Former Biden spokeswoman quits Democratic party
Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has quit the Democratic party after its "betrayal" of Joe Biden to become an independent, her publisher said in a statement Wednesday announcing a new book.
Jean-Pierre, 50, who served under Biden for two years, will explain the decision in her book, titled "Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines," publishing house Hachette said.
Jean-Pierre blazed a trail as the first Black and gay presidential spokesperson.
"Jean-Pierre didn't come to her decision to be an Independent lightly," the Hachette statement said as it announced the book, which will be published on October 21.
"She takes us through the three weeks that led to Biden's abandoning his bid for a second term and the betrayal by the Democratic Party that led to his decision," the statement added.
Biden, who was 81 at the time, dropped his bid for a second term after a disastrous debate performance against Republican Donald Trump renewed concerns about his health and mental acuity.
Jean-Pierre strongly defended Biden after the debate, when a series of senior Democrats including former House speaker Nancy Pelosi pushed him to step aside.
But she and other former White House aides have since faced questions about whether they covered up the impact of Biden's age, fanned by the publication of another book by two journalists, "Original Sin."
The revelations have also prompted a bout of Democratic infighting as party members seek to distance themselves from Biden's legacy and fight back against Trump ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Jean-Pierre's book will however also push back at what her publisher called a "torrent of disinformation and misinformation."
She would also urge people to look beyond "blind loyalty" to the current two-party system and share "why Americans must step beyond party lines to embrace life as Independents."
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