Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, January 20, 2022
JANUARY 20, 2022
James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
1:52 P.M. EST
MS. PSAKI: Hi, everyone. Happy one year anniversary.
Q And to you.
MS. PSAKI: Time flies. I’m sure it has for all of you.
Okay, I don’t have anything at the top, so let’s kick off with your questions.
Q Okay. Thank you. Just a couple questions about yesterday.
MS. PSAKI: Sure.
Q The President said one of the things that’s been clear to him is the public doesn’t want to see him be the “President Senator.” And I was just wondering, does that mean he plans to step back from negotiations on the Hill going forward?
And related, he talked about the importance of him getting out of Washington and explaining his agenda. How often should we expect to see him out and about America?
MS. PSAKI: Well, first, I would say that one of my favorite things I have done since I took this job is to travel with the President because he absolutely loves engaging with people. It’s probably why he’s been in politics so long. He loves talking to people who agree with him, people who don’t agree with him.
And I think what you heard him say a lot last night is what — is reflective of what he’s been telling us for some time now, which is that he wants to do a lot more of that.
What that looks like on the schedule, we’re still determining that. But it certainly means you’ll see him out on the road more. You’ll see him probably bring members of Congress with him on Air Force One as he’s done recently, and he’s really enjoyed the opportunity to be able to have those free-ranging conversations with them on the back of Air Force One. And it means you’ll see him talking more about his agenda and what he’s doing to make people’s lives better.
So, we don’t have anything more to preview. But I think you heard very clearly multiple times last night from the President that that is how he wants to spend more of his time moving forward.
But to go back to the origin of your question there, Aamer: It doesn’t mean — what it means is he has a talented, experienced legislative team. Some have said one of the most experienced legislative teams in recent history. That is true. And he’s certainly going to continue to rely on them, and probably rely on them more to get a lot of the business done and negotiations and work with Congress.
He, of course, is always going to be someone who picks up the phone and talks to people he’s known for a long time in Congress, whether they’re Democrats or Republicans, and he’ll continue to do that. But it’s a reflection of how he wants to spend his time and his recognition that he wants to spend more time out in the country and less time behind closed doors negotiating.
Q And is that — is that a course correction or a lesson learned from the first year of being on the job and going through the paces?
Ο Υπουργός Ψηφιακής Διακυβέρνησης, Κυριάκος Πιερρακάκης. 
