Ned Price steps down as spokesperson, takes on other role at DASH

State Department spokesman Ned Price will step down this month after more than two years and take a new position with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Mr. Blinken himself said Tuesday.

Mr. Price was sworn in on January 20, 2021, the day Joe Biden was inaugurated as president. He has held this post at a key period for foreign policy, during the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the chaotic withdrawal of diplomats and other personnel from Afghanistan.

In a statement, Mr. Blinken said that Mr. Price held more than 200 press conferences, acting as the face and voice of US foreign policy.

“He has helped the U.S. government protect and promote press freedom around the globe and exemplified the transparency and candor we call for in other countries. His influence will be felt at the State Department long after he to quit,” said Mr. Blinken.

Shaun Tandon, president of the State Department Correspondents’ Association, praised Mr. Price for bringing back daily press conferences and facing tough questions from reporters, such as on the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“Thanks to Ned, the daily press conference now seems routine, and that’s how it should be. It provides an opportunity for the press from around the world to ask questions about the foreign policy of the United States, often in a critical way,” said Mr. Tandon said in a statement: “It is an indicator of the health of American democracy.”