Jen Psaki, the voice of Joe Biden’s first term, prepares to leave

The US president praises outgoing press secretary for 'returning decency, respect and decorum' to White House briefings

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For nearly two years, White House press secretary Jen Psaki has been the face of the President Joe Biden's administration.

Her daily press briefings have become must-see TV for Washington insiders and the press corps.

Ms Psaki, 43, has guided the administration's messaging and engaged in sometimes comical exchanges with reporters.

But she is leaving at the end of the month, making way for Karine Jean-Pierre, who will be the first black woman and member of the LGBTQ+ community to serve as the White House press secretary.

Highlights of White House press secretary's 'Psaki bombs'

Highlights of White House press secretary's 'Psaki bombs'

Mr Biden praised Ms Psaki on Thursday, saying she had returned a sense of normality to the job.

“Jen Psaki has set the standard for returning decency, respect and decorum to the White House Briefing Room,” Mr Biden said.

“I want to say thank you to Jen for raising the bar, communicating directly and truthfully to the American people, and keeping her sense of humour while doing so.”

Ms Psaki has been in and out of Democratic politics for most of her adult life and will join MSNBC as a political pundit and host her own show on the streaming service Peacock.

She served as then Senator Barack Obama’s travelling press secretary during the 2008 presidential campaign and then went on to serve in the administration as deputy press secretary and eventually deputy communications director.

Frankly, returning the briefing is something that sends a message to the world that we're not afraid to engage, we're not afraid. We believe in the free press"
Jen Psaki

During President Obama’s second term, she became the State Department’s spokeswoman.

She then went on to work as a commentator on CNN during the presidency of Donald Trump.

When she took on the press secretary role for the Biden administration, Ms Psaki promised to resume daily briefings — something that had ground to a halt under Mr Trump.

“Frankly, returning the briefing is something that sends a message to the world that we're not afraid to engage, we're not afraid. We believe in the free press,” Ms Psaki said.

White House names Karine Jean-Pierre as its first black press secretary

White House names Karine Jean-Pierre as its first black press secretary

Many in Washington have praised Ms Psaki's ability at handling tough questions and challenging reporters.

Her sparring matches with Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy often turned bitter, racking up millions of views on social media.

However, on Thursday, the two exchanged rare pleasantries.

Ms Psaki's time as press secretary has not been without incident.

In December, when fielding a question on Covid-19 tests, she sarcastically asked a reporter: “Should we just send one to every American?

“Then what happens if every American has one test? How much does that cost and then what happens after that?”

Two weeks later, the White House provided at home tests to every American who asked for one.

Speaking to broadcaster Chris Wallace on the short-lived CNN+ video streaming service, Ms Psaki admitted that was not her finest moment.

She told Mr Wallace that while should miss the job, she was looking forward to spending more time with her husband and two children.

Updated: May 06, 2022, 7:33 PM