WASHINGTON, May 5, 2022 (AFP) – US President Joe Biden announced on Thursday the appointment of Karine Jean-Pierre as the next White House spokesperson, giving this senior role the first time to a black and openly lesbian woman.
According to a statement from the White House, Jean-Pierre will replace Jen Psaki, whom he served as his deputy from May 13.
Biden said he was “proud” of the nomination. The president also praised the “experience, talent and integrity” of his future spokesperson.
Psaki, who previously announced she would resign during her tenure, said she will “be the first black woman and the first openly LGBTI person to hold the position of press secretary at the White House.” “It will give a voice to many, but it will also amplify many dreams,” she added.
According to the American media, Psaki will gradually join the channel MSNBC.
Biden wished him ‘all the best’
“Jen Psaki has set a standard for restoring decency, respect and decency to the White House press room,” the president said in a statement, and thanked him for “raising the bar, communicating accurately and directly with the American people, and maintaining your understanding.” humor in doing so”.
Jean-Pierre, 44, is the first black woman to take on the role of White House spokesperson. This francophone woman who shares her life with a CNN reporter, with whom she has a daughter, is also the first lesbian to take on this high-profile role.
Born in Martinique to a Haitian family that later immigrated to the United States, Jean-Pierre was involved in both the campaigns of Barack Obama (2008 and 2012) and Joe Biden in 2020, before joining his team at the White House. He worked on campaigns.
Jean-Pierre, a graduate of Columbia University, has often explained how the path of his family symbolizing the “American dream” was decisive for his career.
He grew up in New York, where his father was a taxi driver and his mother was a home caregiver.
Referring to the former Republican president and New York real estate mogul in 2018, he said “I am everything Donald Trump hates” in a video for the MoveOn organization, of which he is one of the main characters.
source: Noticias
