Jennifer Rene Psaki, the 34th and current White House press secretary is an American political counselor. She formerly worked as the White House deputy press secretary (2009), the White House deputy communications director (2009–2011), the spokesman for the US Department of State (2013–2015), and the White House communications director (2015–2017) in the Obama administration. From 2017 through 2020, Psaki was a CNN political contributor.
Early life
Psaki was born in Stamford, Connecticut in 1978 to Eileen (née Dolan) Medvey, a psychotherapist, and Dimitrios “James” R. Psaki, a retired real estate developer whose grandfather moved from Greece in 1904 and whose grandmother was of Irish origin. In 1976, her parents married. Psaki is also of Polish descent.
In 1996, Psaki graduated from Greenwich High School. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English and sociology from the College of William and Mary in 2000. She belongs to the Chi Omega sorority. Psaki was a two-year member of the William & Mary Tribe athletic team as a competitive backstroke swimmer.
Personal life
Jen Psaki is currently married to Greg Mecher. They married on May 8, 2010, after four years of dating. Mecher is a politician as well. At the time of their marriage, Mecher was the chief of staff for Congressman Steve Driehaus. In the same position, Mecher worked for Congressman Joe Kennedy.
In 2006, Psaki met Mecher while working for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
According to Psaki’s Twitter bio, she is the mother of two children under the age of five. We know she has a daughter named Genevieve, but we don’t know anything about her second child.
Jen Psaki talks at White House press briefings almost every day, and many of her discussions with Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocey are broadcast on television and the internet in extracts.
Psaki took ten days off between November 2 and November 12, 2021, after announcing that she had tested positive for COVID-19. She claims she didn’t return to work until she was completely healed and that her immunization status shielded her from any negative consequences.
Career
Jen Psaki is a registered Democrat who has worked for Democratic politicians for the bulk of her career. In 2001, she worked on the campaigns of two Iowa locals. She worked on the re-election campaigns of Senator Tom Harkin and Governor Tom Vilsack. In their respective elections, both men were victors.
During the 2004 presidential campaign, Psaki served as the deputy press secretary for then-candidate John Kerry. In that year’s election, Kerry would be the Democratic nominee, but he would lose to then-President George W. Bush.
After Kerry’s campaign ended, Psaki went on to work as a regional press secretary for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, a group of members of Congress that worked to support incumbent Democratic lawmakers’ campaigns and promote Democratic candidates in open seats across Congress.
Psaki was the communications director for Congressman Joseph Crowley from 2005 to 2006.
Psaki continued to work for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, where she met Greg Mecher, her future husband, at this time.
During the 2008 election cycle, Psaki, on the other hand, would join Obama’s campaign. She was Obama’s traveling press secretary at the time, and she planned to join the Obama administration full-time as soon as he was elected. She began her career as the Obama Administration’s Deputy Press Secretary before being elevated to Deputy Communications Director. From 2009 to 2011, she served in this capacity under the Obama administration.
In September 2011, Jen Psaki announced her retirement from the Obama administration to join the public relations firm Global Strategy Group. She was a managing director and senior vice president in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office.
She wouldn’t be able to avoid politics for very long. In less than six months, Psaki was asked to be Barack Obama’s press secretary for his re-election campaign in 2012. If Obama is re-elected, he will invite Psaki to rejoin his administration. By February 2013, Psaki would be the spokesman for the US State Department.
When Psaki returned to the Obama administration, speculation arose that she would succeed Jay Carney, who had recently departed as White House Press Secretary. Josh Earnest eventually took over Carney’s responsibilities, and Psaki remained in her prior position.
In 2015, Jen Psaki would rejoin Obama’s communications team. She was a communications director at the time. She would serve as a director until Obama’s term ended in January 2016.
Psaki became a regular contributor to CNN’s political coverage within a year. She stayed with CNN until 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden was proclaimed the winner.
Jen Psaki has been asked to join Biden and Harris’ transition team. As the new administration prepared for the January inauguration, she left her job as a CNN contributor to work for the new administration. By the end of November 2020, Psaki accepted a position as White House Press Secretary, which she now holds.
On the eve of the Biden-Harris inauguration, Psaki gave her first press conference on January 20, 2021.
Jen Psaki has declared that she plans to continue as White House Press Secretary for another year or two. She revealed in an interview with David Axelrod on May 6, 2021, that she wanted to leave her position as press secretary in a year or two. She is expected to continue on for at least another year, according to reports.
Psaki has faced her fair share of controversy as White House Press Secretary. On a regular basis, she receives questions from reporters regarding how many questions President Biden takes or does not answer during his public appearances. Reporters have grilled Psaki about Biden’s initiatives, including the vaccine mandate, COVID data, and the divisive Build Back Better legislation.
Psaki is a pro at keeping her calm in front of a group of White House Presidential Correspondents who aren’t usually sympathetic to the current president’s ideas. Psaki was frequently questioned during the United States’ abrupt withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.
The press will probe Psaki about topics that appear to be outside of her purview, such as President Biden’s views on certain issues. Psaki’s comments are always well-prepared. This, on the other hand, is almost certainly a response to criticism leveled at Psaki early in her tenure as Press Secretary.
In response to some questions, Psaki would tell reporters that she would return to an issue later. Psaki repeated the phrase multiple times at press briefings, and social media mocked her attempt at professionalism.
Psaki was also slammed for comments she made about gubernatorial candidates in Virginia in October and early November 2021. According to various political watchdog groups, Psaki’s comments may have violated the Hatch Act.
Psaki’s statements were taken by these groups as an endorsement of then-candidate Terry McAuliffe, in violation of the Hatch Act, which prohibits government workers from engaging in political activity while on the job. The hype died down once McAuliffe was defeated by political newcomer Glenn Youngkin.
Net Worth
Jen Psaki has worked in several presidential administrations, including President Barack Obama’s and Vice President Joe Biden’s. She was also a CNN political analyst for several years. Her net worth is predicted to reach $2 million by 2022.
For more news click thebritaintimes.co.uk