It was a lead that was supercharged, soared high—and then blew up. White House reporter Michelle Price’s sharp and memorable take on the sudden and very public breakup between President Donald Trump and former adviser Elon Musk cut through the din of a chaotic Thursday news cycle.
The story began as a 24-word alert just after noon, when Trump expressed disappointment with Musk’s stance on the Republican tax bill. But as the feud escalated, Price recalibrated her coverage in real time, producing multiple writethrus and ultimately crystallizing the moment with this line:
“Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s alliance took off like one of SpaceX’s rockets. It was supercharged and soared high. And then it blew up.”
The story—and its lead—exploded online. Political observers, media critics and fellow journalists flooded social media with praise. New York Times chief White House correspondent Peter Baker called it the lead of the week. Don Van Natta Jr., founder of the Sunday Long Read, dubbed it “lede of the year.”
The rest of the story was just as smart, swiftly updated, and widely read. As the feud continued, White House reporter Chris Megerian filed a late-night follow-up that described the bromance imploding “like a star going supernova.”
Colleagues across AP contributed to the broader coverage: Alex Brandon captured an image of Trump’s red Tesla parked at the White House; Kevin Vineys built a graphic; JJ Cooper assembled an “in their words” timeline of the spat; and Bernard Condon explored Musk’s business ties to the government.
Judges praised Price’s ability to craft distinctive, memorable writing while tracking and adapting to each new development in a fast-moving story.
For writing that exemplified what spot coverage can achieve, Michelle L. Price is this week’s Best of AP — First Winner.
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