White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest got one of his biggest surprises when he was about to take questions from the media at his final White House press briefing.
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US President Barack Obama gatecrashed the press briefing, surprising everyone in the room, including Earnest. It was a kind of the outgoing president's personal send-off.
"I am not interrupting because he was saying nice things about you guys," said Obama as he took over the microphone from Earnest. "Because I largely concur," he added.
Obama was full of praise for Earnest and his performance as the press secretary. He also took time to complimenthim on various aspects, including integrity.
"But what struck me most in addition to his smarts and his maturity and his actual interest in the issues was his integrity," said the president.
Obama said he has seen Earnest for 10 years and witnessed him grow and manage his own team of dedicated members.
"I've watched him grow, and I've watched him advance, and I've watched him marry, and I've watched him be a father, and I've watched him manage younger people coming up behind him and he has never disappointed," Obama said.
The president hugged Earnest and also thanked the press secretary's wife and son for supporting the latter.
The press still threw around several questions as Obama left for Earnest to manage proceedings. The president will be addressing his last press conference on Wednesday (January 18).
Earnest said the Obamas will leave for Palm Springs, California, on Friday (Jan 20) after Donald Trump is sworn in as the USA's 45th president.
