Former Biden press secretary holds softball interview with teachers’ union president

Former Biden White House press secretary Jen Psaki has a show on MSNBC and recently interviewed the president of the National Education Association (NEA) teachers’ union, Becky Pringle.

Psaki, known for her use of the phrase “circle back” while in the Biden administration, threw softball question after softball question to Pringle. She pointed out that her and her two children showered the children’s teachers with flowers and the like for “Teacher Appreciation Week.” Psaki also

Here are the questions that Psaki asked Pringle:

• What do teachers really want for “Teacher Appreciation Week”?
• Help me understand that [statistic where teacher salaries have gone down since 2014]?
• What can be done better to make sure that the best people are coming into the field to teach our children?
• How big of a challenge is that… if you’re a teacher in a state like Florida?

Do these questions qualify as hard-hitting or substantive questions? Hardly.

Pringle did not have to answer tough questions about the teachers’ union’s role in shutting schools down during the pandemic, which shutdown contributed to an increase in teenage suicides, depression and mental health issues, and regression in academic learning among students. Instead, she got a friendly interview and was able to air her gripes as a union leader. She pushed union talking points, such as teachers are chronically underpaid or how President Biden is helping unions like the NEA.

Psaki’s show, called “Inside with Jen Psaki,” focuses on one-on-one interviews and airs on Sundays at 12 PM Eastern Time. The show, like many on MSNBC, struggles to gain decent ratings.

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