Karine Jean-Pierre is making history as the first Black woman and openly gay person to serve as the White House Press Secretary.
President Joe Biden announced Jean-Pierre's appointment on May 5 in a White House statement. She will replace the current Press Secretary and Assistant to the President Jen Psaki, who has been in the role since November 2020. Jean-Pierre currently serves as principal deputy press secretary.
"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 the statement. "Jill and I have known and respected Karine a long time and she will be a strong voice speaking for me and this Administration."
Psaki will be leaving the White House to join MSNBC in an on-air role, according to Axios. Her last day as press secretary will be May 13.
"She is passionate," Psaki tweeted about Jean-Pierre. "She is smart and she has a moral core that makes her not just a great colleague, but an amazing Mom and human. Plus, she has a great sense of humor."
Jean-Pierre previously served as the senior Advisor to Joe Biden during his presidential campaign and officially joined the Biden team upon his election. Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris announced in November 2020 that their While House senior communications team—which both Jean-Pierre and Psaki were a part of—would be an all-female team, per CNBC.
Jean-Pierre also held a historic press briefing in May 2021 that made her the second Black woman and first openly gay woman to do so.
"I appreciate the historic nature. I really do," Jean-Pierre said during the briefing, per CNN. "But I believe that … being behind this podium, being in this room, being in this building is not about one person. It's about what we do on behalf of the American people."
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