Biden taps Jean-Pierre to be new press secretary
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden on Thursday tapped Karine Jean-Pierre to be the next White House press secretary, with Jen Psaki set to leave the role next week.
Jean-Pierre is the first Black woman and openly LGBTQ person to serve in the role.
Biden is also bringing back longtime Democratic strategist Anita Dunn as his senior adviser. She had served in the Biden White House last year after Biden was sworn into office.
“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,” Biden said in a statement praising JeanPierre, who has served as his principal deputy press secretary.
Psaki, who leaves the White House on May 13, praised her successor, noting the significance of the history-making appointment.
“Representation matters, and she will give a voice to many, but also make many dream big about what is truly possible,” Psaki said.
Before joining the Biden presidential campaign, Jean-Pierre was the chief public affairs officer of the progressive group MoveOn.org and a former political analyst for NBC and MSNBC. She also worked in political affairs in the Obama White House and on President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign.
The press secretary is responsible for holding daily briefings with the news media and leading a department of more than a dozen staffers who help address queries from the press.
Biden said 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,” Biden said.
Dunn is a partner at the Democratic consulting firm SKDK, and was a senior adviser on Biden’s 2020 campaign and previously chief strategist and communications director for Obama. The White House said she is returning to “assist in advancing the President’s policy and communications objectives.”