Rachel Scott has become one of the most recognizable political correspondents on American television, known for her live reporting from the White House, Capitol Hill, and some of the biggest breaking news stories of the past decade. Her path to ABC News started with an internship in local Los Angeles television and grew into a career covering two presidential impeachment proceedings, a pandemic, and a national reckoning on race, all before she turned 30.
This guide covers the full picture of who Rachel Scott is: her education, how she broke into journalism, her rise through the ranks at ABC News, and her recent marriage.
Quick Facts: Who Is Rachel Scott?
- Full name: Rachel V. Scott
- Born: May 5, 1993, in Southern California
- Raised in: Diamond Bar, California
- Education: University of Southern California, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism, class of 2015
- Employer: ABC News, since 2016
- Current role: Senior Congressional Correspondent, based in Washington, D.C.
- Spouse: Elliot Smith, married in 2025
- Notable award: News and Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Emerging Journalist
Rachel Scott’s Early Life and Education
Rachel Scott grew up in Diamond Bar, California, a suburb east of Los Angeles, and graduated from Diamond Bar High School in 2011. Her interest in journalism took shape early. That same year, while still a teenager, she landed an internship at KTLA 5 News, one of Los Angeles’s major local news stations.
She went on to study at the University of Southern California, enrolling in the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, a program widely regarded as one of the top journalism schools in the country. Between 2012 and 2015, she wrote for KCBS while completing her coursework, and from 2013 to 2014 she served as Current Events Director for the USC Political Student Assembly. She also worked as an executive producer for Trojan Vision Television and Annenberg TV News, USC’s student-run broadcast outlets, gaining hands-on production experience well before graduation.
Scott graduated from USC in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism, a foundation that combined classroom training with several years of real newsroom work.
How Rachel Scott Got Her Start at ABC News
In 2016, Scott joined ABC News as a production associate for ABC News Live, the network’s streaming news division. She did not stay behind the scenes for long. While working full time as a producer for GMA Digital, the digital arm of Good Morning America, she took on an additional on-air role as a weekend general assignment reporter for WTNH, ABC’s affiliate station in New Haven, Connecticut.
That dual track, producing digital content in New York while reporting on air in Connecticut, gave her the reporting reps that would soon open the door to a much bigger assignment in Washington.
Becoming a White House Correspondent
On July 20, 2020, Scott was promoted to White House correspondent and D.C. correspondent for ABC News, a significant step up early in her career. The timing placed her at the center of some of the most consequential news of that year. She provided extensive on-the-ground coverage of the nationwide protests following the killing of George Floyd and reported on how the COVID-19 pandemic was disproportionately affecting communities of color.
Her reporting from that period appeared in ABC News primetime specials, including “Juneteenth: A Celebration of Overcoming” and a special report tied to George Floyd’s memorial. During the 2020 presidential primary season, she logged thousands of miles covering races across battleground states, including Florida, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, and interviewed nearly every major Democratic candidate in the field, including a November 2019 sit-down with Senator Bernie Sanders.
The Moment That Put Her on the National Radar
One exchange in particular raised Scott’s profile nationally. In August 2020, at an impromptu press conference at President Donald Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, Scott became the first reporter to put a direct question to the president in her new role as White House correspondent. She pressed him on when Americans could expect the COVID-19 relief he had promised through executive action, following up firmly when his initial answer was vague. The exchange was widely clipped and shared, and it became an early example of the direct, unflinching style she would carry into later assignments.
Rachel Scott’s Move to Congressional Correspondent
Scott later transitioned from the White House beat to become ABC News’s Senior Congressional Correspondent, reporting from Capitol Hill across the network’s full slate of programs, including “Good Morning America,” “World News Tonight with David Muir,” “Nightline,” “20/20,” “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” ABC News Live, ABC News.com, and ABC Audio.
In this role, she has covered some of the highest-profile political stories in recent memory, including former President Trump’s impeachment trials and a closely watched Senate runoff election. Her reporting has consistently focused on translating complex legislative and political developments into coverage a broad television audience can follow.
Rachel Scott’s High-Profile Exchanges with President Trump
Scott’s direct questioning style has repeatedly put her at odds with Trump during his second term. In December 2025, during a Cabinet Room roundtable on a U.S. military strike on a vessel in the Caribbean, she pressed him on whether he would order the release of full video footage of the strike. Trump brushed off the follow-up, calling her “the most obnoxious reporter in the whole place” before continuing to criticize her line of questioning.
The tension resurfaced in September 2026. Following the Republican National Committee’s midterm convention in Dallas, Trump stopped to take questions from reporters at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport before boarding Air Force One. When Scott asked him to justify his pledge of $5,000 “Trump dividend” checks given the national debt, and then tried a follow-up about a separate, unfulfilled tariff-refund promise, Trump repeatedly cut her off, telling her “Not you!” and adding that her network was “the worst.” Video of the exchange spread quickly online and drew criticism from press-freedom advocates, while a White House spokesperson defended the president’s approach, arguing he responds directly when reporters ask what the administration considers biased questions.
The incidents extended a pattern of friction between Trump and Scott dating back to her first on-the-record White House question in Bedminster in 2020, and reinforced her standing as one of the correspondents most closely associated with covering his second term.
President Trump promised the crowd at the GOP’s first-ever midterm convention Wednesday that if Republicans hold on to the House and Senate he’ll issue a $5,000 “dividend” to every adult American.
ABC News’ Rachel Scott has more. pic.twitter.com/GPungR8P7n
— ABC News (@ABC) September 10, 2026
Awards and Recognition
Scott’s reporting has earned formal recognition within the industry. She received a News and Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Emerging Journalist, a category that honors reporters early in their careers who show significant promise and impact.
Her hometown has also celebrated her rise. In April 2023, Diamond Bar High School named her the Alumni Honoree at the Walnut Valley Education Foundation’s annual gala, with her parents accepting the award on her behalf and Scott recording a thank-you message for the community that watched her career begin.
Rachel Scott’s Marriage to Elliot Smith
Away from the newsroom, Scott married Elliot Smith in 2025. Reports of the wedding describe a close family celebration, with Scott’s father walking her down the aisle. The couple later took an African safari for their honeymoon in December 2025.
Scott has generally kept her personal life more private than her on-air career, so most public details about her marriage come from event coverage and family accounts rather than extended interviews.
Timeline: Rachel Scott’s Path in Journalism
- 2011 – Graduates from Diamond Bar High School; interns at KTLA 5 News
- 2012–2015 – Writes for KCBS while attending USC Annenberg
- 2013–2014 – Serves as Current Events Director, USC Political Student Assembly
- 2015 – Graduates from USC with a degree in broadcast journalism
- 2016 – Joins ABC News as a production associate; reports part time for WTNH in New Haven
- 2019 – Interviews Senator Bernie Sanders during the Democratic primary season
- July 2020 – Promoted to ABC News White House correspondent and D.C. correspondent
- August 2020 – Questions President Trump directly at a Bedminster, New Jersey press conference
- 2023 – Named Alumni Honoree by Diamond Bar High School
- 2025 – Marries Elliot Smith and later becomes ABC News’s Senior Congressional Correspondent
- December 2025 – Presses Trump on releasing military strike footage during a Cabinet Room roundtable; he calls her “obnoxious”
- September 2026 – Trump repeatedly cuts her off at a Dallas airport press gaggle over his $5,000 “Trump dividend” pledge
Rachel Scott’s Career Milestones at a Glance
| Year | Milestone | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | High school internship | KTLA 5 News, Los Angeles |
| 2015 | College graduation | USC Annenberg, broadcast journalism |
| 2016 | Joins ABC News | Production associate, ABC News Live |
| 2020 | White House correspondent | Covered COVID-19, protests, primaries |
| 2020s | Congressional correspondent | Covers Capitol Hill, impeachment trials |
| 2025 | Personal milestone | Marries Elliot Smith |
Why Rachel Scott’s Career Stands Out
Scott’s rise reflects a fairly compressed timeline: from a college internship to a national correspondent role covering the White House in under a decade. Part of what has set her apart is the range of major stories she has covered in a short span, a pandemic, a national protest movement, two presidential election cycles, and multiple congressional proceedings, rather than specializing narrowly in one beat. That breadth, combined with a direct on-camera style, is a large part of why her name keeps coming up alongside veteran ABC News correspondents with decades more experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Rachel Scott from ABC News?
Rachel Scott is an American journalist who serves as ABC News’s Senior Congressional Correspondent, previously working as the network’s White House correspondent.
Where did Rachel Scott go to college?
She attended the University of Southern California, graduating from the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism in 2015 with a degree in broadcast journalism.
When did Rachel Scott join ABC News?
She joined ABC News in 2016 as a production associate for ABC News Live.
Is Rachel Scott married?
Yes. She married Elliot Smith in 2025.
What is Rachel Scott known for at ABC News?
She is known for her White House and Capitol Hill reporting, including coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 protests, presidential primaries, and impeachment proceedings, as well as directly questioning President Trump at a 2020 press conference.
Has Rachel Scott won any awards?
Yes. She won a News and Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Emerging Journalist.
Why did Trump snap at Rachel Scott?
In September 2026, Trump cut her off and called her network “the worst” after she pressed him on his $5,000 “Trump dividend” pledge during a press gaggle in Dallas, the latest in a series of tense on-camera exchanges between the two dating back to 2020.
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