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Does John Kirby Make KJP Feel 'Insecure?' Axios Report Shares Juicy Details About White House in Disarray

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  January 05, 2024 2:30 PM

We're 10 months away from the 2024 election, and as President Joe Biden faces what Axios acknowledges is "a tough re-election campaign," his administration is also facing concerns about trouble between White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby. The headline for that Axios report pointed to, "White House podium battle: Tensions grow between Jean-Pierre and Kirby."

The report details how "White House sources" are saying that there's frustration between Jean-Pierre and Kirby, as they often share a podium together during press briefings. While Kirby does often take questions, it's Jean-Pierre who deicdes which reporters get to ask those questions, which is standard procedure.

"As President Biden heads into a tough re-election campaign, his top-ranking spokespeople are at odds while navigating a situation in which there's one press secretary in name but two in practice — one for domestic policy, the other for foreign policy," the report mentions early on.

It's not just Kirby who Jean-Pierre reportedly has issues with. Axios also makes mention of Deputy Press Secretary Olivia Dalton:

Jean-Pierre's relationship with her principal deputy, Olivia Dalton, also has been bumpy. Dalton voiced frustrations during her first year, when she didn't brief from the podium despite several months of practice sessions.

  • Dalton has conducted more gaggles on Air Force One recently,  but has briefed reporters from the podium just once — last June.
  • A White House aide who works closely with Jean-Pierre and Dalton told Axios: "They have been friends for over a decade and have a strong relationship."

Jean-Pierre abilities have been called into question for over a year now, with even mainstream media outlets, like POLITICO, picking up on such chatter. More recently, Spencer put out a piece on the top worst moments from Jean-Pierre for 2023, with plenty of moments to choose from. 

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Jean-Pierre has been particularly sloppy about questions to do with First Son Hunter Biden and the changing narratives as to whether the president was involved with his business dealings, including when he served as vice president. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) have even referenced comments of hers in a letter from last week indicating they're investigating Biden's "advanced awareness" that Hunter would violate subpoenas when he skipped out on his closed-door testimony last month. Jean-Pierre was also found to have been in violation of the Hatch Act for her comments from the podium about "Mega MAGA Republicans."

Yet the president and first lady supposedly like Jean-Pierre. It's something the press secretary often reminds people of, and is mentioned by Axios hereas well. "Jean-Pierre has told people she plans to stay in the job through the election and beyond if Biden wants her — and that he has asked her not to leave," the report mentioned.

It's worth raising the possibility that even if there isn't such beef between Jean-Pierre and Kirby, the Biden administration is still running a sloppy operation here. Biden likes Jean-Pierre, but the report mentions he also likes to be briefed by Kirby and for Jean-Pierre to appear with Kirby. Then there's the confusion that former White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain may have caused:

What they're saying: A White House official who works closely with Jean-Pierre and Kirby disputed the notion that there is tension between the two.

  • " I don't recognize this description of their relationship at all. The truth is the opposite — they talk all the time and have a collegial and collaborative rapport," the official said.

The intrigue: But several other White House sources say Jean-Pierre was wary of Kirby from the beginning. 

  • When Biden offered Jean-Pierre the press secretary job in 2022, he awkwardly added that Kirby also would be joining and that they'd be a team, Jean-Pierre told people afterward.
  • Jean-Pierre left the meeting with Biden upset and confused about whether she actually had the job and what Kirby's role would be, according to three people familiar with her comments at the time. 
  • A White House official told Axios that it's overwhelming — in a good way — to be offered the prestigious job, and that Jean-Pierre was not upset or confused.
  • Ron Klain, then the White House chief of staff, met with Jean-Pierre to try to smooth things over and reassure her that she was the press secretary. He and Dunn then worked to find an agreeable arrangement. (Klain did not respond to a request for comment.)

The report makes mention of how Kirby has attended almost all of the press briefings since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, as well as how Jean-Pierre has poorly handled the issue. She's frequently brought up Islamophobia when asked about antisemitism for instance, as she did during the briefing from October 23. She claimed she misheard the question, but such an incident isn't an outlier, and she's been strongly criticized by even fellow Democrats in instances where her responses have fallen short.

Jean-Pierre's poor handling of the issue cannot be emphasized enough, though, making Kirby's position at the podium make even more sense. Not only has Jean-Pierre had consistently provided mostly lacking responses on questions about antisemitism, Kirby has consistently put the press in their place whenever it comes to how figures from Palestinian authorities and Hamas cannot be trusted, in addition to other narratives about the Israel-Hamas war.