David Corn
A dogged Washington muckraker who broke the Romney '47 percent' story and co-authored the first major investigation into Trump's Russia ties.
Born 1959 (age 67)·American journalist·Birthday: February 20·Baby Boomers
Biography
For decades, David Corn has operated in the trenches of political journalism, a reporter more interested in the substance of power than its pageantry. Cutting his teeth at The Nation, he built a reputation as a sharp, investigative-minded editor who understood the machinery of Washington. His move to Mother Jones as Washington bureau chief positioned him to break one of the defining stories of the 2012 presidential election: the secret video of Mitt Romney dismissing '47 percent' of Americans as dependent on government. That scoop was a precursor to his most consequential work. In 2017, partnering with journalist Michael Isikoff, he published 'Russian Roulette,' a meticulously reported book that laid out the first comprehensive narrative of the connections between the Trump campaign and Russia. Corn’s career embodies a strand of journalism that is skeptical, deeply sourced, and unafraid to follow a story into uncomfortable places.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
David was born in 1959, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When David Was Born
The biggest hits of 1959
#1 Movie
Ben-Hur
Best Picture
Ben-Hur
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
David's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1959Born
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1964Started school
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1972Became a teenager
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1975Could drive
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
1977Could vote
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1980Turned 21
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1989Turned 30
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 40
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 50
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 60
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 67 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-authored the 2017 book 'Russian Roulette,' a foundational investigative work on the Trump campaign's ties to Russia.
- Broke the story of the secret 2012 video in which Mitt Romney spoke about the '47 percent' of Americans who don't pay income tax.
- Served as the Washington editor for The Nation magazine for two decades before joining Mother Jones.
- Is a frequent political analyst and commentator on MSNBC and other national news networks.
Did You Know?
He wrote a biography of the CIA entitled 'Blond Ghost' about Ted Shackley.
He published a novel in 1997 titled 'Deep Background.'
He interviewed former President George W. Bush for a 1999 profile in Texas Monthly, before Bush's presidential run.
“The job of a journalist is to find things out and tell people about them.”
