Meet the US presidential debate moderators: Dana Bash and Jake Tapper

WASHINGTON - Dana Bash is one of the two moderators of the

June 28 presidential debate,

along with Jake Tapper, CNN’s chief Washington correspondent. Their ability to guide and navigate the event may be crucial to how US President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump – and CNN, which is hosting the debate – are received by the public. Here is what you need to know about the pair:

Dana Bash

Job: Chief political correspondent, CNN. Anchor, Inside Politics.

Age: 53.

Biography: Bash is a CNN lifer, starting as a producer shortly after graduating from college. She became a lead congressional and White House correspondent and then a fixture of the network’s election coverage; she has reported on presidential races dating back to 2000.

In 2023, Bash became anchor of the midday programme Inside Politics; she also hosts a series called Badass Women Of Washington.

Debates: Bash was a questioner at six of seven primary debates sponsored by CNN in 2016. She also moderated two CNN Democratic primary debates in 2020.

Style: Unlike some boisterous figures in cable news, Bash can be a more reserved presence on the air. She keeps the fireworks for her analysis, often providing pithy and incisive summaries of major political events moments after they unfold.

What to watch for: While Trump has made clear his animosity toward Tapper, he has not said much about Bash. Since she has not been as directly in Trump’s cross hairs, she may help to defuse heated moments.

Jake Tapper

Job: Chief Washington correspondent, CNN. Anchor, The Lead.

Age: 55.

Biography: Tapper started his career as a reporter at the Washington City Paper and Salon. At ABC News, he reported from Iraq and Afghanistan and eventually became senior White House correspondent. He joined CNN in 2013.

Debates: Tapper has moderated numerous primary debates sponsored by CNN, including two featuring Trump in the 2016 Republican primary. He also moderated a 2020 Democratic debate between Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

Style: Tapper is deeply steeped in political history: His CNN office is wallpapered in campaign ephemera from candidates who lost. On the air, he can be by turns professorial and feisty. The latter quality was especially apparent in some of his better-known interviews, like a 25-minute grilling of Kellyanne Conway in 2018.

What to watch for: Tapper does not hesitate to cut off meandering politicians – or presidential candidates trying to hijack the debate stage. Trump assailed him as “Fake Tapper” in the lead-up to Thursday. The former president could directly question Tapper’s objectivity on Thursday, perhaps as a proxy for Trump’s longtime gripes about CNN. NYTIMES