Karine Jean-Pierre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Karine Jean-Pierre
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Jean-Pierre in 2023
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| 35th White House Press Secretary | |
| In office May 13, 2022 – January 20, 2025 |
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| President | Joe Biden |
| Deputy | Olivia Dalton (Principal Deputy) Andrew Bates (Senior Deputy) |
| Preceded by | Jen Psaki |
| Succeeded by | Karoline Leavitt |
| Senior Advisor to the President | |
| In office October 7, 2024 – January 20, 2025 |
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| President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Anita Dunn |
| White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary | |
| In office January 20, 2021 – May 13, 2022 |
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| President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Brian Morgenstern |
| Succeeded by | Olivia Dalton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 13, 1974 Fort-de-France, Martinique, France |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | New York Institute of Technology (BS) Columbia University (MPA) |
Karine Jean-Pierre (born August 13, 1974) is an important French-American political advisor. She served as the White House press secretary from May 2022 to January 2025. She also became a senior advisor to President Joe Biden in October 2024.
She made history as the first Black person and the first openly LGBTQ person to hold the position of White House press secretary. Before this, she was the deputy press secretary to Jen Psaki from 2021 to 2022. She also worked as the chief of staff for Kamala Harris during the 2020 presidential campaign.
Before working with the Biden–Harris administration, Jean-Pierre was a national spokeswoman for the advocacy group MoveOn.org. She was also a political analyst for NBC News and MSNBC. She taught international and public affairs at Columbia University.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Karine Jean-Pierre was born in Fort-de-France, Martinique, France. Her parents were immigrants from Haiti. She has two younger siblings. When she was five, her family moved to Queens Village, a neighborhood in Queens, New York City.
Her mother worked as a home health aide, and her father was a taxi driver. He had trained as an engineer. Jean-Pierre often helped care for her younger siblings. This was because both parents worked many hours each week. She has said her home life was strict and focused on the Catholic faith.
Jean-Pierre finished high school in 1993. Her parents wanted her to study medicine. She studied life sciences at the New York Institute of Technology. However, she did not do well on the medical school entrance exam. She then changed her career path. She earned a bachelor's degree from the New York Institute of Technology in 1997.
In 2003, she earned a master's degree in public affairs from Columbia University. While at Columbia, she was active in student government. This is where she decided to pursue a career in politics. She is fluent in English, French, and Haitian Creole.
Career in Politics
Starting Her Career
After graduate school, Jean-Pierre worked for a New York City councilor. She was the director of legislative and budget affairs. In 2004, she worked on John Edwards' presidential campaign. In 2006, she became an outreach coordinator in Washington, D.C. She also joined the Columbia University faculty in 2014 as a lecturer.
Working with President Obama
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During Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, Jean-Pierre was a regional political director. She also worked in the White House Office of Political Affairs during Obama's first term.
In 2011, Jean-Pierre was a National Deputy Battleground States Director for President Obama's 2012 re-election campaign. She helped manage the political work in important states. She also helped with the process of choosing delegates.
Jean-Pierre later served as the deputy campaign manager for Martin O'Malley's 2016 presidential campaign.
Working with President Biden
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Jean-Pierre was a senior advisor for Joe Biden's 2020 presidential campaign. She joined the Biden team in May 2020. She said she wanted to help shape the future for her daughter. In August, she became the Chief of Staff for Biden's vice presidential nominee.
In November 2020, she was named Principal Deputy Press Secretary. On May 26, 2021, she held her first White House press briefing. She was the first openly LGBTQ person to do so. She was also the first Black woman to hold such a briefing since 1991.
On May 5, 2022, it was announced that she would become the White House Press Secretary. She took over from Jen Psaki on May 13. She is the first Black person and the first openly LGBTQ person to hold this important position.
During her time as Press Secretary, Jean-Pierre often answered questions by referring to the Hatch Act. This is a law that limits political activities for government employees. She received warnings from a government agency for using certain phrases in briefings. The agency said that further incidents could lead to more serious action.
Sometimes, National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby joined Jean-Pierre in media briefings. Jean-Pierre continued to lead these joint press conferences. She also chose which reporters would ask questions.
Jean-Pierre often defended President Biden when asked about his age or fitness for office. She said she made mistakes in how she handled some of these questions.
On October 7, 2024, Jean-Pierre was promoted to a Senior Advisor position. She held this role at the same time as being Press Secretary. After Hurricane Helene, she ended a press conference. She said journalists were spreading wrong information about FEMA funding.
Personal Life
Karine Jean-Pierre is a lesbian. She was in a relationship with former CNN correspondent Suzanne Malveaux until September 2023. They have an adopted daughter together.
Jean-Pierre wrote a book called Moving Forward: A Story of Hope, Hard Work, and the Promise of America. It was published in 2019. In the book, she talks about her life. She also encourages people to get involved in politics. One TV station described it as "part memoir, part call to arms."
In 2021, the Carnegie Corporation of New York honored Jean-Pierre. She received the Great Immigrants Award.
See also
In Spanish: Karine Jean-Pierre para niños
- Organizing for America
