The Truth About Jen Psaki's Relationship With Peter Doocy Of Fox News
Every day, Fox News' Peter Doocy attempts to nab Jen Psaki with a "gotcha" question at the White House press briefing, and every day, she essentially shuts him down with an eye roll and a mild dose of sarcasm. The press secretary's dry responses to the conservative journalist have become so ubiquitous they've even spawned their own nickname: a "Psaki Bomb."
In one classic exchange, Doocy asked (via CBS News' Twitter), "For how long has the administration been spying on people's Facebook profiles, looking for vaccine information?" Psaki responded calmly, "That was quite a loaded and inaccurate question," and explained there is no "secret list." In another, he asked if Biden telling supporters "don't trust Donald Trump" on the campaign trail led to vaccine hesitancy and she said, "I would note that at the time, just for context, the former president was also suggesting people inject versions of poison into their veins to cure Covid." She definitely put a pin in that one.
But is there more to Doocy and the press secretary's relationship than just professional squabbling? Read on for more on these two.
Peter Doocy and Jen Psaki have spoken about their relationship
While they may seem to be constantly at each other's throats in the briefing room, both Press Secretary Jen Psaki and Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy have said in interviews that they have a perfectly cordial and productive professional relationship. "But my engagement with [Doocy], people don't always see this, but outside the briefing room, it is entirely professional and entirely, hopefully, responsive," Psaki said in an August interview with Mediaite. "There's a performative component from the TV side of the briefing room." She added, "He's somebody who engages with our staff, obviously, in the briefing room, but also beyond the briefing room as well."
As for Doocy, in an interview with Mediaite of his own, he praised Psaki for being willing to take tough questions. "The press secretary will still call on Fox whenever we're in the briefing room. The only time that we ever don't get called on are the days that we just don't physically have a seat in the briefing room because they have this social-distancing rotation," he said.
It may be more entertaining to imagine a bitter feud between the two, but it looks like everyone is just good at their jobs. Imagine that.