jonathan swan

Jonathan Swan was born on August 7, 1985, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He began his journalism career at the age of 16 as a copy boy for the Sun-Herald in his hometown. He later worked at The Sydney Morning Herald, where he gained recognition for investigative series, including one that exposed misuse of taxpayer money by politicians, leading to new rules governing entitlements and expenses. In 2014, Swan moved to the United States for a one-year fellowship with the American Political Science Association, eventually deciding to remain in the U.S. full-time.

His career in American political journalism began in 2015 at The Hill newspaper in Washington. In 2016, he joined Axios, shortly before its founding. At Axios, Swan covered the Trump presidency and Republicans in Congress, breaking several significant stories including the U.S. initial withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement and the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. His 2020 interview with then-President Trump on HBO earned him an Emmy Award. In 2022, he received the White House Correspondents’ Association’s Aldo Beckman Award for “overall excellence in White House coverage” for his nine-part series “Off the Rails,” which documented Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.

Swan joined The New York Times in January 2023 as a White House reporter. He covers the administration of President Donald J. Trump, having reported on all three of his campaigns, his first term, and his time out of office. In 2024, he became an American citizen. He is committed to pursuing truth and holding powerful individuals accountable, working for readers rather than sources.