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Susanne Craig
CM
Craig at an event for her book in 2024
Born
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Alma materUniversity of Calgary (BA)
Occupations
Years active1990–present
Employers
Known forReporting on Donald Trump
AwardsPulitzer Prize, Gerald Loeb Award

Susanne Craig CM is a Canadian investigative journalist and author who works at The New York Times. She gained prominence for her reporting on Donald Trump's finances, revealing his 1995 tax returns during the 2016 presidential election and co-authoring a 2018 investigation into Trump's claims of self-made wealth and financial practices.

Craig received the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting in 2019 for this work and continued to report on and investigate Trump's tax payments. She published her first book, Lucky Loser, with her colleague Russ Buettner on Donald Trump's financial and business practices in 2024.

Craig is also known for her coverage of the financial crisis of 2007–2008 and of New York State and New York City government and politics. She also serves as an on-air analyst for MSNBC, and previously worked for Canada's national newspaper The Globe and Mail and The Wall Street Journal.

Early life and education

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Susanne Leigh Craig was born in Calgary, Alberta, growing up in its Charleswood neighbourhood, and attended the University of Calgary, graduating in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.[1][2][3][4]

While at the University of Calgary, she volunteered as a reporter for the campus paper The Gauntlet where she got her start in journalism and reported on topics like student politics, dinner theatre, and movie reviews.[3][5][6]

Career

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Career beginnings

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Craig began her career as a summer intern for the Calgary Herald in 1990 where she covered various city transit topics and the career of Canada's first elected senator, Stan Waters. Although she struggled finding work due to a lack of formal education in journalism, her experience at the Herald encouraged her to keep pursuing a career in reporting.[7]

Craig started off as a summer intern for the Windsor Star in 1991, and after winning the inaugural Edward Goff Penny Memorial Prize for young journalists, she was offered a full-time job as a reporter at the paper in Windsor, Ontario. She then spent four years at The Star where she worked on reporting police stories and the North American Free Trade Agreement's effect on Heinz's operations in Leamington, Ontario.[8][9]

Craig got introduced to business reporting after taking on a one-month contract with The Financial Post. She then went on to join The Globe and Mail in Toronto where she won the National Newspaper Award in Canada (Business – 1999) and also accepted an Honorable Mention Michener Award on behalf of the Globe.[10][9][11]

Craig then went on to become a reporter for the Wall Street Journal in 2001 where she became the recipient of several Gerald Loeb Awards including one for deadline writing on the resignation of New York Stock Exchange Chairman Richard Grasso.[12][9][13] Additionally, she was the lead journalist on a team that was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize for National Affairs Reporting in relation to coverage of the Lehman Brothers and their role in the financial crisis of 2008.[14][15]

The New York Times

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In 2010, Craig joined The New York Times to continue reporting on Wall Street as part of its business section and DealBook newsletter. She was later promoted to the bureau chief of New York City Hall for coverage of the New York State government in 2013, and moved to Albany, New York in 2014 to continue covering on state government and municipal politics.[16][12][17][18]

On October 1, 2016, The New York Times published an article authored by Craig and her colleagues David Barstow and Megan Twohey, which stated that Donald Trump had reported a loss of $916 million in 1995, which could have allowed him to avoid paying income taxes for up to eighteen years.[19][20] In subsequent television interviews, Craig described having received a portion of Trump's 1995 tax records, around which the story was based, in her mailbox from an anonymous sender.[21] She wrote that the experience "has left me eager to share a bit of advice with my fellow reporters: Check your mailboxes. Especially nowadays, when people are worried that anything sent by email will leave forensic fingerprints, 'snail mail' is a great way to communicate with us anonymously."[22]

On October 2, 2018, the Times published a 14,000-word exposé co-authored by Craig, David Barstow, and Russ Buettner titled "Trump Engaged in Suspect Tax Schemes as He Reaped Riches From His Father."[23][24] The findings of the story was based on over 100,000 pages worth of documents, both public sources and private disclosures, that allegedly revealed the inner workings of Trump's financial practices and claimed misleading statements about his self-made wealth and business empire.[25][26]

In 2019, Craig and the two other reporters shared the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting for "an exhaustive 18-month investigation of President Donald Trump's finances that debunked his claims of self-made wealth and revealed a business empire riddled with tax dodges".[27] They also shared the 2019 George Polk Award for Political Reporting.[28]

On September 27, 2020, Craig and others further reported on Trump's tax record, demonstrating how Trump paid $750 in federal income tax during 2016 and no income taxes at all in 10 of the previous 15 years.[29][30]

Craig has stated that since her coverage of Trump and his finances, she has received death threats and high-profile criticism.[8] In 2020, Donald Trump sued The New York Times Company, Craig, Buettner, Barstow, and Mary L. Trump, accusing his niece of conspiring with the reporters in an "insidious plot" to obtain his tax records.[31] In May 2023, a New York Supreme Court judge in Manhattan dismissed the lawsuit, concluding that Donald Trump's claims "fail as a matter of constitutional law" and that investigation into his finances was protected by the First Amendment.[31] The court also ordered him to pay nearly $392,000 to the Times and its reporters to cover the cost of the legal defense; the order was made under the anti-SLAPP law, which penalizes baseless litigation aimed at silencing criticism.[32]

In 2021, Craig started serving as an on-air analyst for MSNBC, where she has spoken about her research into Trump's finances, tax returns, and his indictment and criminal trial.[33][34] She has also spoken on-air about her reporting on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.[35]

Lucky Loser

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Main article: Lucky Loser (book)

On February 22, 2024, Craig announced through an Axios exclusive that she would be publishing a book titled Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father's Fortune and Created The Illusion of Success with Penguin Random House LLC in collaboration with her colleague Russ Buettner on September 10, 2024. The book would draw on over twenty years' worth of Trump's confidential tax information, including the tax returns he tried to conceal, alongside business records and interviews with Trump insiders.[36] It was released on September 17, 2024.[37]

In interviews, Craig said she intended to present a fact-based account of Trump's alleged financial mismanagement, drawing attention to the contradictions between his public persona and private failures. The book was met with highly positive critical reception, especially for its investigative depth and narration of Fred Trump's life and finances and how it bolstered his son's fortune.[38] Critics like Bethany Maclean of The Washington Post said "the news in their book lies not in one specific detail, but rather in the sheer accumulation of damning facts", while John Cassidy of The New Yorker praised Craig for making the argument that "he's a lousy businessman who only got as far as he did because of a series of lucky breaks that 'could paper over a litany of failure and still fund a lavish life'".[39][40]

While praised for the pursuit of truth behind Trump's financial empire, Craig faced public criticism from Trump's camp. Campaign advisor Steven Cheung dismissed the book as a "desperate attempt to interfere" in the 2024 United States presidential election. Craig has defended the integrity of her work, pointing to the years of rigorous fact-checking and source verification involved.[37]

Awards

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Personal life

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Craig is the sister-in-law of former Calgary city councillor Ward Sutherland.[50]

References

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  1. ^ "Top 40 Alumni - Alumni - University of Calgary". Archived from the original on September 17, 2016. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  2. ^ Kaufman, Bill (September 6, 2019). "Journalist whose Pulitzer-worthy work skewered Trump's business claims comes home". The Calgary Herald. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "From the Gauntlet to a Pulitzer, Discover Susanne Craig's journey". The Gauntlet. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  4. ^ "University of Calgary Convocation, Part I, June 5th, 1991". University of Calgary. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  5. ^ "Susanne Craig". University Of Calgary. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  6. ^ Cummings, Deb. "The Path to the Pulitzer". University of Calgary. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  7. ^ Postmedia News (October 3, 2016). "Former Calgary Herald writer at heart of Trump tax return bombshell". The Calgary Herald. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  8. ^ a b MacLeod, Brian (November 29, 2023). "Former Star journalist Susanne Craig named to Order of Canada". The Windsor Star. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c Kost, Hannah (September 6, 2019). "'Investigative journalism really matters,' says Pulitzer Prize winner from Calgary". CBC News. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Winners since 1949 - National Newspaper Awards". nna-ccj.ca. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  11. ^ a b "Reporter Susanne Craig accepts 1999 Michener Honourable Mention award from Governor General Adrienne Clarkson on behalf of the Globe and Mail". Government of Canada. April 10, 2000. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Starkman, Dean (July 30, 2010). "Susanne Craig leaving WSJ for the NYT". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  13. ^ a b "L.A. Times Columnist Wins Loeb Award". Los Angeles Times. June 30, 2004. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  14. ^ Susanne Craig (September 16, 2008). "AIG, Lehman Shock Hits World Markets". ProQuest 399089034. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  15. ^ "Power, Money and Trump: Reporting on a Post-Truth President". Art Gallery of Ontario.
  16. ^ Sealer, Casey (October 29, 2013). "Times names Susanne Craig as Albany, New York bureau chief". Times Union. Hearst Communications. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  17. ^ Rozvar, Chris (August 30, 2010). "Journal's Susanne Craig Jumps to New York Times DealBook Section". New York Magazine. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  18. ^ "Susanne Craig". topics.nytimes.com. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  19. ^ Craig, Susanne and Barstow, David and Twohey, Megan and Buettner, Russ (October 2, 2016). "Donald Trump Tax Records Show He Could Have Avoided Taxes for Nearly Two Decades, The Times Found". The New York Times.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ Martin, Michel (October 2, 2016). "'NYT' Reporter On Reporting On Leaked Trump Taxes". NPR. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  21. ^ McFadden, Cynthia and Bailey, Chelsea (October 4, 2016). "Tax documents are 'important window' into Trump". NBC News. Retrieved March 4, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ Craig, Susanne (October 2, 2016). "The Time I Found Donald Trump's Tax Records in My Mailbox". The New York Times.
  23. ^ Craig, Susanne; Barstow, David; Buettner, Russ (October 2, 2018). "Trump Engaged in Suspect Tax Schemes as He Reaped Riches From His Father". The New York Times. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  24. ^ "Inside the Blockbuster New York Times Trump Tax Story with Susanne Craig". Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. October 31, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  25. ^ Drum, Kevin (October 2, 2018). "Times Report: Trump Wealth Largely Based on Tax Scams and Bailouts From Dad". Mother Jones. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  26. ^ Swain, Diana (October 6, 2018). "Trump committed 'outright fraud': Why a blockbuster headline goes so far". CBC News. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  27. ^ a b "David Barstow, Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner of The New York Times". Pulitzer.org. 2019. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  28. ^ a b Sullivan, Eileen (February 19, 2019). "New York Times Wins Two George Polk Awards". The New York Times. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  29. ^ Craig, Susanne; Buttner, Russ; McIntire, Mike (September 27, 2020). "Long-Concealed Records Show Trump's Chronic Losses and Years of Tax Avoidance". The New York Times. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  30. ^ Reimann, Nicholas (September 27, 2020). "Report: Trump Only Paid $750 In Taxes For 2016 And 2017". Forbes. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  31. ^ a b Stack, Liam (May 3, 2023). "Judge Dismisses Trump's Lawsuit Against The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  32. ^ Michael R. Sistak (January 12, 2024). "Donald Trump ordered to pay The New York Times and its reporters nearly $400,000 in legal fees". Associated Press News.
  33. ^ "Russ Buettner and Susanne Craig". Vanity Fair. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  34. ^ Maddow, Rachel (October 8, 2022). "The Rachel Maddow Show, 8/10/22". MSNBC. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  35. ^ "How addiction and trauma shaped RFK Jr.'s life – NYT". MSNBC. December 4, 2024. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  36. ^ Allen, Mike (February 24, 2024). "Exclusive: N.Y. Times reporters plan fall exposé on Trump's taxes". Axios. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  37. ^ a b Peck, Emily (September 17, 2024). ""Lucky loser:" New book details how Trump got rich". Axios. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  38. ^ Delong, Brad (September 26, 2024). "Lucky Loser review – how Donald Trump squandered his wealth". The Guardian. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  39. ^ Mclean, Bethany (September 17, 2024). "Donald Trump's financial failures are stunning. 'Lucky Loser' has the receipts". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  40. ^ Cassidy, John (September 23, 2024). "Donald Trump's Many Lucky Breaks". The New Yorker. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  41. ^ "THE HON. EDWARD GOFF PENNY MEMORIAL PRIZES FOR YOUNG CANADIAN JOURNALISTS". News Media Canada. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  42. ^ "2008 Gerald Loeb Award Winners Announced by UCLA Anderson School of Management". Fast Company. October 28, 2011. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  43. ^ "Loeb Winners". UCLA Anderson School of Management. June 29, 2009. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  44. ^ Seiler, Casey (May 4, 2017). "New York Times reporter Susanne Craig wins first Nellie Bly award". Times Union. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  45. ^ "Winner – The New York Times: Trump taxes". Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. February 26, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  46. ^ Khoeler, Kristy (April 15, 2019). "Gauntlet alumna wins Pulitzer Prize, awarded honorary degree from U of C". The Gauntlet. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  47. ^ "Class of 2019: Advocate for the arts and Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter honoured during convocation ceremonies". University of Calgary. June 5, 2019. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  48. ^ "Times Wins 4 Deadline Club Awards". The New York Times Company. May 18, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  49. ^ "Order of Canada appointees – December 2023". Governor General of Canada. December 22, 2023. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  50. ^ Rumboldt, Ryan (April 16, 2019). "Former Calgarian wins Pulitzer for uncovering Trump's questionable finances". The Calgary Herald. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
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