White House History with Margaret Brennan

Margaret Brennan is moderator of Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan on CBS. She is also the Network’s chief foreign affairs correspondent based in Washington, D.C. Brennan became moderator of FACE THE NATION in February 2018 and quickly became known for her tough but fair questioning of world leaders, politicians, and policy makers. She brings to her coverage of domestic politics a background in national security and financial news. Brennan’s interviews with leaders, scientists, and newsmakers during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic earned FACE THE NATION two 2021 Emmy Award nominations: the first for outstanding news analysis, and the second nomination for coverage of the tension between the U.S. and Iran. The broadcast also received two Emmy Award nominations in 2022 for its coverage of the collapse of Afghanistan as the Taliban took over and for Brennan’s exclusive interview with Dr. Deborah Birx, White House COVID-19 Response Task Force Coordinator under President Trump, where she detailed the challenges and pitfalls of the role under that administration. World leaders including Presidents Joe Biden and Donald Trump, Vice Presidents Kamala Harris and Mike Pence, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron have been interviewed on the program by Brennan along with Republican and Democratic leaders including House Speakers Kevin McCarthy and Nancy Pelosi.

As the second woman to host the venerable CBS News broadcast, Brennan has continued Face the Nation’s legacy as America’s premier Sunday morning public affairs program and helped propel it to be the most watched in its category during the 2020-2021 and the 2021-2022 television season. In 2023, the broadcast was recognized with a Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in TV Political Journalism, citing Brennan’s moderating approach as “measured, completely consistent, researched and prepared.” In 2021, Face the Nation won first place in the National Headliner Awards category for broadcast and cable coverage of a continuing news event for its pandemic coverage, with the judges noting “this coverage was exactly what the country needed at the time.” In 2020, Face the Nation also earned Wilbur Award from the Religion Communications Council for its 2019 feature on bipartisanship with Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) and Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE). Brennan also won an Emmy for her 2018 FACE THE NATION interview with the father of a student killed in the Parkland high school shooting included in CBS News’ “39 Days” documentary that took viewers inside the creation of a movement as students turned grief into action.

Brennan was recognized in 2023 with Multichannel News’ annual ‘Woman of Influence’ Award. She joined CBS News in 2012 and has held roles including State Department and White House Correspondent. While contributing across all CBS News broadcasts and platforms, Brennan has broken stories including the news that members of the Trump Cabinet were discussing invoking the 25th amendment following the January 6th siege of the U.S. Capitol. She has covered historic moments such as the landmark nuclear deal with Iran; restoration of diplomatic ties with Cuba; the standoff with North Korea; the conflict in Ukraine; and the accord to transfer control of Syria’s chemical weapons. Brennan brings a wealth of reporting experience to the moderator chair on FACE THE NATION that sets her and the broadcast apart and provides nuanced coverage on pressing developments. Prior to joining CBS News, Brennan spent a decade covering the global financial markets. She anchored and reported for Bloomberg Television around the globe. Previously, she was a correspondent at CNBC with a focus on the consumer during the 2008 financial crisis and contributed to various NBC News programs. Brennan began her career as a producer for CNBC’s “Wall Street Week with Louis Rukeyser.”

Brennan is a board member of the Council on Foreign Relations and was elected to the Partnership for Public Service board of directors in 2023. She is a board member and Center Scholar for the University of Virginia Center for Politics and a board member of the Smurfit School of Business at the University College Dublin. Brennan is also a member of the Gridiron Club. Brennan graduated with highest distinction from the University of Virginia in 2002, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in foreign affairs and Middle East studies with a minor in Arabic. As a Fulbright-Hays Scholar, she studied Arabic at Yarmouk University in Irbid, Jordan. She is also the recipient of an honorary doctor of letters degree from Niagara University. Brennan resides in Washington, D.C. with her husband Yado Yakub and their two sons.