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Bret Baier

Not to be confused with Brett Baer, screenwriter.

Bret Baier
Baier in 2014
Born
William Bret Baier

(1970-08-04) August 4, 1970 (age 54)
Rumson, New Jersey, U.S.
EducationDePauw University (BA)
OccupationAnchor
Spouse
Amy Hills
​
(m. 2004)​
Children2

William Bret Baier (/ˈbrɛt ˈbeɪər/ BRET BAY-ər;[1] born August 4, 1970) is an American journalist and the host of Special Report with Bret Baier on the Fox News Channel and the chief political anchor for Fox.[2] He previously worked as the network's Chief White House Correspondent and Pentagon correspondent.

Early life

Baier was born in Rumson, New Jersey, to a family of mixed German and Irish origins.[3][4] Raised Catholic, he attended Marist School, a private Roman Catholic high school in Atlanta, Georgia, graduating in 1988. Baier then attended the DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, graduating in 1992 with a BA degree in political science and English.[5] At DePauw, he became a member of the Xi Chapter of the Sigma Chi fraternity.[6]

Career

Baier and Martha MacCallum moderate a town hall with President Donald Trump in 2020

Baier began his television career with a local station WJWJ TV16 on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, before joining WRAL-TV, then CBS affiliate in Raleigh, North Carolina. He sent an audition tape to Fox News in 1998, and was hired as the network's Atlanta bureau chief.

On September 11, 2001, he drove from Georgia to Arlington, Virginia, to cover the attack on the 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 to Afghanistan and 13 trips to Iraq.[7]

He was named Fox News's White House correspondent in 2007, covering the presidential administration of George W. Bush. In the fall of 2007, he began substituting for Brit Hume, then the anchor of Special Report, on Fridays.[2]

Baier (right) with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in 2020

On December 23, 2008, Hume anchored his final show and announced Baier would replace him as anchor of Special Report.[8] He hosted his first show as permanent anchor on January 5, 2009.[2]

In an email shortly after the 2020 United States presidential election, Baier argued that Fox should pull its projection that Joe Biden had won the state of Arizona.[9] Baier worried that the projection, which turned out to be accurate, might upset Fox viewers enough for them to abandon the network.[10]

In October 2021, Baier promoted his new book To Rescue the Republic: Ulysses S. Grant, the Fragile Union, and the Crisis of 1876 on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.[11]

In June 2023, Baier interviewed former U.S. President Donald Trump.[12] In that interview, Baier pressed Trump on his refusal to return classified documents,[13] asked him why he insulted people he himself had hired,[14] and disputed his repeated claims that the 2020 election was stolen, at one point saying to him, "You lost the 2020 election."[15] Baier was roundly praised for his performance in the interview.[16][17]

In August 2023, Baier co-moderated the first GOP Primary debate alongside Martha MacCallum. The debate was viewed by around 12.8 million people.[18]

In September 2023, Baier interviewed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Sindalah, Saudi Arabia.[19][20][21]

In October 2023, Baier planned to host a discussion between the candidates vying to replace Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. After his ouster, Representatives Kevin Hern, Jim Jordan and Steve 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".[22] [23] [24]

In February 2024, Baier traveled to Ukraine to interview President Volodymyr Zelensky about the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. It was the first interview Zelensky has done on the front lines of the war. In the interview, Zelensky called Tucker Carlson's interview with Vladimir Putin "two hours of bullshit," and made the case for more western aid to Ukraine.[25][21]

On October 16, 2024, Baier met with Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris on Fox News for her first interview on this network.[26] The interview was described as "contentious" and "fiery", with Baier frequently interrupting Harris and the two talking over each other.[27] Baier's "combative interview delivered an average of 7.8 million viewers...according to Nielsen data"[28] and got "9.2 million viewers including 1.12 million in the key A24-54 demo, according to finalized data."[29]

Reception

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.[30] In 2017, he received the Sol Taishoff Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism from the National Press Foundation[31] and the Urbino Press Award from the Municipality of Urbino.[32]

Personal life

Baier, who served as an altar boy in his youth, is a practicing Roman Catholic and attends Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Georgetown.[33][34]

Baier and his wife Amy have two sons, Daniel and Paul.[35] Paul was born with cardiac problems and before the child's open-heart surgery in 2008, President George W. Bush invited Baier and his wife and son to the Oval Office for a visit and had the White House physician update him on Paul's progress.[2] In 2009, Baier was named a "Significant Sig" by the Sigma Chi Fraternity.[36]

Baier has played golf with Donald Trump and has been Trump's guest at his Mar-a-Lago resort. [37]

Works

  • Special Heart: A Journey of Faith, Hope, Courage and Love (2014) ISBN 9781455583638
  • Three Days in January: Dwight Eisenhower's Final Mission (2017) ISBN 9780062569035
  • Three Days in Moscow: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of the Soviet Empire (2018) ISBN 9780062748362
  • Three Days at the Brink: FDR's Daring Gamble to Win World War II (2019) ISBN 9780062905680
  • To Rescue the Republic: Ulysses S. Grant, the Fragile Union, and the Crisis of 1876 (2021) ISBN 9780063039544
  • To Rescue the Constitution: George Washington and the Fragile American Experiment (2023) ISBN 9780063039582

References

  1. ^ Bret Baier Looks Back at 10 Years of Hosting "Special Report". Fox News Insider. January 5, 2019. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d "Bret Baier, the Successor to Brit Hume on Fox's 'Special Report'". The Washington Post. January 6, 2009. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
  3. ^ Koncius, Jura (June 25, 2009). "For a Fox Newsman and His Family, A Retreat Inspired by Ralph Lauren". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
  4. ^ Baier, Bret [@BretBaier] (March 17, 2014). "Yep - German and Irish RT @Papatul @BretBaier Bret, are YOU Irish???" (Tweet). Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2021 – via Twitter.
  5. ^ Bret Baier|Biography|Fox News Archived April 13, 2012, at the Wayback Machine; accessed July 25, 2015.
  6. ^ Significant Sigs | Sigma Chi Fraternity Archived October 16, 2014, at the Wayback Machine; accessed April 19, 2015.
  7. ^ "Facebook post". m.facebook.com. Retrieved February 25, 2024. [better source needed]
  8. ^ Ariens, Chris (December 23, 2008). "Bret Baier to be Named Host of "Special Report"". TV Newser. mediabistro.com. Archived from the original on January 24, 2009. Retrieved December 23, 2008.
  9. ^ Pengelly, Martin (September 21, 2022). "Fox News anchor Bret Baier wanted Arizona 'put back' in Trump's column, book says". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  10. ^ Jones, Tom (September 21, 2022). "A new book about Trump calls out a Fox News anchor". Poynter Institute. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  11. ^ "Bret Baier chats with Stephen Colbert about Fox host's new Ulysses S. Grant book". Fox News. October 7, 2021.
  12. ^ "Bret Baier's Interview with Donald Trump Draws 2.6 Million Viewers". Forbes.
  13. ^ Johnson, Ted (June 19, 2023). "Donald Trump Talks Ballot-Stuffing with Fox News' Bret Baier, who then said, "You Lost the 2020 Election."". Deadline Hollywood.
  14. ^ Grindell, Samantha (June 20, 2023). "Trump, who said he hired only the best people, was thoroughly asked why so many key players of his administration didn't want him to be president again". Yahoo! News.
  15. ^ Garcia, Eric (June 20, 2023). "Trump reacts angrily as Fox News anchor directly tells him he lost the 2020 election". The Independent.
  16. ^ Meyer, Ken (June 20, 2023). "Bret Baier Earns Bipartisan Praise for Grilling Trump on Classified Docs: 'An Extraordinary Interview'". Mediaite.
  17. ^ Mwachiro, Mark (June 20, 2023). "Bret Baier Earns Praise for Trump Interview Performance". Adweek.
  18. ^ "Republican debate ratings show 12.8 million watched first GOP showdown of 2023, Fox says". CBS News. August 24, 2023.
  19. ^ "Anticipation high for Saudi Crown Prince's Fox News exclusive interview". Arab News. September 20, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  20. ^ "Bret Baier interviews Saudi Prince: Israel peace, 9/11 ties, Iran nuke fears: 'Cannot see another Hiroshima'". Fox News. September 20, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  21. ^ a b Lee, Lloyd (February 22, 2024). "Zelenskyy said he didn't have time to watch more than 2 hours of Tucker Carlson interviewing Putin". Business Insider.
  22. ^ Sommer, Will (October 8, 2023). "Fox News tries to referee House GOP chaos but cancels speaker 'debate'". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  23. ^ "JUST IN: Fox News' GOP Speaker Candidate Debate is OFF". October 6, 2023.
  24. ^ "Televised Fox News Speaker forum called off after candidates pull out". The Hill. October 6, 2023.
  25. ^ "Zelenskyy appeals to Trump, Congress to see 'tragedy' of Russia invasion in exclusive Bret Baier interview". Fox News. February 22, 2024.
  26. ^ "Full interview: Vice President Kamala Harris sits down with Bret Baier in 'Special Report' exclusive". Fox News. October 16, 2024. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  27. ^ Abdullah, Lima (October 16, 2024). "Kamala Harris and Bret Baier Go Toe-to-Toe in First Interview". Newsweek. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  28. ^ Battaglio, Stephen (October 17, 2024). "Fox News interview with Vice President Kamala Harris scores 7.8 million viewers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  29. ^ Keys, Matthew (October 17, 2024). "Fox News gets 9.2 million viewers with VP Kamala Harris interview". TheDesk.net. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  30. ^ Joyella, Mark (May 12, 2016). "Bret Baier Wins Kenneth Tomlinson Award for Outstanding Journalism". Adweek. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  31. ^ "Bret Baier Selected for Taishoff Award". National Press Foundation. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  32. ^ "It is Bret Baier of Fox News the winner of the Urbino Press Award 2018". Vivere Urbino. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  33. ^ Rothstein, Betsy (June 10, 2008). "A father's first Father's Day". The Hill. Retrieved June 12, 2011.
  34. ^ Rothstein, Betsy (February 17, 2011). "How Catholic Is Bret Baier?". fishbowldc. mediabistro.com. Retrieved December 14, 2011.
  35. ^ Roberts, Roxanne; Argetsinger, Amy (July 8, 2010). "The Reliable Source: Love, etc.: Bret Baier, Rachel Dratch, Ed Swiderski and Jillian Harris". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved June 12, 2011.
  36. ^ Significant Sigs | Sigma Chi Fraternity Archived October 16, 2014, at the Wayback Machine; accessed October 12, 2014.
  37. ^ Levine, John (November 26, 2017). "Fox News Anchor Bret Baier Hangs With Trump at Mar-a-Lago During Thanksgiving Weekend". TheWrap. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
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