His book The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor debuted at number 10 in November 2012 on The New York Times Best Seller list for hardback non-fiction.

[5] He also moderated the Republican presidential debate in Miami on March 10, 2016, which drew almost 12 million viewers,[6] and according to Variety, "garnered acclaim for its substance".

[17] He later enrolled at Akiba Hebrew Academy, an independent Jewish day school formerly located in Merion, Pennsylvania, and attended Dartmouth College, from which he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude with a B.A.

[21] Tapper served as a spokesman for Hooters and worked for Handgun Control, Inc. (now the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence) in 1997.

Tapper's reports about Enron were nominated for a 2002 Columbia University School of Journalism online award, and he was an early questioner of the Bush administration's claims about Iraq having weapons of mass destruction.

Tapper was a frequent contributor to National Public Radio's All Things Considered and his work was included in The Best American Political Writing 2002.

In addition to anchoring World News and Good Morning America weekend editions and Nightline, Tapper was a frequent substitute host of This Week and served as interim host for much of 2010, scoring the first TV interview with CIA director Leon Panetta, as well as exclusives with Vice President Biden, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, retired General Colin Powell, and former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan, in addition to interviews with other newsmakers, such as House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland), House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky).

He contributed a report to a broadcast of World News Tonight with Peter Jennings that won the 2005 Edward R. Murrow Award for best network newscast.

[citation needed] It was announced December 20, 2012, that Tapper would join CNN and would anchor a new weekday program and serve as the network's chief Washington correspondent.

In January 2015, Tapper's reporting on a new Pentagon policy[33] resulted in the U.S. military changing a rule that was adversely impacting caregivers — "non-medical attendants" or NMAs — for wounded servicemembers.

The Pentagon had started to limit reimbursements for NMAs as they worked with servicemembers who had been severely wounded, often with missing limbs or debilitating brain injuries.

Said the Pentagon spokesman: "We want to thank you, Jake and CNN, for bringing it to our attention because we had not seen this unintended consequence of what was, in every other respect, a very sound and judicious financial policy.

There, he has become known for challenging politicians of all stripes, including challenging Senator Bernie Sanders to release his tax returns;[35] asking Jeb Bush why Hillary Clinton is responsible for Benghazi if his brother George W. Bush bears no responsibility for the terrorist attacks on 9/11;[36] asking Hillary Clinton about the FBI investigation into her private email server;[37] and asking Donald Trump if he would denounce support from white supremacists, the Ku Klux Klan, and David Duke[38]—referred to days later as "the infamous Tapper-Trump exchange" by Mitt Romney[39] in his March 2016 speech condemning Trump.

On September 16, 2015, Tapper moderated two Republican primary debates from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

[5] He also moderated the March 10, 2016 Republican presidential debate in Miami, which drew almost 12 million viewers[6] and according to Variety "garnered acclaim for its substance.

[42] In 2018, Tapper was part of a four-person team at CNN that included Carl Bernstein, Jim Sciutto, and Evan Perez that won the Merriman Smith Award for broadcast reporting on the White House under deadline pressure.

[44] In January 2021, before the Inauguration of Joe Biden, CNN announced that Tapper's role would expand to be the network's "lead anchor for all major Washington events," including election nights.

[45] In 2024 Tapper moderated a GOP Primary Debate alongside Dana Bash between Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley before the Iowa caucuses; it was viewed by around 2.6 million people.

Tapper has also been a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Colbert Report, Late Night with Seth Meyers, Conan, The View, Real Time with Bill Maher, and appeared on the Judge John Hodgman podcast as guest bailiff, standing in for regular bailiff Jesse Thorn during the August 31, 2011 episode entitled "De Plane".

Rice, a Philadelphian who had been in prison since 2011 whose case became prominent after Tapper wrote a cover story for The Atlantic[55] called "This Is Not Justice; A Philadelphia Teenager and the Empty Promise of the Sixth Amendment."

Tapper's son, Jack, appeared alongside him, dressed up as Tom Hanks' character Captain Miller from Saving Private Ryan.

[64] Tapper is also the author of The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor, a critically acclaimed book about U.S. troops in Afghanistan that debuted at number 10 on The New York Times Best Seller list for hardback non-fiction.

A sad, real tale about this war, America and the brave warriors who live—and die—at the point of the spear" and Jon Krakauer called it "a mind-boggling, all-too-true story of heroism, hubris, failed strategy, and heartbreaking sacrifice.

"[65] In 2014, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society recognized Tapper for the book and his reporting on military topics in general with the Tex McCrary Award for Excellence in Journalism.

[4] A Rod Lurie-directed film adaptation of The Outpost was released in July 2020, starring Milo Gibson, Orlando Bloom, Scott Eastwood and Caleb Landry Jones.

[69] As the Senior White House Correspondent for ABC News, Tapper was honored with three Merriman Smith Memorial Awards for broadcast journalism.

[79] He remains a mainstay of the annual list, recognized in 2018 for his "ability to hold Republicans and Democrats to account equally" and "his 2018 noteworthy moments; the harrowing Parkland town hall, a stellar one-on-one with James Comey, and his regular sparring matches with Trump officials.

"[82] In 2024, Tapper was ranked 23rd and recognized as one of America’s preeminent anchors, earning headlines for moderating a presidential debate and championing the release of C.J.

"[85] Also in 2017, Tapper was named Radio Television Digital News Association's John F. Hogan Distinguished Service Award winner.

[23] He wrote about the experience in a January 1998 issue of the Washington City Paper and the two later discussed the date on an October 5, 2021 episode of his CNN program, The Lead with Jake Tapper.