Jake Tapper | |
|---|---|
 Tapper in 2025 | |
| Born | Jacob Paul Tapper (1969-03-12)March 12, 1969 (age 56)[1] New York City, U.S. |
| Education | Dartmouth College (BA) |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Employer | CNN |
| Organization | White House Correspondents' Association |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Merriman Smith Memorial Award Emmy Award |
| Website | jaketapper |
Jacob Paul Tapper (born March 12, 1969) is an American journalist. He is the lead Washington anchor forCNN, hosts the weekday television news showThe Lead with Jake Tapper, and co-hosts the Sunday morning public affairs programState of the Union.
At CNN, Tapper has won numerous journalism awards, including Emmy Awardsin 2023 andin 2024.TheWrap described him as "perhaps the network's most respected anchor".[2] In September 2015, theRepublican primary debate moderated by Tapper, and includingDonald Trump, drew more than 23 million viewers, making it the most-watched program in the history of CNN and the second-most watched primary debate ever.[3] He also moderated theRepublican presidential debate in Miami on March 10, 2016, which drew almost 12 million viewers,[4] and according toVariety, "garnered acclaim for its substance".[5] On June 27, 2024, Tapper co-moderated adebate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump that was seen by more than 51 million viewers[6] and influenced Biden's subsequent decision toend his 2024 presidential campaign.[7]
Before joining CNN, Tapper worked forABC News as senior White House correspondent, where he received threeMerriman Smith Memorial Awards from theWhite House Correspondents' Association.[8][9][10] Tapper contributed to the coverage of the inauguration ofPresident Obama that earned anEmmy Award for Outstanding Live Coverage of a Current News Story.[11] He was also part of a team that was awarded anEdward R. Murrow Award for Video: Breaking News for "Target bin Laden: The Death of Public Enemy #1".
Tapper is the author of several books, includingThe Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor, which debuted at number 10 in November 2012 onThe New York Times Best Seller list for hardback non-fiction. Tapper's book and his reporting on veterans and troops were cited when theCongressional Medal of Honor Society awarded him the"Tex" McCrary Award for Excellence in Journalism.[12]
Tapper was born in New York City but raised inQueen Village, Philadelphia,[13] the son of Theodore Samuel "Ted" and Helen Anne (née Palmatier) Tapper. His mother, who is originally from Canada,[14] retired as apsychiatric nurse at the PhiladelphiaVeterans Affairs Medical Center.[15] His father, from Chicago, graduated fromDartmouth College andHarvard Medical School[16] and went on to serve as the president of South Philadelphia Pediatrics and associate clinical professor of pediatrics atJefferson Medical College.[17][15][18] His parents are Jewish; his mother, who was raisedPresbyterian,converted to Judaism.[19] He was named forJacob Scher.[20] When Tapper was young, he spent summers attendingCamp Ramah in the Poconos, aJewish summer camp.[21]
Tapper attended The Philadelphia School, an independent school focused onprogressive education. In the eighth grade, he made a comic strip for a local free weekly paper.[22] Tapper later enrolled atAkiba Hebrew Academy, an independent Jewish day school formerly located inMerion, Pennsylvania. He graduated fromDartmouth College in 1991 with a B.A. in History modified by Visual Studies, earningPhi Beta Kappa andmagna cum laude honors.[23][24] At Dartmouth, Tapper was a member ofAlpha Chi Alpha fraternity. He briefly attended theUSC School of Cinematic Arts.[25][26]
In 1992, Tapper served as a campaign press secretary forDemocratic congressional candidateMarjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky (PA-13) and later served as her congressional press secretary. Tapper also worked for Powell Tate, a Washington, D.C., public relations firm run by DemocratJody Powell andRepublicanSheila Tate.[27] Tapper served as a spokesman forHooters and worked for Handgun Control, Inc. (now theBrady Center to Prevent Gun Violence) in 1997.[28]
Tapper wrote several articles as a freelance writer and then began his full-time journalism career in 1998; for two years, he was a senior writer for theWashington City Paper. While there, Tapper wrote an article about going on a date withMonica Lewinsky,[29] which skewered Washington'sculture of scandal. Tapper won a Society of Professional Journalists award for his work at theWashington City Paper.
Tapper was the Washington correspondent forSalon from 1999 to 2002. Tapper's reports aboutEnron were nominated for a 2002Columbia University School of Journalism online award, and he was an early questioner of theBush administration's claims about Iraq havingweapons of mass destruction.[30]
In 2001, Tapper was the host of the CNN news talk showTake Five. He was also a columnist forTALK Magazine, and has written forThe New Yorker,The New York Times Magazine,The Washington Post, theLos Angeles Times,The Weekly Standard, and other publications. Tapper was a frequent contributor toNational Public Radio'sAll Things Considered and his work was included inThe Best American Political Writing 2002. Tapper was the correspondent for a series ofVH1 news specials in 2002.
ABC News hired Tapper in 2003. While working there, Tapper covered a range of topics including work in the ABC NewsBaghdad bureau, fromNew Orleans after the failure of the levees afterHurricane Katrina, and fromAfghanistan.[31] From March to July 2010, Tapper was interim anchor of ABC'sThis Week, hosting the program untilChristiane Amanpour becameThis Week's anchor.
Tapper was named Senior White House Correspondent on November 5, 2008, the day after the 2008 presidential election. In 2010, 2011, and 2012, the White House Correspondents' Association awarded him theMerriman Smith Memorial Award for presidential coverage under deadline pressure. He was a key part of the ABC News coverage of the inauguration of President Obama that was awarded an Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Coverage of a Current News Story.
Tapper was passed over as a candidate to replaceGeorge Stephanopoulos as anchor ofThis Week when Stephanopoulos was chosen to replaceDiane Sawyer as co-host ofGood Morning America after she became the anchor ofWorld News.[32] CNN'sChristiane Amanpour was selected as Stephanopoulos' replacement instead. Tapper served as the interim anchor until Amanpour took over the show on August 1, 2010.[33] Ultimately, Amanpour went back to CNN and Stephanopoulous decided he wanted to return to the position.
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Tapper contributed regularly toGood Morning America,Nightline, andWorld News with Diane Sawyer. In addition to anchoringWorld News andGood Morning America weekend editions andNightline, Tapper was a frequent substitute host ofThis Week and served as interim host for much of 2010, scoring the first TV interview withCIA directorLeon Panetta, as well as exclusives with Vice PresidentBiden,White House Chief of StaffRahm Emanuel, retired GeneralColin Powell, and formerFederal Reserve chairmanAlan Greenspan, in addition to interviews with other newsmakers, such asHouse Majority LeaderSteny Hoyer (D-Maryland), House Minority LeaderJohn Boehner (R-Ohio), and Senate Minority LeaderMitch McConnell (R-Kentucky).
As senior White House correspondent, Tapper interviewed President Obama several times. Before his assignment at the White House, Tapper was ABC News' national/senior political correspondent based in the network's Washington, D.C., bureau. He contributed a report to a broadcast ofWorld News Tonight with Peter Jennings that won the 2005Edward R. Murrow Award for best network newscast. As ABC News' lead reporter covering the 2008 presidential election, he received recognition for both breaking stories and even-handedness.
Traveling from Iowa to New Hampshire to South Carolina and beyond, Tapper interviewed both Republican presidential nominee Sen.John McCain (R-Arizona) and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (D-Illinois), as well as other White House hopefuls including former Sen. John Edwards (D-North Carolina), former New York City MayorRudy Giuliani, former Arkansas GovernorMike Huckabee, New Mexico GovernorBill Richardson, and former Massachusetts GovernorMitt Romney.[citation needed]
It was announced December 20, 2012, that Tapper would joinCNN and would anchor a new weekday program and serve as the network's chief Washington correspondent.[34] He began with CNN in January 2013, hosting his own program,The Lead with Jake Tapper.
The Lead with Jake Tapper won three National Headliner Awards for its reporting in 2013. Among broadcast television networks, cable networks and syndicators,The Lead with Jake Tapper won first prize for its coverage of theBoston Marathon bombing and second prize for its coverage of the Oklahoma tornadoes in the category of "Coverage of a Major News Event." It won third prize for its coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing in the category of "Continuing Coverage of a Major News Event."[35] In 2014,The Lead was honored for a series of reports on academic fraud at theUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill by correspondentSara Ganim with aSociety of Professional Journalists'Sigma Delta Chi Award for Investigative Reporting.[36]
The Lead has been nominated for numerous News & Documentary Emmy Awards, including for Outstanding Live News Broadcast.[37] A report forThe Lead by correspondent Isa Sores, called "Madua's Blood Gold", was awarded an Emmy in 2020;[38] a story by Anna Coren on a "9-Year-Old Afghan Sold into Marriage" wasawarded an Emmy in 2022.
In January 2015, Tapper's reporting on a new Pentagon policy resulted in the U.S. military changing a rule that was adversely impacting caregivers — "non-medical attendants" or NMAs — for wounded servicemembers. The Pentagon had started to limit reimbursements for NMAs as they worked with servicemembers who had been severely wounded, often with missing limbs or debilitating brain injuries. Upon Tapper's inquiry, the Pentagon reinstated the previous policy.[39]
On the 80th anniversary of D-Day in 2024, Tapper reported on Gold Star families protesting a 2014 change in policy[40] by the American Battle Monuments Commission that had previously allowed families to pay for flowers, which the ABMC would ensure be placed on the graves of their loved ones in cemeteries abroad, such as Normandy. After the piece aired, crediting Tapper, the White House pushed the ABMC to change the policy back.[40]
In June 2015, Tapper became host of CNN's Sunday political show,State of the Union with Jake Tapper. There, he has become known for challenging politicians of all stripes, including challenging SenatorBernie Sanders to release his tax returns;[41] askingJeb Bush whyHillary Clinton is responsible forBenghazi if his brotherGeorge W. Bush bears no responsibility for the terrorist attacks on 9/11;[42] asking Hillary Clinton about the FBI investigation into her private email server;[43] and asking Donald Trump if he would denounce support fromwhite supremacists, theKu Klux Klan, andDavid Duke[44]—referred to days later as "the infamous Tapper-Trump exchange" by Mitt Romney[45] inhis March 2016 speech condemning Trump.
On September 16, 2015, Tapper moderated two Republican primary debates from theRonald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.[46] The main debate drew an average of 23.1 million viewers, making it the most watched program in the history of CNN and the second most watched primary debate ever.[3] He also moderated the March 10, 2016, Republican presidential debate in Miami, which drew almost 12 million viewers[4] and according toVariety "garnered acclaim for its substance."[5]
In 2017, he received the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Political Journalism from theUSC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.[47] Also in 2017, he received the John F. Hogan Distinguished Service Award from theRadio Television Digital News Association.[48]
In 2018, Tapper was part of a four-person team at CNN that includedCarl Bernstein,Jim Sciutto, and Evan Perez that won the Merriman Smith Award for broadcast reporting on the White House under deadline pressure.[49]
Following the contentious first2020 presidential election debate, Tapper garnered attention for his response. He called it a "hot mess inside adumpster fire inside a train wreck".[50]
In January 2021, before theInauguration of Joe Biden, CNN announced that Tapper's role would expand to be the network's "lead anchor for all major Washington events", including election nights. Additionally, they announced that Dana Bash would join Tapper as a co-host onState of the Union, alternating hosting weeks.[51]
In 2024, Tapper moderated a Republican primary Debate alongsideDana Bash betweenRon DeSantis andNikki Haley before theIowa caucuses; it was viewed by around 2.6 million people.[52]
Tapper also co-moderated the2024 presidential election debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden alongside Bash in which Biden's poor performance led tohis withdrawal from the race. While Biden's confused comments and overall frail appearance during the debate led to widespread concerns about his health and stamina,[53] Tapper and Bash were criticized for not fact-checking Trump's many untruthful statements, including his assertion that Haitian immigrants in Ohio were "eating people's pets".[54][55][56] The controversial decision led to discussions among the media and public about journalistic responsibility.[57]
In September 2024, in an interview with Michigan governorGretchen Whitmer, Tapper and fellowCNN hostDana Bash misrepresented a statement from Michigan U.S. congresswomanRashida Tlaib in an interview with theDetroit Metro Times, falsely rendering her criticism of Michigan attorney generalDana Nessel as antisemitic.[58] After rebuke from theDetroit Metro Times,[59] Tapper said in an interview with Nessel that he "misspoke", that he "was trying to characterize [Nessel's] views of Tlaib's comments".[60][61]
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Tapper has contributed toGQ,The Weekly Standard, NPR'sAll Things Considered,The New York Times, andThe Washington Post. In 2001, he hosted the programTake Five onCNN, in which young journalists and commentators discussed politics and pop culture. In 2002, he hosted a series of entertainment news specials onVH1, and in 2003, he hosted shows focused on independent film on theSundance Channel. Tapper has also been a guest onJimmy Kimmel Live,The Colbert Report,Late Night with Seth Meyers,Conan,The View,Real Time with Bill Maher, and appeared on theJudge John Hodgman podcast as guest bailiff, standing in for regular bailiffJesse Thorn during the August 31, 2011, episode entitled "De Plane".[62]
In October 2022, Tapper wrote a cover story forThe Atlantic magazine[63] about C.J. Rice, a former patient of his father's serving 30–60 years in prison for a crime his father was convinced Rice was physically incapable of committing. Tapper's story detailed the various ways Rice had inadequate counsel. In December 2023, Rice's conviction was overturned[64] and in March 2024, Rice was exonerated, with Tapper breaking the news[65] that Pennsylvania had freed and dropped the charges against Rice.[66]
Tapper made a cameo in the Halloween-themed episode ofThe Rookie (October 30, 2022). He wore aMike SchmidtPhiladelphia Phillies jersey; Schmidt was the MVP of the1980 World Series. Tapper's son, Jack, appeared alongside him, dressed up asTom Hanks' character Captain Miller fromSaving Private Ryan. Tapper and his son watched the show together while locked down due to COVID-19, and he wanted to share his appreciation for the program. Tapper posted a Tweet toNathan Fillion; according to Tapper, Fillion wrote back and invited the pair for a set visit once COVID protocols were eased. Just before the visit, Fillion asked whether the father and son wanted to film a cameo on the show.[67][68]
Tapper appears in the background on TV screens as a news correspondent inSuperman (2025). Per the credits, his character is called Jake Tapir, and originally he had some dialogue, but this was cut.[69][70]
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On April 24, 2018,Little, Brown and Company published Tapper's first novel, a political thriller entitledThe Hellfire Club. The novel follows a fictitious freshman Congressman discovering corruption and conspiracy in 1950s Washington, at the height of the McCarthy era.[71] The book debuted at Number 3 on theNew York Times Best Seller list for Hardcover fiction, and remained on the Best Seller list for four weeks total. TheAssociated Press calledThe Hellfire Club "insightful... well-written and worthwhile."[72]Tablet Magazine called the novel "startlingly good."[73]USA Today said the author "sizzles" and "proves he has the page-turning knack in his entertaining debut novel."[74] The sequel toThe Hellfire Club,The Devil May Dance, was released in May 2021, and continues the story of the lives of Charlie and Margaret Marder.[75] In 2023, the third volume in the series,All the Demons Are Here, was published.[76]
Tapper is also the author ofThe Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor, a critically acclaimed book about U.S. troops in Afghanistan that debuted at number 10 onThe New York Times Best Seller list for hardback non-fiction.Bob Woodward described the book as "Brilliant, dedicated reporting by a journalist who goes to ground to get the truth. A sad, real tale about this war, America and the brave warriors who live—and die—at the point of the spear" andJon Krakauer called it "a mind-boggling, all-too-true story of heroism, hubris, failed strategy, and heartbreaking sacrifice. If you want to understand how the war in Afghanistan went off the rails, you need to read this book."[77]
In 2014, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society recognized Tapper for the book and his reporting on military topics in general with theTex McCrary Award for Excellence in Journalism.[12] ARod Lurie-directedfilm adaptation ofThe Outpost was released in July 2020, starringMilo Gibson,Orlando Bloom,Scott Eastwood andCaleb Landry Jones.[78][79]
Tapper is the author ofDown and Dirty: The Plot to Steal the Presidency, based on the2000 Presidential election, thatThe Washington Post called "lively", theChicago Tribune called "a churning effusion well worth reading", andThe Daily Telegraph called "engrossing". He also wroteBody Slam: TheJesse Ventura Story (St. Martin's Press) that was excerpted byThe Washington Post Magazine.
Hiscomic stripCapitol Hell appeared inRoll Call from 1994 to 2003. He has contributed cartoons toThe American Spectator magazine, theLos Angeles Times, andThe Philadelphia Inquirer. In 2014, Tapper wrote the introduction toThe Complete Peanuts 1993 to 1994.[80] During the week of May 23, 2016, Tapper guest-illustrated theDilbert cartoon. The original drawings were auctioned online to raise money for the Homes for our Troops Foundation.[81]
In 2025,Penguin Press published Tapper's bookOriginal Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, which he co-authored withAlex Thompson.[82]
As the Senior White House Correspondent for ABC News, Tapper was honored with threeMerriman Smith Memorial Awards for broadcast journalism.[8][9][10] The first Merriman Smith Memorial Award was for reporting noncompliance of laws regulating tax reporting by theDepartment of Health and Human Services secretary nominee and former Senate majority leaderTom Daschle,[83] troubles that ultimately derailed Daschle's nomination. The second was for the 2010 story that President Obama had asked for the resignation of his Director of National Intelligence, AdmiralDennis C. Blair (retired).[84]
The third time was for breaking the 2011 story that the ratings agency Standard and Poor's was expected to downgrade the United States' AAA rating for government debt. As a CNN anchor, he was awarded his fourth Merriman Smith Award in 2018 as part of a team that broke the news that President-electDonald Trump and President Obama had been briefed on theSteele dossier alleging that Russia had blackmail material on Trump.[85]
In 2017, Tapper won several awards, including theWalter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Political Journalism. The judges pointed to his fearless advocacy for the truth and relentless interviewing style.[86] He also wonRTDNA's John F. Hogan Distinguished Service Award, which "recognizes an individual's contributions to the journalism profession and freedom of the press",[87] and CJF's Tribute Award, which awards those who uphold the highest standards of journalism and inspire journalists around the world.[88]Moment Magazine gave him its inaugural Robert S. Greenberger Journalism Award for his "relentless quest for the truth and accountability".[89] The Dartmouth Club of Washington gave him the Daniel Webster Award for Distinguished Public Service.[90]
In 2018, Tapper won aVetty, recognizing his coverage of veterans' issues.[91] He has served alongside press corps veterans in Washington, D.C., for 14 years.[92]
In July 2009, television personalityDan Abrams launched a website,Mediaite, reporting on media figures and ranking all TV-based journalists in America by influence; for December 2010, Tapper ranked at number two.[93] He remains a mainstay of the annual list, recognized in 2018 for his "ability to hold Republicans and Democrats to account equally" and "his 2018 noteworthy moments; the harrowingParkland town hall, a stellar one-on-one withJames Comey, and his regular sparring matches with Trump officials."[94]
In 2022, Mediate called Tapper "the top dog who could represent the CNN brand."[95] In 2023, he ranked number seven and it was noted that his "skills as an interrogator are arguably unrivaled on cable news right now."[96] In 2024, Tapper was ranked 23rd and recognized as one of America's preeminent anchors, earning headlines for moderating a presidential debate and championing the release of C.J. Rice, a man wrongfully convicted of a 2011 shooting.[97]
In 2016,The Lead was honored with two National Headliner Awards: Best Newscast (Broadcast Television Networks, Cable Networks, and Syndicators) and Best Coverage of a Major News Event (Broadcast Television Networks, Cable Networks, and Syndicators Newscast) for the show's coverage of theNovember 2015 Paris attacks.[98]
The Los Angeles Press Club gave Tapper its 2017 President's Award for Impact on Media. "During a divisive election, Jake Tapper was willing to take on politicians from both sides of the aisle", the Press Club president said. "His effective interview style cuts to the core. He is willing to ask the tough questions, listen carefully, and then follow up with precisely the right response to get to the heart of the matter."[99]
Also in 2017, Tapper was namedRadio Television Digital News Association's John F. Hogan Distinguished Service Award winner. The award "recognizes an individual's contributions to the journalism profession and freedom of the press."[100]
Tapper has twohonorary degrees, fromUMass Amherst[101] and Dartmouth.[102]
Tapper won won anEmmy Awards in 2023 for Outstanding Live Breaking News Coverage as part of the team that covered theRussian invasion of Ukraine and for Outstanding Live News Special for being one of the co-anchors of "Live from the Capitol: January 6, One Year Later".[103] He also won anEmmy Awards in 2024 for Outstanding Live News Special for "A CNN Town Hall: Toxic Train Disaster, Ohio Residents Speak Out", which he hosted, and for Outstanding Live Breaking News Coverage for being part of the team that covered the Israel-Hamas War.[104]
Tapper married Jennifer Marie Brown, a formerPlanned Parenthood official, in 2006[105] in her home state ofMissouri.[15] They live in Washington, D.C. with their two children.[106]
Tapper went on a platonic date withMonica Lewinsky in December 1997, a few weeks before news broke of theClinton–Lewinsky scandal.[29] He wrote about the experience in a January 1998 issue of theWashington City Paper. The two later discussed the date on an October 5, 2021 episode of hisCNN program,The Lead with Jake Tapper.[107] That same day, the date was dramatized in the television seriesImpeachment: American Crime Story in the fifth episode "Do You Hear What I Hear?", in which Tapper was portrayed byChris Riggi.
"I should note that I misspoke yesterday when asking a follow-up of Governor Whitmer who I asked about this. I was trying to characterize your views of Tlaib's comments," Tapper said to Nessel.
| Media offices | ||
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| New office | CNN Chief Washington Correspondent January 2013 – Present | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | ABC News ChiefWhite House Correspondent January 2009 – December 2012 | Succeeded by |
