MSNBC host Jen Psaki reacted live on Sunday during her show, "Inside with Jen Psaki," to President Biden's decision to drop out of the 2024 race.
"There’s very little indication from people close to him and many people in the campaign that this was about to happen," she said. "As much as there were reports of Democrats calling on him to do that."
The president announced on Sunday that he will "stand down" from the 2024 race, following many calls from prominent Democrats.
"I don’t think either of us had any indication," Psaki said to her guest, Tim Miller. "I always believe you have to share with the public what you know, and what you don’t know. We knew about the calls, but no official indication, even 10 minutes ago."
"I spoke with Keisha Lance Bottoms earlier, a senior adviser, and she had no indication either," she added.
"I am digesting this myself here," Psaki continued. "I worked for him for a year and a half. He is a remarkable person, a remarkable president. He has had such a tremendous presidency, overcoming odds and defying expectations."
"He passed an infrastructure bill, led through COVID, and pulled the country together," Psaki said, starting to get choked up.
"He did all of those things and will continue to do those things. He is also a deeply good human being. I am digesting this myself. I just want to share that," she said.
Biden endorsed Vice President Harris as the presidential nominee shortly after his initial statement.
In a lengthy letter posted to social media, Biden touted his progress and said he would speak more about his decision later in the week.
"It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your president," Biden wrote. "While it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interests of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term."