The new White House Press Secretary, Jen Psaki. File/Associated Press

Gulf Today Report

US President-elect Joe Biden on Sunday announced an all-female senior communications team at his White House, among those named was Jen Psaki, who will serve in the highly visible role of White House press secretary.

In what his office called a first in the country’s history that his stated desire to build out a diverse White House team.

Psaki, 41, has held a number of senior positions, including White House communications director for the Barack Obama-Biden administration.

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Four of the seven top communications roles at the White House will be filled by women of colour, and it’s the first time the entire senior White House communications team will be entirely female.

Neera Tanden speaks on the third day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. File/Reuters

President Donald Trump upended the ways in which his administration communicated with the press. In contrast with administrations past, Trump’s communications team held few press briefings, and those that did occur were often combative affairs riddled with inaccuracies and falsehoods.

Trump himself sometimes served as his own press secretary, taking questions from the media, and he often bypassed the White House press corps entirely by dialing into his favorite Fox News shows.

In a statement announcing the White House communications team, Biden said: “Communicating directly and truthfully to the American people is one of the most important duties of a President, and this team will be entrusted with the tremendous responsibility of connecting the American people to the White House.”

He added: “These qualified, experienced communicators bring diverse perspectives to their work and a shared commitment to building this country back better.”

Bedingfield, Psaki and Neera Tanden are all veterans of the Obama administration. Bedingfield served as communications director for Biden while he was vice president; Psaki was a White House communications director and a spokesperson at the State Department; and Tanden served as a senior adviser to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and helped craft the Affordable Care Act.