William Bret Baier (/ˈbeɪər/BAY-ər;[1] born August 4, 1970)[2] is an American journalist and the host ofSpecial Report with Bret Baier onFox News and the chief political anchor for Fox.[3] He previously worked as the network's Chief White House Correspondent and Pentagon correspondent.
On September 11, 2001, he drove from Georgia toArlington, Virginia, to cover the attack onthe Pentagon. He never returned to the Atlanta bureau and was instead tapped as the network's Pentagon correspondent, remaining at the post for five years and taking 11 trips toAfghanistan and 13 trips toIraq.[8]
Baier (right) with Secretary of StateMike Pompeo in 2020
On December 23, 2008, Hume anchored his final show and announced Baier would replace him as anchor ofSpecial Report.[9] He hosted his first show as permanent anchor on January 5, 2009.[3]
In an email shortly after the2020 United States presidential election, Baier argued that Fox should pull its projection thatJoe Biden had won the state of Arizona.[10] Baier worried that the projection might upset Fox viewers enough for them to abandon the network.[11]
In October 2021, Baier promoted his new bookTo Rescue the Republic: Ulysses S. Grant, the Fragile Union, and the Crisis of 1876 onThe Late Show withStephen Colbert.[12]
In June 2023, Baier interviewed former U.S. presidentDonald Trump.[13] In that interview, Baier pressed Trump on hisrefusal to return classified documents,[14] asked him why he insulted people he himself had hired,[15] and disputed hisrepeated claims that the2020 election was stolen, at one point saying to him, "You lost the 2020 election."[16] Baier was roundly praised for his performance in the interview.[17][18]
In October 2023, Baier planned to host a discussion between the candidates vyingto replace Former House SpeakerKevin McCarthy. Afterhis ouster, RepresentativesKevin Hern,Jim Jordan andSteve Scalise planned to join Baier to make their public case for House Leadership on Special Report. However, the plans fell through after other House Republicans became angry at the idea, calling it a "horrible idea" and a "distraction".[23][24][25]
On October 16, 2024, Baier met with Democratic presidential candidateKamala Harris on Fox News for her first interview on this network.[27] The interview was described as "contentious" and "fiery", with Baier frequently interrupting Harris and the two talking over each other.[28] Baier's "combative interview delivered an average of 7.8 million viewers...according toNielsen data"[29] and got "9.2 million viewers including 1.12 million in the key A24-54 demo, according to finalized data."[30]
Baier interviewed Zelenskyy again in February 2025 after his contentiousOval Office meeting with Donald Trump andJD Vance. The interview drew over 6 million viewers.[31]
Baier released a new history book,To Rescue the American Spirit: Teddy Roosevelt and the Birth of a Superpower, on October 21, 2025.[32]
On October 24, 2025, it was reported thatBari Weiss, Editor-in-Chief ofCBS News, was considering Baier to become the new anchor ofCBS Evening News (as a possible replacement of hostsJohn Dickerson andMaurice DuBois) due to a decline in ratings. Baier, who is under contract with FOX through 2028, declined the offer and declared that he is "very happy at FOX."[33][34]Tony Dokoupil was ultimately selected.[35]
Baier has received numerous awards for his work. In 2016, Baier earned the Kenneth Y. Tomlinson Award for Outstanding Journalism from the Robert Novak Journalism Fellowship Program.[36] In 2017, he received the Sol Taishoff Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism from theNational Press Foundation[37] and the Urbino Press Award from the Municipality of Urbino.[38]
Baier and his wife Amy have two sons, Daniel and Paul.[41] Paul was born withcardiac problems and before the child'sopen-heart surgery in 2008, PresidentGeorge W. Bush invited Baier and his wife and son to theOval Office for a visit and had the White Housephysician update him on Paul's progress.[3] In 2009, Baier was named a "Significant Sig" by the Sigma Chi Fraternity.[42]
In 2024, Paul underwent a fifth open-heart surgery after doctors discovered a life-threatening aneurysm. The operation, performed at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., was successful, and by 2025 Baier reported that Paul was recovering well, making college plans, and resuming normal activities such as playing golf on his high school team.[43]
Baier has played golf with Donald Trump and has been Trump's guest at hisMar-a-Lago resort.[44]
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