Jen Psaki will be making a career shift. She’s going from being a leftwing mouthpiece parroting false talking points to…being a leftwing mouthpiece parroting false talking points.
Psaki has made the transition to cable news. She’ll be getting her own show on MSNBC. That’s per Axios, who reports the move will come as soon as this spring.
SCOOP: Jen Psaki planning to leave White House this spring for MSNBC gig https://t.co/UW5Kk5Ee9r
— Axios (@axios) April 1, 2022
A source close to this matter says Jen Psaki (White House press secretary) is currently in talks to join MSNBC after her departure from the White House, around May.
It matters why: It’s been speculated for weeks that Psaki would leave the White House for a TV gig. White House communications staffers are known to negotiate TV jobs after they have left an administration.
Details: Psaki has been in close consultation with the White House counsel’s office about her departure, according to two sources familiar with the plans. She’s been treading carefully on the ethics and legal aspects of her plans.
There was a time when CNN’s Brian Stelter decried the White House as a pipeline to cable news. This was in Trump’s time when all things were normal. Diverse. The steady flow of Biden officials to networks like his own and MSNBC doesn’t even rise to the level of a mention. This is really bizarre, right?
Regardless, it looks as if Psaki could replace Rachel Maddow, MSNBC’s longtime top-dog conspiracy theorist, who is apparently looking to drop the nightly grind for greener pastures. This could lead to Nicole Wallace being pushed out of the succession path, which is a bad television personality.
I’m skeptical that Psaki can do a good job at her new job. You don’t have to be a fanatic commentator in order to enjoy commentary TV. Tucker Carlson isn’t the top-rated cable news show in existence just because of his political views (which actually often run counter to the regular Republican narrative). Rather, he’s popular because he’s really, really good at what he does. Carlson’s delivery, dry sense of humor, relatability, and eye for story selection are all top-notch.
On that note, as much as I don’t like Rachel Maddow’s politics, she is actually really good on-air, and that’s played out in ratings vs. other far-left shows such as Don Lemon’s. You can see the similarities between Maddow and Jim Acosta. Psaki’s wine-sipping, overtly elitist snark will of course play well with the diehards, but MSNBC may find her appeal is limited.
Fox News has done something similar with Kayleigh McEnany, who is a far better public speaker and articulator of issues than Psaki, but they haven’t overplayed their hand. McEnany doesn’t have her own show and instead co-hosts a daytime program with several other women. Psaki’s role in primetime is a bit excessive for a network trying to win. I guess we’ll see how it goes for them.