026
Alex Shephard
Wait, Did the Democrats Just Win a Government Shutdown Fight?
They didn’t get the ICE reforms they’d demanded, but they uncharacteristically held the line until the Republicans caved. That’s deeply meaningful to the party’s base.
March 19, 2026
Alex Shephard
This Is How Forever Wars Begin
First, with lies and bombs. Then, with a request for hundreds of billions in taxpayer dollars. Will Congress cave to the White House yet again?
March 18, 2026
Alex Shephard
Iran, Not Trump, Decides When This War Is Over
The U.S. and Israel started the war, but with the Strait of Hormuz closed and gas prices skyrocketing, Iran is in control now.
March 14, 2026
Alex Shephard
Is JD Vance Rooting for the Iran War to Fail?
Recent reporting leaves little doubt: Trump’s vice president thinks that if the war goes badly, it will help him secure the 2028 Republican nomination for president.
March 13, 2026
Alex Shephard
With the War in Iran, Trump Has Launched His Own Brand of Forever War
A decade ago, Trump promised an end to military interventions like the disaster in Iraq. Instead, he’s merely reinventing them.

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