Coffee, squats, a ‘magic wall’: How CNN’s John King preps for Election Day

How many cups of coffee do you need to get through election night?
“I would run out of fingers,” says CNN anchor and chief correspondent John King. “I start early in the morning, and I just keep going.”
While copious amounts of black coffee or espresso will keep King going through Election Day and night, the CNN Anchor and Chief National Correspondent admits it’s actually the adrenaline that powers him through the grind and keeps him awake for hours at stretch.
“Let’s just be honest, anyone who does this for a living (will say) the adrenaline kicks in,” King tells USA TODAY over video call from his home. “Yes, I drink a lot of coffee, probably too much coffee during election week, but it’s also just adrenaline. This is this is what I do. This is my passion.”
While adrenaline, passion and a little bit of “fun” get King through election coverage, the veteran journalist is well aware of the responsibilities that come with the job.
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“I take it on myself (the responsibility), especially in this age where people are constantly questioning the integrity of our elections and the integrity of our news media,” King says. “That raises the preparation bar for me, and it makes me constantly think about not only am I prepared, but how do I communicate? There are people out there who don’t trust you, or people on the sidelines trying to get them not to trust you. The importance of clarity in communication and trust in your brand, both my personal brand, and then the broader CNN brand is just critical.”
In the months leading up to the election, King has been doing it all. The CNN anchor stepped away from his role as the anchor of “Inside Politics,” in April 2023, handing the torch to Dana Bash, to “take on a new role focused on voters in battleground states during the 2024 presidential election,” according to an April 2023 CNN news release.
King tells USA TODAY that he’s been on ground and traveling across the country for the last 15 months and will continue to do so up until the week before the election.
“Study, prepare (and) be ready physically,” King adds. “Because it’s not going to be one night, it’s not going to be one long day, it’s all the work up to the election. In 2024, we know at least roughly what’s coming, and so you prepare for it. And again, that’s a mix of journalism, work and studying, and a mix of making sure that you’re in as good a form as you can be when it comes to being on TV time.”
The weekend before the election, however, he plans to spend with his 13-year-old son, who he shares with Bash.
With such a hectic schedule, how does King, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2008, manage?
“MS is a challenge, but everybody has challenges,” King says. “I take pride in it. It’s my life. It’s part of my challenge. I’m actually motivated by it in a strange way. It just makes me work harder. It makes me think more. The things that most trigger my MS, sometimes (are) random, but the normal triggers are heat and stress and intense physical strain. And they all come together in election week.”
King shares he makes sure he exercises daily, even if that means waking up at the crack of dawn to hit the hotel gym before starting the work day, keeping a check on his diet and always keeping his meds stocked up wherever he goes.
“It’s a range, and it depends,” says King. “I’m very, very lucky of those who have MS. I’m on the lucky spectrum (but) it’s with me every day. It bothers me every day, it challenges me every day, but I’m able to function, and that’s part of my routine.”
The anchor explained that it’s usually his thighs that are most affected by MS and he “can’t feel from my thighs down.””I haven’t felt from the thighs down since Bill Clinton was President,” he jokes.
To maintain good shape and ensure his body can endure the physical stress that comes with covering the election, King says he trains on the treadmill besides incorporating “more leg work” such as squats and light-medium weights. While on the road, King says he does a lot of outdoor walking if the weather’s nice and seeing “all over these great places we visit.”
“Ask me after the election if I did the right thing or if I screwed myself up,” King jokes.
While King prepares, his famous “magic wall” that became a celebrity on social media during the last election cycle “is at the beach having a couple of nice, fun frozen drinks just to rest up and relax.”
“It’ll fly back soon, and it’ll be ready,” King jokes. “I always joke (that) sometimes I do treat it as a person. People on set think I’m a little crazy when I start talking to it, but it is a remarkable, revolutionary invention.”
Describing the “magic wall” as “the most powerful information tool” he’s ever worked with,” King says the software brings everything to his fingertips and helps present information to viewers in an interactive and transparent manner.
“It’s just a fascinating tool in every election cycle with the help of an amazing team, we try to make it better,” King says.
King said one of his biggest takeaways from being on ground and covering election cycles is that people “enjoy the journey,” and the “magic wall” gives him the opportunity to take his viewers to different parts of the country and give them an insight into the voting process there.
King explains the “magic wall” is also a way of ensuring transparency and winning audiences’ trust.
“Everything has to be transparent,” King says. “Every major institution is under attack in some way, and that’s unfortunate, in my view, but it is the reality you live in. I think that trust is the coin of the realm.”
In that case, how does King aim to win the trust of his audiences and ensure that the information he is relaying is accurate?
“That is where some preparation comes in handy,” says King. “I hope that my preparation is good enough for me to say, well, let’s wait a minute before we report that. If you have any question about what you’re seeing, don’t share it with the people until you know.”
King also took the moment to remind voters to be patient as results trickle in, explaining that each states counts votes in different ways and until all the results are in, nothing is definitive.
“The early map might look funny, might look different,” King says. “But we don’t have the full picture yet. We only have a tiny slice of the pie. Let’s be patient here. What you see tonight might not be the end. This might take a few days.”
Once the election is and done and dusted and America has a new president, King plans on decompressing at the beach, but he doesn’t have anything set in stone, given the unpredictability of the outcome.
“I don’t have anything planned, because we don’t know what’s going to happen, right?” says King. “We don’t know how long elections going to go. There’ll probably be some legal challenges, like there were last time. And so, the question is, when can you take a break?”
However, the father of three says he “will get to a beach as soon as I can get to a beach, at least for a couple days,” if possible. While a beach on the East Coast like Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket is the likelier option, King says if he has time, he would jet “off to some exotic place.”
“Yes, in November, it’s cold, it’s windy (but) I love it,” says King. “I love the coast in the wintertime, just to get some fresh air and just to get away and to think. But I don’t know when that will be. I’m not worried about when that will be.”
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.