Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Jake Tapper

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Jake Tapper made an impact.

Jake Tapper is a prominent American journalist. He currently serves as the lead Washington anchor for CNN. He anchors 'The Lead with Jake Tapper,' a weekday television news show, and co-hosts 'State of the Union,' a Sunday morning public affairs program. Tapper's role at CNN highlights his influence in American journalism and his contributions to political discourse.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

1992: Campaign Press Secretary

In 1992, Jake Tapper served as a campaign press secretary for Democratic congressional candidate Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky (PA-13) and later served as her congressional press secretary.

1994: Capitol Hell comic strip in Roll Call

From 1994, Jake Tapper's comic strip Capitol Hell appeared in Roll Call.

1997: Work for Handgun Control, Inc.

In 1997, Jake Tapper worked for Handgun Control, Inc., now known as the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

1998: Senior Writer for Washington City Paper

In 1998, Jake Tapper began his full-time journalism career as a senior writer for the Washington City Paper. During his two years there, he wrote an article about dating Monica Lewinsky and won a Society of Professional Journalists award.

1999: Washington Correspondent for Salon

In 1999, Jake Tapper became the Washington correspondent for Salon.

2000: Writing 'Down and Dirty: The Plot to Steal the Presidency'

Jake Tapper wrote "Down and Dirty: The Plot to Steal the Presidency", which is based on the 2000 Presidential election.

Down and Dirty : The Plot to Steal the Presidency

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2001: Hosting Take Five on CNN

In 2001, Jake Tapper hosted "Take Five" on CNN, a program featuring young journalists discussing politics and pop culture.

2001: Host of CNN News Talk Show

In 2001, Jake Tapper was the host of the CNN news talk show Take Five. He was also a columnist for TALK Magazine.

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2002: Hosting Entertainment News Specials on VH1

In 2002, Jake Tapper hosted a series of entertainment news specials on VH1.

2002: VH1 News Specials Correspondent

In 2002, Jake Tapper was the correspondent for a series of VH1 news specials. His work was also included in The Best American Political Writing 2002.

2002: Nomination for Columbia University Award

In 2002, Jake Tapper's reports about Enron were nominated for a Columbia University School of Journalism online award. He also began questioning the Bush administration's claims about Iraq having weapons of mass destruction.

2003: Hosting shows on independent film on Sundance Channel

In 2003, Jake Tapper hosted shows focusing on independent film on the Sundance Channel.

2003: Hired by ABC News

In 2003, Jake Tapper was hired by ABC News. He covered various topics, including work in the Baghdad bureau, coverage from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and reporting from Afghanistan.

2003: End of Capitol Hell comic strip in Roll Call

In 2003, Jake Tapper's comic strip Capitol Hell stopped appearing in Roll Call.

November 5, 2008: Named Senior White House Correspondent

On November 5, 2008, the day after the 2008 presidential election, Jake Tapper was named Senior White House Correspondent for ABC News.

2008: Lead Reporter Covering 2008 Presidential Election

As ABC News' lead reporter covering the 2008 presidential election, Jake Tapper received recognition for both breaking stories and even-handedness.

July 2010: Interim Anchor of ABC's This Week

From March to July 2010, Jake Tapper was the interim anchor of ABC's This Week, hosting the program until Christiane Amanpour became This Week's anchor.

August 1, 2010: Amanpour Takes Over This Week

On August 1, 2010, Christiane Amanpour took over ABC's "This Week" as anchor, succeeding Jake Tapper who served as interim anchor.

2010: Frequent Substitute Host

In 2010, Jake Tapper served as a frequent substitute host of This Week and served as interim host for much of the year, scoring the first TV interview with CIA director Leon Panetta, as well as exclusives with Vice President Biden, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, retired General Colin Powell, and former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan, in addition to interviews with other newsmakers.

November 2012: The Outpost Debuts on NYT Best Seller List

In November 2012, Jake Tapper's book, "The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor", debuted at number 10 on The New York Times Best Seller list for hardback non-fiction.

The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor

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December 20, 2012: Joins CNN

On December 20, 2012, it was announced that Jake Tapper would join CNN and would anchor a new weekday program and serve as the network's chief Washington correspondent.

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January 2013: Start with CNN

In January 2013, Jake Tapper began with CNN, hosting his own program, The Lead with Jake Tapper.

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2014: Introduction to The Complete Peanuts 1993 to 1994

In 2014, Jake Tapper wrote the introduction to "The Complete Peanuts 1993 to 1994".

January 2015: Reporting Leads to Pentagon Policy Change

In January 2015, Jake Tapper's reporting on a new Pentagon policy resulted in the U.S. military changing a rule that was adversely impacting caregivers for wounded servicemembers, reinstating the previous policy.

June 2015: Host of State of the Union

In June 2015, Jake Tapper became the host of CNN's Sunday political show, State of the Union with Jake Tapper.

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September 2015: Moderating Republican Primary Debate

In September 2015, Jake Tapper moderated a Republican primary debate on CNN, which included Donald Trump. The debate drew more than 23 million viewers, becoming the most-watched program in CNN's history and the second-most-watched primary debate ever.

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September 16, 2015: Moderated Republican Primary Debates

On September 16, 2015, Jake Tapper moderated two Republican primary debates from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. The main debate drew an average of 23.1 million viewers.

March 10, 2016: Moderating Republican Presidential Debate in Miami

On March 10, 2016, Jake Tapper moderated the Republican presidential debate in Miami, which drew almost 12 million viewers and garnered acclaim for its substance, according to Variety.

March 2016: "The infamous Tapper-Trump exchange"

In March 2016, Mitt Romney referred to Jake Tapper's questioning of Donald Trump about denouncing white supremacists as "the infamous Tapper-Trump exchange" in his speech condemning Trump.

May 23, 2016: Guest-illustrated Dilbert cartoon

During the week of May 23, 2016, Jake Tapper guest-illustrated the Dilbert cartoon. The original drawings were auctioned online to raise money for the Homes for our Troops Foundation.

April 24, 2018: Publication of The Hellfire Club

On April 24, 2018, Little, Brown and Company published Jake Tapper's first novel, "The Hellfire Club", a political thriller, which debuted at Number 3 on the New York Times Best Seller list.

The Hellfire Club (Charlie and Margaret Marder Mystery)

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2020: Response to Presidential Election Debate

Following the contentious first 2020 presidential election debate, Jake Tapper garnered attention for his response, calling it a "hot mess inside a dumpster fire inside a train wreck".

January 2021: Expanded Role at CNN

In January 2021, CNN announced that Jake Tapper's role would expand to be the network's "lead anchor for all major Washington events", including election nights. Dana Bash would join Tapper as a co-host on State of the Union, alternating hosting weeks.

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May 2021: Release of The Devil May Dance

In May 2021, Jake Tapper released "The Devil May Dance", the sequel to "The Hellfire Club", continuing the story of Charlie and Margaret Marder.

October 2022: Writing cover story for The Atlantic about C.J. Rice

In October 2022, Jake Tapper wrote a cover story for The Atlantic magazine about C.J. Rice, who Tapper's father believed was wrongfully convicted. Tapper detailed the inadequate counsel Rice received.

December 2023: C.J. Rice's conviction overturned

In December 2023, C.J. Rice's conviction was overturned, following Jake Tapper's reporting on his case.

2023: Publication of All the Demons Are Here

In 2023, Jake Tapper published "All the Demons Are Here", the third volume in his series.

All the Demons Are Here: A Thriller

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March 2024: C.J. Rice exonerated; Tapper breaks the news

In March 2024, Jake Tapper broke the news that C.J. Rice was exonerated and freed in Pennsylvania, following Tapper's extensive coverage of Rice's case.

June 27, 2024: Co-Moderating Debate

On June 27, 2024, Jake Tapper co-moderated a debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump that was seen by more than 51 million viewers and influenced Biden's subsequent decision to end his 2024 presidential campaign.

2024: Co-Moderated Presidential Election Debate

In 2024, Jake Tapper co-moderated the presidential election debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden alongside Bash in which Biden's poor performance led to his withdrawal from the race.

2024: Moderated Republican Primary Debate

In 2024, Jake Tapper moderated a Republican primary Debate alongside Dana Bash between Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley before the Iowa caucuses; it was viewed by around 2.6 million people.

2024: Reporting on Gold Star Families Protests

In 2024, Jake Tapper reported on Gold Star families protesting the 2014 policy change by the American Battle Monuments Commission regarding flower placement on graves in overseas cemeteries. After the piece aired, the White House pushed the ABMC to change the policy back.