Ever since the Kennedy administration and the emergence of television, the White House press briefing has become, in part, a TV drama, where the lead actor dodges incoming fire from armchair critics near and far. Biden administration press secretary Jen Psaki emerged from her first week in the role relatively unscathed.
Obama administration press secretary Jay Carney said, “Honestly, she is so ready for this, so prepared, and I think you saw that already this week.”
It is not surprising that reporters, who generally lean left and are inclined to seek face time and the front page, suddenly became more docile after the daily drama of former President Donald Trump, which in turn led to Psaki letting her guard down.
Her recent response to a question on the Space Force:
Q: “Whether the President has made a decision on keeping or keeping the scope of the Space Force?”
A: “WOW, The Space Force. It’s the plane of today!”
Her flippant response led to widespread condemnation, from the Space Force, from Congress, and from White House reporters, one of whom’s parents are astronauts. Psaki’s honeymoon with the press corps was, if not over, a little bit roughed up.The flood gates were opening.
An earlier Psaki tweet from August reemerged. She derisively referred to Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham as “Lady G.” Richard Grinnell, Trump’s openly gay former acting director of national security responded, “Homophobia and intolerance from the Left is growing. This should be widely condemned.”
Perhaps most damaging, it also emerged last Friday that the White House Communications Office had been reaching out to reporters in advance to learn what questions might be posed at the briefing. The White House Correspondents Association pushed back. In a conference call, one reporter complained, “The press can’t really do its job in the briefing room if the White House is picking and choosing the questions they want,”
The White House responded it was merely “engaging with the reporters who will be in the briefing room to understand how the White House can be most helpful in getting them the information they need.”
The same day in a lighthearted interview, NPR invited Psaki to play a game called, “Take a dip in this pool.” Three questions about swimming pools in politics. Psaki stepped in it, saying, “When reporters are getting really loud, or they’re starting to ask crazy questions, I just slow down my pace, and I talk very quietly, and I treat them like I’m an orderly sometimes in an insane asylum.”
As it always does, the press fired back, using a trademark Psaki phrase, when facts elude her.
“I’ll circle back.”
