Purpose: This study aims to investigate the relationship between political connections and the narrative disclosure tone of management discussion and analysis (MD&A) reports in Indonesia during the normal economic (2018 to 2019) and the COVID-19 pandemic (2020 to 2021) periods. Design/methodology/approach: Data on political connections were collected manually from annual reports, government websites and online search engines. Meanwhile, the narrative disclosure tone was measured from the MD&A reports according to the wordlist by Loughran and McDonalds (2011) processed with Diction 7 software. Multiple linear regression was used to test 414 nonfinancial corporations listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange for the 2018–2021 period. Findings: Under normal economic conditions, the results support impression management theory, where political connections are used to frame information with a more positive tone. Data obtained during the COVID-19 pandemic, on the other hand, confirm the incremental information theory. Furthermore, companies connected to actively serving state leaders consistently present MD&A reports with a more positive tone in both research periods. Proximity to legislative and government institutions allows politically connected companies (with members of the parliament or any political figures/party leaders/officials with strategic functions) to present MD&A reports with a negative tone and more information during the pandemic. The results are robust to alternative measures and endogeneity testing. Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to explore the association between political connections and narrative disclosure tone in Indonesia by considering the moderating role of the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2025, Emerald Publishing Limited.