Michael Wolff is an American journalist and author who built a career profiling media institutions and power brokers, later drawing global attention with best-selling accounts of the Trump administration.

Magazine and Column Writing

1970s-2000s
Wolff started as a copy boy at The New York Times before writing for New York Magazine, Vanity Fair, and The Hollywood Reporter. His columns dissected media ownership battles, newsroom strategy, and the rise of cable news as a political force. He published several books on media moguls, including a biography of Rupert Murdoch.

2010s
He expanded his media criticism through a regular USA Today column and long-form features that examined digital disruption, platform consolidation, and the business strategies of legacy outlets adapting to online competition.

Trump Administration Coverage

2016-2018
Wolff embedded with the Trump campaign and early White House staff, resulting in Fire and Fury (2018). The book detailed internal conflicts, communications breakdowns, and the evolving media strategy of the new administration, prompting widespread debate and shaping early public narratives about the Trump presidency.

2019-2021
Follow-up books Siege and Landslide chronicled continuing struggles over message discipline, the Mueller investigation, and the contested 2020 election outcome. Wolff emphasized how media tactics and loyalty battles influenced decision-making inside the administration.

Later Work and Media Engagements

2020s
Wolff continues to write profiles of media executives and political communicators while appearing on television networks to analyze White House-media relations. He contributes to discussions about how news outlets cover populist movements, the role of leaks in contemporary reporting, and the transformation of political storytelling through insider accounts.

Impact on Political Media

• Popularized insider narratives that foreground communications staff, surrogates, and media strategy as drivers of political outcomes.
• Highlighted the relationship between White House operations and the competitive news cycle of cable and digital outlets.
• Provided case studies for debates about sourcing, verification standards, and the market demand for access-driven political reporting.

Wolff remains a prominent voice in discussions about how media ecosystems interpret and amplify political power struggles in the United States.