Karine Jean-Pierre: New White House Press Secretary

So, I just want to take the opportunity to celebrate and congratulate my friend, my colleague, my partner in truth, Karine Jean-Pierre, the next White House Press Secretary.

It has been known for a while, though she still doesn't want to talk about it, that Jen Psaki was in talks to move on to MSNBC, which got some people miffed. We now know Jen Psaki will leave the podium at the end of next week and Karine Jean-Pierre (who regularly filled in though someone else did too when both were out with COVID) will step up. 

It was a touching moment to see Psaki introduce her and Karine later was called up to add a few more words about the moment by a questioner.  She resisted some the push to highlight her being a 'first." We had a few women press secretaries (which seems logical on some stereotypical "women communicate" level; there also was a bit of a recent trend to have women secretary of state).  

Now, we not only have a black woman, but one (as her bios seem to usually say) with a woman "partner" with a child together.  Another first for Biden though to be clear (like Psaki), she has a lot of experience.  (Ha ha -- she was a deputy campaign manager of Martin O'Malley.)  She looks young, especially in that video, but is actually born a year earlier than Psaki.

Karine Jean-Pierre has a different style than Psaki, seeming to be more soft spoken, seemed less free and easy, and not as snarky and CJ from West Wing-like in some ways.  So, it might be a bit of a shift at first.  Clearly, given her career, she has a lot of skills to do her job.  So, though another person who filled in for Psaki was more comfortable to me because she was more Psaki-like, I look forward to Jean-Pierre doing a great job.

I hope Peter Doocy will be able to handle it.