Tipsheet

Karine Jean-Pierre: I Was Picked for the Role Because I'm 'Beyond Capable'

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  August 28, 2023 5:45 PM

Back in June, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre spoke with theGrio on multiple occasions to promote herself as "historic" and said "I cannot fail," as "it's not an option." It looks like this lack of humility is a pattern, given that she's also "beyond capable," and that that is why President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden picked her for the job.

The remarks in question come from a podcast recorded in March with Stacy Brown that is once more gaining attention. When discussing how she was picked for the job, Jean-Pierre offered that "they decided to put me in this position," speaking of the president and first lady. "They decided that they wanted Karine Jean-Pierre, with all of the things, all of the communities that I represent, clearly being a black person, right, being a black woman. They said, we want you to represent us, we want you to represent the White House. We want to meet this moment that we're in, and we know that you are beyond capable of doing that, right. You are--you are, uh, you are experienced, and you are the voice that we want to have."

She then told Brown that "knowing that I am representing the voice of the president, then I have to do that, right? That's the job." In that case, then, it would appear, that the president doesn't know much of what's going on or would defer to others, given how often Jean-Pierre doesn't have answers or is referring the press to other departments. She's often blamed the Trump administration for issues, too. 

This is after Jean-Pierre reminded Brown that she is not just a black woman, just as she did in the clip, but that she is also "a black woman who is queer, who is immigrant--who is an immigrant, and I am spokesperson, the White House Press Secretary for the President of the United States," also adding "there's so much weight on that" when it comes to "this moment and what that means."

She repeated the same facts about herself when it comes to referring to herself as "historic" in that interview with theGrio from June. 

Recommended

Here's the Final Tally on How Much Money Trump Raised for Hurricane Victims Katie Pavlich
What Is With Jill Biden's White House Christmas Decorations? Sarah Arnold

In case we needed any further reminder that this White House is preoccupied with selecting candidates based on characteristics such as race, sex, and sexual orientation in the name of "equity," it came during Monday's press briefing.

"The administration has since day one, since the president signed the first executive order making sure everything we've done is focused on, is focused on equity, in this administration and all of his work since then, including obviously another executive order signed on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday to make sure the sacred right to the franchise is protected," Stephen Benjamin, the director and senior adviser at the White House Office of Public Engagement, noted. "It is-it is sacrosanct in everything this administration does."

Biden himself had said during an event promoting the COVID vaccine in June 2021 that the "first executive order I signed was insisting that every one of my cabinet members focus on racial equity."

As Brett T. at our sister site of Twitchy wondered in covering Jean-Pierre's remarks made to Brown, "why was Biden's first pick [Jen] Psaki, some white cis egg producer?" It's not just diversity, though. "She really is just plain horrible, but then again she's given tough lines by 'The Big Guy' to spin. She's been loyal to the White House narrative, though, whether it be to say 'ultra-MAGA' or 'Bidenomics' as much as possible," Brett also wrote.

Also during Monday's press briefing, Jean-Pierre called to mind her inability to provide satisfactory answers on hot button issues, including and especially when it comes to Hunter Biden's shady business dealings.