Karine Jean-Pierre and Peter Doocy Share Playful Farewell in Final White House Press Briefing Exchange

In what was anticipated to be their last press conference together, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy shared a lighthearted exchange that left Doocy blushing in the White House briefing room.

At the start of his questions on Monday, Doocy expressed appreciation for Jean-Pierre’s approach. “If I don’t see you again in the briefing, thank you for always … You could have stopped taking the hard questions years ago, and you didn’t, so we appreciate that,” he said.

Jean-Pierre responded playfully, saying, “This is, let’s say, one last dance, right? How will I fill that void without you? Start some rumors in here, I guess.” A nearby reporter chimed in, noting Doocy’s visible embarrassment, “He’s getting red, too, a little bit.”

As the moment lightened the room, Doocy asked his final question: “Between next Monday and 2028, who’s the leader of the Democratic Party?”

Jean-Pierre deflected the query with humor. “Oh, my goodness. Wow. Honestly, that is for people much smarter than I to make that assessment, that decision,” she replied. “I cannot predict the future, so that is not something that I’m going to do from here.”

Doocy quipped, “So, no leader of the party.” Jean-Pierre quickly countered, “That’s not what I said. I’m regretting this right now, regretting all of this. That’s not what I said.”

She elaborated, “You asked me about what 2028 is going to look like between now and 2028. That’s not for me to decide. That’s not for me to speak to.”

Shifting the focus, Jean-Pierre highlighted President Biden’s extensive service to the nation. “This is a president that has served more than 50 years, who has given all of himself, if you will, right, as a public servant, whether as a senator, as a local elected official, as a vice president, and now as president,” she said.

She concluded by emphasizing Biden’s dedication to the country. “I think anybody who has served that long and does it from their heart and soul because they believe this country deserves so much more, they believe that the American people deserve more, and has worked day in and day out, certainly as president in the last four years, I think deserves some respect.”

The exchange ended on a note of mutual respect, underscoring the dynamic between the press secretary and the correspondent throughout their tenure.