WASHINGTON — Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, a prominent fixture in Democratic politics and the face of the Biden administration for years, is leaving the party and registering as an independent, according to a press release about her upcoming book.
Jean-Pierre’s decision comes as the Democrats have grappled with losing the White House and both chambers of Congress in November.
Biden named Jean-Pierre press secretary in 2022 after former press secretary Jen Psaki left the White House to anchor an MSNBC show.
She was the first Black woman and first openly gay person to serve as White House press secretary.
Prior to her stint in the Biden White House, Jean-Pierre was the chief of staff to then-vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
WASHINGTON — In light of her upcoming book, former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, a longtime Democratic political mainstay and the face of the Biden administration, is registering as an independent and leaving the party.
According to the press release from the book’s publisher, Hachette, Jean-Pierre “didn’t come to her decision to be an Independent lightly.”.
Jean-Pierre “shares why Americans must step beyond party lines to embrace life as Independents” in her book “Independent: A look inside a broken White House, outside the party lines,” the press release continued. In October, the book is scheduled for release.
The Democrats are struggling after losing both houses of Congress and the White House in November, which is why Jean-Pierre made this decision. The former president’s decision to run for reelection in spite of doubts about his age and health was further fueled by a recent book on Biden’s 2024 campaign written by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson.
The book’s description takes aim at the party’s choices made in the summer of 2024, citing “the betrayal by the Democratic Party that led to” Biden’s decision to withdraw from the presidential contest.
It was my duty to speak on behalf of the US president until January 20. I became a private citizen at noon on that day, and like all Americans and many of our allies worldwide, I had to deal with what lay ahead for our nation,” Jean-Pierre said in a statement for Hatchette subsidiary Legacy Lit. “I concluded that we must break free from boxes in order to confront the threat we face as a nation. “”.
Regarding Jean-Pierre’s departure from the party, a Democratic National Committee spokesperson chose not to comment. A request for comment from a representative of Biden’s personal office was not immediately answered.
After former press secretary Jen Psaki departed the White House to host an MSNBC program, Biden appointed Jean-Pierre as his press secretary in 2022. For the rest of Biden’s administration, Jean-Pierre was the principal White House spokesperson. As the White House press secretary, she was the first openly gay individual and the first Black woman.
Jean-Pierre has a lengthy history of serving prominent Democrats. Jean-Pierre served as Kamala Harris’s chief of staff before joining the Biden White House. During his presidential campaigns, she also worked for Barack Obama.
Jean-Pierre urged people to “not be so partisan” and “stop thinking in boxes” in a video that was uploaded to Instagram, saying that she chose to “follow my own compass.”. “.”.
Even though the book’s subtitle refers to “a broken White House,” Jean-Pierre, who oversaw the press office at the time, continuously defended the administration, shoving back reporters’ inquiries about scandals and portraying Biden’s presidency as “historic.”. “.”.
