Obama surprises, thanks WH press secretary Josh Earnest during final briefing
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest came to the briefing room for his 354th and final press briefing on Tuesday afternoon -- and President Obama surprised him just as he began taking questions from reporters.
Earnest is “not only a great press secretary, but more importantly he’s a really, really good man,” Mr. Obama said. “And I’m really proud of him.”
Earnest reflected on his time as press secretary, listing the range of issues he’d discussed the podium.
“When you’re president of the United States and regarded as one of the most eloquent and thoughtful speakers on the planet, it must be hard to watch somebody go on TV and speak for you,” Earnest said of the president. “...He never second-guessed me, not once. He didn’t just give me the opportunity of a lifetime -- he had my back every single day and I’m grateful for it.”
Though his relationship with the press wasn’t always easy, Earnest said, “I take heart in knowing all of you will still be here” in the new administration. He called reporters’ work “critical to the success of democracy.”
“There will be days where you will wonder if what you’re doing even makes a difference,” he said. “...But I assure you, if you the most talented experienced effective press corps in the world didn’t play your part in our democracy we would all notice.”
Just as Earnest was about to begin taking reporters’ questions for the final time, Mr. Obama walked into the room to praise Earnest and congratulate him on his last day.
“What struck me most in addition to his smarts and his maturity and his actual interest in the issues was his integrity,” Mr. Obama said. “You know, there are people you meet who you have a pretty good inkling right off the bat are straight-shooters and were raised to be fundamentally honest and to treat people with respect.”
Mr. Obama noted that he’s now known Earnest, who first started working for him as a communications staffer in Iowa in 2007, for almost 10 years.
“I’ve watched him grow, and I’ve watched him advance, and I’ve watched him marry, and I’ve watched him be a father, and I’ve watched him manage younger people coming up behind him,” he said. “And he’s never disappointed, he has always been the guy you wanted him to be.”
As Mr. Obama left the room, reporters began shouting questions at him -- to which he replied, “tomorrow.” Mr. Obama is expected to give the final press conference of his presidency on Wednesday.