Op-ed columnist, author, and social commentator. Joined the New York Times in 2003 as a conservative voice; departed for The Atlantic in 2026. Author of Bobos in Paradise, The Road to Character, and How to Know a Person.
Over nearly 23 years at The New York Times (2003–2026), David Brooks evolved from a wry cultural observer explaining Red America to Blue America, into a moral philosopher diagnosing America's epidemic of loneliness. By the time he departed for The Atlantic, he had effectively ceased being a political pundit — becoming a public moralist whose singular focus was human connection.
Hired to replace William Safire, Brooks translated Red America to Blue America. Building on Bobos in Paradise, he analyzed the 'Bohemian Bourgeoisie' and used consumer habits — who buys which mustard, who drives which SUV — to explain the cultural fault lines of the Bush era.
With Obama's rise, Brooks became the primary voice of Burkean Conservatism — valuing gradual change and cherished institutions over radical disruption. He championed 'Reform Conservatism' and famously admired Obama's intellectual sophistication, while criticizing the GOP's drift toward Tea Party populism and anti-intellectualism.
Trump's rise caused a rupture. Brooks pivoted sharply toward morality, psychology, and the soul — developing the 'Two Mountains' concept (career success vs. service/community) and diagnosing Trump as a symptom of moral decay rather than a cause. His writing became openly spiritual, blending Christian theology with Jewish tradition around sin, redemption, and grace.
Brooks largely abandoned day-to-day politics, launching a singular crusade against social isolation. He championed 'Weavers' — people knitting communities back together at the local level — and argued that politics is downstream of culture. His 2023 book How to Know a Person focused on the skills of empathy: how to listen, ask questions, and make others feel genuinely seen.