's first keynote, or viral, appearance as an didn't come in a television studio.
On Thursday, Jen Psaki, former White House press secretary, current MSNBC TV personality, was pressed into breaking-news TV duty, when word broke of President Joe Biden — Psaki's boss for 16 of the previous 18 months — contracting COVID-19.
She was tapped to do so in the parking lot outside a Barnes & Noble bookstore.
Psaki responded to the challenge by telling her MSNBC colleagues, via phone, that the White House had "been preparing for this probably for several months now given the percentage of people in the country who have tested positive.
"[What the White House needs] to do over the next couple of days is show [President Biden] working and show him still active and serving as president, and I'm certain they’ll likely do that."
Psaki then added, "[Biden] has obviously a doctor who is his personal doctor. Every president has access to the best medical care in the world. And fortunately, every White House regardless of whether you're going through a pandemic or not, is prepared for the president to serve in a variety of places, locations including recovering from COVID in the White House."
The White House made the announcement regarding President Biden and COVID-19 Thursday morning, while characterizing his symptoms as "mild."
And around that time, after giving a speech in Michigan, first lady Jill Biden tweeted out the following about her husband: "I'm on the road in Detroit today, but I spoke to Joe earlier and he's feeling fine, just experiencing a few mild symptoms. This morning, I tested negative for COVID-19. I'll continue to follow CDC guidance and wear a mask."
Psaki was President Biden's first White House press secretary from January 2021 to May 2022; and like other White House press secretaries of the past — including Newsmax's own Sean Spicer — Psaki transitioned to a prominent job in cable news.
According to The Hill, MSNBC has yet to announce a clearly defined time slot for Psaki's prospective weeknight show.
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