Karine Jean-Pierre to replace Jen Psaki, becoming first Black woman and openly gay White House press secretary
WASHINGTON — Karine Jean-Pierre will make history by becoming the first Black woman, and first openly LGBTQ person, to hold the job of White House press secretary, President Biden announced on Thursday afternoon.
“Jill and I have known and respected Karine a long time and she will be a strong voice speaking for me and this Administration,” the president said in a statement.
Jean-Pierre will replace Jen Psaki, who was originally expected to serve for only the first year of Biden’s term. New coronavirus variants and the war in Ukraine kept her in the job for several months beyond that self-imposed limit.
“She is passionate. She is smart and she has a moral core that makes her not just a great colleague, but an amazing Mom and human. Plus, she has a great sense of humor,” Psaki said in a tweet of Pierre, now her top deputy in the White House press shop.
"Representation matters. She will give a voice to so many, and show so many what is truly possible when you work hard and dream big. And that matters. And we should celebrate that," Psaki said at the White House briefing on Thursday, while also touting Jean-Pierre's resume. "But I also want to make clear what all of her qualifications are. ... She comes to this job with decades of experience."
Psaki’s last day on the job will be next Friday, May 13. She is expected to join MSNBC as an on-air commentator.
Jean-Pierre will take over the podium at a crucial phase in the Biden presidency, with the congressional midterms nearing and a presidential reelection campaign looming.
During the 2020 presidential primary, Jean-Pierre worked for the campaign of then-Sen. Kamala Harris. She has been at the White House since the start of the Biden administration.
The 44-year-old daughter of Haitian immigrants will inherit a position that attracted intense scrutiny during the Trump administration. Psaki has tried to keep the White House briefings free of the kinds of dramatics that, during the Trump years, turned some journalists into celebrities.
Biden praised Psaki for “returning decency, respect and decorum to the White House Briefing Room.”
Some thought the job might go to White House communications director Kate Bedingfield, who filled in capably while Psaki was home with COVID-19 last month. The war in Ukraine also raised the profile of Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, and he was also rumored to be under consideration.
Biden also announced that Anita Dunn, a trusted adviser who last year returned to the private sector, was rejoining the White House.
Biden taps 1st Black woman, LGBT White House press secretary
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday named Karine Jean-Pierre to be the next White House press secretary, the first Black woman and openly LGBTQ person to serve in the role. Incumbent Jen Psaki is set to leave the post next week.
Jean-Pierre takes on the role as the White House faces an uphill battle to help Democrats hold onto the House and Senate in this fall's midterm elections, and as the administration struggles to address Americans' concerns about soaring inflation and the state of the economy. She also comes into the job as Biden faces a daunting array of foreign policy challenges, including the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and North Korea's escalating nuclear testing program. Biden is set to visit South Korea and Japan later this month and Europe in June.
Biden is also bringing back longtime Democratic strategist Anita Dunn as his senior adviser. She had served in the Biden White House last year for several months after Biden was sworn into office.
“Karine not only brings the experience, talent and integrity needed for this difficult job, but she will continue to lead the way in communicating about the work of the Biden-Harris administration on behalf of the American people," Biden said in a statement praising Jean-Pierre, who has served as his principal deputy press secretary since Inauguration Day.
Psaki, who leaves the White House on May 13, praised her successor as a “partner in truth,” noting the significance of the history-making appointment.
“Representation matters and she is going to give a voice to so many and show so many what is truly possible when you work hard and dream big," Psaki said.
Taking the lectern briefly while Psaki briefed the press Thursday, Jean-Pierre said she was “still processing” the significance of her hire, calling it “an honor and privilege to be behind this podium."
“This is a historic moment, and it’s not lost on me," she said. “It's a very emotional day.”
Psaki said Biden offered the job to Jean-Pierre Thursday in the Oval Office. White House staffers were gathered after the offer and greeted Jean-Pierre with applause, an official said. Two “warm bottles” of champagne were procured for a toast in White House paper cups, the official added, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe the internal gathering.
Jean-Pierre had occasionally taken the lectern in the press briefing room instead of Psaki and more frequently held off-camera “gaggles” with reporters when Biden was traveling on Air Force One. She traveled with Biden to Europe last fall and in March instead of Psaki, who had tested positive for COVID-19 before both trips.
Before joining the Biden presidential campaign, Jean-Pierre was the chief public affairs officer of the progressive group MoveOn.org and a former political analyst for NBC and MSNBC. She also worked in political affairs in the Obama White House and on his reelection campaign.
The press secretary is responsible for holding daily briefings with the news media and leading a department of more than a dozen staffers who help address queries from the press.
When she took the job, Psaki, who has two young children, said publicly she aimed to remain in the job for about a year. She is expected to join MSNBC later this year. She was expected to remain as the public face of the administration until her departure next Friday.
Biden said Psaki “has set the standard for returning decency, respect and decorum to the White House briefing room."
“I want to say thank you to Jen for raising the bar, communicating directly and truthfully to the American people, and keeping her sense of humor while doing so,” Biden said. "I thank Jen for her service to the country, and wish her the very best as she moves forward.”
Dunn is a partner at the Democratic consulting firm SKDK, and was a senior adviser on Biden's 2020 campaign and previously chief strategist and communications director for President Barack Obama. The White House said she is returning to “assist in advancing the President’s policy and communications objectives.”
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