White House press secretary Jen Psaki is stepping down from her post and will be replaced by Karine Jean-Pierre. Here are five facts about the first Black woman to hold the title in the history of the United States.
Before taking over Psaki's position, the individual is currently the principal deputy press secretary for United States President Joe Biden. She will start handling all of her predecessor's responsibilities next week. Jean-Pierre will be the first Balck woman and first openly gay White House press secretary.
Who is Karine Jean-Pierre?
In a statement, Biden noted that Psaki had set the standard for returning decency, respect, and decorum to the White House Briefing Room. He expressed his gratitude to her for raising the bar, communicating directly and truthfully to the American people, and keeping her sense of humor while in her line of work.
On the other hand, Psaki marked the occasion with a series of posts on Twitter on Thursday, thanking the president of the U.S. and first lady Jill Biden. Furthermore, she celebrated Jean-Pierre, calling her passionate, smart, and having a moral core that makes her a great colleague, mom, and human, as per Business Insider.
Biden also said that the new press secretary would not only bring the experience, talent, and integrity needed for the job but also continue to lead the way in communicating about his administration's work. He said that he and his wife have respected Jean-Pierre for a long time and claimed she would be a strong voice for them.
The president also announced that Anita Dunn would be returning to the administration as a senior adviser and assistant to him. Jean-Pierre was born in Haiti and chose to immigrate to the U.S. while she was still young, and had her life growing up in Queens, New York.
According to NBC News, Jean-Pierre served as chief of staff for vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris during the 2020 campaign. She also served as the national spokeswoman for MoveOn.org during the country's 2016 election. Her resume also includes working on former President Barack Obama's presidential campaigns.
Jen Psaki's Replacement
When asked about sending a message to young people who look up to her, Jean-Pierre said they should follow their passion. She added that people should follow what they believe in and keep that focus because it is what matters.
During the White House briefing announcing her succession of Psaki, Jean-Pierre said it was a very emotional day and expressed her appreciation of the moment. Her predecessor, Psaki, said while fighting back tears from the briefing room podium, said that a Black woman who was also LGBTQ+ as the press secretary would "give a voice to so many."
Jean-Pierre's appointment to press secretary adds to Biden's diversified senior officials as he previously emphasized his desire to work in such an environment. She has had an extensive role in Democratic communications and will become the POTUS' second press secretary to deliver daily briefings from the lectern in the briefing room, the New York Times reported.