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Bret Baier will remain with the Fox News Channel for many years to come after the long anchor signed a new multi-year contract.
Fox News and Baier have extended his contract, which was last renewed in 2021 for a five-year term that would have kept him at the cable network until at least 2025.
“We are thrilled to have Bret continue leading our political coverage as we head into the 2024 election season and beyond,” said Jay Wallace, president and executive editor of Fox News Channel. The contract was renewed earlier than expected, indicating confidence in Baier’s work. UTA handles Baier’s representation.
Wallace added in a statement: “We are thrilled to have Bret continue leading our political coverage as we head into the 2024 election season and beyond.”
Baier added, “I am honored to continue anchoring Special Report and alongside my dedicated team and co-anchoring our election coverage for many years to come.”
“Baier has conducted numerous interviews with world leaders, sitting presidents, politicians, and celebrities throughout his 27-year tenure with FNC, including: former President Trump, then-President Barack Obama, then-President George W. Bush, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Dalai Lama, actor Matthew McConaughey and many others. In the current 2024 election cycle he has interviewed Democratic candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr as well as Republican candidates, including Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, Vivek Ramaswamy, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson,” Fox News said in a press release.
“He has also moderated two iterations of The Senate Project series on FOX Nation, a bipartisan forum at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute which featured Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in 2022 and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) in 2023,” the release added.
It continued: “Baier is the author of five New York Times bestsellers and will be releasing his latest book “To Rescue the Constitution: George Washington and the Fragile American Experiment” in October. He was FNC’s chief White House correspondent, covering President Bush from 2006-2009 and served as national security correspondent from 2001-2006. On September 11th, he traveled from Atlanta, where he was based as a correspondent for FNC, to cover the terrorist attacks from the Pentagon which then led to his extensive career in Washington.”
Baier made headlines late last month when he and Martha MacCallum offered up their analysis of how they thought the first Republican primary debate they moderated turned out, especially without the party’s leading candidate, former President Donald Trump, on stage.
The two spoke out on Politico Playbook’s Deep Dive podcast last week after the Wednesday debate to offer up their thoughts about how they thought things went, according to Mediaite.
“I don’t know whether he had a lot of coffee or what his deal was, but he showed up ready to interrupt,” the longtime anchor noted.
The duo also discussed the point in the debate where they asked the candidates on stage if they would support Trump should he be convicted of crimes and still become the party’s nominee (most did — Christie and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson would not).
“[W]hen you look back at it — and I actually just rewatched it a moment ago — it’s interesting because on the right-hand side of the room, their hands went up pretty quickly. And [Florida Gov.] Ron DeSantis sort of glanced over at them and then raised his hand,” MacCallum said.
“I agree with Martha. It was sort of like the wave in a stadium,” Baier said. “I think that was my moment, too. … [DeSantis] clearly didn’t want to talk about the former president, and, to that point, started turning it and, you know, ripping on us for talking about the former president.”
