The Conversation (0)
Liam O'Dell
Apr 24, 2023
Jen Psaki asks John Kerry if he wants ice cream after warning of climate crisis
content.jwplatform.com
Just short of a year out of the White House, former Press Secretary Jen Psaki is now the one asking politicians tough questions with her new MSNBC talk show, Inside with Jen Psaki.
Ms Psaki, who stepped down as US president Joe Biden’s media representative in May last year, managed to interview some big names on Sunday’s edition of the programme - in the form of Democrat politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and John Kerry, the US’s climate envoy.
While AOC’s interview made headlines as she accused Fox News host Tucker Carlson of ‘inciting violence’, comments made by Ms Psaki to Mr Kerry during their conversation have instead raised eyebrows.
At one point, Mr Kerry was pretty clear in stressing the danger that the climate crisis poses to life on Earth, saying: “I’m not going to worry about my legacy, I’m going to worry about the planet and whether we are advancing…
“It sounds kind of highfaluting, probably, to say that, but the planet is at risk. I mean, it is at risk.
“We had 18 over $1 billion events in the United States last year alone. You see the record heat, so if you can’t see all of those things and take them in and be motivated, then something’s off, I think.”
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Ms Psaki, understanding the gravity of the climate envoy’s comments, replied: “Now I remember well that you have a bit of a sweet tooth – I do too. Do you want to go get some ice cream over there?”
Timing, Jen. Timing.
Of course, such an unintentionally dismissive response to such a serious subject matter has since prompted comparisons to Don’t Look Up.
The 2021 film, in which Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio play astronomers warning the world of a comet that will destroy Earth, features a scene in which two news presenters fail to respond to this news appropriately:
\u201cAstonishing. Another example of how corporate media doesn't take the #climatecrisis seriously enough.\n\nJohn Kerry is talking about the existential threat of the climate crisis. Our planet is at risk. Extremely important topic.\n\nPsaki responds with let's go get some ice cream.\u201d— The Bern Identity (@The Bern Identity) 1682287556
\u201cDon't Look Up was a documentary\u201d— Alex Predhome (@Alex Predhome) 1682342300
\u201cThis is Don\u2019t Look Up right here.\u201d— Amos Allison (@Amos Allison) 1682341187
\u201cJen Psaki with a hard-hitting interview of John Kerry:\n\n"I remember well that you have a bit of a sweet tooth. Do you want to go get some ice cream?"\u201d— RNC Research (@RNC Research) 1682270922
\u201cshoulda been a scene in Don't Look Up\u201d— David Sirota (@David Sirota) 1682308475
\u201cThis is what @davidsirota wrote about in \u201cDon\u2019t Look Up\u201d\u201d— Nina Turner (@Nina Turner) 1682292160
It isn’t the first time Ms Psaki has brought up ice cream in a political setting either, as comments made during a White House press briefing in January last year went viral when she brought up the unusual topic in response to a reporter’s question.
When the journalist asked if there’s a sense within the Biden administration that “things are going well [so] there’s no need for change”, the then press secretary replied: “I think that having worked in the White House before, you do hard things in White Houses.
“You have every challenge laid at your feet, whether it’s global or domestically, and we could certainly propose legislation to see if people support bunny rabbits and ice cream, but that wouldn’t be very rewarding to the American people.”
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