Jonathan Swan

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Jonathan Swan
Swan in 2018
Born (1985-08-07) August 7, 1985 (age 40)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Citizenship
  • Australia
  • United States
OccupationJournalist
EmployerThe New York Times
SpouseBetsy Woodruff
Children2
Parents

Jonathan Swan (born August 7, 1985) is an Australian-American investigative journalist at The New York Times.[1] He is best known for his 2020 Emmy-winning interview with then-US president Donald Trump.

Swan interviewed Trump in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He was praised for fact-checking Trump's falsehoods and constantly challenging his remarks, which, according to journalists, exposed the President as unprepared. His stunned facial expressions made in response to Trump's statements became a viral internet meme.

Early life and career

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Jonathan Swan was born on August 7, 1985,[2] the eldest child of Lee Sutton and health reporter[3] Norman Swan.[4] Raised in Sydney, New South Wales,[4] he grew up in a "very liberal" Reform Jewish household enrolled in the Emanuel Synagogue.[5]

At age 25, Swan entered into journalism, covering politics for The Sydney Morning Herald.[6] Around this time, he also worked for The Age.[7] Swan became known for his scoops—most notably, his revelations on parliamentarians abusing taxpayer funds as well as his unearthing a video of a senator hurling kangaroo feces at his brother.[3][8] In 2014,[6][8] as part of a fellowship with the American Political Science Association, Swan emigrated to the United States to work as a congressional aide at Washington, D.C.[6][9] American politics intrigued him, and he had long aspired to venture into American journalism.[9] After approaching several national media outlets, The Hill hired him.[8]

United States career

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Beginnings

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Swan began reporting on politics at The Hill in 2015.[9] A year later, he joined Axios shortly before the company's founding,[10] and it is at Axios that his career "accelerated."[6]

Donald Trump's first presidency

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As a national political correspondent, Swan covered Trump's first administration from 2017 through 2021.[10][11] He was the first to reveal the United States' initial withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement,[8] the US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and the firing of White House chief strategist Steve Bannon.[6] Contemporary journalists regarded Swan's reporting as key to Axios's rise to prominence.[6][8]

Swan's reports had made him a rising influence in the journalistic scene,[6][8] but his efforts did rouse controversy. Some commentators accused him of favoring "access over accountability"[3][8] in light of his refusal to strongly challenge the White House's actions[8] and the lack of depth in his articles, with the one detailing the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital being just 55 words long.[6][a] His paid speaking engagements, earning him as much as $25,000 per speech,[6] also attracted criticism.[8] In September 2018, Swan reported that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein had resigned, which caused a stir in the media. However, the report was false. This damaged Axios's reputation, which had already been questioned owing to their articles's perceived shallowness.[8]

First Trump interview (2018)

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Swan in his 2018 interview
Swan in his 2018 interview with Donald Trump, as he grins exuberantly while inquiring the President on his plan to repeal birthright citizenship

Swan interviewed Trump in October 2018.[12] In one preview clip, Trump revealed that he was planning to end birthright citizenship in the US,[6][8] a constitutionally protected right.[6] Swan did not challenge the President's claims, some of which were untrue;[6][8] for example, when Trump falsely declared that no other country had birthright citizenship, Swan said nothing in response.[6] Commentators also pointed out that Swan appeared gleeful and overexcited.[8][12]

Swan faced stern backlash.[6][8] Some journalists noted that his attitude debased the profession of journalism as he seemingly placed discovering new media fodder above holding politicians accountable.[13][14] According to Sam Biddle of The Intercept, his interaction was a "revolting," "perverse amalgam of news, social media, entertainment, and the White House."[13] The interview only worsened Swan and Axios's reputation of favoring access over accountability.[3][8] Conversely, veteran journalist Bob Woodward argued that he was not soft—he was "tough but fair."[6] Swan later regretted his performance.[8][11]

Second Trump interview (2020)

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Two years later, Swan interviewed Trump again. It lasted 38 minutes[15] and aired on Axios's HBO series on August 3, 2020.[16] The US was then engulfed in a pandemic that had killed upwards of 100,000 Americans as well as nationwide protests over the murder of George Floyd.[17] This time, Swan's approach was more critical.[11] Throughout the interview, he pointedly challenged and called out the President's false and misleading statements.[11][12][18] When Trump, for example, described COVID-19 as being "under control," Swan responded, "How? A thousand Americans are dying a day."[19]

According to commentators, Swan managed to challenge Trump by deploying an aggressive line of follow-up questions.[11][20][21] When Trump ambiguously said, "people say...", Swan replied, "Which people?".[22] The President often could not answer such questions.[21] Daniel Dale of CNN wrote that, in his interviews, Trump would state one false claim after the other in a "hit-and-run" strategy, and interviewers would generally let them pass. However, Swan kept asking "how?", "what?", and "who?", which thwarted Trump's strategy.[20] The journalist David Brody asserted that while Trump often dominated interviews by "commandeering" them, Swan humbled him.[12] This left Trump stumbling through responses as he appeared baffled and unprepared.[19][22]

Swan in his 2020 interview
Swan in his 2020 interview with Donald Trump, as he gives a befuddled expression in response to the President's statements

Swan was also noted for his facial expressions made in reaction to some of Trump's claims. They shifted between confusion, fury, bemusement, and bewilderment.[11][22] When Swan insisted that the COVID-19 death tally needed to be considered as a percentage of population, and Trump replied, "You can't do that," Swan promptly "furrowed his brow," in the words of the Forward reporter PJ Grisar.[23] Beyond the pandemic, Grisar also pointed out that Swan exposed the President's perceived disinterest in Russia's provision of aid to the Taliban and his unwillingness to praise the recently deceased civil rights activist John Lewis.[23]

The interview was widely praised,[3][12][18] with commentators noting Swan's efforts at fact-checking Trump.[18][22] His approach, they argued, ensured that the President was kept accountable.[11][22][24] In 2021, Axios was awarded an Emmy Award for Best Edited Interview.[10] The interview also became a media and internet sensation,[18][22] and Swan's stunned facial expressions became a viral internet meme.[3][11][22]

"Off the Rails"

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Shortly before the 2020 presidential election between incumbment president Trump and Joe Biden, Swan revealed Trump's plans to claim victory regardless of the outcome[25] as part of his wider plan to overturn the results.[26] A few months later, he documented the President's plan and efforts in a nine-part[b] series titled "Off the Rails".[c] The series won Swan the 2022 White House Correspondents' Association's Aldo Beckman Award for Overall Excellence in White House Coverage.[28]

Later efforts

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In January 2023, after six years reporting for Axios, Swan joined The New York Times, where he focuses on congressional Republicans.[29]

Personal life

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Swan is married to fellow reporter Betsy Woodruff of Politico;[11] they have two children.[11][30] He became an American citizen in 2024.[31]

In 2019, it was revealed that Axios, suffering backlash against Swan's first interview with Donald Trump, had paid a journalist to improve its reputation by lobbying for changes to the Wikipedia articles on Axios and Swan. He pushed for promotional material to be included, such as an "Awards and Honors" section, and recommended that controversies related to Swan be whitewashed.[32]

References

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Notes

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  1. ^ In actual fact, all Axios articles tend to be brief.[8]
  2. ^ A tenth bonus article (or episode) is also included in the series.[27]
  3. ^ "Off the Rails" was coproduced with Zachary Basu.[27]

Citations

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  1. ^ "Jonathan Swan Joins The New York Times". The New York Times Company. November 11, 2022. Archived from the original on March 25, 2025. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  2. ^ "Monday's birthdays". Politico. August 8, 2017. Archived from the original on February 28, 2025. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f McGowan, Michael; Cantor, Matthew (August 5, 2020). "Who is Jonathan Swan, the reporter who grilled Trump? And what do kangaroos have to do with it?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 19, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  4. ^ a b Harvey, Eliza (December 5, 2020). "'You never know what strength you've got': Anna Swan's long road back from brain trauma". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on May 13, 2025. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  5. ^ Cohen, Sam Zieve; Koessler, Matthew (June 24, 2022). "Jonathan Swan joins JI's 'Limited Liability Podcast'". Jewish Insider. Archived from the original on June 24, 2022. Retrieved May 14, 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Farhi, Paul (November 4, 2018). "A fast-rising journalist hits a speed bump with his latest scoop about Trump". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 13, 2025. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  7. ^ "Fairfax journalist Jonathan Swan awarded prestigious Wallace Brown Young Achiever Award". The Sydney Morning Herald. May 20, 2014. Archived from the original on April 6, 2025. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Grynbaum, Michael M. (November 4, 2018). "Another Trump Scoop, a Giddy Reaction and a Reporter Under Fire". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 13, 2025. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  9. ^ a b c Grinapol, Corinne (August 18, 2015). "The Hill Adds Jonathan Swan to Cover the Money in Politics Beat". Adweek. Archived from the original on May 15, 2025. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
  10. ^ a b c Fischer, Sara (November 11, 2022). "Axios' Jonathan Swan heading to NYT". Axios. Archived from the original on May 14, 2025. Retrieved May 14, 2025.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Kassel, Matthew (November 25, 2020). "Jonathan Swan on migrating to the Biden beat". Jewish Insider. Archived from the original on March 6, 2025. Retrieved May 14, 2025.
  12. ^ a b c d e Barr, Jeremy (August 4, 2020). "Axios's Jonathan Swan is the latest interviewer to leave Trump grasping on TV". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 15, 2025. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
  13. ^ a b Biddle, Sam (October 30, 2018). "Never Trust a Reporter Who Bounces in His Chair With Glee". The Intercept. Archived from the original on March 4, 2025. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
  14. ^ Watson, Libby (October 30, 2018). "Jonathan Swan is a bootlicker". Splinter. Archived from the original on October 30, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
  15. ^ Kikerpill 2022, p. 142
  16. ^ Kikerpill 2022, p. 142
  17. ^ Karl 2021, pp. xviii, 33
  18. ^ a b c d Meade, Amanda (September 29, 2021). "Australian journalist Jonathan Swan wins Emmy for his viral interview with Donald Trump". The Guardian. Archived from the original on March 6, 2025. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
  19. ^ a b Holpuch, Amanda (August 4, 2020). "'They're dying … it is what it is': key takeaways from Trump's shocking interview". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 5, 2025. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
  20. ^ a b Dale, Daniel (September 3, 2020). "Jonathan Swan reveals the simple secret to exposing Trump's lies: basic follow-up questions". CNN. Archived from the original on May 16, 2025. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
  21. ^ a b Rupar, Aaron (August 4, 2020). "'They are dying. That's true. It is what it is.' Trump's Axios interview was a disaster". Vox. Archived from the original on December 6, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g Brinn, David (September 20, 2020). "Jewish journalists make a difference in the world". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on January 26, 2025. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  23. ^ a b Grisar, PJ (August 4, 2020). "Jonathan Swan is the meme hero we need right now". The Forward. Archived from the original on April 20, 2025. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
  24. ^ Schwartz, Mattathias (August 19, 2020). "The Axios Interview Showed Us an Important Threshold for the President". The New York Times Magazine. Archived from the original on May 17, 2025. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
  25. ^ Karl 2021, pp. 117–118
  26. ^ Karl 2021, ch. 28–29; Parmar 2021, pp. 35–50
  27. ^ a b Swan, Jonathan; Basu, Zachary (December 17, 2021). "Off the Rails". Axios. Archived from the original on May 11, 2025. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
  28. ^ Manning, James (April 7, 2022). "Jonathan Swan wins Excellence Award from White House Correspondents' Association". Mediaweek. Archived from the original on May 16, 2025. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
  29. ^ Mastrangelo, Dominick (November 11, 2022). "Jonathan Swan to leave Axios, join The New York Times". The Hill. Archived from the original on October 1, 2025. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
  30. ^ Swan, Betsy Woodruff (October 4, 2022). "Baby Samuel is here! We are so thankful for this little cutie" (Tweet). Retrieved May 14, 2025 – via Twitter.
  31. ^ Swan, Jonathan (July 13, 2024). "Thanks for all the kind notes, everyone. Was a very emotional day. Proud to be an American" (Tweet). Retrieved August 1, 2025 – via Twitter.
  32. ^ Feinberg, Ashley (March 14, 2019). "Facebook, Axios And NBC Paid This Guy To Whitewash Wikipedia Pages". HuffPost. Archived from the original on April 29, 2025. Retrieved May 14, 2025.

Bibliography

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