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Jake Tapper
| Jake Tapper | |||
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| Basic facts | |||
| Organization: | CNN | ||
| Role: | Anchor | ||
| Location: | Washington, D.C. | ||
| Expertise: | Journalism | ||
| Education: | Dartmouth College (1991) | ||
| Website: | Official website | ||
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Jake Tapper is the chief Washington anchor for CNN. He hosts "The Lead," a daily 1-hour news program, and hosts "State of the Union" every other week. He is also an author of Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, among other books.
Tapper drew and wrote the political cartoon series Capitol Hell. He was also a correspondent for both ABC News and Salon.com before coming to CNN in 2013. Tapper moderated two Republican presidential primary debates in September 2015 and March 2016. Tapper also moderated the June 2024 presidential election debate between Donald Trump (R) and Joe Biden (D), which preceded Biden's decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race.
Biography
A Dartmouth College graduate, Jake Tapper began his career in politics and media serving as the press secretary for Rep. Marjorie Margolies (D-Pa.). He then worked, briefly, for the PR firm Powell Tate.[1] Tapper began his career in journalism at the Washington City Paper and Washington Post as a freelancer. From 1994 to 2003, he was the cartoonist behind Capitol Hell, which appeared in Roll Call.[2][1]
Tapper moved from the Washington City Paper to writing for Salon.com, hosting the CNN program "Take Five," then VH1 for a short time, before he was hired on to ABC in 2004.[1] Tapper, after the 2008 elections, became senior White House correspondent for ABC. As such, he was a regular on "Good Morning America," "Nightline" and "World News Tonight with Diane Sawyer." Tapper also wrote the ABCnews.com blog, "Political Punch." While at ABC, he won three consecutive Merriman Smith Award's for his presidential coverage from the White House Correspondents' Association.[2] His field work took him to Afghanistan, Iraq, New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and following the 2008 campaign trail, conducting interviews with presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain.[2]
In 1999, Tapper published a book entitled Body Slam: The Jesse Ventura Story. He also published Down and Dirty: The Plot to Steal the Presidency in 2001 and The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor in 2013.[1][2] In 2025, Tapper co-authored Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again with Alex Thompson.[3]
Work and activities
CNN
In 2013, Tapper moved to CNN to anchor his own show, "The Lead." The show has a broad content base, including news, sports, money, and popular culture.[1] In June 2015, Tapper also began hosting the weekly Sunday news show "State of the Union" on CNN.[4] In 2021, Tapper was promoted to the organization's lead anchor for all major Washington events, like election nights. He also moved from hosting "State of the Union" every week to every other week, switching off with Dana Bash.[5]
Tapper received several awards for his work at CNN as of 2025, including his fourth Merriman Smith Award, the Walter Cronkite Award, and two Emmy Awards.[6][7][8][9] At CNN, Tapper moderated two Republican presidential primary debates in September 2015 and March 2016. Tapper also moderated the June 2024 presidential election debate between Donald Trump (R) and Joe Biden (D), which preceded Biden's decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race.
Notable endorsements
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Recent news
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See also
- What is an influencer?
- Hugh Hewitt
- Dana Bash
- Presidential debates (2015-2016)
- Presidential debates, 2024
- Withdrawal of Joe Biden from the 2024 presidential election
- CNN
External links
- Jake Tapper on X
- Jake Tapper on Instagram
- Jake Tapper on Facebook
- CNN
- "The Lead" on CNN
- "State of the Union" on CNN
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Politico Magazine, "Is Jake Tapper CNN’s Future—Or Its Past?" May/June, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 CNN, "Jake Tapper," accessed August 17, 2015
- ↑ The New York Times, "A Damning Portrait of an Enfeebled Biden Protected by His Inner Circle," May 13, 2025
- ↑ CNN, "Jake Tapper to moderate CNN's first GOP debate," June 14, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "CNN announces promotions for Jake Tapper, Abby Phillip, Dana Bash and others," January 11, 2021
- ↑ Mediaite, "Maggie Haberman, Josh Dawsey, Jake Tapper, and More Honored With WHCA Awards," April 2, 2025
- ↑ Lear Center, "The Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Political Journalism," accessed July 24, 2025
- ↑ The Hollywood Reporter, "CNN and Vice Lead 44th Annual News Emmy Awards," September 27, 2023
- ↑ Variety, "‘It’s Bisan From Gaza and I’m Still Alive’ Wins News & Doc Emmy Despite Calls For Its Disqualification; Big Winners Include CNN, ABC, Nat Geo," September 25, 2024
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