Karine Jean-Pierre named first Black White House Press Secretary

President Joe Biden continues to make key appointments within his administration as he recently named Karine Jean-Pierre to be his new press secretary after it was announced that Jen Psaki will leave the administration. 

In his statement, Biden lauded Jean-Pierre’s “experience, talent, and integrity.”

“Jill and I have known and respected Karine a long time and she will be a strong voice speaking for me and this administration,” he said.

Karine Jean-Pierre, currently the principal deputy press secretary, becomes the first Black person to serve in this role and will be taking over after Psaki leaves in mid-May. 

Jean-Pierre, a political analyst, was Kamala Harris’s chief of staff during the vice-president’s presidential campaign in 2020 and served on Barack Obama’s campaigns in 2008 and 2012. She was also an adviser and spokesperson for MoveOn.org, a progressive Pac.

Jean-Pierre has filled in for Psaki on several occasions, most recently while her predecessor was quarantined with Covid-19.

“She is passionate. She is smart and she has a moral core that makes her not just a great colleague, but an amazing mom and human,” Psaki said on Twitter. “Plus, she has a great sense of humor.”

Psaki was also lauded by Biden for her work in the role, which spanned tumultuous moments for the administration, including the Afghanistan evacuation, the Omicron wave, and most recently, the leaked supreme court draft signaling the end of Roe v Wade.

Psaki’s last day will be May 13.