>> IF YOU TELL HIM NO AND YOU
CAN TELL PRESIDENTS NO, THEN
ACTUALLY SOME OF THAT BEHAVIOR
CAN ACTUALLY BE ADJUSTED.
THAT’S BEHIND US.
LET’S LOOK FORWARD RIGHT NOW.
AND BRING IN JEN PSAKI.
JEN, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY.
>> I MUST SAY WE WERE ALL
DISAPPOINTED THERE WERE NO
OVERHEAD PHOTOS OF CROWD SIZES.
NO.
I WANT TO ASK YOU, HOW MUCH HAVE
YOU STUDIED UP ON THE HISTORY OF
BEING A PRESS SECRETARY?
I REMEMBER READING MARLON FITS
WATER’S BOOK AND BEING
FASCINATED THAT EVEN ON HIS LAST
DAY AS PRESS SECRETARY THEY WENT
AFTER HIM TOUGH.
AND HE’S LIKE I NEVER GET A
BREAK FROM THESE PEOPLE.
THEY GAVE HIM A CAKE AT THE END.
HE SAID AT THAT POINT I REALIZE
THEY LIKED ME.
THEY WERE JUST DOING THEIR JOB.
IT’S A TOUGH JOB.
AND I CAN’T TAKE IT PERSONALLY.
>> THAT’S EXACTLY RIGHT, JOE.
AND I COME TO THIS JOB HAVING
SAT IN THE ROOM AS A DEPUTY
PRESS SECRETARY DURING THE OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION.
I KNOW FULL WELL THERE ARE DAYS
IN THE BRIEFING ROOM, AND MAYBE
TODAY, WHERE THE PRESS ARE GOING
TO COME AT ME HARD AND ASK ME
TOUGH QUESTIONS AND THEY WON’T
BE SATISFIED WITH WHAT THEY
HEAR.
AND WE WILL HAVE DISAGREEMENTS,
AS I SAID YESTERDAY.
THAT IS PART OF A DEMOCRACY.
THAT IS PART OF HAVING A PERSON
WHO IS SERVING IN THAT ROLE
THROUGHOUT HISTORY.
I HAVE TALKED TO A LOT OF MY
PREDECESSORS ABOUT THIS.
YOU HAVE GOOD DAYS, DAYS YOU
FEEL YOU SERVED THE PRESIDENT
WELL, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WELL,
DAYS YOU WISH YOU HAD SAID
SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
THAT’S OKAY TOO.
I WILL SAY WHEN I TALKED TO
PRESIDENT-ELECT BIDEN ABOUT THE
JOB, HE SAID TO ME THAT TONE
COMING FROM THE BRIEFING ROOM
AND MAKING SURE THERE IS
ALIGNMENT ON TONE AND HOW WE ARE
PROJECTING INFORMATION AND
SHARING DATA AND SHARING POLICY
IS IMPORTANT TO HIM.
HE WOULD BE WATCHING.
HE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE WERE
ON THE SAME PAGE OR I’M ON THE
SAME PAGE AS HIM OF COURSE.
IT SPEAKS TO WHAT YOU WERE
SAYING EARLIER.
HOW IT REALLY COMES FROM THE
TOP.
AND THAT’S WHERE I TAKE MY
MESSAGING FROM OF COURSE, THE
TONE I’M GOING TO SPEAK TO.
AND THAT’S WHAT I WILL TRY TO
MODEL.
I TRIED TO MODEL YESTERDAY.
>> WELL, WHAT WE SAW THE PAST
FOUR YEARS WAS A LACK OF
UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THIS JOB
IS AND WHY IT IS SO VERY
IMPORTANT.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT IS YOUR JOB
AND WHAT IS THE DUTY YOU’LL BE
PERFORMING FOR THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE?
.
>> WELL, IF PRESIDENT BIDEN WERE
STANDING BY ME RIGHT NOW HE
WOULD SAY I WORK FOR THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE.
AND SO DO I.
PART OF THAT JOB IS SHARING HIS
THINKING.
SHARING INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT
THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT,
WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE IS DOING ON
POLICIES TO HELP THE MILES AN
HOUR PEOPLE.
IT’S TAKING QUESTIONS, TOUGH
QUESTIONS ON MANY DAYS FROM THE
PRESS ABOUT THE POLICIES, BEING
PUSHED ON OUR POLICIES AND
WHETHER WE’RE DELIVERING ON OUR
PROMISES.
AND IT’S ALSO BEING STRAIGHT AND
TRANSPARENT
TRANSPARENT.
THERE IS NO BETTER EXAMPLE THAN
THAT, THAN COVID-19 AND OUR
EFFORTS TO GET THE PAUPL UNDER
CONTROL.
THERE ARE GOING TO BE DAYS WHEN
PEOPLE WILL NOT BE HEARING WHAT
THEY WANT TO HEAR, WHERE THE
DATA WILL BE CONCERNING AND
TROUBLING.
WE WANT TO BRING TRANSPARENCY
BACK.
AND SO WE’RE JUST GOING TO TRY
TO DELIVER ON THAT IN THE
BRIEFING ROOM.
THE JOB, THE BACK AND FORTH IS
THE JOB.
THE HEALTHY DEBATE, HEALTHY
DISCUSSION IN THE BRIEFING ROOM
IS PART OF THE JOB OF THE WHITE
HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY.
>> HEY, JEN, IT’S WILLIE.
GOOD MORNING.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> WELCOME TO THE JOB.
LOOK FORWARD TO TALKING TO YOU
FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS.
AS YOU SAID, HE IS GOING TO BE
BIFURCATED.
HE HAS A LOT TO DO.
A LOT HE WANTS TO DO.
DOES HE BELIEVE DONALD TRUMP
COMMITTED IMPEACHABLE OFFENSES
IN THE LEADUP TO JANUARY 6th?
.
>> IT’S QUITE A POPULAR
QUESTION, WHICH I UNDERSTAND.
I ANSWERED IT A COUPLE TIMES
YESTERDAY.
AND I TALKED WITH HIM ABOUT THIS
AS WELL.
HE HAS GREAT RESPECT FOR WHAT
THEY DO AND ALL THE ABILITIES
THEY HAVE, THE CAPACITIES THEY
HAVE, AND THE CONSTITUTIONAL
DUTY THAT THEY ARE ALL SERVING.
HE WILL DETERMINE THE PACE, THE
MECHANICS OF HOLDING THE
PRESIDENT ACCOUNT KNOWLEDGE.
FORMER PRESIDENT.
I’M STILL GETTING USED TO THAT.
HIS FOCUS IS GOING TO BE GETTING
THE PANDEMIC UNDER CONTROL.
THAT’S HOW HE IS GOING TO USE
HIS BULLY PULPIT, HOW HE WILL
DIRECT CONVERSATIONS WITH HIM.
THAT’S WHAT HE IS GOING TO DO IN
THE DAYS AHEAD.
>> DOES THE PRESIDENT HAVE A
PERSONAL VIEW WHETHER DONALD
TRUMP COMMITTED IMPEACHABLE
OFFENSES?
>> HE SPENT 36 YEARS IN THE
SENATE.
HE’S RETIRED FROM THE SENATE.
NOW HE’S GOVERNING FOR ALL THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE.
SO HE’S GOING TO FOCUS ON
DELIVERING ON WHAT HE FEELS THAT
HE PROMISED TO DELIVER ON WHEN
HE WAS RUNNING FOR OFFICE.
>> OBVIOUSLY CORONAVIRUS IS
SITTING IN FRONT OF YOU, JEN.
IF YOU CAN LAY OUT THE PLAN FOR
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WHO FRANKLY
HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR A PLAN FOR
AN ENTIRE YEAR, WHAT’S HAPPENING
TODAY TO CHANGE THE TRAJECTORY
OF A CRISIS THAT CLAIMED A NEW
RECORD YESTERDAY IN TERMS OF
DEATHS?
>> WELL, WILLIE, TODAY THE
PRESIDENT WILL BE SIGNING 10
EXECUTIVE ORDERS BUILDING ON
WHAT HE DID YESTERDAY, REJOINING
THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION,
MASK MANDATE.
TODAY HE WILL LAY OUT MORE
SPECIFICS ABOUT WHAT THE PATH
FORWARD WILL LOOK LIKE, THE
DISTRIBUTION PLAN, STEPS HE CAN
TAKE WITHIN MISS PRESIDENTIAL
POWER TO DO THAT.
I WILL BE BRINGING DR. FAUCI TO
THE BRIEFING ROOM TODAY AS PART
OF OUR EFFORT TO ESPECIALLY SURE
WE’RE HAVING PUBLIC HEALTH
EXPERTS, MEDICAL EXPERTS LEADING
OUR COMMUNICATION ABOUT THE
PROCESS THAT IS UNDER WAY TO GET
THE PANDEMIC UNDER CONTROL.
BUT IT’S MULTIPART, WILLIE.
IT’S NOT GOING -- WE’RE NOT
GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET OUT OF
THE PANDEMIC OR GET THE PANDEMIC
UNDER CONTROL OVERNIGHT.
IT’S GOING TO TAKE MONTHS AND
MONTHS.
WE WANT TO ALSO BE CLEAR IN
SETTING THAT EXPECTATION WITH
THE AMERICAN PUBLIC.
SO TODAY HE WILL SPEND THE DAY