Former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has announced she is leaving the Democratic Party, a move timed with the release of her new book, Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines. The announcement has reignited long-standing tensions among her former colleagues in the Biden administration, several of whom accuse her of prioritizing personal publicity over public service during her time in office.
The news quickly circulated through Democratic and Biden alumni networks, where it was met with criticism and disbelief. According to seven former administration officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Jean-Pierre’s actions have confirmed suspicions held for years about her ambitions for media prominence.
“She made a joke about being an independent last year, and now it’s a book,” said one former staffer. “All ideas are monetary — even the dumb ones.”
Jean-Pierre, who served as press secretary for over two years, frequently came under internal scrutiny. Colleagues reportedly raised concerns over her use of a New York-based publicist, Gilda Squire, who was copied on official White House emails, prompting intervention by staffers and a review by the White House counsel’s office. Squire, a veteran publicist with past ties to major publishers, was also linked to Jean-Pierre’s appearances in lifestyle publications such as Vogue and Women’s Health, and her guest spot on The View.
According to former aides, Jean-Pierre harbored aspirations to co-host The View after her White House tenure, following a path similar to her predecessor, Jen Psaki, who left the role for a position at MSNBC. When no such media opportunity materialized, some former colleagues speculated that her book became a fallback plan.
The book reportedly explores the chaotic three weeks following President Biden’s widely criticized debate performance last summer, a period that ultimately led to his decision to exit the 2024 presidential race. Promotional materials from publisher Hachette suggest Jean-Pierre will argue that Biden’s departure was the result of “a betrayal by the Democratic Party”—a premise that many of her former colleagues reject.
“It’s more productive to focus on the fact that Biden stepped aside for the good of the country,” said Caitlin Legacki, a former communications official in the Biden administration. “Pretending it was an unwarranted betrayal ignores the reality we were facing. People will suffer under Republican policies, and the Democratic Party acted to minimize that harm.”
Some Democrats expressed frustration with Jean-Pierre’s shifting narrative. “She was the public face telling us the White House was strong and Biden was doing great,” one former official said. “Now she doesn’t even want to be a Democrat? She’s not in a position to bridge the political divide. It’s pure ego.”
Jeremy Edwards, a former member of Jean-Pierre’s press team, offered a succinct reaction on X (formerly Twitter): “lol.”
Jean-Pierre’s turn is not without precedent. In 2021, former Trump press secretary Stephanie Grisham published a critical memoir about her time in the White House. But unlike Grisham, who never held press briefings, Jean-Pierre was a highly visible spokesperson for the administration.
Neither Jean-Pierre nor Squire responded to requests for comment.
As Jean-Pierre prepares to promote her book, she faces growing skepticism from former allies. One Democratic strategist who worked with her before her White House appointment summed it up bluntly: “This is the most grift-y thing I’ve seen in a long time — and that’s saying something in Washington.”
