Karine Jean-Pierre became the first black man and the first gay woman to be appointed White House spokeswoman on Thursday, making her the face and voice defending US President Joe Biden’s policies.
His appointment is a reflection of the diversity of the US government, where Kamala Harris has been nominated for the post of Vice President. Became the first African American The first Indian or Asian to hold that position was an American.
Jean-Pierre, 44, will replace current spokesman Jen Zaki, who is scheduled to leave the White House on May 13.
Born in the French Caribbean island of Martinique and the daughter of Haitian immigrants, Jean-Pierre has served as Sackie’s “number two” since Biden became president in January 2021, and in many cases has been responsible for answering questions. Reporters at daily press conferences.
“It’s an honor to be here”
She made her first appearance on stage in May last year, and has since made history as the first black woman to headline a sensational White House press conference in three decades.
“It’s really an honor to be here today. I value this historic moment, I really do,” he began. Jean-Pierre, while praising the historical significance of his speech in the press conference at the Presidential Palace, argued that it should be underestimated.
“Being on this stage, being in this room, being in this building, I think, is not about one person. This is something we do on behalf of the American people,” he said.
Before him, only another African-American woman was able to stand behind the White House press conference: Judy Smith, then Republican President George H.W. Bush (1989-1993) was deputy press secretary and promoter of the role of Olivia Pope. Political television series “Corruption”.
An “extraordinary” woman with a great sense of humor
Jean-Pierre has long been considered a replacement for Psaki, who has already made clear his intention to step down a year after taking office.
In a message posted on Twitter, Zaki described his partner as an “extraordinary woman.” “Conscious” and “smart” With strong moral principles and a great sense of humor, this not only makes her a better professional, but also a better mother (she has a daughter) and a better person.
“I can not wait to see her shine, because she brings her own style, brilliance and grace to the stage,” Psaki said.
In a statement, Biden also praised Jean-Pierre, who was his mentor when he worked Vice President in the Barack Obama administration (2009-2017).
President Jean-Pierre called his first name Kareen, and considered him to have the “experience”, “talent” and “integrity” needed for such hard work.
Jean-Pierre has experience in the public and private sectors and has participated in several presidential campaigns, including Obama’s in 2008 and 2012 and Fiden’s in 2020.
He defended Kamala Harris from an opponent
However, before Biden came to the campaign, he worked on the progressive platform MoveOn in 2019, which then sought to oust then-President Donald Trump (2017-2021) from the White House.
A story well known since then Jean-Pierre, Director of Public Affairs for MoveOn, He arranged a discussion for which he called Harris, in which he confronted an opponent.
In particular, unexpectedly, an animal rights activist climbed on stage and jumped on him to pick up the microphone from Harris, in which Jean-Pierre intervened, placing his body between the then senator and the opponent, who was much taller than her.
“It’s the moment I was scared, but I thought I should act,” Jean-Pierre later responded in an interview on MSNBC.
Jean-Pierre, at the time, He thought maybe the white supremacist who came on stage wanted to hurt Harris. Biden, then the only African-American woman to run in the Democratic primary for president, won.
“And I said to myself, no, this is not going to happen today,” Jean-Pierre recalled.
The new spokeswoman has worked as a political analyst for NBC and MSNBC and as a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) for women’s reproductive rights.
Jean-Pierre will take office at a time when abortion rights in the United States are in jeopardy, and Fiden is seeking to counter the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the same time as he faces an invasion that has not occurred for decades.
