Press Secretary Jen Psaki keeps a photo from the night before the 2016 election in her office


If there's one thing White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki seems to understand, it's that no congressional outcome, legislative result, or presidential legacy is guaranteed — but she has to do her job anyway.
Fittingly, Psaki keeps a photo from the night before the 2016 election in her office. Why? Because "it's a reminder of how things can change," she told Vogue. In the photo, Psaki is standing amongst a crowd of notable "smiling Democrats," like former President Barack Obama, then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, and Susan Rice.
"All of us were so happy," said Psaki. Those in the picture believed themselves on the brink of a Hillary Clinton administration. "We're like, 'It's going to be amazing,'" she added. Now, the "tragic" image instead emphasizes that "there are times where you have to be on the journey and recognize that sometimes you don't know what the end is going to be, right?," the press secretary explained. "Maybe it's going to be great. And maybe it's not." Read more at Vogue.
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Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
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