In a new interview, MSNBC host and former White House press secretary Jen Psaki denied suggestions that those around Joe Biden deliberately concealed signs of his cognitive decline. Speaking on the Mixed Signals podcast and in comments published Friday by Semafor, Psaki claimed she never observed any signs of serious aging or decline in Biden during her tenure in the White House from 2021 to May 2022.
“I never saw that person — not a single time, and I was in the Oval Office every day, that was on that debate stage,” Psaki said, referring to Biden’s widely criticized performance in the June 2024 presidential debate. That event triggered alarm among Democrats and eventually led Biden to withdraw from the race the following month, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s nominee.
Psaki deflected to the natural process of aging, noting, “I’m not a doctor. Aging happens quite quickly.” She also clarified that she had not seen Biden in person for more than two years after leaving the administration, emphasizing that her perspective is limited to the time she worked closely with him.
The June debate became a turning point in American politics, with critics accusing the White House and its allies of hiding the president’s mental and physical decline. Psaki rejected that framing, particularly the use of the term “cover-up.”
“‘Cover-up’ is a very loaded term,” Psaki said. “People use that term as related to Watergate. Or the covering up of not sharing public information about a war. I think it’s a bit of a dangerous term.”
While stopping short of directly blaming the press, Psaki admitted that some key stories “may have been missed.”
“Maybe the media missed a lot,” she said. “There were major stories and moments missed.” Still, she argued that in hindsight it’s easier to critique the press’s decisions at the time.
Her remarks come as a growing number of media figures and political insiders reflect on how the press handled Biden’s health. At the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Axios reporter Alex Thompson conceded that the media “should have done better” in covering the issue.
Psaki suggested that partisan politics played a role in shaping the narrative early on, insisting that a “right-wing operation” had been accusing Biden of mental deterioration as early as 2019. “The majority of which wasn’t true, in 2019-2022,” she maintained. “That effort by the right worked.”
Others might contend that partisan politics played more of a role in the mainstream media’s lack of coverage on the issue than a “right-wing operation.”
As the conversation around Biden’s legacy evolves, Psaki voiced regret that the 2024 campaign may overshadow his accomplishments. “It’s heartbreaking,” she said. Her successor, Karine Jean-Pierre, had continued to defend the president’s fitness throughout the campaign, often calling videos showing Biden appearing disoriented “cheap fakes.”
Psaki is poised to step into a more prominent role at MSNBC. She will begin anchoring the network’s coveted 9 p.m. slot Tuesday through Friday, filling a gap once occupied by Rachel Maddow, who will now appear only on Monday nights. Psaki’s rise at MSNBC coincides with a media landscape reckoning with its coverage of Biden’s final campaign.
Her comments also follow the release of several books offering behind-the-scenes accounts of the 2024 election, including Uncharted by author Chris Whipple. In the book, Whipple alleges that Biden’s inner circle “convinced themselves in spite of the evidence” that he was capable of running again.
As Democrats look to rebuild trust ahead of the midterms, it has yet to be determined whether Psaki’s explanations will be believed by the public, or rebuild any of the trust in a network hemorrhaging viewers.
READ NEXT: Jen Psaki Fears For Journalists After Attempt On Trump’s Life
Peppermint Patty and her pals ever grow old. Including that funny looking kid with the big nose.