Imagine having a ringside seat these past six months to observe the frenzied pace of the Trump White House—from the Department of Government Efficiency’s offensive in dismantling federal operations to the June 21 decision by President Trump to bomb three Iranian nuclear sites.
Ben Johansen, a 23-year-old Woodstock native, has been in the thick of it as part of the nine-member White House reporting team for Politico’s “all things Washington” newsletter read by more than a million people worldwide.
A 2019 graduate of Onteora High School, Johansen earned his degree in political science from American University in 2023, with a minor in communications. He joined Politico that same year, and now reports full-time for West Wing Playbook: Remaking Government—renamed in February to reflect the far-reaching changes under Trump’s second term.
“In this new Trump era, it’s all about their efforts to reshape the federal government,” Johansen said. “One area I am focused on is carving out a reporting beat on how DOGE is impacting organizations like Voice of America as well as around nonprofits in general.”
June was a particularly notable month in Johansen’s career. On June 14, he covered the military parade in Washington commemorating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. A week later, on June 21, the day the White House ordered strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, Johansen was on duty as part of the press pool providing real-time updates to the entire White House press list.
“It was a pretty insane day. Are we going to war? It was definitely a cool experience,” he said.
On the parade, which coincided with President Trump’s 79th birthday, Johansen noted discrepancies in crowd estimates: “very interesting,” he said, pointing out that White House estimates far exceeded those reported elsewhere. “I was equipped with goggles and a bulletproof vest if things got insane.”
Despite often being labeled “the enemy of the American people” by the president, Johansen spoke respectfully of Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and her team.
“The press team is solid and responsible. They will work with you,” he said. “They are not as leaky as Trump 1.”
“This White House operates under a more serious tone,” he added. “There’s very little room for humor.”
Though he hasn’t yet traveled with the president, Johansen looks forward to doing so. “I anticipated being a news reporter,” he said, “but didn’t expect to be covering the White House in 2025.”
He credits his path to journalism to his roots in Boiceville. “My teachers at Onteora were everything,” he said, naming Principal Lance Edelman and teachers Elaine Sniffen, Kay Goldbeck, Alicia Curlew, and Laura Loheide.
In 2018, he founded The Talon, Onteora’s high school newspaper. “She always pushed me and was so passionate about getting the newspaper project off the ground,” he said of Sniffen. “And Kay Goldbeck was huge in terms of piquing my interest in journalism.”
Johansen also thanked his parents—Eric, an English teacher at Kingston High School, and Maya, who works at the Woodstock post office. His brother Yogi, a 2025 Onteora graduate, will attend Pratt Institute this fall.
Looking ahead, Johansen sees a long future in journalism. “Ten years from now I might be reporting from City Hall, covering politics in New York City.”
To aspiring journalists, he offers this advice: “Read as much as you can—local, national, and international news. And try not to allow political news to make you become cynical.”
He added, “Journalism will always be important and foundational to society. It may seem like a morbid time, but now is the time to shape things up.” His final note: “It may be really hard to have sympathy for Trump supporters, but be open-minded and show an understanding of why people may feel the way they do.”
Scott Widmeyer is co-founder of The Overlook. Reach him at scott@theoverlooknews.com.
