Karine Jean-Pierre has been appointed this Thursday as spokesperson for the most powerful government in the world. The President of the United States, Joe Biden, has announced through a statement that Jean-Pierre will be his assistant and new Press Secretary, a position held until now by Jen Psaki. The new spokeswoman is the first black woman to hold the position and also the first openly gay person to do so, according to Psaki herself. “She will give a voice to many people,” he said.
Psaki, who was leading an all-female team, will leave the White House next Friday, May 13. The current spokeswoman, 43, always considered her spokesperson position as something temporary and will sign for the CNBC television network.
Biden said the outgoing spokeswoman had restored “decency, respect and decorum” in the White House briefing room after stormy relations with the press under former President Donald Trump. And he also welcomed Jean-Pierre in the statement: “Karine not only brings the experience, talent and integrity required for this difficult job, but she will continue to lead communication on the work of the Biden-Harris Administration on behalf of the American people. Jill and I have known and respected Karine for a long time and she will be a strong voice speaking on behalf of me and this Administration.”
It is the natural relief. Jean-Pierre was Psaki’s number two, deputy press secretary and deputy assistant to Biden. She has worked with the current president since the days when he was vice president under Barack Obama. She was on his campaign team in the presidential elections and joined the White House after the electoral victory against Trump.
A Columbia University graduate, born in Martinique and raised in New York, Jean-Pierre, 44, has experience as a spokesperson, as a political activist and also in the media. She held positions in the Obama Administration and with the Trump win, prior to her role in the Biden campaign, she was head of public affairs for MoveOn.org and a political analyst for NBC and MSNBC.
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Jean-Pierre will now face the rite of the daily White House press conference, something for which he has already taken his first steps on occasion to replace Psaki. He also does so with the challenge of trying to get the messages from the White House to the electorate just six months before the midterm elections, in which a third of the Senate and the entire House of Representatives are renewed. In the Democrats there is fear that both chambers will remain under Republican control.
The new spokeswoman has already spoken at the press conference this Thursday and when asked about the historical nature of her appointment, in her response she highlighted how important it is for black girls to see examples like hers. “It is truly an honor to be here today. I give importance to this historical moment, I really do, ”she has pointed out. “I understand how important this is to so many people out there, to so many different communities. I stand on his shoulders, as I have throughout my career,” she added.
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