Jen Psaki Discusses Challenges for Democrats in Media Coverage

MS NOW host Jen Psaki expressed concern that the Democratic Party struggles to gain visibility in the current media landscape. She speculated on whether she could be partly responsible, due to the frequent news coverage of former President Donald Trump, even on her own show.

Psaki conversed with former ABC News journalist Terry Moran about the Democrats’ failure to lead in polls prior to the November midterm elections, despite Trump’s low approval ratings. Psaki acknowledged that Democratic enthusiasm was high but noted that the party often appeared defined by opposition to Trump.

“It has taken some time for a lot of the leading Democratic voices to move from just anti-Trump to more than anti-Trump, right? To, ‘We’re not for Trump, but here’s what we’re offering,’” Psaki explained.

She emphasized that while Democrats have substantive plans, such as providing additional health care for children under six, these policies struggle to receive media attention due to Trump’s dominating presence in the news cycle.

Psaki acknowledged her role in this dynamic, stating, “I would also say, to take a little bit of the blame off of leading Democrats, it’s very hard to break through with that stuff… because the things Trump is doing every day are so crazy.” She noted the difficulty in deciding whom to feature on her show, given the temptation to react to Trump-related news.

MS NOW host said, “Maybe that’s a mistake.” She suggested that the public might not be sufficiently informed about the Democrats’ plans, despite their dislike for Trump.

Moran agreed, pondering journalists’ responsibility in deciding whether to focus on Trump’s daily activities or the broader implications of his administration.

“And, you know, he is chaos and dominates every second of every day as much as he can,” Moran remarked, highlighting the challenge for journalists in choosing content coverage.

Psaki also referenced past discussions about the 25th Amendment, expressing skepticism about its practicality and critiquing the time spent on such conversations.

In April, she shared with Stephen A. Smith her view that the focus on invoking the 25th Amendment against Trump was often unproductive, adding, “I mean, you’ve talked about the 25th Amendment… I have no issue with people saying they’re for invoking the 25th Amendment, but it’s not going to happen.”