White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki fights back tears in her last briefing and praises back-and-forth with reporters as ‘democracy in action
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki fights back tears in her last briefing and praises back-and-forth with reporters as ‘democracy in action’
- Jen Psaki held back tears in her final White House press briefing on Friday
- ‘I promised I was gonna keep it together,’ she said
- Psaki became known for her calm, cool manner and her deft zingers – many of which were aimed at Fox News’ Peter Doocy
- Fans of Psaki called them ‘Psaki bombs’
- Psaki has said she will miss her back-and-forths with Doocy
- After Friday’s final briefing, Psaki will have done 224 press briefings
- The four people who held the press secretary job under President Donald Trump did a combined 205 briefings
By EMILY GOODIN, SENIOR U.S. POLITICAL REPORTER
PUBLISHED: 10:43 EDT, 13 May 2022 | UPDATED: 16:19 EDT, 13 May 2022
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Jen Psaki held back tears in her final press briefing on Friday as she praised her back-and-forth with reporters as democracy in action.
‘I promised I was gonna keep it together,’ she said as she brushed back tears.
Psaki thanked several people, including the president, her co-workers in the White House, her team in the press office, and the reporters in the White House press corps. Bloodbath for civil service: 91,000 jobs will be axed as one in five staff are expected to go in huge shake-up that could save £3.5bn to ease cost of living crisis , and other top stories from May 13, 2022.PauseFull-screenREAD MORE
‘I want to thank all of you in this room,’ she said to the reporters. ‘You have challenged me you have pushed me. You have debated me and at times we have disagreed. That is democracy in action. That is it working. Without accountability, without debate, government is not as strong and you all play an incredibly pivotal role.’
She also thanked President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden for letting her serve as spokesperson for the administration.
‘I hope I followed the example of integrity and grace that they have set for all of us and do set for all of us every day and I’m incredibly grateful to them,’ she said.
Most of the staff of the White House press office was in the room for the briefing, including her successor Karine Jean-Pierre. Psaki’s husband Greg Mecher stood on the sidelines to watch her at work.
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Jen Psaki held back tears in her final White House press briefing on Friday
