White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki previously announced she would be leaving the role on May 13. The new White House press secretary was named this week with Karine Jean-Pierre set to take the role.
Here are five things you might not know about Karine Jean-Pierre.
1. Historic Firsts for Press Secretary: When Jean-Pierre officially takes the role as press secretary, she will become the first Black woman and also the first openly LGBTQ person to hold the job title.
“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,” said President Joe Biden.
Psaki praised Jean-Pierre: “Representation matters and she will give a voice to so many and allow and show so many what is truly possible when you work hard and dream big.”
Psaki has one daughter with partner Suzanne Malveaux, a correspondent for CNN, a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Inc WBD.
2. Political Experience: Jean-Pierre is the current principal deputy press secretary. Prior to joining the White House under President Joe Biden, Jean-Pierre worked for MoveOn.org as chief public affairs officer. Jean-Pierre also was a political analyst for NBC and MSNBC, two units of Comcast Corporation CMCSA.
Jean-Pierre led an effort by MoveOn to stand up to Donald Trump and moderated a forum that featured Kamala Harris in 2019, who was then running for President.
3. Helping Presidential Campaigns: Part of Jean-Pierre’s career in politics also includes working on several presidential campaigns. Jean-Pierre was a regional political campaign for the John Edwards campaign in 2008.
Jean-Pierre was also a regional political director for the Barack Obama 2008 presidential campaign, which led to serving as a regional political director for the White House Office of Political Affairs during Obama’s presidency.
Jean-Pierre played a key role in the Obama reelection campaign for 2012, serving as national deputy battleground states director.
In 2016, Jean-Pierre worked as the deputy campaign manager for the Martin O’Malley presidential campaign.
Jean-Pierre joined the Biden team to work on the 2020 presidential campaign as a senior advisor.
Related Link: 5 Things You Might Not Know About Joe Biden
4. Immigrant Story: Jean-Pierre was born in Martinique to Haitian parents, who moved the family to Queens, New York for a better life.
“My story is an immigrant story. It is the story of a family that came here wanting the best, wanting to be patriots, wanting to be citizens,” Jean-Pierre said.
A book written by Jean-Pierre called “Moving Forward” highlights her childhood in the New York Haitian community and then moving her way into the White House under President Barack Obama.
5. Columbia Graduate: Jean-Pierre is a graduate of Ivy League school Columbia University. Jean-Pierre got a master’s degree from Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs MPA program.
“I promised my parents that I was going to make sure that I got my master’s because they really believed in an education.”
Jean-Pierre credits the school for pushing her into a political career thanks to a role in student government and the encouragement of several professors.
Jean-Pierre later joined the faculty of Columbia University in 2014 as a lecturer for international and public affairs.
Photo: Courtesy of the White House via Wikimedia Commons
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