Who is Jake Tapper? What to know about the moderator ahead of the June Presidential Debate

Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY
Updated ·2 min read
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Joe Biden and Donald Trump won't be the only familiar faces at their first presidential debate Thursday, as CNN anchor Jake Tapper is set to moderate.

With Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. officially failing to qualify for the CNN debate, we are left with a re-match of the 2020 debates between Trump and Biden.

The first debate, scheduled for Thursday, June 27 at 9 p.m. ET, will be hosted by CNN at its Atlanta studios. Trump and Biden skirted the Commission on Presidential Debates this year, and the second debate is scheduled for Sept. 10, hosted by ABC.

Tapper will moderate alongside fellow CNN anchor Dana Bash. Here is what to know about Tapper.

Looking back: Thursday's presidential debate moderators called Trump-Biden 2020 clash a 'hot mess,' worse

Who is Jake Tapper?

Moderator Jake Tapper of CNN speaks to the audience before the start of the second night of the second 2020 Democratic U.S. presidential debate in Detroit, Michigan, July 31, 2019.
Moderator Jake Tapper of CNN speaks to the audience before the start of the second night of the second 2020 Democratic U.S. presidential debate in Detroit, Michigan, July 31, 2019.

Jake Tapper is the CNN lead anchor for Washington, D.C. events. He hosts "The Lead with Jake Tapper" and the "State of Union" Sunday morning show.

Tapper has moderated presidential debates in the past. He moderated a GOP debate in 2015 and the last Democratic debate in 2020 between Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Tapper has been covering politics in D.C. throughout his tenure at CNN and previously as a senior White House correspondent for ABC News, according to his bio on CNN.

He graduated from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and has authored several books.

Who is Dana Bash? What to know about the moderator ahead of the June Presidential Debate

When is the first presidential debate?

The debate between Biden and Trump is scheduled for June 27 at 9 p.m. ET.

How can I watch the first debate between Trump and Biden?

The debate will air live on CNN, CNN International, CNN en Español and CNN Max.

For those without a cable subscription, the debate will be streaming on CNN.com, the network said in a news release.

Contributing: Gabe Hauari, Sudiksha Kochi

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Presidential debate moderator Jake Tapper: Key facts about CNN anchor