Former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is back in the spotlight—this time not behind the podium, but with a new book and a headline-grabbing interview that’s drawing national attention.
Jean-Pierre, who served during the Biden administration, released her memoir on October 21 titled Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines. The book covers her experience in the Biden White House, her decision to leave the Democratic Party, and her reflections on the internal struggles that unfolded in the final months of Biden’s presidency.
In an interview with The New Yorker meant to promote the book, things quickly took a turn. The exchange between Jean-Pierre and reporter Isaac Chotiner became tense and confusing at points, with the former press secretary often circling back on her answers and trying to explain her broader message. The New Yorker later published the full transcript of the interview, and it didn’t take long for readers to start talking about how off-the-rails the conversation got.
One of the main topics covered in both the book and the interview is Jean-Pierre’s claim that Democratic leaders allegedly undermined President Biden during the 2024 election cycle. She writes that despite polls predicting a loss to then-candidate Donald Trump, she believed party insiders rushed to push Biden out of the race rather than standing behind him.
When asked by Chotiner why she thought Democrats turned on Biden, Jean-Pierre began to connect the issue to her personal experiences, including what it meant to be a Black woman in high-level politics. Chotiner pressed her for clarity, pointing out that he didn’t fully understand how her personal reflections connected to the Democratic Party’s political decisions. Jean-Pierre responded by saying that no one could predict the future, noting that polls had been wrong before and that no one truly knew what would happen in either 2020 or 2024.
The back-and-forth continued, with Jean-Pierre at times sounding frustrated. She repeated phrases like “wait a minute” and “nobody knows anything,” arguing that assumptions about Biden’s chances in 2024 were premature and not based on solid facts. She said many voters in 2020 did not turn out in 2024, and that global trends showed incumbents struggling in multiple countries. She insisted that the challenge Biden faced wasn’t just personal—it was part of a bigger incumbency issue.
The conversation became even more tangled when Chotiner brought up how Jean-Pierre seemed to express both support and criticism for how Biden was treated. He asked whether she thought he should have stayed in the race or stepped aside. Her response: “I don’t think it should have happened. I believe that we should have done everything that we could… and fought extremely hard.”
Jean-Pierre also addressed Vice President Kamala Harris in the book, admitting she never believed Harris could win a national election, but still felt it was disrespectful when Democratic leaders allegedly tried to push her off the ticket as well. Chotiner pointed out the contradiction, but Jean-Pierre responded by emphasizing that her book was based on her own experience—not the opinions of others.
The review of Jean-Pierre’s book by the WashPost’s leftist book critic Becca Rothfeld is one of the most scathing and acerbic destructions you will ever read.
Shows not only the vapid and pointless mediocrity that Jean-Pierre is but also Dem politics:https://t.co/d1c1bdu2jH pic.twitter.com/lzGz5uZ8FZ
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) October 26, 2025
Toward the end of the interview, Chotiner asked whether she believed Biden was capable of serving another full term. Jean-Pierre avoided a direct answer, saying she “did not see anything that would cause concern,” but also claimed it wasn’t her place to judge Biden’s physical or mental capacity.
One of the more surprising moments came when Jean-Pierre clarified that the “broken White House” in her book’s title wasn’t referring to Biden’s team—but to the Trump administration. That statement seemed to contrast with much of the book’s focus, which centered on how Biden and Harris were allegedly let down by their own party.
As the interview wrapped, both sides appeared frustrated. Chotiner said he was trying to reflect how many voters felt watching the 2024 campaign unfold. Jean-Pierre countered by saying those feelings were valid, but not the full picture.
Megan Kelly hilariously reads excerpts from Karine Jean-Pierre’s new book.
“So, Karine Jean Pierre, not to be content to just let Kamala look like the dumbest one in the administration…” pic.twitter.com/gi7rJjnxE1
— Girl patriot (@Girlpatriot1974) October 28, 2025
The book, along with the interview, has sparked a new wave of discussion around the final chapter of Biden’s presidency, the future of the Democratic Party, and the ongoing shift in political identities among high-profile former officials. With President Donald Trump now back in office and Vice President J.D. Vance working alongside him, the conversation around party loyalty, leadership, and political strategy continues to evolve—and Jean-Pierre’s story adds another complex voice to that discussion.
