Dasha Burns is POLITICO’s White House Bureau Chief, best known for her direct interviews with President Trump and her coverage of the 2024 campaign. On November 3, 2026, she cold-called President Trump live on air during POLITICO Elections Live as Republican midterm losses unfolded. Today she covers the White House for POLITICO, co-authors Playbook and hosts The Conversation.
Dasha Burns’s bio at a glance
| Field | Details |
| Full name | Dasha Burns |
| Birth name | Christina Burns |
| Gender | Female |
| Date of birth | March 1, 1992 |
| Age | 34 (as of November 2026) |
| Place of birth | Ukraine |
| Current residence | Not publicly available |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Ukrainian-American |
| Zodiac sign | Pisces |
| Religion | Not publicly available |
| Sexual orientation | Not publicly available |
| Height | 5 ft 4 in to 5 ft 7 in (162–170 cm) |
| Weight | 121 lbs to 130 lbs (55–59 kg) |
| Hair colour | Blonde (visual estimate) |
| Eye colour | Blue (visual estimate) |
| Marital status | Married |
| Spouse / Partner | Ben Winkel |
| Children | No children |
| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley |
| Profession | POLITICO White House Bureau Chief |
| Net worth | $1 million (estimated) |
| Hometown | San Diego, California |
| Employer | POLITICO |
| Social media | Instagram: @dashaburns; X: @DashaBurns; LinkedIn: /in/dashaburns |
Who is Dasha Burns?
Dasha Burns is the White House Bureau Chief at POLITICO. She co-authors Playbook, hosts The Conversation and anchors the Playbook Podcast. She joined POLITICO in January 2025, after nearly nine years at NBC News, where she was a national correspondent.
Burns was born in Ukraine and immigrated to the United States at age eight. She grew up in San Diego, California, and studied at the University of California, Berkeley. In 2026, she became a co-author of Playbook and was named POLITICO’s Global Anchor.
She also hosts Ceasefire on C-SPAN, a show she started in the fall of 2025. She is married to Ben Winkel, and she has no children. Her Instagram account is verified, and she posts work clips and personal photos there.
Readers who follow White House reporting may also like our profile of Annie Linskey, a White House reporter for The Wall Street Journal.
How old is Dasha Burns? Age and Birthday
Dasha Burns is 34 years old as of November 2026. She was born on March 1, 1992, in Ukraine. Her zodiac sign is Pisces.
She was reportedly born Christina Burns in Ukraine. She immigrated to the United States at age eight and grew up in San Diego, California. Her next birthday falls on March 1, 2027, when she turns 35.
How tall is Dasha Burns? Height, weight and measurements
Dasha Burns has shoulder-length blonde hair and blue eyes. Her hair was wavy in 2021 and a straight bob in 2025. Biography websites list her height as 5 feet 5 inches (165 cm), though other biography websites give 5 feet 4 inches (162 cm) and 5 feet 7 inches (170 cm), and no official source has confirmed her height. Biography websites list her weight as 121 lbs (55 kg), though one site gives 130 lbs (59 kg), and no official source has confirmed her weight. Biography websites list her body measurements as 33-26-35 inches, though no official source has confirmed them.
Her photos show the same look across her NBC and POLITICO years: blonde hair, blue eyes and a polished on-air style. She anchors from the White House and from the POLITICO studio, and she posts photos from trips and events on Instagram.
Dasha Burns’s career
Early life and education
Burns was born in Ukraine and moved to the United States at age eight. She grew up in San Diego and went to La Costa Canyon High School, graduating in 2010. She studied media studies and anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, where she produced news for CalTV. In spring 2014, she was a Matsui Center fellow at the United Nations Information Center in Washington.
NBC News
Burns wrote opinion pieces for CNN from 2015 to 2016. She joined NBC News in May 2016 as an associate producer on Weekend Today, became a producer in December 2017, a TV reporter in March 2019 and a correspondent in February 2022. She covered the 2024 campaign, sitting down with Ron DeSantis first and then with Donald Trump.
In October 2022, she did the first in-depth interview with John Fetterman after his stroke. On July 13, 2024, she led NBC’s coverage of the assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, reporting on site. She also wrote a first-person piece about catching COVID-19 in April 2020. She was nominated for Outstanding Emerging Journalist at the 45th News and Documentary Emmy Awards in 2024.
POLITICO
Burns joined POLITICO in January 2025 as White House Bureau Chief. She hosts and edits The Conversation, a long-form interview show, and she co-hosts the daily Playbook Podcast. In July 2025, C-SPAN named her the first host of Ceasefire, a show that started in the fall of 2025.
In March 2026, POLITICO named her its Global Anchor. On July 20, 2026, she became a Playbook co-author with Adam Wren and Will Steakin, and the relaunched Playbook came out on August 31, 2026. In December 2025, she sat down with President Trump in the Roosevelt Room for about 45 minutes, and he graded his economy “A+++++”.
Career timeline
- 2010 — Graduated from La Costa Canyon High School.
- May 2016 — Joined NBC News as an associate producer on Weekend Today.
- February 2022 — Became an NBC News correspondent.
- January 2025 — Joined POLITICO as White House Bureau Chief.
- July 30, 2025 — Named the first host of C-SPAN’s Ceasefire.
- July 20, 2026 — Became a Playbook co-author.
- November 3, 2026 — Cold-called President Trump live on POLITICO Elections Live.
What is Dasha Burns’s net worth and salary?
As of 2026, Dasha Burns’s net worth is estimated at $1 million. She earns an estimated annual salary of $150,000 to $200,000 from POLITICO.
Net worth
As of 2026, Dasha Burns’s net worth is estimated at $1 million. Published estimates range from about half a million dollars to $2 million, with the lower figure the most repeated older estimate and $1 million the most common recent figure. She built her wealth through her POLITICO salary, her speaking engagements and her past NBC News correspondent salary.
Salary
As of 2026, Dasha Burns’s annual salary at POLITICO is estimated at $150,000 to $200,000. She holds three senior titles at POLITICO: White House Bureau Chief, Playbook co-author and Global Anchor.
Income sources
- POLITICO salary.
- Speaking engagements.
- Past NBC News correspondent salary.
Is Dasha Burns married?
Yes, Dasha Burns is married.
Dasha Burns is married. She married on September 14, 2019. Her husband is reportedly Ben Winkel. In February 2026, she wrote on Instagram, “I married a German?!” — Ben had just gained dual citizenship.
Children
Dasha Burns reportedly has no children. Her posts show her work, her travels and her dog, with no children mentioned.
Family
Burns immigrated to the United States at age eight with her family and grew up in San Diego. She has a dog. Her parents’ names have not been published.
What happened in Dasha Burns’s live Trump call?
On November 3, 2026, during POLITICO Elections Live, Burns cold-called President Trump live on air as Republican midterm losses unfolded. Democrats were retaking the House and the Senate. Trump told her, “I wasn’t on the ballot… If I was on the ballot, we would have won.”
Burns pushed back: “But Mr. President, you told voters you were on the ballot.” Trump said he does not blame anyone and will work with incoming congressional Democrats. The call was widely covered in the days that followed.
What is Dasha Burns doing in 2026?
On April 25, 2026, a gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton. Burns was in the ballroom and hid under a table. The next morning, she posted a video of more than eight minutes, saying, “I don’t think a lot of us are mentally and emotionally ok. I’ll be honest. I’m not.” The dinner was rescheduled for July 24, 2026.
On October 25, 2026, she officiated a friend’s wedding, with two ceremonies. On November 1, she interviewed Senator Raphael Warnock on The Conversation. On November 6, she interviewed Representative Jim Clyburn. On November 7, she reported on the Playbook Podcast that Susie Wiles was out and Stephen Miller was in.
Dasha Burns’s social media
As of November 2026, Dasha Burns has 54,145 followers on Instagram at @dashaburns, where she is verified. She posts work clips, travel photos and personal moments. Her handle on X is @DashaBurns. She has no personal TikTok account, Facebook page or YouTube channel, and she appears only on POLITICO’s corporate accounts. Her LinkedIn profile is /in/dashaburns.
Quick facts about Dasha Burns
- “33 sun laps” — On March 1, 2025, she marked her 33rd birthday with the words “33 sun laps. Still laughing.”
- “I was born in Ukraine” — In a 2021 post, she wrote, “I was born in Ukraine. I immigrated here when I was 8.”
- “Spacegirl” — In April 2026, she went to Florida to talk rockets and Mars with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, calling herself “Spacegirl.”
- “C-SPAN & chill” — In April 2026, she posted about “C-SPAN & chill.”
- “A+++++ year” — In a December 2025 year-in-review post, she called it an “A+++++ year.”
- Broke Trump’s IVF funding plan — In 2024, she broke the story of Trump’s IVF funding plan.
- Moderated 12+ C-SPAN discussions — Before Ceasefire, she moderated more than a dozen discussions on C-SPAN.
- Acted in university plays — At UC Berkeley, she acted in university plays, including A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2013.
Read more: Priscilla Alvarez Age, height, husband, salary, net worth, career
FAQs
How old is Dasha Burns?
34 years old as of November 2026. She was born on March 1, 1992, in Ukraine, and turned 34 on March 1, 2026.
Is Dasha Burns married?
Yes, she is married. She married on September 14, 2019.
What is Dasha Burns’s net worth?
$1 million (estimated). Her wealth comes from her POLITICO salary, speaking engagements and earlier NBC News correspondent pay, and published estimates run from about half a million dollars to $2 million.
Where does Dasha Burns work now?
POLITICO. She is the White House Bureau Chief, a Playbook co-author and the host of The Conversation, after leaving NBC News in late 2024.
What happened in Dasha Burns’s live Trump call?
She cold-called President Trump live on POLITICO Elections Live on November 3, 2026, as Republican midterm losses unfolded, and pushed back when he said he was not on the ballot.
Final word on Dasha Burns
Dasha Burns moved from NBC News to POLITICO in 2025 and quickly became one of its most visible journalists, with a White House beat, a Playbook byline and her own interview show. Her November 2026 call with President Trump showed how direct her style is. As of November 2026, she is POLITICO’s White House Bureau Chief and Global Anchor, and she hosts The Conversation.
References
- Instagram. @dashaburns
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Dasha Burns (bio)
- Leading Authorities. Dasha Burns (speakers bureau bio)
- C-SPAN. C-SPAN Announces Dasha Burns as Host of Ceasefire, July 30, 2025
- Editor & Publisher. POLITICO names Adam Wren, Dasha Burns and Will Steakin Playbook co-authors, July 20, 2026
- Talking Biz News. Politico hires Burns as White House bureau chief, Dec 11, 2024
- Barrett Media. Dasha Burns Departing NBC News for Role at POLITICO, Dec 13, 2024
- Burns, Dasha (UC Berkeley IGS). Pushing and Pulling in D.C., March 6, 2014
- Economic Times. Trump stops answering calls himself after midterm losses, Nov 5, 2026
- OK Magazine. Journalist Ambushes Trump Live During His Midterms Massacre, Nov 4, 2026
- Wikipedia. Dasha Burns
- Senate Democrats. Transcript: President Trump Speaks with Dasha Burns of POLITICO at the White House, 12/8/25
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