John King is CNN’s chief national correspondent, responsible for reporting on a range of stories in the United States and around the world. King joined CNN in May 1997 and became chief national correspondent in April 2005. King served as CNN’s senior White House correspondent from 1999 to 2005.  
 
King’s tenure has included a lead role in coverage of the 2000, 2004, and 2008 presidential elections and campaign coverage, as well as the midterm campaigns in 1998, 2002, and 2006. He has conducted one-on-one interviews with a number of today’s major political figures, including President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, current Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and first lady Laura Bush. In 1998, King conducted an exclusive joint interview with President Bill Clinton and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

King played a leading role in CNN’s coverage of the Iraq war, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the devastating hurricanes of 2005 and the South Asian tsunami in December 2004. In addition to covering the last five presidential elections, King has reported firsthand on a number of major international events, including the first Persian Gulf War, the U.S. military operation to restore the Aristide government in Haiti and the inauguration of Nelson Mandela as president of South Africa. King, who was among the first correspondents to report from a liberated Kuwait, received the top reporting prize from the Associated Press Managing Editors for his coverage of the 1991 Gulf War. 

Before coming to CNN, King wrote for The Associated Press, which he joined in 1985. In 1991 he was named chief political correspondent and led the AP’s coverage of the 1992 and 1996 presidential elections. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Rhode Island.