Video of Peter Doocy and Jen Psaki jousting for final time brings smiles to the Internet
Fox News' Peter Doocy, who has a reputation for locking horns with White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki and is frequently seen bombarding her with questions that enrage and irritate her, decided to break with tradition this week. The anchor complimented her and shared a kind moment in the briefing room on Thursday, May 5.
Jen Psaki, the outgoing White House Press Secretary, welcomed successor Karine Jean-Pierre, the 44-year-old who would be the first Black and out LGBT+ person to fill the position, during Thursday, May 5, White House press briefing. "Thank you, Jen," the Fox News correspondent remarked when he was called upon during the briefing, which is expected to be one of Psaki's final before she hands over the reins to Jean-Pierre on Friday, May 13."Are you?" Psaki, 43, responded with a grin that made the other journalists in the room giggle."Yes, and you've always been a good sport," Doocy said. "So on behalf of everybody, thank you for everything." "Thank you," Psaki said. "As have you."
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Jean-Pierre, who will be the first Black and openly homosexual woman to play the part, was also welcomed by Doocy, 34. "I can't wait to see you up there, Karine," he said, laughing. Doocy and Psaki then moved back to their usual banter when he questioned protesting the Supreme Court in the aftermath of a leaked draught judgment by Justice Samuel Alito that would overturn decisions that protect women's access to abortion across the country.
When Doocy pressed Psaki for President Joe Biden's take on the likelihood of demonstrators gathering in residential areas, Psaki replied, "Peter, look, I think our view here is that peaceful protest— there's a long history in the United States and the country of that. And we certainly encourage people to keep it peaceful and not resort to any level of violence."
"So he doesn't care if they're protesting outside the Supreme Court or outside someone's private residence?" Doocy questioned."I don't have an official U.S. government position on where people protest. We want it, of course, to be peaceful," Psaki responded, "And certainly, the president would want people's privacy to be respected. But I think we shouldn't lose the point here: The reason people are protesting is because women across the country are worried about their fundamental rights that have been law for 50 years. Their rights to make choices about their own bodies and their own health care are at risk. That's why people are protesting. They're unhappy. They're scared."
When Doocy questioned President Biden's take on abortion, Psaki said, "Peter, the president has talked about his position many times. He supports the right of a woman to make choices about her own body with her doctor. I would refer you to his own comments about abortion and a woman's right to choose and make decisions about her body with her doctor, which is what any of those women would do."
People reported, Psaki has previously stated that when the cameras are turned off, she and Doocy are friendly."My engagement with him, people don't always see this, but outside the briefing room, it is entirely professional and entirely, hopefully, responsive," Psaki stated in an interview, "There's a performative component from the TV side of the briefing room."
President Biden commended Psaki for her work on Thursday, May 5, as she apparently prepares to join MSNBC – though no official announcement has been made." Jen Psaki has set the standard for returning decency, respect and decorum to the White House Briefing Room," the president said in a statement. "I want to say thank you to Jen for raising the bar, communicating directly and truthfully to the American people, and keeping her sense of humor while doing so. I thank Jen her service to the country, and wish her the very best as she moves forward."