May 9, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Psaki signals plans to step down as press secretary in a year

Orion Rummler

Jen Psaki stands at the White House briefing podium — White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on May 7. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has had discussions with the Biden transition team about leaving her position after roughly one year, she told David Axelrod on his CNN podcast.

Why it matters: Presidents have cycled through several press secretaries during their tenures in recent years — Former President Trump had four press secretaries during his four years, while Obama had three in two terms.

Psaki served in several roles in the White House press shop during Obama's tenure.

What she's saying: "I think it's going to be time for somebody else to have this job, in a year from now or about a year from now," she told Axelrod.

"I mean, when I talked to the inner circle of the Biden orbit about this, we talked about coming in and doing this job for a year, which was quite appealing to me for many reasons," Psaki added.
"I have little kids and I don't want to miss time with them. And my daughter is going into kindergarten. I have a lot of years with her, but she's kind of a magical unicorn. And I don't want to miss moments. I don't want to miss things."

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Psaki signals plans to step down as press secretary in a year

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