Joe Biden’s first White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, introduced her new MSNBC show Sunday by telling the audience, “It’s a great week to start a new show.”
She talked about the big news of the weekend: Donald Trump’s possible arrest and his call for his supporters to protest, and their leadership, was to be expected given MSNBC’s long focus on the former president’s concern.
But with Inside with Jen PsakiYour challenge is to make a mark and deliver standout moments in a very busy group of Sunday Beltway shows.
Her left-leaning perspective and experience as a communications strategist make her an ideal choice for audiences for the station’s opinion shows, but with this show she moves from the role of NBC news pundit to cable anchor, a transition that has the skills of an interviewer . and the comfort of a dedicated personality. With all news networks struggling to retain their audiences (especially the younger audience), MSNBC clearly hopes that Psaki is ready to play a bigger role at the network, much like Nicolle Wallace, who is a mainstay today.
Psaki’s show is scheduled to air at noon ET after many of Sunday’s shows have aired, making it her job to find a unique take on Trump’s history.
During an interview with her first guest, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Psaki shared a clip of Mike Pence’s performance on ABC News. This week this morning when former Vice President Attorney Alvin Braggs condemned the possible impeachment of Trump in Manhattan.
Jeffries said Pence “knows better and he’s ashamed and it’s a shame,” and said New York prosecutors should just “be able to do their job.”
This was largely friendly territory for Jeffries: he had plenty of time for Democratic talking points. Jeffries was also not asked about one issue in recent weeks: friction within the Democratic faction as Biden becomes the center of attention on certain issues ahead of a possible 2024 presidential bid.
Psaki’s questions were not criminal, but her questions were not superficial either. She asked Jeffries if Democrats would go along with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s pledge in a tweet Saturday to have committees investigate whether federal funds are being used to carry out “politically motivated prosecutions.” Jeffries did not immediately respond, but said he would leave it up to Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Stacy Plaskett (D-VI), the top Democrat for the special “weapons” of the government committee.
Jeffries also looked at the “arms committee” and said it was “really more appropriately called the Insurgent Protection Committee.” But moments later, when Psaki asked for a Washington Post story that he had reached “some sort of truce” with McCarthy, Jeffries said they had a “positive, forward-thinking relationship.” It’s sort of a McCarthy-Jeffries relationship and could beg for a sequel.
Psaki later interviewed Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a possible future presidential nominee, and pointed out that a gun reform bill does not include a ban on assault weapons, disappointing advocates as the country continues to be plagued by mass shootings be harassed. Whitmer went on to quote the phrase that the “conversation” would continue, while Psaki explained that gun safety would be a common theme on the show.
Another taped interview was with New York Mayor Eric Adams, who offered the show’s only criticism of the Biden administration on immigration, calling for “a real strategy with coordination.” He was careful not to criticize Vice President Kamala Harris, saying attacks on her were “unfair”.
However, there was no further follow-up as Adam’s segment was part of a lighter (and sometimes lighter-hearted) feature called weekend routine, in which Psaki will meet political figures in places of their daily lives. For Adams, it was on the New York City subway and later at the Gracie Mansion, where the mayor made a smoothie while Psaki quizzed him on the ingredients. “Are you a coffee drinker?” she asked. “Never,” Adams said. No shell needed.
The strongest parts of Psaki’s performance were the moments when she drew on her own communications experience, including a segment where the term “woke” was increasingly used by GOP presidential candidates and right-wing figures, and where she gave her own insider’s perspective in the How the White House may respond to Trump’s arrest.
“I bet you won’t hear much from them about Trump’s outburst,” she said. “They want to keep the temperature down. But behind the scenes they are paying close attention and monitoring potential threats as they always should.”
At the end of the class, Psaki promised that the show would feature people “who play a role in making change happen. I agree with some and disagree with others, and that’s fine. That’s how it should be, because disagreement is actually a healthy part of democracy.”
An interesting question is just how far the disagreement goes — whether it opposes a White House move in these times, and whether the show can discuss Republican guests and staunch critics of the Biden administration. She’s Been There, Too: Some of Psaki’s most memorable viral moments as a publicist happened when she fought with right-wing media reporters.
Source: Deadline
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
