History of Jen Psaki in Timeline
Jen Psaki is an American political analyst and former government official who served as the 34th White House press secretary under President Biden until May 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, she held various communication roles in both the Obama and Biden administrations, including White House deputy press secretary, White House deputy communications director, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, and White House communications director. Before her role in the Biden administration, Psaki worked as a political contributor for CNN from 2017 to 2020. Currently, she hosts the MSNBC talk show "Inside with Jen Psaki."
1904: Psaki's paternal grandfather emigrates from Greece
Psaki's paternal grandfather emigrated from Greece in 1904.
1910: Birth of Psaki's maternal grandparents
Psaki's maternal grandparents, Sylvester J. Dailey and Genevieve Lambert, were both born in 1910.
1916: Birth of Psaki's paternal grandfather
Psaki's paternal grandfather, Raoul Psaki, was born in 1916.
1976: Marriage of Psaki's parents
Jen Psaki's parents married in 1976.
December 1, 1978: Birth of Jen Psaki
Jen Psaki was born on December 1, 1978, in New York City.
1978: Psaki's birth and parents' marriage
Jen Psaki was born in 1978, two years after her parents married.
1987: Death of Psaki's paternal grandmother
Psaki's paternal grandmother, Mary Keane, died in 1987.
1994: Death of Psaki's maternal grandfather
Psaki's maternal grandfather, Sylvester J. Dailey, passed away in 1994.
1996: Psaki graduates from Greenwich High School
Jen Psaki graduated from Greenwich High School in 1996.
2000: Psaki graduates from the College of William & Mary
Jen Psaki graduated from the College of William & Mary in 2000 with a degree in English and Sociology.
2001: Psaki begins her political career
Psaki started her career in 2001, working on re-election campaigns for Iowa Democrats.
2002: Death of Psaki's maternal grandmother
Psaki's maternal grandmother, Genevieve Lambert, passed away in 2002.
2004: Psaki works on John Kerry's presidential campaign
In 2004, Psaki served as deputy press secretary for John Kerry's presidential campaign.
2005: Psaki works for Joseph Crowley and the DCCC
From 2005 to 2006, Psaki worked as communications director for U.S. Representative Joseph Crowley and regional press secretary for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
2006: Meeting Greg Mecher
Jen Psaki and Greg Mecher met at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2006.
2008: Psaki works on Obama's presidential campaign
During the 2008 presidential campaign, Psaki served as traveling press secretary for Barack Obama.
December 19, 2009: Psaki promoted to Deputy Communications Director
On December 19, 2009, Psaki was promoted to Deputy Communications Director in the White House.
2009: Jen Psaki serves as White House Deputy Press Secretary
In 2009, Jen Psaki served as the White House Deputy Press Secretary under the Obama administration.
2009: Death of Psaki's paternal grandfather
Psaki's paternal grandfather, Raoul Psaki, passed away in 2009.
May 8, 2010: Marriage to Greg Mecher
On May 8, 2010, Jen Psaki married Greg Mecher, who was then chief of staff to Congressman Steve Driehaus.
September 22, 2011: Psaki leaves White House for Global Strategy Group
On September 22, 2011, Psaki left the White House to join Global Strategy Group.
2011: Psaki leaves White House for Global Strategy Group
In 2011, Psaki left her position at the White House to join Global Strategy Group.
2012: Psaki works on Obama's re-election campaign
In 2012, Psaki worked as the press secretary for President Obama's re-election campaign.
February 11, 2013: Psaki becomes spokesperson for the State Department
On February 11, 2013, Psaki became the spokesperson for the United States Department of State.
2013: Psaki becomes spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State
In 2013, Psaki took on the role of spokesperson for the United States Department of State.
May 30, 2014: Josh Earnest replaces Jay Carney as White House Press Secretary
On May 30, 2014, Josh Earnest was announced as the replacement for Jay Carney as White House Press Secretary.
2015: Psaki returns to White House as Communications Director
Psaki returned to the White House as Communications Director in 2015.
2015: Psaki returns to White House as Communications Director
Psaki returned to the White House in 2015 to serve as Communications Director.
February 7, 2017: Psaki joins CNN
Psaki started working as a political commentator at CNN on February 7, 2017.
2017: Psaki joins CNN as political commentator
Psaki joined CNN as a political commentator in 2017.
November 2020: Psaki joins Biden-Harris transition team and is named White House Press Secretary
In November 2020, Psaki left CNN, joined the Biden-Harris transition team, and was subsequently named the White House Press Secretary.
2020: Psaki leaves CNN
Psaki left CNN in 2020.
January 20, 2021: Psaki holds first press briefing
Psaki held her first White House press briefing on January 20, 2021.
August 2021: Biden administration withdraws from Afghanistan
The Biden administration withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021.
March 22, 2022: Psaki tests positive for COVID-19
On March 22, 2022, Jen Psaki tested positive for COVID-19 for the second time in six months.
May 2022: Jen Psaki leaves White House Press Secretary role
In May 2022, Jen Psaki left her position as the White House Press Secretary.
May 24, 2022: MSNBC hires Psaki
On May 24, 2022, MSNBC announced that they had hired Jen Psaki.
February 2023: MSNBC announces Psaki's new show
In February 2023, MSNBC announced that Psaki would host a new Sunday morning program.
March 2023: Jen Psaki starts MSNBC show
Jen Psaki began hosting "Inside with Jen Psaki" on MSNBC in March 2023.
March 19, 2023: "Inside with Jen Psaki" premieres
Psaki's new show, "Inside with Jen Psaki," premiered on MSNBC on March 19, 2023.
September 25, 2023: "Inside with Jen Psaki" gets primetime slot
On September 25, 2023, "Inside with Jen Psaki" moved to MSNBC's Monday 8 p.m. Eastern primetime slot.
May 2024: Psaki releases book, "Say More"
Jen Psaki released her book, "Say More: Lessons from Work, the White House, and the World," in May 2024.
June 2024: Psaki agrees to interview with House committee
In June 2024, Psaki agreed to appear before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
July 13, 2024: Psaki endorses Kamala Harris
On July 13, 2024, Jen Psaki endorsed Kamala Harris for president.
July 26, 2024: Psaki appears before House committee
Psaki appeared before the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs on July 26, 2024, for a transcribed interview.
2024: Psaki to appear on MSNBC during 2024 elections
MSNBC stated that Psaki would make appearances on their network during coverage of the 2024 presidential elections.