The White House spokesman has been in office for 93 years – and for the first time will soon be hired by someone who is not white.
Karin Jean-Pierre has been named the new spokesman for the Biden administration in the White House, becoming the first black woman and the first LGBTQ person to take on a high-ranking job. As spokesman, Jean-Pierre will speak on behalf of the President and the US Government to address reporters, the American public and the world about political decisions every day.
Jean-Pierre is already a well-known figure in the White House briefing room: she is currently the Deputy Secretary-General and has led the White House’s daily briefing several times. She will be behind the podium more often after she starts her new role on May 13.
“Karin not only brings the experience, talent and integrity needed for this difficult job, but she will continue to lead the way in communicating the work of the Biden-Harris administration on behalf of the American people,” President Joe Biden said in a statement Thursday.
Jean-Pierre spoke about her appointment to a press briefing on Thursday: “This is a historic moment and it is not lost on me,” she said. “I understand how important it is for so many people there, so many different communities, that I stand on their shoulders and have been all my career.”
Jean-Pierre was born in Martinique to parents in Haiti and grew up in Queens, New York. She graduated from the New York Institute of Technology and received a master’s degree in public affairs from Columbia University.
Her experience in politics is rich. Prior to becoming Deputy Spokesman, Jean-Pierre served as a senior adviser in Biden’s presidential campaign in 2020, and in August 2020 was appointed chief of staff to Biden’s vice-presidential candidate, who has not yet been announced.
She previously served in the White House under former President Barack Obama, during his campaigns in 2008 and 2012, and as a longtime adviser to Biden when he was vice president.
On Thursday, Jean-Pierre thanked outgoing spokeswoman Jen Psaki, saying she “was just a wonderful colleague, friend, mentor for the last year and a half.” Psaki’s last day is May 13 and she is expected to take over the airwaves at MSNBC.
Psaki, meanwhile, praised his colleague and successor, who wrote in the story, as he wrote on Twitter: “She will be the first black woman and the first openly LGBTQ + man to serve as White House spokesman. Representation matters and it will give a voice to many, but it also makes many dream of what is really possible. “
“She is passionate,” Psaki added. “She is smart and has a moral core, which makes her not just a great colleague, but an amazing mother and person. He also has a great sense of humor.
Psaki, who announced her intention to remain as spokeswoman for just one year at the beginning of her term, told CNBC Make It earlier that finding her successor was a big part of her job from day one. “I hope I can play a role by bringing in a greater variety of voices, faces and experiences of people who serve as speakers on behalf of the White House and the government,” Psaki said.
Jean-Pierre tweeted his appointment on Thursday, calling it a “real honor” and adding: “I look forward to serving this administration and the American people. I have big shoes to fill.
Jean-Pierre held his first briefing at the White House in May 2021, going down in history as the first openly gay woman and only the second black woman to do so.
“I appreciate the historical nature. I really do,” Jean-Pierre said at the time. “But I believe that being behind this podium, being in this room, being in this building is not for one person. It is about what we are doing on behalf of the American people. Obviously, the president believes that representation matters, and I appreciate that he gives me this opportunity. “
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