Karina Jean-Pierre’s two-and-a-half-year tenure as White House press secretary was marked by what many saw as a series of unpleasant and even controversial moments.
In May 2022, Jean-Pierre replaced Jen Psaki as press secretary, becoming the first openly gay black woman to hold the position. Although she was hailed as a historical figure, her time as press secretary became more memorable over time for her confrontations with reporters, her refusal to make statements and her sidestepping of tough questions.
On Wednesday, she addressed the press for the last time after more than 300 briefings.
Here are some of the most memorable moments of Jean-Pierre’s time as press secretary:
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre answers questions during the daily briefing on July 24, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
THE MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS OF KARINA JEAN-PIERRE IN 2024.
Jean-Pierre furious over tweet calling 2016 election ‘stolen’
Before joining the Biden White House, Jean-Pierre claimed to be former President Donald on Twitter Trump stole the 2016 election and that Republican Georgia Governor Brian Kemp stole the 2018 election from him.
In September 2022, Fox News’ Peter Doocy pressed the White House spokeswoman to explain why “MAGA Republicans” faced so much criticism for their claims that the 2020 election was stolen when she and other Democrats cast doubt on other elections.
“You tweeted in 2016 that Trump stole the election,” Doocy began.
“Oh, I knew this was coming,” Jean-Pierre said, cutting him off. “I’ve been waiting, Peter, for you to ask me that question.”
“Well, let’s go,” Doocy replied. “You tweeted that Trump stole the election. You tweeted that Brian Kemp stole the election. If denying the election results is extreme now, why wasn’t it then?”
“Let’s be really clear: That comparison you just made is ridiculous,” Jean-Pierre said, adding that she was talking specifically about voting rights at the time.
“Governor Kemp won the election in Georgia. I was clear about that,” she continued. “I said President Trump won the 2016 election and I was clear about that. What we’re talking about now is, let’s not forget, what happened on January 6, 2021. We saw a riot, a mob, that was incited by a person which occupied [the White House]. … It was an attack on our democracy.”
Jean-Pierre says ‘voter suppression’ and ‘high turnout’ can happen ‘at the same time’
Jean-Pierre raised eyebrows in October 2022 stating that “voter suppression” and “high turnout” could occur at the same time when asked about turnout in Georgia’s midterm elections. She made the comments during a press briefing when a reporter asked her about Biden’s suggestion that Georgia’s voting laws were akin to “Jim Crow 2.0,” given the state’s record early voting turnout.
“Generally speaking, of course, more broadly, of course, high turnout and voter suppression can happen at the same time,” Jean-Pierre said. “They don’t have to be, they don’t have to happen by themselves. They could happen at the same time.”
Journalists press Jean-Pierre about Hunter Biden
In June 2023, the House Ways and Means Committee released testimony from IRS whistleblowers who alleged misconduct in the conduct of the tax investigation into Biden’s son Hunter. Among the revelations was an alleged WhatsApp text message Hunter Biden sent to a Chinese business associate using his father as part of what Republicans said was an illicit scheme.
Reporters from CNN, the New York Times, the New York Post, Newsmax and NBC News, everyone Jean-Pierre pressed to those accusations, only for the press secretary to refuse to respond.
“I’m just not going to get into family discussions, personal family discussions,” Jean-Pierre answered first. “As you know, Hunter is his son. I’m just not going to get into that.”
After repeated questions about the whistleblower’s testimony, Jean-Pierre seemed even more upset, according to New York Post correspondent Steven Nelson.
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE’S MOST MEMORABLE CONFLICTS WITH JOURNALISTS DURING 2023.
“Steven, Steven, I just answered a question,” she replied sternly. “It’s not up to you how I answer the question. I just answered the question by telling you that my colleagues in White House Counsel have looked into this and I would refer you to them.”
Jean-Pierre also stated that she has no plans to discuss the matter with the president.
Jean-Pierre Claims Viral Fragile Biden Videos Are ‘Cheap Fakes’
In June, about a month before Biden dropped out of the race, several videos went viral showing the president wandering around aimlessly looking frail, reigniting concerns about his age.
In response to those questions, Jean-Pierre called them “a number of videos edited to make the president look particularly weak or mentally confused,” and branded them as “cheap fakes”, a phrase she attributed to the Washington Post, “pushing disinformation, disinformation.”
“That tells you everything we need to know about how desperate Republicans are here,” Jean-Pierre said. “And instead of talking about the president’s performance in office, and by that I mean his legislative victories, what he’s been able to do for the American people across the country, we’re seeing these deepfakes, these manipulated videos. And that, again, was done in bad faith. “
KJP rejects repeated denials about the pardon of Hunter Biden
With just weeks left in his presidency, Biden surprised both political parties by pardoning his son after adamantly insisting he would not.
Jean-Pierre repeatedly said from the podium that a pardon was not on the table, although a conviction was becoming more and more likely. A few days after Hunter Biden was pardoned in December, she was faced with her comments.
“They asked you about the president pardoning his son, and you said, ‘It’s a no. It’s going to be a no. It’s a no,'” AP White House correspondent Zeke Miller said, recounting Jean-Pierre’s remarks. .
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“When you look at the statement, it’s pretty comprehensive,” Jean-Pierre said, referring to Biden’s full statement justifying the pardon, adding that “circumstances have changed.”
Miller dismissed this response, reminding her of her promises when she took over the job of press secretary.
“In your first briefing here as press secretary, you pledged to speak ‘in a transparent manner, in a truthful manner and in an honest manner,'” Miller told Jean-Pierre.
Fox News’ Brian Flood, Anders Hagstrom and Peter Doocy contributed to this report.
