Psaki Invokes Trump as Dow Drops 1,100 Points, Says “Public Health Officials” Know Best for Kids — Not Parents

On 1/24/2022, Press Secretary Jen Psaki immediately invoked Trump when asked whether Biden considered the Dow Jones dropping over 1,100 points a “big deal,” saying “unlike his predecessor, the president does not look at the stock market” as a measure of the economy. She also said “public health officials” — not parents — make the best decisions for children’s health, confirmed there was no plan for military evacuation of Americans from Ukraine, and had no update on when Biden would appoint a U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine amid the Russian military buildup.

Dow Drops 1,100 — Psaki Blames Trump

Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked: “Does the President think it’s a big deal that today the Dow Jones is down at one point more than 1,100 points?”

Psaki’s first instinct was to mention Trump. “Well, to start with, we focus on the trends in the economy, not any one day and any single indicator. Unlike his predecessor, the president does not look at the stock market as a means by which to judge the economy,” she said.

The response was notable given that Biden himself had touted the stock market just days earlier at his press conference, saying it was “about 20 percent higher than it was when my predecessor was there” and “has hit record after record after record on my watch."

"Public Health Officials” Over Parents

A reporter asked about the clash in Virginia, where seven school districts representing 350,000 students were suing the state to reinstate a strict mask mandate that new Governor Glenn Youngkin had rolled back. “Who does the president think knows best for students — school board members or parents?” the reporter asked.

Psaki sided with officials over parents. “The president believes that public health officials have the best guidance on what we can all do to protect ourselves, including teachers, administrators, and students,” she said.

The response came amid a national debate over parental rights in education — the same issue that had propelled Youngkin to victory in Virginia just months earlier.

No Military Evacuation Plan for Ukraine

With more than 100,000 Russian troops massed on Ukraine’s border, a reporter pressed Psaki on what would happen to Americans still in Ukraine if Russia invaded. “If Americans are still in Ukraine and things start happening with Russia, are they pretty much on their own?” the reporter asked.

Psaki confirmed there was “not an intention or a plan for any military evacuation,” comparing the situation to embassy drawdowns in Ethiopia and Kazakhstan. “We are conveying very clearly now that now is the time to leave and that there are means to do that — commercial airlines, you can depart over land,” she said.

She also acknowledged the State Department did not have an accurate count of American citizens in Ukraine. “We do not have an account that we consider to be accurate of the number of Americans, private Americans, who are resident in Ukraine,” Psaki said.

No U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine

A reporter noted the conspicuous absence of a U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine during the most serious European security crisis in decades. “Where do things stand on appointing somebody?” the reporter asked.

“I don’t have any update on the status at this point in time,” Psaki said.

Nord Stream 2: “A Fundamentally Bad Deal”

The briefing also addressed the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. “No country should be able to use energy as a weapon. No country should be able to use energy to coerce policies from other nations,” a senior official said. “Nord Stream 2 pipeline — we think it’s a fundamentally bad deal for Europe. It will fundamentally destabilize Ukraine.”

Afghanistan Shadow Over Ukraine

A reporter raised Russian propaganda in Ukraine pointing to the Afghanistan withdrawal as evidence that “the United States is an unreliable ally using Ukraine as a pawn.” Psaki dismissed it as “the old Russian propaganda playbook” but acknowledged she had “not spoken with our national security team about that.”

The Ukrainian foreign ministry had described the U.S. decision to draw down its embassy in Kyiv as “premature” and “a manifestation of excess caution.” A reporter asked whether this was “the afterglow of what happened in Afghanistan.” Psaki said the drawdown was “more akin to what we did in Ethiopia and Kazakhstan.”

Key Takeaways

Psaki immediately invoked Trump when asked about the Dow dropping 1,100 points, saying Biden “does not look at the stock market” — days after Biden himself had touted stock market records.
She said “public health officials,” not parents, have the best guidance for children’s health, taking the side of school districts suing to reinstate mask mandates.
There was no plan for military evacuation of Americans from Ukraine, and the State Department had no accurate count of U.S. citizens there.
Biden still had not appointed a U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine amid the worst European security crisis in decades.
The Ukrainian foreign ministry called the U.S. embassy drawdown “premature” as Russia accused America of being an unreliable ally.

Transcript Highlights

The following is transcribed from the video audio (unverified — AI-generated from audio).

Does the president think it’s a big deal that the Dow Jones is down more than 1,100 points? Unlike his predecessor, the president does not look at the stock market as a means by which to judge the economy.
Who does the president think knows best for students, school board members or parents? The president believes that public health officials have the best guidance.
There is not an intention or a plan for any military evacuation. We do not have an accurate count of Americans who are resident in Ukraine.
Nord Stream 2 pipeline — we think it’s a fundamentally bad deal for Europe. It will fundamentally destabilize Ukraine.
The Ukrainian foreign ministry said the decision to draw down the US presence was premature and a manifestation of excess caution.

Full transcript: 877 words transcribed via Whisper AI.