Karine Jean-Pierre to Succeed Jen Psaki as White House Press Secretary

Jackson RichmanMay 5th, 2022, 3:53 pm
 
KJP

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Karine Jean-Pierre will succeed Jen Psaki as White House press secretary, announced President Joe Biden on Thursday.

Jean-Pierre, who currently is the principal deputy White House press secretary, will be the first openly gay and Black White House press secretary.

In a statement, Biden said:

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. Jill and I have known and respected Karine a long time and she will be a strong voice speaking for me and this Administration.

Jen 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. I thank Jen her service to the country, and wish her the very best as she moves forward.

Before Jean-Pierre served as a senior official on the 2020 Biden campaign, she was an MSNBC analyst and was the senior adviser and top spokesperson for the progressive organization MoveOn.org.

Psaki’s last day at the White House will be May 13. She is set to move on to MSNBC where she will join her former colleague Simone Sanders, who previously served as chief spokesperson for Vice President Kamala Harris.

In a Twitter thread, Psaki praised Jean-Pierre.

“She will be the first black woman and the first openly LGBTQ+ person to serve as the White House Press Secretary. Representation matters and she will give a voice to many, but also make many dream big about what is truly possible,” she tweeted.

Psaki noted that Biden made the offer to Jean-Pierre on Thursday in the Oval Office.

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