Jen Psaki reflects on her service in a variety of communications and advisory roles on the Obama 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns and in the Obama administration, including White House deputy press secretary, White House deputy communications director, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, and White House communications director. Psaki recounts her initial impressions of Barack Obama, shares memories from the Obama 2008 campaign, and outlines the responsibilities of each of her positions. She describes the challenges of communicating about complex economic conditions and policy efforts, and provides details about the administration's approach to messaging about issues and initiatives including the instability in the financial system, the persistence of high unemployment, healthcare reform and the Affordable Care Act, birtherism and right-wing conspiracy theories, the Middle East peace process, and the Iran nuclear negotiations. Psaki also explains the differences between campaign, domestic policy, and foreign policy communications, and she speaks widely about the culture and organization of the White House press office. Also discussed are the evolution of gender dynamics in the Obama White House, the administration's engagement with digital and social media, the administration's response to instances of racist violence, the 2016 Democratic primary and general election, and the Obama-Trump transition
Presidents--United States; Presidents--Transition periods--United States; Presidential press secretaries--United States; Communication in politics--United States; Health care reform--United States; Arab-Israeli conflict--Peace; Nuclear nonproliferation--Government policy--Iran; Psaki, Jen; Obama, Barack; United States. Office of the White House Press Secretary; United States; Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
Format
oral histories
Genre
Interviews
Date
2022
Physical Description
63 pages
Note (Biographical)
Jen Psaki is an American public servant, political advisor, and communications professional. She served in a variety of advisory and communications roles on the Obama 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns, and in the Obama administration as White House deputy press secretary in 2009, White House deputy communications director from 2009 to 2011, spokesperson for the United States Department of State from 2013 to 2015, and White house communications director from 2015 to 2017. She also served as White House press secretary in the Biden-Harris administration from January 2021 until May 2022
Note
Interviewed by Julius Wilson on June 23, 2022. This interview is part of the Columbia University: Obama Presidency Oral History
Note (Provenance)
Jen Psaki, Gift, transferred from Columbia Center for Oral History Research 2023