The Atlantic

The Atlantic's editors endorsed the Democratic nominee for president in 2016, 2020 and 2024, the magazine's third, fourth and fifth endorsements since its 1857 founding and all three against Donald Trump. Its founding statement says it will be the organ of no party.

Editorial record means the rating rests on the outlet's documented record, such as its editorial board's endorsements, the stated purpose it was founded for, its opinion lineup or its published commitments such as an ethics policy. Scope: Whole outlet · US politics. Confidence: medium. What these mean

Evidence

• The Atlantic editors' 2016 endorsement of Hillary Clinton (read from a November 2016 archive copy), its third in 159 years after Lincoln and Johnson. “the editors endorse a candidate for president. The case for Hillary Clinton.” (The Atlantic editors)
• Daily Beast report, October 2024: The Atlantic endorsed Kamala Harris, its fifth presidential endorsement and the third time it backed Trump's opponent.
• The Atlantic's history page (read from a June 2024 archive copy) with its 1857 founding statement on politics. “Third: In Politics, The Atlantic will be the organ of no party or clique” (The Atlantic, 1857 founding statement)

Limits of this rating

• The founding statement pledges no party, and the recent endorsements were framed as opposition to Donald Trump rather than support for a party program.
• Describes the magazine's endorsement record, not its accuracy or every article.

First draft by Sol, our AI editor, on Nov 3, 2026. Rewritten and checked against the evidence pages by Claude, an AI system, which can change the draft's label. Accepted by our human editor on Nov 3, 2026, as part of a batch.

An outlet rating describes the publication as a whole, apart from anything listed under Limits of this rating. It never rates a single article; articles get their own "This article" rating.