Biden press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre's former White House colleagues lashed out at her after she announced her departure from the Democratic Party and unveiled a forthcoming book that portrays the Biden administration as "broken" and betrayed by its own party.
Jean-Pierre "was one of the most ineffectual and unprepared people I've ever worked with," a former White House official told Axios. "She had meltdowns after any interview that asked about a topic not sent over by producers."
"She didn't know how to manage a team, didn't know how to shape or deliver a message, and often created more problems than she solved," the official added.
Another former Biden official echoed the frustration, describing Jean-Pierre as a persistent distraction. "The amount of time that was spent coddling [Jean-Pierre] and appeasing her was astronomical compared to our attention on actual matters of substance," the aide told Axios.
The aides said they remained silent during the administration, however, thinking that the press secretary was untouchable. Jean-Pierre maintained close ties to then-first lady Jill Biden's top adviser, Anthony Bernal, who helped staff the Biden White House with loyalists, according to Axios.
These Democrats are now joining Republicans who long scrutinized Jean-Pierre, particularly for her role in covering up Joe Biden's mental decline. As press secretary, she repeatedly vouched for Biden's mental fitness, insisting he was "as sharp as—as ever" even after his disastrous 2024 debate performance, which led to his bowing out of the presidential race.
Democratic attacks on Jean-Pierre erupted after she announced Wednesday that she has left the Democratic Party and will soon release her memoir, Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines. The book, according to publisher Legacy Lit, not only describes the Biden administration as "broken" but also accuses Democrats of betraying the octogenarian at a critical time, urging Americans to "think outside of the blue-and-red box."
Aides said that Jean-Pierre regularly prioritized self-promotion over policy, working closely with a New York publicist, appearing on The View, and pushing for weekly media spots. Concerns about her outside promotional efforts were so persistent that they were reportedly raised with the White House counsel's office.
One Biden communications official singled out Jean-Pierre's "hubris" for criticism. "The hubris of thinking you can position yourself as an outsider, when you not only have enjoyed the perks of extreme proximity to power … but have actively wielded it from the biggest pulpit there is, is as breathtaking as it is desperate."
"It's difficult to see how this [book] is anything but a bizarre cash grab," the former official added.