Jen Psaki’s comment on the Space Force and the controversy that followed explained

The White House press secretary Jen Psaki’s dismissive comments about the Space Force earlier this week highlighted how conservatives are thirsting for outrageous fuel. But it also illustrated a challenge the Biden administration faces in trying to deal with the legacy of former President Donald Trump.

Psaki was asked on Tuesday by Bloomberg White House reporter Josh Wingrove whether Biden made a decision about “maintaining or maintaining the scope of the Space Force”. Psaki responded as if she had been asked about the happy hour specials at Trump International Hotel.

“Wow, Space Force. It’s today’s plane, ”said Psaki sarcastically, referring to silly questions she answered during her first press conference about Biden’s thoughts on Air Force One color scheme.“ I’m happy to check with our point of view. Space Force contact. I’m not sure who it is. I’ll find out and see if we have any updates on that. “

Trump administration press conferences were more like professional wrestling matches than bona fide attempts to share information with the American public. As tame as it is compared to Sarah Sanders using a manipulated video to demean Jim Acosta or Sean Spicer declaring war on sensory perception itself, Psaki’s exchange with Wingrove is as controversial as the Biden-era briefings have come so far.

Psaki disrespected a Trump branding project, not the troops

On the one hand, Psaki’s contempt is understandable. As Defense News recently explained, the Space Force “is fundamentally a redesign of the legacy Air Force space organizations – specifically the now defunct Air Force Space Command.” Trump pushed for his establishment primarily as a marketing and fundraising opportunity for his campaign. Even before the Space Force officially opened in late 2019, the Trump campaign sold Space Force merchandise on its website, and administration officials were photographed using the pin.

It was also a big hit at Trump’s rallies, where Trump praised him as proof of how he was rebuilding the army while his fans shouted: “Space Force! Space Force!“

The Space Force’s tacky, sci-fi-style brand – including the reference to personnel as “Guardians” – has made him an object of ridicule among celebrities like Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn and Mark Hamill, who is perhaps best known as Luke Skywalker on Star Wars movies.

But the Space Force is more than just the military’s Trump Steaks. Although Trump pushed for his approval, it is an independent branch of the armed forces that was created through Congressional action. It has a budget of more than $ 15 billion that it uses to operate military satellites and GPS, track space debris and plan potential space military operations, among other things. It is an important job.

So, unsurprisingly, conservative analysts quickly took advantage of Psaki’s comments during Tuesday’s instructions, accusing her of disrespecting troops (although no “Guardians” died in the line of duty).

Republican members of Congress also took action. Congressman Mike Rogers (R-AL), the main Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, told the Politician “it is worrying to see the Biden government press secretary shamelessly shrink an entire branch of our armed forces as a joke joke , that I ‘I’m sure China would find it funny’, and demanded that Psaki ‘apologize to the men and women of the Space Force for this shameful comment’.

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), who encouraged the January 6 uprising that led to the death of a police officer, blatantly tweeted Psaki’s comments: “The level of disrespect they have for those they serve is shameful.” A number of other elected Republicans opposed similar statements, and Fox News also indulged in some performative outrage.

In the midst of all this, Psaki posted a tweet on Tuesday night that looked like a Rorschach test. Although she seemed to commit the Biden administration to the Space Force, she did so with a touch of shadow, inviting “team members to come visit us in the instruction room at any time to share an update on their important work”.

Vox contacted the Space Force press office and asked if it plans to accept Psaki’s offer, but has not received a response at the time of publication. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Psaki enlightened in response to a question from a Fox News reporter that the Space Force “has full support from the Biden government”. She did not yield to the demands of apologizing for her observations.

The Biden government is not investing much in Trump’s vanity projects

Just over two weeks after Biden’s presidency, the new president has focused on priorities such as passing a huge Covid-19 bailout bill, committing the United States again to its global alliances and trying to protect the environment by stopping exploration. of oil and gas on public land. From Psaki’s comments, it can be seen that the government did not spend much time, if at all, thinking about the Space Force. This is understandable, given the magnitude of the crises that the country faces.

That said, Wingrove’s question was a legitimate one, and Psaki ultimately did the Biden administration no favor by providing Republicans with an easy opening to make attacks – even though many of them have the quality of Obama wearing a tan suit.

Ultimately, Biden has little choice but to learn to live with the Space Force. Its dissolution would require an act by Congress, and Biden has made it clear that he intends to spend his political capital on more urgent things.