Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre made a shocking announcement on Wednesday.
Jean-Pierre, who served as former President Joe Biden’s press secretary for more than two years, revealed Wednesday that she will be leaving the Democratic Party and releasing a book in October. The book is titled, “Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines."
Jean-Pierre regularly defended Biden from the press secretary podium as he took heat over concerns about his mental acuity, physical health and ability to potentially serve a second term. She became the first Black and openly LGBTQ person to serve in the role when she started in May 2022.
According to Hachette Book Publishing, her book will be released on October 21. The publisher described the book as a "groundbreaking, revelatory assessment of America’s broken two-party system."
And now, Jean-Pierre has decided to register as an independent.
“Jean-Pierre didn’t come to her decision to be an Independent lightly. She has served two American presidents, Obama and Biden. In 2020, she joined Biden’s campaign as a senior adviser, becoming Harris’s chief of staff and then, two years later, White House press secretary. She takes us through the three weeks that led to Biden’s abandoning his bid for a second term and the betrayal by the Democratic Party that led to his decision,” the publisher said in its description.
“In a hard-hitting yet hopeful critique, Jean-Pierre defines what it means to be part of the growing percentage of our fractured electorate that is Independent, why it can be worthwhile to carve a political space more loyal to personal beliefs than a party affiliation, and what questions you need to ask yourself to determine where you fit politically,” the description stated.
The announcement of this new book comes weeks after CNN’s Jake Tapper released his own book detailing an alleged “coverup” of Biden’s cognitive decline in the White House. Tapper has also faced widespread criticism of the book, with many conservatives bashing him for not reporting on Biden’s alleged issues at the time.
Meanwhile, Democrats criticized Tapper for the “hit job” on Biden after he left office.
Jean-Pierre might face similar criticism, as she defended the president from the podium each day. Journalist Aaron Rupar jabbed Jean-Pierre over her new book in a post on social media platform X on Wednesday.
“[It’s] sad that Biden stuck with Karine Jean-Pierre for all those years despite the fact she was not that great at her job, only for her to turn around and write a book about why she left the Democratic Party and is now an independent,” Rupar wrote.
Another user wrote: “I don’t understand how she thought this was a good move for her. The Press Sec is the President’s voice to the public. To come off of this and position herself as an outsider makes no sense given her role and comments post-debate/election.”
Chris D. Jackson, a Democratic strategist, defended Jean-Pierre’s new book in a social media post.
“First — this is not a hit piece on President Biden. As the press release made clear, it’s about the betrayal of the party against Biden.Second — KJP has always had 46’s back. She’s been loyal to the Biden family from day one.Just keep that in mind before you react..." he wrote on X.
Stories by Lauren Sforza
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