Jen Psaki facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jen Psaki
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Psaki in 2021
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| 34th White House Press Secretary | |
| In office January 20, 2021 – May 13, 2022 |
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| President | Joe Biden |
| Deputy | Karine Jean-Pierre (Principal Deputy) |
| Preceded by | Kayleigh McEnany |
| Succeeded by | Karine Jean-Pierre |
| White House Communications Director | |
| In office April 1, 2015 – January 20, 2017 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Jennifer Palmieri |
| Succeeded by | Sean Spicer |
| 23rd Spokesperson for the United States Department of State | |
| In office April 5, 2013 – March 31, 2015 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Deputy | Marie Harf |
| Preceded by | Victoria Nuland |
| Succeeded by | Marie Harf |
| White House Deputy Communications Director | |
| In office December 19, 2009 – September 22, 2011 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Daniel Pfeiffer |
| Succeeded by | Jennifer Palmieri |
| White House Deputy Press Secretary | |
| In office January 20, 2009 – December 19, 2009 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Leader | Robert Gibbs |
| Preceded by | Tony Fratto |
| Succeeded by | Bill Burton |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Jennifer Rene Psaki
December 1, 1978 New York City, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Gregory Mecher
(m. 2010) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | College of William & Mary (BA) |
Jennifer Rene Psaki (/ˈsɑːki/; born December 1, 1978) is an American television political analyst and former government official. A political advisor who served under both the Obama and Biden administrations, she served the Biden administration as the 34th White House press secretary until May 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served in the Obama administration as the White House deputy press secretary (2009); the White House deputy communications director (2009–2011); the spokesperson for the United States Department of State (2013–2015); and the White House communications director (2015–2017). Psaki was a political contributor for CNN from 2017 to 2020. As of March 2023, she hosts the talk-show Inside with Jen Psaki on MSNBC.
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Early life and education
Psaki, the eldest of three daughters, was born in New York City, in 1978 to psychotherapist Eileen (née Dolan) Medvey and Dimitrios "James" R. Psaki, a retired real estate developer whose grandfather had emigrated from Greece in 1904 and whose grandmother was of Irish descent. Her parents married in 1976. Her parents would later separate.
Her paternal grandparents were Raoul Psaki and Mary Keane. They were married 45 years. Mary Keane died in 1987. Raoul Psaki (1916–2009), was a combat medic during World War II and the Korean War. Her maternal grandparents were Sylvester J. Dailey (1910–1994) and Genevieve Lambert (1910–2002).
Psaki grew up in Stamford, Connecticut and graduated from Greenwich High School in 1996. In 2000, she graduated from the College of William & Mary with a degree in English and sociology. She is a member of the Chi Omega sorority and was chapter President. At William & Mary, Psaki was a competitive backstroke swimmer for the William & Mary Tribe athletic team for two years.
Career
Early career
Psaki began her career in 2001 with the re-election campaigns of Iowa Democrats Tom Harkin for the U.S. Senate and Tom Vilsack for governor. Psaki then became deputy press secretary for John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign. From 2005 to 2006, Psaki served as communications director to U.S. representative Joseph Crowley and regional press secretary for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Obama administration
Throughout the 2008 presidential campaign of U.S. senator Barack Obama, Psaki served as traveling press secretary. After Obama won the election, Psaki followed Obama to the White House as deputy press secretary and was promoted to deputy communications director on December 19, 2009. On September 22, 2011, Psaki left this position to become senior vice president and managing director at the Washington, D.C., office of public relations firm Global Strategy Group.
In 2012, Psaki returned to political communications as press secretary for President Obama's 2012 reelection campaign. On February 11, 2013, Psaki became the spokesperson for the United States Department of State. Her hiring at the Department of State fueled speculation that she would replace White House press secretary Jay Carney when he left the White House, but, on May 30, 2014, it was announced that Josh Earnest would replace Carney. In 2015, she returned to the White House as communications director and stayed through the end of the Obama administration.
On February 7, 2017, Psaki began working as a political commentator on CNN.
White House press secretary
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In November 2020, Psaki left CNN and joined the Biden–Harris transition team. Later that month, Psaki was named as the White House press secretary for the Biden administration.
She held her first press briefing on the evening of January 20, 2021, after the inauguration. On May 6, in an interview with former senior advisor to the president David Axelrod, Psaki suggested she would depart from the position of press secretary "in about a year from now". In October, Psaki was accused by a watchdog group of violating the Hatch Act for her comments on the 2021 Virginia gubernatorial election. On November 2, Psaki announced that she had tested positive for COVID-19. After quarantining and fully recovering, she returned to work on November 12 and credited her vaccination status for her recovery without complications.
On March 22, 2022, Psaki tested positive for COVID-19 for the second time in six months and did not accompany President Biden on his trip to Europe. Coincidentally, Hillary Clinton tested positive for COVID-19 the same week. On April 1, Axios reported that Psaki would likely leave the White House "around May" for a job with MSNBC. On May 5, the White House announced she would be leaving the role on May 13, and named her principal deputy, Karine Jean-Pierre, as her replacement.
Later career
On May 24, 2022, MSNBC announced its hiring of Psaki as a contributor; the network stated that she would make appearances during its coverage of the 2022 midterms and 2024 presidential elections, and that a show hosted by Psaki was in development for Peacock. Psaki made her first television appearance after leaving her position as White House press secretary on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon discussing the Robb Elementary School shooting.
In February 2023, MSNBC announced that Psaki would host a new Sunday morning program, Inside with Jen Psaki, beginning on March 19, 2023. The program focuses on public policy issues. On September 25, 2023, the program took over MSNBC's Monday 8 p.m. Eastern prime time slot, which was previously a secondary timeslot for All In with Chris Hayes. Psaki had occasionally filled in as a substitute host for All In, prompting speculation.
Journalists at NBC News, the sister network of MSNBC, expressed anger and trepidation about Psaki's move to MSNBC, fearing that it would damage NBC's brand and "reinforce the impression, already well-established in opinion polls, that the news business in the US works hand-in-glove with political factions." Psaki negotiated the deal, along with a competing offer from CNN, while still serving in the office of press secretary. This led to concerns from NBC's own White House correspondent, Kristen Welker that she could have shown favoritism toward her potential employers to secure her new role. Although other staffers have moved from the White House to cable news, making Psaki an anchor and not a political analyst was unusual.
In May 2024, Psaki released a book titled Say More: Lessons from Work, the White House, and the World. The book relayed her experiences working in government and offered advice on communication. It quickly became a bestseller on Amazon and became listed as a New York Times bestseller. In the book, Psaki stated that President Biden did not look at his watch during the dignified transfer of remains for 13 US service members killed in the Abbey Gate bombing in Afghanistan. However, he had been photographed checking his watch repeatedly during the dignified transfer. Psaki said she would retract the statement in future versions of the book.
In response to Biden dropping out of the 2024 presidential election, Psaki said on Twitter (now X), "He [Biden] has channeled his loss and personal tragedy into a lifetime of public service and an incredibly deep well of empathy for others…Time and time again, Joe Biden proved his incredible strength by getting back up after being knocked down. This time, he shows it by stepping aside." On July 13, 2024, Psaki endorsed Kamala Harris, and stated that Harris is the best alternative to Biden and that she has her full support. However, she believed that Harris' chance of victory in the 2024 presidential race could be lower due to "sexist and racist beliefs".
In June 2024, Psaki agreed to appear before the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs for a transcribed interview about the Biden Administration's withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. She appeared before the committee on July 26, 2024.
Personal life
On May 8, 2010, Psaki married Greg Mecher, then chief of staff to Congressman Steve Driehaus. Later, Mecher served as chief of staff to Congressman Joe Kennedy. The couple met at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2006. They have two children.
See also
In Spanish: Jen Psaki para niños
