Shirish V. Dáte

Some Lesser Known Facts About Shirish V. Dáte

• Shirish V. Dáte was born in Pune, India, and grew up in Massachusetts, New York, and California.

• When he was three years old, his family moved to the USA.

• In an interview, he mentioned that during his growing years, he experienced diverse American experiences that helped him understand America’s politics.

• Before pursuing a degree in Political Science, he was a science student in junior college.

• In an interview, Dáte mentioned that studying at Stanford University helped him in holding powerful figures and covering from state legislators in Florida to presidents in Washington.

• Shirish started his professional journalism career covering local and state politics in Florida.

• One of his major reports in Florida uncovered corruption and led to various criminal inquiries. His coverage of political misconduct even led to his ban from the Florida House Chamber.

• His strong journalism led to his appointment as the Washington Bureau Chief for multiple newspapers in Florida, which strengthened his strong political reporting background.

• In 1997, he published his first novel titled “Final Orbit”. Some of his other novels are Speed Week(1999), Smokeout (2000), Deep Water(2001), and Black Sunshine (2002).

  

• In 2010, Shirish moved to Washington, DC, where he began covering national politics full-time.

• In 2011, Shirish V. Dáte was appointed as editor at National Public Radio (NPR) in Washington, DC, and oversees the network’s congressional and campaign finance coverage.

• In 2015, while working at National Journal, he worked as White House Correspondent.

• Since 2016, Shirish V. Dáte has been working as a Senior Political Correspondent at Huffington Post.

• Dáte is also a renowned author. His works include political biographies such as “Jeb: America’s Next Bush” and “Quite Passion”, a detailed account of Senator Bob Graham’s political life.

• In addition to non-fiction, he has written five political thriller books, focusing on the deep understanding of American politics with storytelling flair.

• Dáte became more well for his journalism during Donald Trump’s presidency in the USA. In 202o, during a press conference at the White House, he directly asked President Donald Trump whether he regretted “lying to the American people.” Although Donald Trump didn’t answer his question, and passed to the next question. After this incident, he had a quarrelsome relationship with the Trump administration.

• In October 2025, Shirish V. Dáte went viral on social media after a strange moment with Donald Trump’s press team happened in the White House, where he asked a simple question that who suggested Budapest as the location for Trump’s meeting with Vladimir Putin. Instead of giving a real answer, Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, texted him ” You Mom,” and then his communications director, Steven Cheung, also sent the same reply. This incident quickly went viral, and people commented on how unprofessional and childish their response was.

• Beyond journalism and writing, Shirish V. Dáte is a professional bluewater sailor with 35,000 nautical miles of sailing experience. He spent two years on a sailing trip aboard a 44-foot cutter with his two sons and his wife. During this journey, they crossed the Atlantic Ocean, sailing through the Mediterranean, and returning via the Caribbean.