Karine Jean-Pierre, White House spokeswoman under Mr. Biden, announced that she was leaving the Democratic Party, due to dissatisfaction with the way the party “betrayed” Mr. Biden.
Karine Jean-Pierre, whose publisher Hachette represents her, announced on June 4 that she was leaving the Democratic Party after the party “betrayed Mr. Biden.” The decision will be explained in more detail in her book, Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines , due out in October.
Jean-Pierre, 50, is a person of color and the first openly gay person to serve as White House press secretary. As spokesperson, she has defended the Biden administration’s policies on major issues such as the conflict in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip.
“Her decision to leave the Democratic Party and become an independent was not made lightly,” Hachette said in a statement. “The book takes readers through the three weeks leading up to Biden’s decision to abandon his re-election bid, and the betrayal by the Democratic Party that led him to this point.”
Ms. Karine Jean-Pierre at a press conference at the White House on January 15. Photo: Reuters
Joe Biden, then 81, suspended his bid for a second term after his debate with Republican candidate Donald Trump raised questions about his health and sanity.
Ms Jean-Pierre vigorously defended Mr Biden after the debate, when a series of senior Democrats, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, called for his resignation.
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However, she and her aides have since faced a series of questions about the possibility that the White House communications team “concealed” information about the impact of age on Mr. Biden.
This skepticism flared up after Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, two CNN journalists, released Original Sin based on more than 200 interviews with lawmakers, White House officials and people inside the election campaign, to clarify the extent of Mr. Biden’s health concealment.
The revelations have caused a rift within the Democratic Party, with many members seeking to distance themselves from Mr Biden’s legacy. According to Hachette, Jean-Pierre’s new book will counter some of the information she says was misleading about last year’s election.
