Margaret Brennan
A sharp and steady CBS News anchor who rose to become a leading voice on global affairs and the moderator of Face the Nation.
Born 1980 (age 46)·American journalist·Birthday: March 26·Generation X
Biography
Margaret Brennan has built a reputation as one of American television's most authoritative foreign policy voices. She didn't follow a traditional path to the anchor chair; her expertise was forged in the field, reporting on finance for Bloomberg Television and covering the State Department during pivotal moments in U.S. diplomacy. Her fluency in complex international issues, from trade wars to Middle East conflicts, caught the attention of CBS News, which named her its chief foreign affairs correspondent. In 2018, she took the helm of the storied Sunday public affairs program 'Face the Nation,' bringing a fresh, incisive interviewing style. Brennan steers the conversation with world leaders and policymakers with a blend of rigorous preparation and a journalist's instinct for the clarifying question, making her a central figure in the nation's political dialogue.
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.
Margaret was born in 1980, 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 Margaret Was Born
The biggest hits of 1980
#1 Movie
The Empire Strikes Back
Best Picture
Ordinary People
#1 TV Show
Dallas
Margaret's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1980Born
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
1985Started school
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1993Became a teenager
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
1996Could drive
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
1998Could vote
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2001Turned 21
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2010Turned 30
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 40
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 46 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Appointed moderator of CBS's 'Face the Nation,' one of the longest-running news programs in television history, in 2018.
- Served as CBS News' chief foreign affairs correspondent, reporting from global hotspots and diplomatic summits.
- Previously covered the White House and the State Department, breaking stories on international trade and security policy.
Did You Know?
She is fluent in Mandarin Chinese, which she studied at the University of Virginia and in Beijing.
She began her television career as a production assistant for the 'Today' show.
She is a former term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
“My job is to ask the questions that viewers at home would ask if they were in the chair.”
