Biden-Harris administrationEdit
Jean-Pierre gives her first White House press briefing on May 26, 2021
Jean-Pierre worked as a senior advisor to the
Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign. She joined the Biden team in May 2020, and explained to
The Haitian Times that a desire to shape the future was especially motivating: When she was approached by the campaign, she looked at her daughter “and I thought to myself, ‘There is no way I can not get involved in this election.'”
[7] In August 2020, it was announced that Jean-Pierre would serve as the Chief of Staff for Biden's vice presidential nominee, who had not yet been announced.
[22]
On November 29, 2020, the Biden-Harris transition team announced that Jean-Pierre had been tapped to be the Principal Deputy Press Secretary.
[23] On May 26, 2021, Jean-Pierre gave her first White House press briefing, becoming the first openly gay woman to do so
[24] and the first Black woman to do so since 1991.
[25] She was named to
Fast Company's Queer 50 list in 2021.
[26]
In April 2022, she stated that the White House opposes
Ron DeSantis "taking action against a company" (
Disney for their opposition to
Florida House Bill 1557), referring to the effort to repeal the
Reedy Creek Improvement Act.
[27]
On May 5, 2022 it was announced that she would be elevated to the role of White House Press Secretary as of May 13, 2022, succeeding
Jen Psaki.
[28]
ActivismEdit
Jean-Pierre has worked at the Center for Community and Corporate Ethics.
[29] In December 2018, the
Haitian Times named her one of six "Haitian Newsmakers Of The Year".
[12]
Personal lifeEdit
As of 2020, Jean-Pierre lives in the
Washington, D.C. area with her partner,
CNN correspondent
Suzanne Malveaux, and their daughter.
[7]
In an interview regarding her work as an openly-gay staffer
[30][7] in the Obama White House, she said: "What's been wonderful is that I was not the only; I was one of many. President Obama didn't hire LGBT staffers, he hired experienced individuals who happen to be LGBT," she says. "Serving and working for President Obama where you can be openly gay has been an amazing honor. It felt incredible to be a part of an administration that prioritizes LGBT issues."
[15]
Jean-Pierre's first book,
Moving Forward, was published in 2019. It is described by
WJLA as "part memoir, part call to arms," in which she recounts her personal and professional life and encourages people to become involved in politics.
[31]
She is fluent in English, French, and Haitian Creole.
[7]