Karine Jean-Pierre, former White House press secretary, has decided to leave the Democratic Party, citing poor treatment of former President Joe Biden as a major reason.
In the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election, although Biden secured his party’s nomination, he later withdrew due to pressure from Democratic leaders concerned about his age and cognitive abilities. This insistence came after Biden’s uneven debate performances against Trump, where he sometimes seemed slow and disorganized. Following his time in office, Biden’s then-Vice President, Kamala Harris, achieved her party’s nomination without any primary challenge but ultimately lost to Trump by a significant margin in November of that year.
In her forthcoming memoir, Jean-Pierre expressed that the treatment Biden received led her to distance herself from the Democratic Party, prompting her transition to being an independent.
“Mr. Biden appeared completely at peace with his decision to step back, but I was left feeling shocked and emotionally conflicted. Anger and sadness overwhelmed me. It infuriated me, truly, that a man who dedicated decades to serving the American public was treated so poorly by his own party. It was heartbreaking,” Jean-Pierre shared.
She felt that Biden would stick to this path until he eventually withdrew from the race.
“The Democratic Party shaped my entire life and career,” she noted. “Everything I’ve done to improve lives has been tied to it. The party enabled me to not just witness history but to be a part of it as the first Black female and openly gay White House Press Secretary. Until now, I had never considered leaving the party.”
Jean-Pierre chose to embrace her independence as a stance for her beliefs rather than offer unqualified loyalty to a party that, in her view, had failed her.
“I’ve been grappling with the anxiety surrounding this. It’s led me to think about how I might channel my disappointment into real action—figuring out how to advocate for my values without the blind allegiance to a party I no longer believe in,” she wrote.
“Honestly, I have to be true to myself. I can’t remain a Democrat any longer,” she added.
