The Significance of Karine Jean-Pierre’s Star-Making Turn at the White House
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When Karine Jean-Pierre, principal deputy press secretary for the Biden administration, gave her first press briefing on Wednesday and made history as the first Black woman in over 30 years to take her turn at the White House podium.
“Hi everybody, welcome,” she said warmly to a room full of reporters, before jumping into topics of the day — namely, a mass shooting in California, and President Biden’s request that US officials delve deeper into the origins of the coronavirus.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki, was the first openly LGBTQ+ person to ever lead a press briefing (she’s a lesbian).
In her briefing, Jean-Pierre first highlighted new hirings in the administration, which included women of color such as Kristen Clark, the new head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, who will head up the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare.
The Advocate: “I appreciate the historic nature, I really do, but I believe being behind this podium, being in this room, being in this building is not about one person, it’s about what we do on behalf of the American people. Clearly the president believes representation matters and I appreciate him giving me this opportunity, and it’s another reason we’re all so proud this is the most diverse administration in history.”
Jean-Pierre, an immigrant from Martinique who grew up in New York City, has a long history of political involvement. She has been a staffer in President Barack Obama’s administration and in his reelection campaign, chief public affairs officer for MoveOn.org, and a commentator for NBC and MSNBC. During President Joe Biden’s campaign, she was a senior adviser and then chief of staff to Kamala Harris, making her the first Black person and first lesbian to hold that position for a vice-presidential nominee.
She is understated yet direct in the right moments, colleagues say. She’s known to be a vocal voice in meetings, asking the right questions, and meeting the moment.
She has always been hyperfocused on the root cause of the issues in front of her, say those who know her.
“What she is good at is bringing it back to who are we serving and who are we doing this for, and that’s something that gets lost in the day-to-day,” said Christina Reynolds, a former Obama aide who has known Jean Pierre since the two worked on John Edwards’s presidential campaign. “She’s good at bringing it back to the reason we’re here. And ‘the why’ is always important.”
Watch her below.
