Biden Confirms Jen Psaki Leaving White House, Names Replacement

Psaki rumored to be joining MSNBC

White House press secretary Jen Psaki answers questions during the daily briefing in Washington, on March 17, 2022. Win McNamee/Getty Images

White House press secretary Jen Psaki is departing the Biden administration soon, President Joe Biden said on May 5.

Psaki will leave the White House on May 13, Biden said in a statement.

The president said Karine Jean-Pierre, currently the White House principal deputy press secretary, is replacing Psaki.

“Karine not only brings the experience, talent, and integrity needed for this difficult job, but she will continue to lead the way in communicating about the work of the Biden–Harris Administration on behalf of the American people,” Biden said.

He also said that Psaki “has set the standard for returning decency, respect, and decorum to the White House briefing room” and thanked her for “raising the bar, communicating directly and truthfully to the American people, and keeping her sense of humor while doing so.”

Psaki said on Twitter that she was grateful to Biden and First Lady Jill Biden for tapping her as the White House press secretary and praised Jean-Pierre as a “remarkable woman.”

Jean-Pierre said the opportunity is “a true honor” and that she looks forward to serving the administration and the American people.

Psaki had been rumored for weeks to be preparing to leave the administration. Reports say she’s going to become an MSNBC employee.

Asked about the reports during a recent press conference, Psaki said that she has “taken the ethics legal requirements, to the highest, very seriously, in any discussions in any considerations of any future employment, just as any White House official would, and I’ve taken steps beyond that to ensure there’s no conflicts.”

She also refused to say at the time whether she was going to leave her job.

White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during the daily briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington on Nov. 8, 2021. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Psaki was a CNN employee before joining the Biden administration. Before that, she worked for the Obama administration in various roles.

Jean-Pierre is a former spokeswoman for MoveOn.org and has also worked as a political analyst for NBC and MSNBC.

Jean-Pierre also spent time in the Obama administration.

When Psaki has been absent due to sickness or other reasons, Jean-Pierre has held press briefings in her stead.

The White House also announced that Anita Dunn will become a senior adviser and assistant to Biden, leaving her job at the political consulting firm SKDK.

Dunn was a senior adviser to Biden until resigning in August 2021.

Like Psaki and Jean-Pierre, Dunn also served in the Obama administration.