Karine Jean-Pierre on why she left the Democrats — and calls herself independent

For nearly three years, Karine Jean-Pierre served as White House press secretary, the public face of the Biden administration through daily briefings and trips around the world.

In a new book, Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines, published Oct. 21, Jean-Pierre says that the party’s internal dysfunction and disloyalty had helped pave the way for its 2024 defeat.

Speaking with Morning Edition host Michel Martin, she reflected on her time in the administration and described why she decided to step away from the party she once represented.

Here are five takeaways from the conversation.

1. She says the debate revealed political vulnerability — not cognitive decline

Jean-Pierre opened her book with her account of the June 2024 presidential debate, the night questions about former President Joe Biden’s health and acuity intensified.

” I had not seen the president because he had been in debate prep,” she said. “So the first time I actually heard him speak was while he was debating. So when I heard his voice, I thought to myself, uh oh. He was hoarse. He kind of looked like he was sick.”

She said she immediately recognized how the optics might play publicly. “Everything that I’ve been pushing back on — his age, is he fit — like automatically anytime he would sneeze or have a runny nose or something would happen, that would be where the questions would go.”

Still, she maintained she had seen no reason to doubt the president’s ability to serve. “I stand by that. I stand by that 110%.”

2. She blames, in part, Democratic disunity for Trump’s return

Jean-Pierre argued that Democrats’ inability to rally around Biden cost them politically.

“Joe Biden, objectively, had a very successful four years,” she said. “And here we are on the cusp of an election of a lifetime that we all need to get behind our person, and we couldn’t do it. Republicans are able to do it … and we weren’t able to do it.”

She cited figures such as Nancy Pelosi and George Clooney who, she said, signaled their doubts about the president. “All of it,” she said, “contributed to a perception of disunity.”

3. She says criticism of her as press secretary reflected deeper bias

Jean-Pierre recalled the scrutiny she faced at the podium, including claims she was “too wooden” or lacked policy depth.

“Well, look in the moment, I was quiet,” she said. “What I can do is state facts, which is that no one has ever looked like me that has been at that podium.”

She said she understood that “as a Black woman, things are just different for people who look like me.”

4. She says Democrats had failed Black women — even as they relied on them

In a chapter titled “Sisterhood,” Jean-Pierre described the loyalty of Black women voters within the party.

“I feel like, if you look at Black women and how they come out and vote no matter what, because they understand what’s at stake … we get forgotten,” she said.

She said she had appreciated the Biden-Harris administration’s effort to elevate those voices: “They felt seen when they saw me at the podium, behind that lectern, whether it was women of color, Black women, queer community, LGBTQ community, immigrant — they felt seen, and that mattered to me.”

5. She says becoming an independent was about accountability, not defection

Jean-Pierre said her decision to identify as an independent was meant to start a conversation about the direction of American politics.

“Look for me, I’m not telling people, Hey, you go become an independent,” she said. “There is a growing number of people who see themselves as independents, including young people. We have to question, why is that?”

She also said Democrats had failed to anticipate what would follow their loss.

Jean-Pierre said she hoped the book would encourage engagement rather than cynicism.

“There’s an opportunity to reimagine what politics can be, to reimagine what America can be. That means you can’t stay quiet, because silence is complicit.”

The radio version of this interview was produced by Barry Gordemer and edited by Adriana Gallardo.