Eugene Anthony Daniels-Stephens II[1] (born February 12, 1989) is an American journalist.[2] He serves as a White House correspondent and Playbook author for Politico.[3] Daniels has been a MSNBC contributor since 2021.[4] He is also the vice president of the White House Correspondents' Association and will be the president beginning in June 2024 through June 2025.[5][6]
Daniels was a defensive lineman at Colorado State University where he majored in political science, later switching to journalism.[10] He was a redshirt freshman for the 2007-08 season.[11] On August 20, 2009, Daniels was taken to the hospital following heat-related health issues during a team practice.[12] In 2010, just before his junior season, Daniels injured his shoulder. He continued as a part of the team but stopped playing due to his shoulder injury.[13] He began to focus more on his journalism career. At the 2011 NCAA Convention in San Antonio, Texas, Daniels successfully ran for vice-chair of the Division I National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.[13] He graduated from Colorado State University in 2012.[14]
In 2021, Daniels was named a MSNBC contributor.[4] In April 2022, he was promoted to senior contributor on Morning Joe.[16] He regularly appears as a panelist on NBC's Meet the Press.
In July 2022, Daniels was elected treasurer of the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) for 2024-25.[17]Kaitlan CollinsofCNN was elected president but resigned in September due to her promotion as co-anchor on CNN This Morning.[18][19] According to WHCA bylaws, in the event that the president-elect is unable to serve, the person elected treasurer becomes president. As such, Daniels was designated president of the WHCA for 2024-25. He accepted the call to serve by saying, “I am both humbled and full of excitement to serve and for all that we will do together."[6] He will serve as the president of the WHCA during the 2024 presidential election.
