Jen Psaki bids farewell to the White House podium

Jen Psaki held her last briefing as White House press secretary on Friday as she prepares to become the highest-profile White House official to depart the Biden administration.

Psaki began the briefing by thanking President Biden and first lady Jill Biden, White House officials and members of her press team, growing emotional at times.

“They are incredibly tough, smart, hardworking and deeply, deeply good human beings,” Psaki said of her colleagues.

“People always ask me … whether Washington is rotten, whether everyone is corrupt here and nothing good happens and we all just argue with each other,” she said. “I, having done this job, believe the absolute opposite is true.”  

Psaki also thanked the reporters who cover the White House for the role they play in democracy.  

“You have challenged me, you have pushed me, you have debated me, and at times we have disagreed. That is democracy in action,” she said. “Without accountability, without debate, government is not as strong.”  

Psaki fielded questions from reporters for about an hour on Friday afternoon, slightly longer than a normal press briefing. Her husband, Gregory Mecher, watched on silently in the briefing room, which was more packed with reporters and officials than usual.

Psaki’s final appearance was not without interruption — a reporter sitting in the back of the room repeatedly interrupted the beginning of the briefing to demand Psaki take questions from the back rows.  

The appearance was Psaki’s 224th White House briefing over nearly 16 months, according to a tally from Martha Kumar, director of the White House Transition Project. 

Psaki will turn the podium over to Karine Jean-Pierre, the principal deputy press secretary who will become the first Black and first openly gay person to serve as press secretary. Jean-Pierre will start briefing next week.

The high-profile change in the communications shop comes six months before the midterm elections as the White House faces a range of domestic and international challenges, from the war in Ukraine to sky-high inflation.

There have been other notable departures from the White House, such as Jeff Zients, Biden’s first COVID-19 czar, but the turnover has been relatively low in Biden’s first year and a half.  

Psaki, who stayed in the press secretary role a few months longer than she had initially expected, is said to be planning to join MSNBC, though she has not spoken publicly about those plans and has suggested she’ll spend time at home with her family before moving on to her next job.  

Reflecting on her tenure during a Christian Science Monitor breakfast with reporters on Thursday, Psaki offered some advice to her successor: spend as much time as possible talking to Biden and sitting in on policy meetings to understand where the president is on an issue and what is happening from a policy standpoint.  

“One of your most important jobs in this role is to represent, speak for his views and his thinking and his policies,” she said of Biden in response to a question from The Hill.  

Note: This article have been indexed to our site. We do not claim legitimacy, ownership or copyright of any of the content above. To see the article at original source Click Here

Related Posts
Solutions top OEMS are using thumbnail

Solutions top OEMS are using

Download these four Shell whitepapers for free industry insights and tips!Electric Vehicle Fluids Read how Shell partners with OEMs to meet the technical requirements placed on lubricants in EVs.Lubricant Solutions for Automotive Components Manufacturing Explore how Shell harnesses technology to deliver value through the creation of solutions in response to our customers’ needs.How OEMs Can
Read More
Fess up and pay up, U of M faculty tells province thumbnail

Fess up and pay up, U of M faculty tells province

By Maggie Macintosh, Local Journalism Initiative ReporterWinnipeg Free PressThu., Feb. 24, 2022timer3 min. readThe Tory government has 30 days to appeal a court ruling that awarded more than $19.3 million to the University of Manitoba Faculty Association to acknowledge the financial loss academics suffered when the government illegally interfered in 2016 salary negotiations. David Camfield,…
Read More
Let's Take a Peek at RM Sayur Asem Pesanggrahan, the Inauguration of Anies' 'All Can Eat' Program thumbnail

Let's Take a Peek at RM Sayur Asem Pesanggrahan, the Inauguration of Anies' 'All Can Eat' Program

WARTAKOTALIVE.COM, PESANGGRAHAN - Gubernur DKI Jakarta, Anies Baswedan, telah meluncurkan program ‘Semua Bisa Makan’ di Rumah Makan Sayur Asem Pesanggrahan, Pesanggrahan, Jakarta Selatan, Rabu (6/10/2021). Lokasi tersebut dekat dengan Kantor Kelurahan Pesanggrahan yang berada di Jalan Cenek Raya, Pesanggrahan, Jakarta Selatan atau sekira 30 meter. Wartakotalive.com berkesempatan mengunjungi Rumah Makan Sayur Asem Pesanggrahan, Kamis (7/10/2021) pukul 14.30 WIB. Di depan rumah makan, spanduk warna…
Read More
Eid El Fitri: Embrace love, unity in best interest of Nigeria – Peller thumbnail

Eid El Fitri: Embrace love, unity in best interest of Nigeria – Peller

Pic.4. Muslim faithful, during the Eid-El-Fitr Mubarak prayers in Lagos on Friday (21/4/23). 01308/21/4/2023/Oladapo Kayode/JAU/NAN The lawmaker representing Iseyin/ Itesiwaju/Kajola/Iwajowa federal constituency and Ayedero of Yorubaland, Hon Shina Peller, on Friday tasked Nigerians to embrace love, peace and unity in the best interest of the country. In his message to congratulate Muslims on the occasion
Read More
Direction dusted off the bank levy, he wants to pay money from it to people.  They need to be taken where they are, says Fico thumbnail

Direction dusted off the bank levy, he wants to pay money from it to people. They need to be taken where they are, says Fico

Opozičný Smer-SD chce znova zaviesť bankový odvod, aby sa týmito prostriedkami mohol kompenzovať rast cien energií. Vyhlásil to vo štvrtok na tlačovej konferencii predseda Smeru-SD Robert Fico. Poukázal na to, že tento rok budú mať banky dvakrát taký zisk ako predchádzajúci rok. Foto: Ľuboš Pilc, Pravda Robert Fico chce vrátiť bankový odvod. Fico zdôraznil, že…
Read More
Index Of News
Total
0
Share