Former White House press secretary and current MSNBC host Jen Psaki has decided to remove a controversial passage from her new book, "Say More," which described President Biden checking his watch during a ceremony for soldiers killed in the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
In the book, Psaki originally claimed that Biden “looked at his watch only after the ceremony had ended," and shortly after, he and the First Lady headed to their car. Critics argued that Biden's repeated watch-checking made him appear insensitive and unconcerned about the time.
However, reports from Axios revealed that Psaki's account contradicted fact-checks at the time, including accounts from photographers, Gold Star families in attendance, and sources like USA Today and Snopes.
Psaki acknowledged the discrepancy, stating that the “detail in a few lines of the book about the exact number of times he looked at his watch will be removed in future reprints and the ebook.”
She emphasized that the broader story on Afghanistan was about delivering difficult feedback, referencing her experience of telling Biden that his personal anecdotes of loss were poorly received by grieving families.
Critics, including former President Trump, have consistently condemned Biden’s handling of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Psaki, who left the White House in 2022, is now a prominent host and political analyst on MSNBC.