Former press secretary Jen Psaki worried about Biden ‘as a person’
What was long suspected has finally become widely talked about, and it turns out that White House staffers knew how difficult President Joe Biden's health situation might be.
Jen Psaki, a former White House press secretary and MSNBC anchor, expressed concern regarding President Biden "as a person" during a summer that was "heartbreaking." according to the Biden admin alum.
Psaki participated in a conversation with Mark Leibovich, a writer for The Atlantic, at the Texas Tribune Festival on Friday, as the New York Post reported.
Leibovich was interested in understanding the sentiments of an individual who collaborated closely with Biden during the infamous June debate, which was a focal point of the president's eligibility for a second term.
From Psaki
The former press secretary talked about what she felt with the advent of the 2024 presidential election: “Well, watching it, my first reaction was not, ‘Oh my gosh, Trump is going to win the election.’
"That was not my reaction. I care about him as a human being. And my first reaction was, I do care about him a lot, was like, ‘Is he OK?’” Psaki said.
According to the former Biden aide, Biden's health concerns were something of a known quantity, and she was not divided on the issue.
“Honestly, it was like, ‘Is he OK? And I don’t say that because I was feeling like I was going to go on Twitter and be alarmist, but I care for him as a person,” she continued. “I was worried about him as a person.”
A Call for Change
When the first presidential debate was over, Democratic allies were shocked to see that Biden appeared confused, uncertain, and hoarse during the poor performance.
As soon as the debate was over, calls came for Biden to step aside from the mainstream media and even some Democrats.
However, the president originally argued that it was merely a "bad night," but in the end, he caved and decided not to run for re-election. Many people believed that the concerns over Biden's age and mental acuity were justified.
Stepping Down
There was much relief in America when Biden announced that he would be suspending his presidential campaign, but for some it was even more personal.
As the news broke during her MSNBC program, Psaki admitted that she got "emotional" on air. She believes that the Americans went through a "incredibly difficult roller coaster" during the debate and the weeks that followed.
“The summer, I think, was heartbreaking and difficult for so many people. People who loved him, people who were fearful of Trump winning, people who loved Harris, people with all sorts of emotions within this country,” Psaki said.
“And as much as I was on television talking about this, I experienced that too, as a human being,” she added.
As of May 2022, Psaki had completed her term as Biden's press secretary and had joined MSNBC.