National Political Reporter for The New York Times

Elaina Plott | Biography 2021

Former Staff Writer for  The Atlantic and Washingtonian

• By Reena Chikanbanjar
• Original : August 03, 2021

---

Elaina Plott is an American journalist. She is a national political reporter for The New York Times.

Who is Elaina Plott?

Elaina Plott has been a National Political Reporter for The New York Times since December 2019. Previously, she worked as a Staff Writer for The Atlantic and Washingtonian. She has also written news and articles for several media outlets, including National Review, Town & Country, Yale Daily News, New York Observer, Harper’s Bazaar, GQ, and The Daily Beast.

Early Life and Getting Shot

Elaina Plott was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. She grew up in a gun-loving town in Alabama. Her grandfather co-owned an outdoor store when she was 14 years old. Her grandfather’s store sold various equipment, including firearms. 

At age 21, she was shot on her left arm with a bullet when she was watching television with her younger sister. She was rushed to hospital and the surgeon removed about a .22-caliber bullet from her arm. She would later wonder if the person who shot her bought the weapon in her grandfather’s store.

 The incident also made her think about America’s relationship with guns, which she describes as “complicated.” 

Later, she chronicled her experience with guns in an article titled ‘The Bullet in My Arm’ published in October 2018 in The Atlantic.

Education and Early Career

In 2015, Plott graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Yale University. While she was still at college, she did an internship at New York Observer for four months, from May to August 2013. She then joined Yale Daily News and worked as an editor for the Arts & Living section of the newspaper from September 2013 to October 2014. During that time, she also served as a features intern at Harper’s Bazaar from January to May 2014. She then returned to New York Observer as an intern coordinator and New York editor for the next two months. She also wrote for media outlets such as The Daily Beast, GQ, and Pacific Standard.

Later, in the first four months of 2015, she interned at a fashion and lifestyle magazine Town & Country. She then started working at National Review as a William F. Buckley Jr. fellow in August 2015.

Ten months later, she was hired as a staff writer for Washingtonian in May 2016. After working there for nearly two years, she left the magazine in January 2018 to join The Atlantic. 

During her time at The Atlantic, Plott covered the White House as a staff writer and wrote mainly about the transformation of the Republican Party during the tenure of Donald Trump. She also wrote about sexual assault allegations against Trump, profiled Ivanka Trump and George Prescott Bush, and revealed about the misconduct of former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt, who abused regulatory loopholes to ensure raises for his aides.

The New York Times

After serving The Atlantic for two years, Plott joined The New York Times as a national political reporter to cover the 2020 presidential campaign. She primarily covered the Republic Party and “Trumpism,” among other issues. 

Book

In 2019, Plott started writing a book about the relationship between Alabama federal court Judge Frank Minis Johnson Jr. and Alabama Governor and segregationist George Wallace during the time of the civil rights movement in the mid 20th century. She was writing the book for Penguin Press.

Accolades

In 2020, Plott was named in Forbes’ ’30 Under 30’ list under the category Media. She was 26 years old at that time.

Personal Life

In October 2018, Plott met Michael/Mike Calabro, an engineer at Booz Allen Hamilton. They got engaged on 13 August 2020. As per the Wedding Registry, the couple will tie the knot on 16 October 2021.