NBC News has named Garrett Haake its new chief White House correspondent, leading a team of journalists in what is arguably the highest-profile correspondent job in TV news.
NBC Washington bureau chief Chloe Arensberg announced Haake’s promotion to staff Thursday in a memo.
“Garrett has been an essential voice in our White House coverage, bringing sharp reporting, deep sourcing and an authoritative presence to some of the most consequential stories of our time,” she wrote. “That commitment was on full display during the White House Correspondents’ dinner, when he ran at full speed in his tux from the Washington Hilton to the White House briefing room to ensure NBC could ask the President a question—a moment that reflects his relentless drive to get the story when it matters most.”
Haake joined NBC’s White House team last year after serving as the network’s senior Capitol Hill correspondent, and has been with the network since 2017 (he served as a desk assistant at NBC in 2007, before stints in local TV).
He succeeds Peter Alexander, who left NBC News after 20 years to join MS NOW, where he will host a dayside show.
You can read Arensberg’s note to staff, below.
All,
I am pleased to announce that Garrett Haake has been promoted to Chief White House Correspondent, leading our exceptional White House team.
Garrett has been an essential voice in our White House coverage, bringing sharp reporting, deep sourcing and an authoritative presence to some of the most consequential stories of our time. That commitment was on full display during the White House Correspondents’ dinner, when he ran at full speed in his tux from the Washington Hilton to the White House briefing room to ensure NBC could ask the President a question—a moment that reflects his relentless drive to get the story when it matters most. In his new role, he will lead our White House coverage while continuing to deliver the breaking news, exclusives and insight that define NBC News.
Prior to the White House, Garrett served as Senior Capitol Hill Correspondent, where he helped lead our coverage of Congress and major legislative battles. His steady and unflinching reporting on January 6 helped NBC News earn national Emmy and Murrow Awards. He also secured a number of important interviews during his time covering Congress, including catching former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy as he left the House floor during one of the historic votes to oust him.
Garrett has reported from the field on a wide range of major breaking news events and has been a fixture on the campaign trail. He covered the 2012 campaign as an embed for Mitt Romney, filing from 36 states as well as Israel, Poland and the UK. He has covered all three Trump campaigns, in 2016 for WUSA and in 2020 and 2024 for NBC News, including traveling with the Trump campaign across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. His field reporting has taken him to some of the most difficult and defining moments in recent years, including the 2020 protests in Washington, where he reported night after night under intense conditions, the tragedy in Uvalde, and Hurricane Florence in North Carolina, where his coverage earned an Emmy nomination.
Garrett’s journey with NBC News began early in his career as a Desk Assistant in 2007, where he made his mark on NBC Nightly News by surfacing overlooked stories and ideas during editorial calls. His career has also included formative stints in local news in Kansas City and Washington, D.C., earning regional Emmys before returning to NBC News in 2017. Garrett’s experience, editorial instincts and passion for the beat make him ideally suited for this role at a time when our commitment to high-caliber reporting on the Trump administration could not be stronger.
Please join me in congratulating Garrett on this very well-deserved promotion.
Chloe Arensberg
