The Hill’s Changemakers: Dana Bash, CNN anchor

CNN anchor Dana Bash was part of several of the defining moments of the 2024 race for president. 

The host of “Inside Politics” and longtime newscaster moderated the July debate between President Biden and President-elect Trump that led to Biden exiting the race. 

She also scored the first interview Vice President Harris granted after becoming the Democratic nominee to replace Biden and was a staple of CNN’s coverage in the run-up to election night. 

“The debate definitely was one for the personal memory bank but also for the record books,” says Bash, who listed simply “surviving” among her proudest accomplishments of 2024. 

“Sometimes when you’re in something it’s a little fuzzy,” she said of debate night. “But this was not one of those moments.” 

It has been an extremely challenging year personally for Bash, who is Jewish and faced attacks over her faith and CNN’s coverage of the war in Gaza. 

“I’m not big on being part of the story,” she told The Hill. “Social media has become even more of a cesspool. It became personal not just about my journalism and performance, it became something a lot more nefarious about my religion, and that’s a lot to take.” 

Yet Bash says she is clear-eyed and optimistic about the opportunities that lie ahead for her and her network. 

She and her team at CNN will be tasked with covering Senate confirmation hearings, a new Congress and the implementation of Trump’s policies during his second term. 

“What I’m most focused on is just hanging on,” Bash said. “We’re all readjusting our watches to Trump time. It’s more important than ever that we be fact based and curious and not judgmental … we need to be determined to cover what is happening and the incredible changes that are about to happen to people in this country in lots of different ways.”