Karine Jean-Pierre mocked as her memoir describing ‘doomed’ presidential campaigns resurfaces
WASHINGTON, DC: White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre may need guidance from her own book, which she wrote four years ago, as her boss Joe Biden's chances for reelection have dramatically decreased following a disastrous presidential debate performance last week.
President Biden's inner circle continues to insist that the 81-year-old incumbent will persist against former President Donald Trump despite the significant fallout from his dismal first debate outing of this election cycle, according to DailyMail.
Since May 2022, Jean-Pierre has held the White House position, taking over from Jen Psaki, and has an extensive background working for various Democratic politicians.
Her experience in campaigns led her to release a memoir called 'Moving Forward' in 2020, before Biden's first term, which gained attention on social media again this week due to an excerpt she used to promote it, titled 'What it's like working for a doomed presidential candidate'.
The excerpt published on Salon on February 17, 2020, before Biden had secured the nomination, was between Jean-Pierre's roles as Chief of Staff for now-Vice President Kamala Harris' unsuccessful campaign and her work with the successful Biden campaign.
In the excerpt, she writes, “There's nothing more dispiriting than working on a dying campaign. The atmosphere resembles one of those sad birthday balloons with the air slowly seeping out as it deflates.”
What did Karine Jean-Pierre write in her 2020 book?
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre talked about her time working for two controversial figures in the history of the Democratic Party, namely, John Edwards, the former North Carolina Senator and failed presidential candidate, and Anthony Weiner, the former New York lawmaker who was convicted of various offenses.
Weiner's name has continued to appear in the news due to a series of scandals that ruined his political career and led to a prison sentence.
The disgraced New York congressman was caught multiple times sending explicit messages to various women, even during his political campaigns.
He was later sentenced to 21 months in prison. Jean-Pierre worked as press secretary for Anthony Weiner when he was considering running for Mayor of New York City in 2009.
She described Weiner as "one of the most gifted politicians I have ever encountered" but acknowledged his lack of self-control.
While she “wasn't burned by my association with Weiner,” she swiftly moved on to work for the 2012 Barack Obama campaign.
She stated that her experience taught her not to be easily enamored by her employers and to “believe in the mission, not the messenger” when it comes to politics.
Before working for Weiner, she gained experience working for John Edwards, who had a major political scandal in the 2000s.
Edwards, once considered "Bill Clinton without the baggage", faced a significant scandal that led to the downfall of his political campaign.
He ran as John Kerry's running mate in 2004 but ultimately lost to President George W Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
In 2008, he sought the Democratic presidential nomination but withdrew from the race after his extramarital affair was revealed while his wife, Elizabeth, was battling cancer.
After Elizabeth's death, Edwards faced charges of campaign finance violations. It was alleged that he funneled nearly $1 million in donations from wealthy socialite Bunny Mellon to his mistress, with whom he fathered a child.
Following a six-week trial, a jury failed to reach a decision on most of the charges he was facing, and he was acquitted on one charge.
A year later, the federal prosecutors agreed to drop the case. Edwards has since remained mostly out of the public eye.
Unlike her experience with Weiner, Jean-Pierre said “of all my career decisions, the one I most regret is choosing to join the John Edwards campaign in 2007 rather than Barack Obama's.”
She noted her desire to distance herself from the campaign when Edwards finished third in South Carolina in 2008 behind Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, saying, “I couldn't get out of town fast enough.”
Jean-Pierre emphasized the importance of believing in a politician's mission and their goal of enacting societal change, rather than solely focusing on the politician.
“You, the volunteer or staffer, should believe in the politician's mission, their goal of changing society, more than in the politician him or herself,” she remarked.
These were not Jean-Pierre's only experiences with longshot presidential candidates, as she also served as Deputy Campaign Manager for Martin O'Malley's third-place run in 2016.
What did Karine Jean-Pierre say regarding President Biden’s abysmal presidential debate performance?
Karine Jean-Pierre had to provide an explanation for the President's lackluster debate performance from the White House podium on Tuesday, July 2.
The verbal sparring between Biden and Trump revealed how concerns about a declining president will overshadow the rest of this year's election, as apprehensive Democrats openly urge the Commander-in-Chief to drop out of the race entirely.
The White House Press Secretary acknowledged the subpar performance, attributing it to incumbents historically having a rough first debate and emphasizing that they will continue their work on behalf of the American people.
"We're not taking away from what you all saw or what the American people saw,” Karine Jean-Pierre said.
“We understand it was a bad night. It is not uncommon for incumbents to have a bad night on their first debate, and we are going to continue to do the work that we have been doing on behalf of the American people,” she added.
Despite her explanation that the President was simply suffering from a cold and had no intention of stepping down, her responses were met with skepticism in the White House briefing room.
The underwhelming performance has been dominating news headlines ever since, causing anxiety among Democratic donors who worry that his reelection campaign is headed for a disastrous run.
Questions in the briefing room about Biden's condition at the end of a second term and about dementia will only compound these concerns.
Jean-Pierre worked to shift the focus away from the debate, portraying a busy President who is carrying on with his duties, including traveling to Wisconsin later in the week, participating in an interview with ABC News's George Stephanopoulos, and holding a solo press conference next week during the visit of NATO leaders.
She also confirmed that he would be having a virtual meeting with Democratic governors but declined to address whether it was intended to provide reassurances.
Internet abuzz as Karine Jean-Pierre's memoir details her experiences in 'doomed' presidential campaigns
People online lambasted the White House Press Secretary for being the common denominator in all of the Democratic presidential campaigns that went awry.
One person commented, "She is the equivalent of, as the ship sinks the band plays on…. She’s going down.."
Another person wrote, "She's apparently the Sergeant Schultz of Press secretaries, as every evasive answer is essentially, "I know nothing!", so, No Comment...."
Another person said, "Career has already tanked by association with Dementia ridden Joe. Her weekly attempts at avoiding/ swerving answering questions on the Presidents inability to function are embarrassing."
One person remarked, "KJP sure has a way of picking them."
Another person quipped, "She can add one to her list."
Finally, this person asserted, "She's the worst press secretary in living memory. Can't answer a question and goes defensive immediately that there's any question she doesn't like."
This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.
