On May 13, 2022, the White House appointed Karine Jean-Pierre as White House Press Secretary to replace Jen Psaki, the red-haired bumbler who left the role to “spend more time with her family.” Jean-Pierre was welcomed as the first “Black LGBTQ” woman ever to hold the position, a claim that she has touted frequently since her first day behind the podium.
According to sources, her gender and identity weren’t enough to balance her lack of ability to function as Biden’s press secretary, and in the fall of 2023, she was encouraged to move on.
KJP may have seemed to “come out of nowhere” for the role in 2022, but she had already been in the game quietly for years. Before taking on her current position, Jean-Pierre held the role of deputy press secretary to Psaki between 2021 and 2022. She served as the chief of staff for Kamala Harris during the 2020 presidential campaign and as a senior advisor and national spokeswoman for MoveOn.org. She also contributed as a political analyst for NBC News and MSNBC. Additionally, she was a frequent lecturer on international and public affairs at Columbia University.
But in 2022, she grabbed her binder and headed to the press room to continue Psaki’s tradition of refusing to answer any questions directly, as well as continuing the policy of picking and choosing only “Biden-friendly” reporters to engage. It didn’t take reporters long to realize that Jean-Pierre was as incompetent as her predecessor and for her superiors to recognize that her binder and canned answers were not helping Biden’s reelection efforts.
It’s been revealed that in the fall of 2023, Communications chief Anita Dunn reportedly told colleagues she planned to bring in well-known Democrats to talk to Jean-Pierre and advise her that it was a good time to move on.
An anonymous source from the White House recalls that Dunn had requested numerous individuals to “engage” with KJP to “encourage her to move along.” The unnamed source said, “There was an effort to have some outside folks Karine knows and trusts talk to her about why leaving last fall would have made a lot of sense for her and her career.”
White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients was aware of and endorsed the covert plan to remove Jean-Pierre from her role.
According to sources, Karine Jean-Pierre struggles with understanding complex issues and often relies on reading prepared material word-for-word. Another source echoes this sentiment, stating that Karine doesn’t spend enough time learning about the issues and lacks the nuanced understanding necessary, citing the Israel-Gaza conflict as an example. They contrast this with her predecessor, Jen Psaki, who extensively prepares for briefings by engaging with experts.
And to make it worse, according to these sources, “she thinks she’s doing an amazing job.”
White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates denies the allegations, saying they are untrue. He claims that KJP was “never approached by anyone” to bow out and that she dedicates four hours daily for preparation ahead of briefings. Furthermore, he argues that not only did neither Jeff nor Anita take any such action, but they have both consistently provided “unwavering support” to her.
But many suspected Dunn’s involvement in December 2023, when KJP was approached with an unsolicited offer to take on the role of president at EMILYs List. This significant Democratic organization fundraises for female candidates advocating for expanded abortion rights. However, Jean-Pierre firmly declined the opportunity, stating her commitment to the president and affirming, “I’m not going anywhere.”
KJP has escalated tensions on stage, especially when National Security Council spokesman John Kirby shares the podium. One source noted, “Sometimes he talks to her, and she acts as if he is not talking.”
While Kirby is viewed as the frontrunner to succeed Jean-Pierre as press secretary, additional candidates will be considered for the position if she steps down. Among them is Brian Fallon, who previously served as Hillary Clinton’s press secretary during her 2016 campaign and currently holds the role of communications director for Vice President Kamala Harris’ re-election campaign.
But KJP is hanging on to the position and is unlikely to be forced out because of the optics. “There’s a huge diversity issue, and they’re afraid of what folks are going to say,” revealed sources close to the administration.
It seems that any plot to remove her has been tabled, not because KJP is talented or good at her job, but because her checked boxes have made removing her from the position impossible. The Biden administration is powerless to stop the “diversity” they have unleashed, even though she is not up to the task of making the President look competent ahead of the 2024 election.
But to be fair, there isn’t anyone else on the planet that could make Biden look competent, anyway.