Washington — Karine Jean-Pierre, who was the White House press secretary under former President Joe Biden, is no longer a Democrat, according to her publisher’s summary of her upcoming book, “Independent.”
A blurb by the publisher, the Hachette Book Group, says Jean-Pierre “didn’t come to her decision to be an Independent lightly,” and goes on to say that she “defines what it means to be part of the growing percentage of our fractured electorate that is Independent, why it can be worthwhile to carve a political space more loyal to personal beliefs than a party affiliation and what questions you need to ask yourself to determine where you fit politically.”
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The summary indicates that Jean-Pierre, a longtime Democrat who also worked for former President Barack Obama’s administration and his presidential campaign, grew disillusioned with the party over its efforts to pressure Biden to drop his reelection bid last year. Biden ended up leaving the race for the White House weeks before the Democratic National Convention, and Vice President Kamala Harris went on to become the party’s presidential nominee. She lost to President Trump in November.
In addition to serving two Democratic presidents, Jean-Pierre was chief of staff to Harris during the 2020 campaign.
“She takes us through the three weeks that led to Biden’s abandoning his bid for a second term and the betrayal by the Democratic Party that led to his decision,” the Hachette summary says. In her book, Jean-Pierre “shares why Americans must step beyond party lines to embrace life as Independents.”
The book will be available in October, according to the publisher.
“Until January 20, I was responsible for speaking on behalf of the president of the United States. At noon on that day, I became a private citizen who, like all Americans and many of our allies around the world, had to contend with what was to come next for our country,” Jean-Pierre said in a statement from Legacy Lit, which is part of Hachette. “I determined that the danger we face as a country requires freeing ourselves of boxes. We need to be willing to exercise the ability to think creatively and plan strategically. We need to be clear-eyed and questioning, rather than blindly loyal and obedient as we may have been in the past. And freeing ourselves of boxes is truly at the heart and soul of my new book, Independent.”
Jean-Pierre was Biden’s second White House press secretary, taking over the position from Jen Psaki in 2022. She served as principal deputy press secretary before being elevated to the role of press secretary following Psaki’s departure from the White House.
Jean-Pierre was the first Black woman and first openly gay person to serve as White House press secretary.
