White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki will soon switch to a high-profile television job, multiple US media reports said Friday, adding to longtime speculation that President Joe Biden’s chief spokeswoman is headed out.
According to The New York Times, Psaki could host shows for MSNBC and NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming platform, as well as appearing on the cable network’s news shows. CNN had also been chasing Psaki, the report said.
A White House official said “we don’t have anything to confirm about Jen’s length of planned service or any consideration about future plans. Jen is here and working hard every day on behalf of the President to get you the answers to the questions that you have, and that’s where her focus is.”
However, Psaki has previously said she did not want to remain in the grueling job, which makes her the most visible face of Biden’s team, more than about a year. CNN reported that she would stay through the annual White House Correspondents Association dinner, scheduled for April 30.
Psaki has been in the press secretary role since the start of Biden’s administration in January 2021, when he took over from Donald Trump.
Psaki restored the tradition of daily live briefings with White House reporters, saying she wanted to rebuild trust between the administration and the media after the tumultuous Trump years, when briefings were ultimately abandoned.
Under Barack Obama, she served in the less visible White House communications director role and also as State Department spokeswoman.
No likely successor has been floated by the White House.
