Biden’s New Press Secretary Under Fire for Inadequate Briefings
White House Reporters FURIOUS With Biden’s New Press Secretary
(TheRedWire.com) – Reporters expressed frustration about President Joe Biden’s lack of availability, but only a few of them complained about former White House press secretary Jen Psaki’s press briefings. On May 13, Psaki left the administration and turned the reins over to Karine Jean- Pierre. However, over the last several weeks, the press has sent indications that they are not pleased with her performance.
During her short tenure, she’s dealt with difficult questions about the infant formula shortage, exploding inflation and gas prices, the Russian war on Ukraine, Biden’s continued collapse in the polls, and the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. Along the way, Jean-Pierre has struggled to answer reporters’ questions, and many accuse her of not being adequately prepared for press briefings.
POLITICO Hits Press Secretary Hard
On Wednesday, June 29, the POLITICO West Wing Playbook hit Jean-Pierre hard for her lack of knowledge, sincerity, and skills in working with the press. In addition, the Playbook noted that the White House press secretary didn’t seem to know basic things one should expect from that position.
For example, POLITICO observed that she:
- Wasn’t aware Deb Haaland, Interior Secretary, tested positive for COVID-19 after meeting in person with the president just two days before.
- Denied hearing part of Biden’s speech to the Naval Academy, where the president said he was appointed in 1965.
- Refused to tell reporters about the president’s COVID test results — something Psaki did with every test.
- Relies too heavily on Secretary of State press secretary John Kirby to provide information alongside her on foreign affairs, giving the impression he’s a co-White House press secretary.
That’s not all. POLITICO said that during Jean-Pierre’s first 10 press briefings, she didn’t have answers over 20 times more than Psaki did at the same point in her tenure. Additionally, even when Jean-Pierre does give answers, they’re often vague, ambiguous, or pre-written.
Press Frustration Could Lead to Bad Press for the President
POLITICO noted that the situation is getting so untenable for the White House press corps that some say they might stop participating in the press briefings over the lack of news and openness from the podium. One reporter stated that if Jean-Pierre is going to read from a page, she can send them an email instead of hosting briefings.
The situation has gotten bad enough that even some White House colleagues are concerned every time Jean-Pierre takes the podium. Additionally, POLITICO said communications officials in and outside the White House felt the Biden administration set her up to fail.
Despite the POLITICO report, the White House said that Jean-Pierre is proud of her briefings and loves interacting with reporters.
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