Karine Jean-Pierre, Biden's former press secretary, leaves Democratic party

Karine Jean-Pierre, who served as White House press secretary for Joe Biden, has left the Democratic party to become an independent, according to the publisher of her forthcoming book.
Jean-Pierre, who served two Democratic White Houses, is expected to detail the weeks that preceded Biden's monumental decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race, per a preview of the book, which is set to be published this fall.
The book, titled Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines, promises a detailed recounting of 'the three weeks that led to Biden's abandoning his bid for a second term and the betrayal by the Democratic party that led to his decision'.
The book will be published by Legacy Lit, a Hachette Book Group imprint.
Jean-Pierre's announcement comes as the party has been forced to reckon with its decision to staunchly support Biden's decision to seek a second term as the oldest serving president in American history and despite voter concerns about his age and mental acuity. Tensions between Jean-Pierre and the White House press corps grew tense last year, as reporters pressed for more access and transparency around the president's health.
New reporting on Biden's presidency presents a scathing account of efforts by his close staff and allies to hide the extent of his deterioration. In the midst of the debate, Biden's office announced that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones.
In comments since leaving the White House, Jean-Pierre described Democrats' response to Biden's disastrous June debate against Trump, in which he appeared disoriented and listless, as a 'firing squad'.
'I had never seen anything like that before,' she said during a discussion hosted by the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School in late February, describing the rising tide of calls demanding he abandon his re-election campaign. 'It was truly, truly unfortunate. And I think it hurt us more than folks realized.'
Jean-Pierre did not arrive 'lightly' at her decision to leave the Democratic party, according to the publisher. The book, billed as a 'hard-hitting yet hopeful critique', will make the case for 'why Americans must step beyond party lines to embrace life as Independents'.
In a series of Instagram posts promoting her book, Jean-Pierre said it was 'time to free ourselves from boxes', joining a growing trend of Americans who do not identify as Democrats or Republicans. According to the latest Gallup poll, far more Americans – 43% – consider themselves to be independents than Democrats – 28% – or Republicans, also 28%.
'As a history maker, veteran public servant, political analyst and independent thinker, she urges Americans to think outside of the blue-and-red box as we consider what's next to save our democracy,' the publisher said.
Jean-Pierre was the first Black woman and openly LGBTQ+ person to serve as White House press secretary, assuming the role after Jen Psaki departed the position.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

BBC News

35 minutes ago

• BBC News

The Interview Martina Navratilova: 'Women are still judged by a different metric than men'

'Women are still judged by a different metric than men' Amol Rajan speaks to Martina Navratilova, one of the greatest-ever tennis players, about her life and career. The story of her rise to the top of the game is as remarkable as the number of tournaments she managed to win. Born behind the Iron Curtain in Czechoslovakia in 1956, she was 11-years-old when she watched Soviet tanks roll in to the country as Moscow sought to reassert control and quash political reform. Navratilova, who played in her first tennis tournament when she was eight, rose to both national and international prominence in the years that followed. But in 1975, following the Czech government's efforts to control her tennis career, she defected. Aged 18, Navratilova sought asylum in the United States, where she later became an American citizen. During the late 1970s and 1980s she dominated the international tennis circuit, and by the time she retired, she'd won 59 major singles and doubles titles. But throughout her life, Navratilova has generated headlines on the front pages of newspapers, as well as the back. She came out as being gay in 1981, a rare thing for high-profile athletes to do at the time, and quickly became a prominent figure in the gay rights movement. More recently, however, she's found herself at odds with some groups due to her views on transgender athletes. She's also battled cancer on two separate occasions. Thank you to the Amol Rajan Interviews team for their help in making this programme. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays and Wednesdays at 0700 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out twice a week on BBC Sounds, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Presenter: Amol Rajan Producers: Ben Cooper, Joel Mapp Sound: Dave O'Neill Editor: Nick Holland Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@ and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media. (Image: Martina Navratilova. Credit: Roy Rochlin/Getty)

The Guardian

an hour ago

• The Guardian

Judge orders release of Kilmar Ábrego García as he awaits federal trial

A Tennessee judge on Sunday ordered the release of Kilmar Ábrego García, whose mistaken deportation has become a flashpoint in Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, while he awaits a federal trial on human smuggling charges. But he is not expected to be allowed to go free. At his 13 June detention hearing, prosecutors said US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) would take Ábrego García into custody if he were released on the criminal charges, and he could be deported before he has a chance to stand trial. US magistrate judge Barbara Holmes has scheduled a hearing for Wednesday to discuss the conditions of Ábrego García's release. The US government has already filed a motion to appeal the judge's release order. Holmes acknowledged in her ruling on Sunday that determining whether Ábrego García should be released is 'little more than an academic exercise' because Ice will probably detain him. But the judge wrote that everyone is entitled to the presumption of innocence and 'a full and fair determination of whether he must remain in federal custody pending trial'. Holmes wrote that the government failed to prove that Ábrego García was a flight risk, that he posed a danger to the community or that he would interfere with proceedings if released. 'Overall, the Court cannot find from the evidence presented that Ábrego's release clearly and convincingly poses an irremediable danger to other persons or to the community,' the judge wrote. Ábrego García has pleaded not guilty to the smuggling charges that his attorneys have characterized as an attempt to justify the deportation mistake after the fact. The acting US attorney for the middle district of Tennessee, Rob McGuire, argued on 13 June that the likely attempt by Ice to try to deport him was one reason to keep him in jail. But Holmes said then that she had no intention of 'getting in the middle of any Ice hold'. 'If I elect to release Mr Ábrego, I will impose conditions of release, and the US Marshal will release him.' If he is released into Ice custody, that is 'above my pay grade', she said. The judge suggested that the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security could work out between themselves whether the government's priority is to try him on the criminal charges or deport him. No date has been set for the trial. Will Allensworth, an assistant federal public defender representing Ábrego García at the detention hearing, told Holmes that 'it's not necessarily accurate that he would be immediately deported.' A 2019 immigration judge's order prevents Ábrego García, who had been living in Maryland, from being deported to his home country of El Salvador, Allensworth said in court. That's because he faces a credible threat from gangs there, according to court papers. The government could deport him to a third country, but immigration officials would first be required to show that third country was willing to keep him and not simply deport him back to El Salvador, Allensworth said. The smuggling charges stem from a 2022 traffic stop for speeding in Tennessee during which Ábrego García was driving a vehicle with nine passengers. Although officers suspected possible smuggling, he was allowed to go on his way with only a warning. He has pleaded not guilty. At the detention hearing, McGuire said cooperating witnesses have accused Ábrego García of trafficking drugs and firearms and of abusing the women he transported, among other claims. Although he is not charged with such crimes, McGuire said they showed Ábrego García to be a dangerous person who should remain in jail pretrial. Ábrego García's attorneys have characterized the smuggling case as a desperate attempt to justify the mistaken deportation. The investigation was launched weeks after the US government deported Ábrego García and the supreme court ordered the administration to facilitate his return amid mounting public pressure. The US is now expected to try to deport him again with much of the world watching and the outcome hard to predict. Most people in Ice custody who are facing criminal charges are not kept in the US for trial but deported, César Cuauhtémoc García Hernández, an Ohio State University law professor, said. The US will probably try to deport Ábrego García quickly without going before an immigration judge, the professor said. The government would not need a conviction to deport him because Ábrego García came to the US illegally. 'The legal standard is laxer,' García Hernández said. 'The government's argument is on stronger legal footing.' However an immigration judge rules, the decision can be appealed to the board of immigration appeals, García Hernández said. And the board's ruling can then be contested in a federal appeals court.

Daily Mail​

an hour ago

• Daily Mail​

Experts warn of 'new era' of terrorism and say the risks of Trump's military strategy in Iran 'are incalculably high'

The world is facing a 'new era' of terrorism after the US strikes on Iran, experts warned yesterday. Donald Trump 's surprise decision to attack Tehran's nuclear facilities – just days after the US President seemed to back away from the idea – radically increases the risk of 'likely' retaliation, former UK national security adviser Lord Ricketts cautioned. While the UK was not involved in the action, the Government was informed before the strikes happened, ministers confirmed yesterday. Despite speculation any attack could be launched from the joint UK/US airbase on Diego Garcia – where the B-2 stealth bombers used have previously been based – the mission was flown from mainland America, leaving Britain to watch on with the rest of the world after the raids took place. Lord Ricketts said the Government would be 'relieved' to have been left out of the operation. He added: 'That would have meant that the UK would have had to take a view on the legality of this – that they avoided doing.' The Attorney General, Lord Hermer, is understood to have advised the Prime Minister that any involvement would be illegal under international law. But Sir Keir Starmer had still been facing tricky questions about what position to take should Mr Trump ask for permission to use Diego Garcia or call on the 'special relationship' for assistance in any attack. After the bombing raids, Sir Keir said: 'Iran's nuclear programme is a grave threat to international security. Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat. 'The situation in the Middle East remains volatile and stability in the region is a priority. We call on Iran to return to the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis.' Lord Ricketts, a crossbench peer, described the situation in the Middle East as 'dangerous and very unpredictable', adding that some kind of retaliation from Iran, led by its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is 'likely'. He told BBC News: 'This is a major strike against their key strategic assets and so I think we have to expect that they will tryto get back at American bases, American economic installations, possibly even America's allies.' And Dr Leslie Vinjamuri, of think-tank Chatham House, said the risks of Mr Trump's strategy were 'incalculably high'. He added: 'If Iran attacks US assets and especially US personnel in the region, if the US is dragged further into direct conflict, if this launches a new era of terrorism, if this leads to more rather than less stability, then the cost to a President who has staked his success on staying out of war and delivering peace will be high.' Iran was the first foreign power to be listed on Britain's new enhanced tier of the foreign influence registration scheme, aimed at protecting the UK from malign foreign influence. The scheme, due to come into force in July, means anyone who is directed by Iran to carry out activities in the UK must declare it or face five years in prison. The Home Office will also introduce new laws that will allow the UK to proscribe state-based groups such as Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). It comes as a British man, who is alleged to have links with the IRGC, was arrested on suspicion of espionage and terrorism offences in Cyprus over the weekend. Local media reported that he had been keeping RAF Akrotiri – the UK's most important airbase for operations in the Middle East – under surveillance.'Hours, not days' before Britons trapped in Israel are evacuated Evacuations from Israel should start within hours, not days, a Cabinet minister revealed last night. The Foreign Office announced it was preparing a flight for British nationals and their dependents, despite ongoing Iranian missile strikes over the weekend. Government sources said they expect Israeli airspace to be reopened, with Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds insisting that they intended for the evacuation plane to leave Israel in 'hours, not days'. Flights are set to partially resume from Ben Gurion airport, near Tel Aviv, today. Sir Keir Starmer also urged Britons in Israel to contact the Foreign Office 'so we can facilitate whatever support is needed'. He said: 'As soon as we can get charter flights off, we will do so.' The Foreign Office has warned Britons not to go to the airport unless they are contacted. Citizens have been told to register their interest in evacuation, with further flights to be 'considered depending on demand and the latest security situation'. According to Israel, 22,000 tourists are seeking evacuation flights – it is unclear how many are British.