Bret Baier
A steady-handed Fox News anchor who built his reputation covering war and the White House before helming the network's flagship political report.
Born 1970 (age 56)·American journalist·Birthday: August 4·Generation X
Biography
Bret Baier's journalism career was forged in the field, not the studio. He cut his teeth as a Pentagon correspondent, delivering dispatches from the heart of post-9/11 military strategy, and later as Chief White House Correspondent during the tumultuous second term of George W. Bush. This grounding in hard news gave him a reporter's authority that he carried to the anchor chair. Taking over 'Special Report' in 2009, he brought a measured, fact-forward tone to prime-time political analysis, a style that stood in contrast to the more opinion-driven programming around him. He is known for conducting lengthy, substantive interviews with major political figures, aiming for depth in a medium built for soundbites. In a polarized media landscape, Baier has cultivated a persona as a straight-shooting intermediary between Washington and a conservative-leaning audience.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Bret was born in 1970, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bret Was Born
The biggest hits of 1970
#1 Movie
Love Story
Best Picture
Patton
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Bret's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1970Born
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1975Started school
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1983Became a teenager
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Could drive
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1988Could vote
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Turned 21
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2000Turned 30
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 40
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 50
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 56 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Serves as the chief political anchor for Fox News Channel and host of the nightly program 'Special Report'.
- Previously served as Fox News's Chief White House Correspondent during the Bush and Obama administrations.
- Authored multiple best-selling books on historical and political subjects, including on President Eisenhower.
Did You Know?
He was born with a clubfoot and underwent multiple surgeries as a child.
Baier is a graduate of DePauw University, where he majored in political science and English.
He interned for CNN during college before beginning his professional career at a local station in Raleigh.
“I try to ask the questions that viewers at home would ask if they were sitting in the chair across from the president.”
