Jen Psaki officially leaves White House press secretary position

White House press secretary Jen Psaki has officially left her post on Friday.

Psaki said that her goal in the position was to “re-establish the briefing room as a place where there is information shared” and set a “tone of respect,” she said during an event hosted by the Christian Science Monitor on Thursday.

Psaki added that the Biden White House prioritized regular press briefings to ensure that the American people and the rest of the world understood that “we value the role of the press, we value the role of debate” and of “democracy.”

Psaki also reflected on her experience as the president’s top spokesperson in an era of heightened media distrust among Americans. “No one should do this job if they don’t enjoy the back-and-forth of the press because it would be a very terrible existence,” she said. “I do enjoy it, and I learn something every day.”

“As I look back, I hope I followed the example of integrity and grace that they have set for all of us,” Psaki said on Friday, “and I’m incredibly grateful to them.”

The 34th White House press secretary also thanked her colleagues, and the reporters in the briefing room for “the work everyday you do to make this country stronger.”

Psaki held a total of 224 briefings as of Friday. By comparison, former President Donald Trump’s press secretaries held 205, according to Kumar’s tally.

Trump had four press secretaries during his single term: Sean Spicer, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Stephanie Grisham, and Kayleigh McEnany. Grisham held the title for eight months but didn’t conduct any on-record press briefing in the role.

However, Trump was much more open than other presidents to taking questions from reporters himself. In a report marking President Joe Biden’s first year in office, the Committee to Protect Journalists largely praised his approach to the press, but also suggested that the president speak to reporters directly.

According to Kumar’s count, Biden held 22 interviews with the media by the end of 2021 — a fraction of Trump (92) and former President Barack Obama’s (150) respective outreach during their first year in office.

“Trump felt that he was his press secretary and communications director,” Kumar, who has attended press briefings since President Gerald Ford’s administration, told Insider. “That was the way that he operated. The briefings were not important to him” [Business Insider].