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Fox News’ ‘Media Buzz’ host Howard Kurtz spoke to White House press secretary Jen Psaki and asked her about Democratic messaging, Roe vs. Wade, access media to President Biden, and more.
Kurtz asked Psaki if Biden was giving up a key part of the bully pulpit by very rarely holding press conferences or sitting down with reporters to do interviews. PSAki said Biden talks to the American people every day, sometimes more, but Kurtz pointed out he often doesn’t talk to reporters.
“But I think our goal, given our role and purpose here, is to speak to the public and certainly engage and value a free press,” she said.
WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 10: White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki speaks to reporters in the Brady Press Room at the White House on December 10, 2021 in Washington, DC (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Pictures)
(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Later in the interview, Psaki was asked about Twitter and if she had ever suggested the president make his account more exciting in an effort to show more of Biden’s personality.
Kurtz said Biden’s tweets “rarely make the news.”
She responded by saying that Biden’s social media following was “huge” and pointed out that Biden’s tweets “reach out to the public.”
“They don’t always have to be news. Sometimes it’s about providing accuracy and information,” she said.
Washington Post columnist Perry Bacon Jr. wrote an article Tuesday, “Bidenism is failing. The question is how badly,” which highlighted a dismal approval rating of 42 %. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE REPLACES JEN PSAKI AS PRESS SECRETARY OF WHTIE HOUSE
PSAKI reflected on her time as publicist as her last day, May 13, rapidly approaches. She told Kurtz that she had a lot of different emotions about her leaving the White House.
“I don’t think anyone could do this job as a White House press secretary if they didn’t value the role of the press and the media. And I do. Even on the days when we’re not disagree, on the days we debate,” she said. .
PSAki is expected to leave the White House on May 13 to join MSNBC. PSAKI will be replaced by assistant press officer Karine Jean-Pierre.
Following the announcement that she would be joining MSNBC, she was criticized for possible ethical issues and conflicts of interest. PSAki told Kurtz that the criticism bothered her.
“I am human,” she said.
“But what I do know is what I try to do every day and I hold myself to a very high ethical standard. I took action and I took action because I had discussions with any future employer that go above and beyond any government requirements also recused me from any discussion,” Psaki said in response to a question about the critics. She added that she was proud to have treated all journalists in the briefing room “in the same way from the start”.
Deputy White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
((AP Photo/Andrew Harnik))
“It’s the best job I’ve ever had. Possibly the best job I’ve ever had,” Psaki said, noting that she learns something new every day. She said she quit her job because of her family, adding that she didn’t want to miss football practices or her children’s ballet recitals.
MSNBC, CNN FIGHT OVER JEN PSAKI FOR NETWORK ROLE AFTER SHE LEAVES BIDEN’S WHITE HOUSE
The future White House press secretary also reaffirmed comments she made earlier in the week at the start of the interview, saying she believed Roe vs. Wade was not a partisan political issue and pointed to polls that found two-thirds of Americans think Roe should stay put.
“Two-thirds of the public means that it is the vast majority of the public who want a woman to be able to make choices with her doctor about her own health care. Two-thirds of the public disagree on a lot of things,” she said. mentioned.
Psaki was asked about protesters gathering outside the homes of several Supreme Court justices during a press briefing last week, saying the president’s view was “there’s a lot of passion, much fear, much sadness from many, many people across this country about what they saw in this leaked document.”
“We obviously want people’s privacy to be respected. We want people to protest peacefully if they want to protest. That’s certainly what the president thinks,” she said.
Former Attorney General Bill Barr said he was “appalled” that Psaki and the White House did not come out and condemn the protests.
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Psaki would host a show on Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming platform, and appear as a commentator on MSNBC. Her deal with the network is said to be similar to the one Symone Sanders has with the network. Sanders, a former senior adviser and chief spokeswoman for Vice President Kamala Harris, is the host of her own show “Symone,” which aired its first episode on Saturday.
