Rachel V. Scott (born May 5, 1993) is an American journalist, currently serving as the senior political correspondent for

ABC News ABC News most commonly refers to: * ABC News (Australia), a national news service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation * ABC News (United States), a news-gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company ABC News may a ...

Early life

Scott was raised in

Diamond Bar, California Diamond Bar is a city in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. The 2020 census listed a population of 55,072. It is one of a few cities in California with a majority Asian population (59.24% as of 2020). It is named after the ...

, where she graduated from

Diamond Bar High School Diamond Bar High School (DBHS) is a public high school located in Diamond Bar, California, as part of the Walnut Valley Unified School District. Diamond Bar High School's mascot is the Brahma, and the school colors are purple and gold. Diamond ...

in 2011. In 2012, she was chosen as an intern in the

White House Internship Program The White House Internship Program is a government internship program that enables students and graduates to work at the White House. Program overview The White House Internship Program was unpaid until 2022, when President Joe Biden signed a b ...

during the Barack Obama presidency. Scott applied as an undergraduate for

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

(USC) but her admission was turned down. She stated, "Though I couldn't see it at the time, that rejection letter was actually pushing me closer to new opportunities, to a dream I had not yet realized." She later enrolled into the

University of California, Irvine The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Irvine, California, United States. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, U ...

(UCI), and transferred into USC. In 2015, Scott graduated with a bachelor's degree from the

USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism The USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism is a part of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. It has 2,300 undergraduate and graduate students. Willow Bay is the dean. Prof. Hector Amaya is the Director of the Sc ...

Career

In 2016, Scott was hired as a production associate for ''ABC News Live''. While serving as a producer for GMA Digital, she also became an on-air correspondent for the ABC news affiliate

WTNH WTNH (channel 8) is a television station licensed to New Haven, Connecticut, United States, serving the Hartford–New Haven market as an affiliate of ABC. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside MyNetworkTV affiliate WCTX (channel 59), ...

New Haven New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...

, where she reported the weekend news. On July 20, 2020, she was promoted as ABC News' White House correspondent and D.C. correspondent. Scott became a congressional correspondent covering Capitol Hill, and during her first week on the job, she reported the

January 6 United States Capitol attack On January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., was attacked by a mob of supporters of Donald Trump, President Donald Trump in an attempted self-coup,Multiple sources: * * * * * * * * * * * * * two months afte ...

. In June 2021, Scott received media attention for asking Russian President

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

: "The list of your political opponents who are dead, imprisoned or jailed is long... what are you so afraid of?" A year later, in 2022, she was awarded the

News and Documentary Emmy Award The News & Documentary Emmy Awards, or News & Documentary Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the National Academy of Television Arts and Scien ...

for Outstanding Emerging Journalist, which was the first year the category was introduced. In January 2023, Scott was promoted as the network's senior congressional correspondent. On July 13, 2024, Scott was reporting at the campaign rally event, where the attempted assassination on

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

occurred in

Butler, Pennsylvania Butler is a city in Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is north of Pittsburgh and part of the Greater Pittsburgh region. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,502. Butler is named after Major General ...

. On July 31, 2024, Donald Trump arrived at an interview panel before the

National Association of Black Journalists The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is a 501(c)(3) organization, 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational and professional organization of African Americans, African American journalists, students, and media professionals. Founded in 197 ...

(NABJ), where he was interviewed by Scott,

Harris Faulkner Harris Kimberley Faulkner (born October 13, 1965) is an American television hostess who joined the Fox News Channel in 2005. She anchors ''The Faulkner Focus'', a daily daytime show, and hosts '' Outnumbered''. Additionally, she hosts her own pr ...

Fox News The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...

, and '' Semafor''s Kadia Goba. Scott began her interview by repeating Trump's past statements about Black and other women of color leaders, his support of

January 6 Events Pre-1600 * 1066 – Following the death of Edward the Confessor on the previous day, the Witan meets to confirm Harold Godwinson as the new King of England; Harold is crowned the same day, sparking a succession crisis that will ...

rioters, and his criticism towards

diversity, equity, and inclusion In the United States, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are organizational frameworks that seek to promote the fair treatment and full participation of all people, particularly groups who have historically been underrepresented or subject ...

(DEI) initiatives. Trump replied Scott's line of questioning was "a very rude introduction", and claimed that Scott arrived 35 minutes late to the interview. ''Entertainment Weekly'' went on to report that a source at the event confirmed that the start time was actually delayed because Trump was demanding that the NABJ not do a live fact-check of his answers. The interview received significant media attention regarding Trump's remarks towards Vice President and presumptive Democratic nominee,

Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...

. Trump responded, "I didn't know

arris In architecture, an arris is the sharp edge formed by the intersection of two surfaces, such as the corner of a masonry unit; the edge of a timber in timber framing; the junction between two planes of plaster or any intersection of divergent a ...

was black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn black and now she wants to be known as black. So, I don't know, is she Indian or is she black?"

Personal life

In January 2024, Scott announced her engagement to Elliot Smith.

References

External links

Profile
at

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Rachel 1993 births Living people 21st-century American women American television reporters and correspondents American women journalists Journalists from Los Angeles USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism alumni