Karine Jean-Pierre, former White House Press Secretary under President Joe Biden, has announced she is no longer affiliated with the Democratic Party and now identifies as an Independent.
The revelation comes ahead of the release of her upcoming memoir, which details internal White House tensions and her disillusionment with party politics.
The book, titled Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines, is scheduled for release in October through Legacy Lit, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. According to the publisher’s description, Jean-Pierre made her decision after witnessing what she describes as betrayal from Democratic Party leadership during a critical turning point in Biden’s presidency.
Jean-Pierre, who served as the Biden administration’s top spokesperson for over two years, is expected to offer a firsthand account of the events that led to President Biden’s abrupt decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race. Biden stepped aside following a widely criticized debate performance, opening the path for then Vice President Kamala Harris, who ultimately lost to Donald Trump.
In the book, Jean-Pierre reportedly reflects on “the three weeks that led to Biden’s abandoning his bid for a second term and how a crisis of leadership within the Democratic Party” influenced her departure. While she doesn’t disavow her past service, she makes it clear she no longer believes in the party’s current direction.
Until January 20, I was responsible for speaking on behalf of the President of the United States. At noon on that day, I became a private citizen who, like all Americans and many of our allies around the world, had to contend with what was to come next for our country, Jean Pierre said in a statement to CNN.
She added, We need to be clear-eyed and questioning, rather than blindly loyal and obedient as we may have been in the past. Her statement has sparked immediate reactions from across the political spectrum, with some praising her honesty and others accusing her of disloyalty.
Jean-Pierre’s departure from the party adds fuel to ongoing debates within Democratic ranks over how the party handled the 2024 election and the growing frustrations over leadership accountability. Internal critics have long questioned whether Biden should have run for reelection given concerns about his age and mental fitness.
Prior to her role in the White House, Jean-Pierre worked on the Biden-Harris 2020 campaign, served in the Obama administration, and held senior roles at the progressive advocacy group MoveOn. Her career has made her a prominent voice in Democratic and progressive politics for more than a decade.
The upcoming book is expected to offer an insider’s critique of the Biden administration and broader Democratic strategy during one of the most politically turbulent election cycles in recent history. It may also further divide opinion among voters already skeptical of the two-party system.
Though she hasn’t indicated plans to run for office or join any third party, Jean-Pierre’s shift to independence reflects a growing trend of political figures breaking away from traditional party structures amid rising polarization and voter disillusionment.
Her memoir is poised to become one of the most talked-about political books of the year, promising not only revelations about Biden’s final months in office but also a stark call for rethinking partisan loyalty in American politics.
