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Bret Baier

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Not to be confused withBrett Baer.

Bret Baier
Baier in 2014
Born
William Bret Baier

(1970-08-04)August 4, 1970(age 53)
Rumson, New Jersey,U.S.
EducationDePauw University(BA)
OccupationAnchor
Spouse
Amy Baier
​
(m.2004)​
Children2

William Bret Baier(/ˈbrɛtˈbeɪər/BRETBAY-ər;[1]born August 4, 1970) is an American journalist and the host ofSpecial Report with Bret Baieron theFox News Channeland the chief political anchor for Fox.[2]He previously worked as the network's Chief White House Correspondent and Pentagon correspondent.

Early life[edit]

Baier was born inRumson, New Jersey,to a family of mixed German and Irish origins.[3][4]Raised Catholic, he attendedMarist School,a private Roman Catholic high school inAtlanta, Georgia,graduating in 1988. Baier then attended the MethodistDePauw UniversityinGreencastle, Indiana,graduating in 1992 with aBAdegree inpolitical scienceand English.[5]At DePauw, he became a member of the Xi Chapter of theSigma Chifraternity.[6]

Career[edit]

Baier andMartha MacCallummoderate atown hallwith PresidentDonald Trumpin 2020

Baier began his television career with a local station WJWJ TV16 onHilton Head Island, South Carolina,before joiningWRAL-TV,thenCBSaffiliate inRaleigh, North Carolina.He sent an audition tape to Fox News in 1998, and was hired as the network'sAtlantabureau chief.

OnSeptember 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 toAfghanistanand 13 trips toIraq.[7]

He was named Fox News'sWhite Housecorrespondent in 2007, covering theadministration of George W. Bush.In the fall of 2007, he began substituting forBrit Hume,then the anchor ofSpecial Report,on Fridays.[2]

Baier (right) with Secretary of StateMike Pompeoin 2020

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

In October 2021, Baier promoted his new bookTo Rescue the Republic: Ulysses S. Grant, the Fragile Union, and the Crisis of 1876onThe Late ShowwithStephen Colbert.[9]

In June 2023, Baier interviewed former U.S.President Donald Trump.[10]In that interview, Baier pressed Trump on his refusal to return classified documents,[11]asked him why he insulted people he himself had hired,[12]and fact-checked him about the 2020 election.[13]Baier was roundly praised for his performance in the interview,[14][15]which was seen by many as a disaster for Trump.[16][17]

In August 2023 Baier co-moderated the firstGOP Primary debatealongsideMartha MacCallum.The debate was viewed by around 12.8 million people.[18]

In September 2023, Baier interviewed Saudi Crown PrinceMohammed bin SalmaninSindalah,Saudi Arabia.[19][20][21]

In October 2023, Baier planned to host a discussion between the candidates vyingto replaceFormer House SpeakerKevin McCarthy.Afterhis ousterRepresentativesKevin Hern,Jim JordanandSteve Scaliseplanned 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 PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyabout the ongoingRusso-Ukraine WarIt was the first interview Zelensky has done on the front lines of the war. In the interview, Zelensky calledTucker Carlson's Interview with Vladimir Putin"two hours of bullshit," and made the case for more western aid to Ukraine.[25][21]

Recognition and reception[edit]

Awards[edit]

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.[26]In 2017, he received the Sol Taishoff Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism from theNational Press Foundation[27]and the Urbino Press Award from the Municipality of Urbino.[28]

Criticism[edit]

Some critics have argued that there is a conservative bias in Baier's reporting.[29]In an email shortly after the2020 United States presidential election,Baier argued that Fox should pull its projection that Joe Biden had won the state of Arizona.[30]Baier worried that the projection, which turned out to be accurate, might upset Fox viewers enough for them to abandon the network.[31]

Personal life[edit]

Baier, who served as analtar boyin his youth, is a practicingRoman Catholicand attendsHoly Trinity Catholic ChurchinGeorgetown.[32][33]

Baier and his wife Amy have two sons, Daniel and Paul.[34]Paul was born withcardiac problemsand before the child'sopen-heart surgeryin 2008, PresidentGeorge W. Bushinvited Baier and his wife and son to theOval Officefor a visit and had the White Housephysicianupdate him on Paul's progress.[2]In 2009, Baier was named a "Significant Sig" by the Sigma Chi Fraternity.[35]

Works[edit]

  • Special Heart: A Journey of Faith, Hope, Courage and Love(2014)ISBN9781455583638
  • Three Days in January: Dwight Eisenhower's Final Mission(2017)ISBN9780062569035
  • Three Days in Moscow: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of the Soviet Empire(2018)ISBN9780062748362
  • Three Days at the Brink: FDR's Daring Gamble to Win World War II(2019)ISBN9780062905680
  • To Rescue the Republic: Ulysses S. Grant, the Fragile Union, and the Crisis of 1876(2021)ISBN9780063039544
  • To Rescue the Constitution: George Washington and the Fragile American Experiment(2023)ISBN9780063039582

References[edit]

  1. ^Bret Baier Looks Back at 10 Years of Hosting "Special Report".Fox News Insider. January 5, 2019.RetrievedMay 30,2022.
  2. ^abcd"Bret Baier, the Successor to Brit Hume on Fox's 'Special Report'".The Washington Post.January 6, 2009.RetrievedSeptember 29,2010.
  3. ^Koncius, Jura (June 25, 2009)."For a Fox Newsman and His Family, A Retreat Inspired by Ralph Lauren".The Washington Post.RetrievedFebruary 14,2011.
  4. ^Baier, Bret [@BretBaier](March 17, 2014)."Yep - German and Irish RT @Papatul @BretBaier Bret, are YOU Irish???"(Tweet).Archivedfrom the original on April 11, 2021.RetrievedJune 21,2021– viaTwitter.
  5. ^Bret Baier|Biography|Fox NewsArchivedApril 13, 2012, at theWayback Machine;accessed July 25, 2015.
  6. ^Significant Sigs | Sigma Chi FraternityArchivedOctober 16, 2014, at theWayback Machine;accessed April 19, 2015.
  7. ^"Facebook post".m.facebook.com.RetrievedFebruary 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 fromthe originalon January 24, 2009.RetrievedDecember 23,2008.
  9. ^"Bret Baier chats with Stephen Colbert about Fox host's new Ulysses S. Grant book".Fox News.October 7, 2021.
  10. ^"Bret Baier's Interview with Donald Trump Draws 2.6 Million Viewers".Forbes.
  11. ^"Donald Trump Talks Ballot-Stuffing with Fox News' Bret Baier, who then said," You Lost the 2020 Election. "".June 19, 2023.
  12. ^"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".June 20, 2023.
  13. ^"Trump reacts angrily as Fox News anchor directly tells him he lost the 2020 election".Independent.co.uk.June 20, 2023.
  14. ^"Bret Baier Earns Bipartisan Praise for Grilling Trump on Classified Docs: 'An Extraordinary Interview'".June 20, 2023.
  15. ^"Bret Baier Earns Praise for Trump Interview Performance".June 20, 2023.
  16. ^"Trump All but Confesses to Mishandling Classified Docs on Fox News".Rolling Stone.June 19, 2023.
  17. ^"Trump's Fox News interview with Bret Baier arms DeSantis campaign".RetrievedFebruary 25,2024.
  18. ^"Republican debate ratings show 12.8 million watched first GOP showdown of 2023, Fox says - CBS News".CBS News.August 24, 2023.
  19. ^"Anticipation high for Saudi Crown Prince's Fox News exclusive interview".Arab News.September 20, 2023.RetrievedSeptember 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.RetrievedSeptember 20,2023.
  21. ^ab"Zelenskyy said he didn't have time to watch more than 2 hours of Tucker Carlson interviewing Putin".Business Insider.
  22. ^https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2023/10/06/fox-news-speaker-debate/
  23. ^https://www.mediaite.com/news/fox-news-to-air-debate-for-speaker-candidates-seeking-to-replace-mccarthy/
  24. ^[1]
  25. ^"Zelenskyy appeals to Trump, Congress to see 'tragedy' of Russia invasion in exclusive Bret Baier interview".Fox News.February 22, 2024.
  26. ^"Bret Baier Wins Kenneth Tomlinson Award for Outstanding Journalism".Adweek.May 12, 2016.RetrievedJanuary 3,2019.
  27. ^"Bret Baier Selected for Taishoff Award".National Press Association.RetrievedJanuary 3,2019.
  28. ^"It is Bret Baier of Fox News the winner of the Urbino Press Award 2018".Vivere Urbino.RetrievedJanuary 3,2019.
  29. ^"The Real Problem with Fox News".Columbia Journalism Review.RetrievedNovember 20,2023.
  30. ^Pengelly, Martin (September 21, 2022)."Fox News anchor Bret Baier wanted Arizona 'put back' in Trump's column, book says".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.RetrievedNovember 20,2023.
  31. ^Jones, Tom (September 21, 2022)."A new book about Trump calls out a Fox News anchor".Poynter.RetrievedNovember 20,2023.
  32. ^Rothstein, Betsy (June 10, 2008)."A father's first Father's Day".The Hill.Capitol Hill Publishing Corporation.RetrievedJune 12,2011.
  33. ^Rothstein, Betsy (February 17, 2011)."How Catholic Is Bret Baier?".fishbowldc.mediabistro.com.RetrievedDecember 14,2011.
  34. ^Roberts, Roxanne;Argetsinger, Amy(July 8, 2010)."The Reliable Source:Love, etc.: Bret Baier, Rachel Dratch, Ed Swiderski and Jillian Harris ".The Washington Post.RetrievedJune 12,2011.
  35. ^Significant Sigs | Sigma Chi FraternityArchivedOctober 16, 2014, at theWayback Machine;accessed October 12, 2014.

External links[edit]

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