Who is Alexi McCammond? Meet the Axios reporter rumored to be dating Joe Biden's aide TJ Ducklo
White House Deputy Press Secretary TJ Ducklo tried to quell a story about his relationship with a reporter by issuing threats and using derogatory language to another reporter pursuing it. The 32-year-old White House official was dating Axios political reporter Alexi McCammond, who covered the Joe Biden campaign. Now the Internet wants to know more about the 26-year-old journalist.
The dispute started on Biden's Inauguration Day, January 20, 2021, after Tara Palmeri, a Politico reporter, reached McCammond for comment while one of her male colleagues left a message for Ducklo, according to the sources.
Ducklo finally called Palmeri to object to the story but was told to call the Politico Playbook reporters with his concerns. But instead of calling the male reporter who initially contacted him, Ducklo tried to scare Palmeri by phone in an effort to kill the story. “I will destroy you,” Ducklo told her, according to the sources, adding that he would ruin her reputation if she published it.
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Ducklo also made many disparaging and misogynistic remarks, accusing Palmeri of only reporting on his relationship because she was “jealous” that an unidentified man in the past had “wanted to f*ck” McCammond and not you.” Ducklo also accused Palmeri of being “jealous” of his relationship with McCammond.
Who is Alexi McCammond?
According to Alexi McCommond's Axios bio, she is a "political reporter at Axios. She covers progressives in Congress, the progressive movement, and Vice President Kamala Harris." Previously, she has worked as an assistant and a political news writer for Cosmopolitan magazine. She has been a national analyst at Axios since 2020. McCammond was also a guest analyst on television networks such as Fox Business Network, Fox News Channel, KGO Radio, Keli Goff’s WNYC Political Group, WHDT World News, WJLA and MSNBC.
Born on March 27, 1994, she is a native of Rockford, Illinois, who graduated from Guilford High School in 2011 and went on to attend Chicago University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Languages and Literature of Romance in 2015. On a $60,000 scholarship that offset most costs, she attended college.
In 2016, when she was working for Bustle and had a brief encounter with former President Donald Trump, it went viral. She asked him "How would you respond to young women who are nervous about voting for you?" to which he replied by grabbing her wrist and telling her to put her phone down.
In 2017, she dated former Axios video journalist, Rob Groulx. In June 2020, she posted a picture with her fiance, Matt Kuncman, saying, "He joked about our wedding on the 4th date, though we both knew by the second that we were in trouble. 👩🏽🤝👨🏻🥰 I’ve felt happier, more confident, and 100% fearless since we met. He’s my best friend/life partner and my rock during insane times. So, out of an abundance of caution: we’re getting married! 👰🏽🤵🏻"
In 2019, McCammond received a reward for emerging journalism from the National Association of Black Journalists. The NABJ press release for the award gave McCammond high praise: "Within a few months of joining Axios in 2017, Alexi McCammond quickly found herself emerging as a news leader — she was promoted from deputy news editor to national political reporter. It was her drive, tenacity and commitment to holding those in power accountable that allowed her to quickly emerge as a force in political journalism. Her unique style of reporting elevated her as a leading voice in the coverage of the 2018 mid-term elections, as well as the White House."
On November 19, 2019, McCammond grabbed headlines when she tweeted that former NBA player Charles Barkley told her that, “I don’t hit women, but if I did, I would hit you.” She revealed that after she objected to Barkley’s comments, he dismissed what he said was a joke. Barkley apologized the following day via a tweet that read, “It was an attempted joke that wasn’t funny at all. There’s no excuse for it and I apologize.”
McCammond responded with the following tweet: “The comments Charles Barkley made to me are not acceptable. Threats of violence are not a joke, & no person deserves to be hit or threatened like that. Silence only allows the culture of misogyny to fester. And those kinds of comments don’t merit of the record protections.”
