As Psaki Leaves Biden's Administration, Let's Circle Back to Her Most Memorable Moments

13 May marks Jen Psaki's final day as Joe Biden's White House Press Secretary, with her departing to MSNBC for her own gig.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki is set to make way for her successor, Karine Jean-Pierre, on Friday as she leaves the Biden administration for a job at MSNBC.

Psaki served as Joe Biden's press secretary for some two years, and naturally, these two years were filled with memorable moments, from the iconic "circling back" to weird TikTok videos.

'Let Me Circle Back'

Jen Psaki's iconic catchphrase quickly turned into a meme; social media users were left almost readying their bingo cards for any White House press briefing. It would be surprising if the phrase wasn't used, but the number of times the press secretary circled back remains overwhelming.

The Daily Mail reported in February 2022 that Lake Superior State University dubbed the phrase "circle back" and its variations as overused, along with things like "Wait, what?" and "No worries". Well, maybe Psaki will find a new way to dodge questions during her tenure at MSNBC.

Psaki vs. Doocy

The constant squabbles between Psaki and Fox News reporter Peter Doocy became a must-have at the White House press briefings, with Doocy often being willing to shell the press secretary with tough questions, and Psaki sometimes being borderline rude towards the journalist.

"He works for a network that provides people with questions that, nothing personal to any individual, including Peter Doocy, but might make anyone sound like a stupid son of a b****," she once said of Doocy during her appearance on Pod Save America.

Psaki and Root Causes of Things

The outgoing White House press secretary has always had a solid reason to justify any of the Biden administration's misfortunes. For example, when it came to the hectic US withdrawal from Afghanistan, she would remain adamant that it was not a "strategic failure" of Joe Biden, but rather a consequence of the deal with the Taliban* penned by his predecessor, Donald Trump.

Inflation in the United States keeps rising for months? First of all, it's "transitory"; and second of all, there is always the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, to blame for this and the surge in energy prices. For weeks, the Biden administration, represented by Psaki, has been insisting that the struggles that the US economy has been facing are the result of Putin's actions.

Kickboxing and Margaritas

Jen Psaki could always offer you a piece of valuable advice. Back when the Republicans blocked a new voting rights bill filibuster rule, angering a lot of Democrats and those sympathising with them, the press secretary rolled out the most perfect recommendation ever.

"Everyone out there who is sad, frustrated, angry, pissed off- feel those emotions go to a kickboxing class, have a margarita, do whatever you need to do this weekend," Psaki told The View at the time.

What is it if not a recipe for success?

The White House intern

To be fair, those bizarre videos with "the White House intern" were not solely a Jen Psaki memorable moment - it was a moment to remember for the entire Biden administration.

In 2021, the White House decided to be closer to the younger generation and invited TikToker Benny Drama for a series of vaccine ads. The influencer, rocking some long nails and enjoying his coffee from a White House-branded paper cup, would stroll around the White House and give Psaki a hard time - all for the sake of vaccine promotion.

@bennydrama7 Kooper the (White House) intern wants SHOTS👏 IN 👏 ARMS 👏 Head to vaccines.gov for more information! WE DID IT, JOE! #vaccinated #vaccinatedfor ♬ National Anthem - Lana Del Rey

Who knows, maybe Psaki put this interaction in her resume as valuable experience in social media to impress her new employers at MSNBC.

To Be Continued...

With Psaki due to bid adieu to the White House on 13 May, she is heading to MSNBC. She has never elaborated about her deal with the network, but, according to reports, she might become the host of her own show on an unspecified topic. The outgoing press secretary said that she is leaving the job at the White House because she wants to spend more time with her two young children.

As with working for the White House, Psaki is no stranger to media networks: before joining the Obama administration as deputy communications director and then the State Department’s spokeswoman, Psaki worked as a CNN contributor.

Sometimes, life can be such a full circle.

*The Taliban is an organisation under UN sanctions over terrorist activity