Jonathan Swan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jonathan Swan
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Swan in 2018
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| Born | August 7, 1985 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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| Occupation | Journalist |
| Employer | The New York Times |
| Spouse(s) |
Betsy Woodruff
(m. 2019) |
| Children | 2 |
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Jonathan V. Swan (born August 7, 1985) is an Australian-American journalist. He works as an investigative reporter for The New York Times. Jonathan Swan is well-known for getting exclusive news stories, called "scoops." He is also famous for his 2020 interview with then-US President Donald Trump, which won an Emmy Award.
Swan interviewed President Trump in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. People praised him for checking facts and questioning Trump's statements. His surprised facial expressions during the interview became very popular online, turning into an internet meme.
Contents
Jonathan Swan: A Journalist's Story
Early Life and Start in Journalism
Jonathan Swan was born on August 7, 1985, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He is the oldest child of Lee Sutton and health reporter Norman Swan. He grew up in a "very liberal" Reform Jewish family. As a teenager, he had his bar mitzvah. Swan went to school in Sydney and later graduated from Sydney Grammar School.
In 2010, Jonathan Swan began his career as a journalist. He wrote for The Sydney Morning Herald, covering many topics. These included local crime in Sydney and national politics. He also worked for The Age newspaper around this time. Swan became known for his "scoops," which are exclusive news stories. For example, he revealed that some members of the Australian Parliament were misusing taxpayer money. He also found a video of a senator throwing kangaroo waste.
In 2014, Swan moved to the United States. He had a special one-year visa to work as an assistant for a member of Congress in Washington, D.C.. He decided to stay in the US. Swan had always been very interested in US politics. He wanted to become a journalist there. He tried to get hired by many news companies but was turned down. Finally, The Hill newspaper hired him.
Reporting in the United States
Beginnings at The Hill and Axios
Jonathan Swan started reporting on politics for The Hill in August 2015. There, he uncovered several important stories about Republican plans. These included reports on the Trump campaign's requests for illegal donations. He also reported on Breitbart News' attempts to stop House Speaker Paul Ryan's career. In late 2016, Swan joined Axios just before the company officially started. It was at Axios that he became a very well-known journalist.
Covering Donald Trump's Presidency
As a national political reporter, Swan covered Donald Trump's first time as president from 2017 to 2021. He was the first to report several big stories. These included the United States' decision to leave the Paris Climate Agreement. He also broke the news about the US recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Other scoops included the firing of White House chief strategist Steve Bannon and Paul Ryan's decision to retire. Other journalists at the time believed Swan's reporting was very important for Axios to become famous.
Swan's reports made him a rising star in journalism. However, some of his work also caused debate. Some people said he cared more about getting access to important people than about holding them accountable. This was because he sometimes did not strongly challenge the White House's actions. Also, some of his articles were very short, like the one about Jerusalem, which was only 55 words long. He also received criticism for being paid about $25,000 for each speech he gave. In September 2018, Swan reported that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein had resigned. This caused a big stir in the news. However, the report turned out to be false. This hurt Axios' reputation.
First Trump Interview (2018)
Swan interviewed President Trump in October 2018. In one part of the interview, Trump said he planned to end birthright citizenship in the US. This is a right protected by the Constitution. Trump claimed he could change the Constitution himself to do this, which was not true. Swan did not correct him. The President also falsely stated that no other country had birthright citizenship. Again, Swan did not respond. People also noticed that Swan seemed very happy and cheerful during the interview. He chuckled, smiled, and seemed to "bounce in his chair with glee."
Swan faced strong criticism for this interview. Some news outlets even called him a "bootlicker." Some journalists said his attitude lowered the standard of journalism. They felt he seemed to care more about finding new news than about holding politicians responsible. Swan later said he regretted his performance and admitted it was "bad."
Second Trump Interview (2020)
Two years later, Swan interviewed Trump again. This interview lasted 38 minutes and was shown on Axios' HBO series on August 3, 2020. At that time, the US was dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 100,000 Americans had died. There were also nationwide protests about the murder of George Floyd. This time, Swan's approach was much more critical. During the interview, he directly challenged and pointed out the President's false and misleading statements as they happened. For example, when Trump said COVID-19 was "under control," Swan replied, "How? A thousand Americans are dying a day."
Experts said Swan was able to challenge Trump by asking many follow-up questions. When Trump vaguely said "people say…," Swan asked, "Which people?" The President often could not answer these questions. Daniel Dale of CNN wrote that Trump often made many false claims in his interviews. Interviewers usually let them pass. However, Swan kept asking "how?", "what?", and "who?". This stopped Trump's usual way of speaking. Journalist David Brody said that Trump often took over interviews. But Swan made him seem humble. This left Trump struggling to answer, appearing confused and unprepared.
Swan was also noticed for his facial expressions during the interview. His face showed confusion, anger, amusement, and bewilderment. When Swan said the COVID-19 death count should be looked at as a percentage of the population, Trump replied, "You can't do that." Swan quickly "furrowed his brow." This look of complete confusion perfectly showed how many viewers felt about the interview. Besides the pandemic, Swan also showed that the President seemed uninterested in Russia helping the Taliban. He also showed Trump's unwillingness to praise the recently deceased civil rights leader John Lewis.
The interview was widely praised. People applauded Swan for checking Trump's facts. They noted that his approach made sure the President was held responsible. The New York Times writer Ben Smith called it "perhaps the best interview of Mr. Trump's term." In 2021, Axios won an Emmy Award for Best Edited Interview for this work. The interview also became very popular in the media and online. Swan's surprised facial expressions became a viral internet meme. Swan said that after this interview, the Trump administration stopped giving him interview requests.
"Off the Rails" Series
Just before the 2020 presidential election, Jonathan Swan revealed Trump's plans to claim victory no matter the outcome. This was part of a larger plan to challenge the election results. A few months later, Swan wrote a nine-part series called "Off the Rails." This series documented the President's plans and efforts. The White House Correspondents' Association later gave Swan the 2022 Aldo Beckman Award. This award was for his excellent coverage of the White House in "Off the Rails."
Later Efforts
In January 2023, after six years of reporting for Axios, Swan joined The New York Times. As a White House reporter, Swan now focuses on congressional Republicans and Donald Trump.
Personal Life
Jonathan Swan is married to fellow reporter Betsy Woodruff, who works for Politico. They have two children. He became an American citizen in 2024.
