Karine Jean-Pierre's two-and-a-half-year stint as White House press secretary was marked by what many saw as a series of events. Embarrassing and even controversial moments.
In May 2022, Jean-Pierre replaced Jen Psaki as press secretary and became the first openly gay Black woman to hold the position. Although she has been described as a historical figure, her time as press secretary ultimately became memorable for her clashing with reporters, retracting her statements and avoiding difficult questions.
On Wednesday, she spoke to the press for the last time after more than 300 briefings.
Here are some memorable moments during Jean-Pierre's time as press secretary:
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre takes questions during the daily briefing on July 24, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Wayne McNamee/Getty Images)
Karen Jean-Pierre's most unforgettable moments of 2024
Jean-Pierre questioned on Twitter and called the 2016 elections “stolen”
Before Biden joined the White House, Jean-Pierre claimed on Twitter that former President Donald Trump stole the 2016 election And that Republican Georgia Governor Brian Kemp had his election stolen in 2018.
In September 2022, Fox News' Peter Doocy pressed a White House spokesperson to explain why “MAGA Republicans” were facing so much criticism for their claims that the 2020 election was stolen when she and other Democrats cast doubt on other elections.
“I tweeted in 2016 that Trump stole the election,” Ducey began.
“Oh, I knew this was coming,” Jean-Pierre said, interrupting him. “I was waiting, Peter, when you were going to ask me that question.”
“Okay, here we go,” Doocy replied. “I tweeted at Trump that the election was stolen. I tweeted at Brian Kemp that the election was stolen. If denying the election results is so extreme now, why wasn't it then?”
“Let's be clear: That comparison you just made is ridiculous,” Jean-Pierre said, adding that she was specifically talking about voting rights at the time.
“Governor Kemp won the election in Georgia. I've been clear about that,” she continued. “You've said President Trump won the election in 2016, and you've been clear about that. What we're talking about now, let's not forget, is what happened on January 6, 2021. We saw an insurrection, a mob, it was incited by the person who occupied (the White House) …It was an attack on our democracy.”
Jean-Pierre says 'voter suppression' and 'high turnout' can happen 'at the same time'
Jean-Pierre Raised eyebrows in October 2022 By declaring the possibility of “voter suppression” and “high turnout” occurring at the same time when asked about turnout in Georgia's midterm elections. She made the comments during a news conference when a reporter asked her about Biden's suggestion that Georgia's voting laws are like “Jim Crow 2.0,” given that the state has seen record early voting turnout.
“And speaking generally, of course, more broadly, of course, high turnout and voter suppression can happen at the same time,” Jean-Pierre said. “These events don't have to happen, and they don't have to happen on their own. They can happen at the same time.”
Journalists press Jean-Pierre about Hunter Biden
In June 2023, the House Ways and Means Committee released testimony from an IRS whistleblower who alleged misconduct in the handling of the tax investigation investigating Biden's son Hunter. Among the findings was an alleged WhatsApp text message Hunter Biden sent to a Chinese business partner using his father as part of what Republicans said was an illicit scheme.
Reporters from CNN, The New York Times, The New York Post, Newsmax and NBC News He put pressure on Jean-Pierre To these accusations, only the press secretary refused to respond.
Jean-Pierre initially replied: “I will not get into a family discussion, a personal family discussion.” “You know, Hunter is his son. I'm not going to get into that.”
After repeated questions about the whistleblower's testimony, Jean-Pierre seemed even more upset with New York Post reporter Steven Nelson.
The most memorable confrontations between Karine Jean-Pierre and reporters throughout 2023
“Stephen, Stephen, you just answered the question,” she answered sternly. “You have no right to answer the question. I only answered the question by telling you that my colleagues in the White House counsel handled this matter, and I will refer you to them.”
Jean-Pierre also stated that she does not plan to discuss the matter with the president.
Jean-Pierre says weak, viral Biden videos were 'cheap fakes'
In June, roughly a month before Biden stepped down from the race, several videos went viral showing the president wandering aimlessly and looking frail, raising concerns about his age.
In response to these questions, Jean-Pierre referred to it as “a series of video clips edited to make the president appear particularly weak or mentally disoriented.” They described it as a “cheap fake.” A phrase I attributed to the Washington Post, “Promoting misinformation, disinformation.”
“It tells you everything we need to know about how desperate Republicans are here,” Jean-Pierre said. “Instead of talking about the president's performance in office, and what I mean by that is his legislative victories, and what he's been able to do for the American people across the country, we're seeing these deep fakes, manipulated videos. And again, it's done in bad faith.” “.
KJP retracts repeated denials about pardoning Hunter Biden
Just weeks before his presidency, Biden surprised both political parties by pardoning his son after flatly insisting that he would not do so.
Jean-Pierre has repeatedly said on the stand that a pardon is not on the table, even as the odds of conviction increase. And just days after Hunter Biden was pardoned in December, she was I confronted her comments.
“I was asked about the president pardoning his son, and I said, 'It's a no. It will be a no. It's a no,'” AP White House correspondent Zeke Miller said, recounting Jean-Pierre's remarks.
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“When you look at the statement, it's fairly comprehensive,” Jean-Pierre said, referring to Biden's full statement justifying the pardon, adding that “circumstances have changed.”
Miller retracted this answer, reminding her of her promises when she took the medication Press secretary job.
“In your first briefing here as press secretary, you committed to speaking in a transparent, honest and honest way,” Miller told Jean-Pierre.
Fox News' Brian Flood, Anders Hagstrom and Peter Doocy contributed to this report.
