Say good-bye to 'Psaki Bombs' - Jen Psaki resigns as White House press secretary

On Friday, the 13 of May 2022, Jen Psaki delivered her final words at the White House as press secretary. Psaki delivered her last speech from the briefing room podium and expressed her gratitude to President Joe Biden, her administration colleagues, and even the White House press corps in an emotional farewell.

Psaki looked back at the past 15 months of her life and the 244 briefings she has given as White House press secretary. Jen Psaki admitted that she was "very nervous" when she first visited the Bidens in Delaware in November 2020 to discuss her role as a future press secretary. Psaki said that most of their conversation was about "the importance of returning integrity, respect, and civility to the White House."

When Biden became President of the United States, he brought back the daily press briefings that had practically become a thing of the past under the Trump administration. Psaki excelled in her role as press secretary and even seemed to enjoy some friendly sparring with reporters while consistently defending Biden administration policy. This made her a popular target for Fox News hosts and even former President Donald Trump.

In her farewell speech Psaki said, "The small sliver of – of my job here in engaging with all of you, that doesn't - not mean that we have let our Irish side show, mine and the president's as well, from time to time. I recognize that. But on my best days, and as I look back, and when I look back, 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."

Psaki went on to thank the senior administration officials and the members of her press team, saying she was "very grateful to them," and countered those she said label Washington as "rotten" and "corrupt."

Jen Psaki told reporters, "People always ask me, and I'm sure you guys get asked this too, about whether Washington is rotten. You know, whether everybody is corrupt here and you know nothing good happens, and we all just argue with each other."

Psaki continued, "And I, having done this job, believe the absolute opposite is true, because I have worked with and engaged with all of these incredible people across the administration and this amazing team, many of whom are here that I get to work with every day."

Concluding her speech, Psaki addressed the White House reporters she said "challenged" and "pushed me" throughout her time in the high-pressure role. "You have debated me. And at times we have disagreed. That is democracy in action. That is it working," she said.

Psaki added, "Without accountability, without debate, government is not as strong. And you all play an incredibly pivotal role, thank you for what you do. Thank you for making me better. And most importantly, thank you for the work every day you do to make this country stronger."

In an interview with CNN, Psaki, 43, revealed the reasons behind her decision to step down as White House press secretary: "I don't want to miss moments. It's a great job. It will be hard, but I also never thought I'd be here, and I also love my kids a lot."

Psaki has two young children at home and hopes to spend more time with her family. However, multiple news outlets have reported that she may have plans to join MSNBC as an advisor, but Psaki has not yet confirmed these reports.

Psaki is being succeeded by her deputy, Karine Jean-Pierre, who will now become the first Black and openly gay woman to hold the job.

Jen Psaki, was both loved and hated during her time as hate the White House press secretary, and her interactions with the press certainly were entertaining.

During her time as press secretary, a term referring to Psaki's sarcastic comebacks to annoying press questions became popular among both her fans and her detractors. Join us for a look at our favorite "Psaki Bombs"!

When Jen Psaki had only been on the job a few days, outspoken Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was about to be stripped of her House committee assignments by Democrats. 

Reporters were eager to hear the White House's take on Greene's situation. In particular, because Marjorie Taylor Greene had become famous on social media for promoting conspiracy theories, and Greene had even called for the execution of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

While it may have been tempting to get into the nitty-gritty of it all, Psaki took the high road and told reporters: "We don't want to elevate conspiracy theories further in the briefing room, so I'm going to leave it at that."

Jen Psaki made headlines in February 2021 when she gave a tongue lashing to a reporter who dared to interpret her statement. Reporter Anita Kumar from Politico asked Psaki if Biden had planned a call with Xi Jinping, the President of China. Psaki answered that President Biden had not done so; however, soon, more details would be announced. 

Kumar (pictured) persisted and said, "That sounds a lot like the strategy is not to talk to him at this time because you're talking about speaking to allies and making other calls first. Have they requested a call?"

Photo: Twitter@anitakumar01

Jen Psaki did not take kindly to Kumar's insistence, and so, she dropped one of her first "Psaki Bombs": "I don't have anything more for you," she said. "I don't appreciate the putting words in my mouth. That wasn't what my effort was. What I was conveying is our strategy here, from the United States, which is to work with our partners and allies and determine what the right time is."

Reporters were eager to get the lowdown when the White House launched a new initiative to combat the spread of Covid-19 misinformation online.

Jen Psaki informed the media that only around 12 people were producing the majority (65%) of the anti-vaccine misinformation on social media, and all were active Facebook users. 

A reporter at the press conference then asked Psaki, "Speaking of misinformation and the announcement from yesterday, for how long has the administration been spying on people's Facebook profiles, looking for vaccine misinformation?"

The reporter's question did not amuse the White House Press secretary one bit, and she responded: "Well, that was quite a loaded and inaccurate question, which I would refute. This is publicly open information, people sharing information online. Just as you are all reporting information on your news stations."

Ten months into Joe Biden's first term as President, the coronavirus continued to kill more than a thousand people a day. Naturally, a reporter reminded Psaki of Biden's statement when he was running for President in 2020.

A reporter said, "When roughly 220,000 Americans had already died of COVID, Joe Biden said about Trump, 'Anyone who is responsible for that many deaths should not remain as president of the United States of America.'"

The reporter then asked, "Is that still the standard now that more Americans have died under President Biden than President Trump?"

In return, Psaki did not answer the question directly but instead reminded the reporter of one of Trump's most infamous suggestions for dealing with COVID-19.

Psaki responded, "Well, I think the fundamental question here is: What are you doing to save lives and protect people? And the former President was suggesting people inject bleach."

Peter Doocy of Fox News and Jen Psaki have become well known for their tense exchanges, which often go viral on social media. In the autumn of 2021, Doocy asked Psaki if Covid-19 vaccine mandates were essential for police departments, given the many challenges law enforcement was facing. 

Photo: Fox News Screenshot

Doocy said, "There are other problems in the world. International terror, gang violence, murder, arson, drug dealing. Is there any concern?" Peter Doocy's question referred to if vaccine mandates were worth having police officers walk off the job over.

Jen Psaki was ready for her "sparring partner" and answered by presenting the facts. "What was the No. 1 cause of death among police officers last year, do you know? COVID-19. So that's something that we're working to address."

Amidst the supply chain crunch in October of 2021, the controversy was ripe when it became known that the Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg took almost two months of paternity leave.

A reporter asked Psaki if Buttiegieg (pictured) should be getting back to work and cited a poll that found that 65% of voters expected him to return to the office. Psaki answered, "He's at work. Uh, I was on a conference call with him this morning."

However, she didn't just leave it at that. Psaki then scolded the reporters for asking the question in the first place. "I think what you're getting at here is this question about whether men, parents, women, should have paternity and maternity leave, and the answer is absolutely yes," Psaki said. "That is the policy of this administration. That is what we're pressing to make law."