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 currently serving as the lead Washington anchor for CNN. He hosts "The Lead with Jake Tapper," a weekday news program, and co-hosts "State of the Union," a Sunday morning public affairs show. His role involves covering significant political events and interviewing key figures, solidifying his position as a major voice in American political journalism.
1992: Tapper Works for Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky
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: Tapper Works for Handgun Control, Inc.
In 1997, Jake Tapper worked for Handgun Control, Inc. (now the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence).
1998: Tapper Begins Full-Time Journalism Career
In 1998, Jake Tapper began his full-time journalism career and became a senior writer for the Washington City Paper for two years.
1999: Tapper Becomes Washington Correspondent for Salon
In 1999, Jake Tapper became the Washington correspondent for Salon.
2000: Author of Down and Dirty: The Plot to Steal the Presidency
In 2000, Jake Tapper authored "Down and Dirty: The Plot to Steal the Presidency", a book based on the 2000 Presidential election.
2001: Tapper Hosts CNN News Talk Show Take Five
In 2001, Jake Tapper hosted the CNN news talk show Take Five and was a columnist for TALK Magazine.
2001: Hosted Take Five on CNN
In 2001, Jake Tapper hosted the program Take Five on CNN, where young journalists and commentators discussed politics and pop culture.
2002: Hosted Entertainment News Specials on VH1
In 2002, Jake Tapper hosted a series of entertainment news specials on VH1.
2002: Tapper Contributes to VH1 News Specials
In 2002, Jake Tapper was the correspondent for a series of VH1 news specials and his work was included in The Best American Political Writing 2002.
2002: Tapper's Enron Reports Nominated for Award
In 2002, Jake Tapper's reports about Enron were nominated for a Columbia University School of Journalism online award, and he questioned the Bush administration's claims about Iraq having weapons of mass destruction.
2003: Hosted Shows on Sundance Channel
In 2003, Jake Tapper hosted shows focused on independent film on the Sundance Channel.
2003: End of Capitol Hell comic strip
In 2003, Jake Tapper's comic strip "Capitol Hell" stopped appearing in Roll Call after running since 1994.
November 5, 2008: Tapper Named Senior White House Correspondent
On November 5, 2008, Jake Tapper was named Senior White House Correspondent for ABC News, the day after the 2008 presidential election.
2008: Tapper Covers 2008 Presidential Election for ABC News
As ABC News' lead reporter, Jake Tapper covered the 2008 presidential election, interviewing various candidates and receiving recognition for his breaking stories and even-handedness.
July 2010: Tapper Serves as 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 the anchor.
August 1, 2010: Amanpour Takes Over as Anchor of This Week
On August 1, 2010, Christiane Amanpour took over from Jake Tapper as the anchor of ABC's This Week.
December 2010: Ranked Number Two on Mediaite
In December 2010, Jake Tapper was ranked number two on Mediaite's list of most influential TV-based journalists in America.
2010: Tapper's Contributions to ABC News Programs
In 2010, Jake Tapper contributed regularly to Good Morning America, Nightline, and World News with Diane Sawyer. He also anchored World News and Good Morning America weekend editions and Nightline, and served as interim host of This Week.
November 2012: The Outpost Debuts on The New York Times 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.
December 20, 2012: Tapper Joins CNN
On December 20, 2012, it was announced that Jake Tapper would join CNN to anchor a new weekday program and serve as the network's chief Washington correspondent.
January 2013: Tapper Begins Hosting The Lead with Jake Tapper
In January 2013, Jake Tapper began with CNN, hosting his own program, "The Lead with Jake Tapper."
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: Tapper's Reporting Leads to Policy Change on Caregiver Reimbursements
In January 2015, Jake Tapper's reporting on a new Pentagon policy led to the U.S. military changing a rule that was adversely impacting caregivers for wounded servicemembers.
June 2015: Tapper Becomes Host of CNN's 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.
September 2015: CNN Republican Primary Debate Moderated by Tapper
In September 2015, Jake Tapper moderated a Republican primary debate on CNN that attracted over 23 million viewers, becoming the most-watched program in CNN's history and the second-most-watched primary debate ever.
September 16, 2015: Tapper Moderates 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: Tapper Moderates Republican Presidential Debate in Miami
On March 10, 2016, Jake Tapper moderated a Republican presidential debate in Miami, which drew nearly 12 million viewers and was praised for its substantive content.
March 2016: "The Infamous Tapper-Trump Exchange"
In March 2016, Mitt Romney referred to Jake Tapper's questioning of Donald Trump about denouncing support from white supremacists, the Ku Klux Klan, and David Duke 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, with the original drawings auctioned online to benefit 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 set in 1950s Washington.
2018: Mediaite Recognition
In 2018, Jake Tapper was recognized on Mediaite for his "ability to hold Republicans and Democrats to account equally" and for his noteworthy moments, including the Parkland town hall and interviews with James Comey and Trump officials.
July 2020: Release of The Outpost film adaptation
In July 2020, the film adaptation of Jake Tapper's book, "The Outpost", was released, directed by Rod Lurie and starring Milo Gibson, Orlando Bloom, Scott Eastwood, and Caleb Landry Jones.
2020: Tapper's Reaction to the First 2020 Presidential Election Debate
Following the contentious first 2020 presidential election debate, Jake Tapper described it as a "hot mess inside a dumpster fire inside a train wreck".
January 2021: Tapper's Role Expands 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", and Dana Bash would join him as a co-host on State of the Union.
May 2021: Release of The Devil May Dance
In May 2021, Jake Tapper's sequel to "The Hellfire Club", titled "The Devil May Dance", was released, continuing the story of Charlie and Margaret Marder.
October 2022: Wrote Atlantic Cover Story About C.J. Rice
In October 2022, Jake Tapper wrote a cover story for The Atlantic magazine about C.J. Rice, who was serving 30-60 years in prison. Tapper's story detailed Rice's inadequate counsel.
2022: Top Dog at CNN according to Mediaite
In 2022, Mediaite called Jake Tapper "the top dog who could represent the CNN brand."
2023: Publication of All the Demons Are Here
In 2023, Jake Tapper published the third volume in his series, titled "All the Demons Are Here."
2023: Ranked Number Seven on Mediaite
In 2023, Jake Tapper ranked number seven on Mediaite, noted for his unrivaled skills as an interrogator on cable news.
March 18, 2024: Tapper broke news of C.J. Rice's exoneration
On March 18, 2024, Jake Tapper broke the news that Pennsylvania had freed and dropped the charges against C.J. Rice, a Philadelphian who had been in prison since 2011. Tapper had written a cover story for The Atlantic called "This Is Not Justice; A Philadelphia Teenager and the Empty Promise of the Sixth Amendment."
June 27, 2024: Tapper Co-Moderates Debate Between Biden and Trump
On June 27, 2024, Jake Tapper co-moderated a debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, which was viewed by more than 51 million people and influenced Biden's subsequent decision to end his 2024 presidential campaign.
2024: Tapper Moderates GOP Primary Debate and Presidential Debate
In 2024 Jake Tapper moderated a GOP Primary Debate alongside Dana Bash between Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley before the Iowa caucuses. He also co-moderated the 2024 presidential election debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden alongside Bash in which Biden's disastrous performance led to his withdrawal from the race.
2024: Ranked 23rd on Mediaite
In 2024, Jake Tapper was ranked 23rd on Mediaite and recognized as one of America's preeminent anchors, earning headlines for moderating a presidential debate and championing the release of C.J. Rice.
2024: Tapper's Reporting on D-Day Anniversary Leads to Policy Reversal
In 2024, on the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Jake Tapper reported on Gold Star families protesting a 2014 policy change by the American Battle Monuments Commission. After the piece aired, the White House pushed the ABMC to change the policy back.
2025: Publication of Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again
In 2025, Jake Tapper's book "Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again" is scheduled to be published.
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