Joe Biden's former press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, is ditching the Democrats, further dividing the party at a time when its approval is in the gutter.
As the chief propagandist for the White House during most of Biden's term, Jean-Pierre was at the center of an effort to cover-up Biden's cognitive decline. Now, she's looking to cash in as she attempts to redefine herself as a generic "independent."
“I think we need to stop thinking in boxes and think outside of our boxes and not be so partisan,” she said last week.
A teaser for her upcoming book promises "revelatory" insight on the "broken" two-party system, as well as an insider's account on the Democratic party's "betrayal" of Biden during a tumultuous three-week period last summer.
Joining the White House in 2022, Jean-Pierre became notorious for her clumsy, inept efforts to spin the news in favor of the administration. She vehemently insisted that Biden was fit to be president as questions mounted about his cognitive health, describing him as "sharp as ever" in the aftermath of his pivotal, career-ending debate performance last June.
Like CNN's Jake Tapper, a former Biden defender and co-author of a new book attacking the former president and his inner circle, Jean-Pierre is also facing criticism for her cynical shift in allegiances.
Her shocking defection from the Democratic party has emboldened former colleagues to trash her (anonymously) to the media, with critics calling Jean-Pierre an incompetent communicator who was coddled on the job, as well as a relentless self-promoter.
“The fact that she feels like she can distance herself from the Democratic brand is laughable,” a Democratic strategist told The Hill. “Democrats are trying to distance themselves from the Biden White House but here we have Karine trying to distance herself from a pissed off Democratic Party. She’s part of the problem. Does she not realize that?”
Jean-Pierre is the latest prominent figure to flee the historically unpopular Democrats, who continue to be seen as out of touch by most Americans. Recent polling from left-wing CNN shows that voters trust Republicans more than Democrats to deal with the economy, despite the turbulence of Trump's tariff agenda.
As Democrats flounder, the Biden family is scrambling to defend his tarnished legacy from newly emboldened Republicans and Democrats who want to blame their current woes on Biden and his disastrous re-election bid.
But some argue the Democrats are scapegoating Biden and his family to avoid confronting deeper problems with the party's brand. Indeed, the fact that someone as incompetent as Jean-Pierre rose to such a prominent position within the Biden administration is a sure sign that the party's rot runs much deeper than many Democrats want to acknowledge.
Months after President Trump's historic comeback, Democrats still do not agree on whether they are too "woke" or not woke enough, and no identifiable leader has emerged to rally them.
“Nobody, including President Biden’s minister of propaganda, wants to be a Democrat anymore. Their policies and brand are toxic,” Trump pollster Jim McLaughlin said.
Meanwhile, Biden's circle of defenders is shrinking as President Trump escalates an investigation into the last administration's use of an autopen.
"I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false,” Biden said in a statement last week.
