Democrats roast ex-Biden press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre's 'laughable' attempt to exit her own party
Stunned Democratic operatives retreated into group chats to vent at Karine Jean-Pierre 's shock decision to snag a book deal with apparent plans to torch those who sought to push Biden to end his reelection bid.
The stunning announcement by Jean-Pierre's publisher about her forthcoming tome, Independent, resurfaced complaints about her own capabilities and officials who insulated the former president from criticism that could have helped right the ship.
'I laughed reading her book announcement that claims she 'presents clear arguments and provocative evidence' when our party failed to make a compelling argument for Democrats with her as one of our most visible messenger for three years,' one steaming former Biden administration official told DailyMail.com.
'She lost whatever media cachet she had after the White House, and The View isn't taking her call anymore so she has to resort to a selfish stunt to sell books and get any attention,' said the former official.
That last comment was a reference to Jean-Pierre's decision to go on ABC's 'The View' while serving as Biden's White House press secretary, in a move some took as a bid to line up a post-White House gig for herself on the program.
Another Democrat, former Commerce Department spokeswoman Caitlin Legacki told Politico: 'The only reason we stand a chance to reduce the harm inflicted is the Democratic Party did the right thing here. It's completely nuts to be more upset that the Party didn't prioritize Joe Biden's ego and keep him on the ticket than to thank god we averted complete and total disaster.'
Many of those urging Biden to get out after his debate disaster argued it was the only way to avoid an electoral wipeout. As it turned out, Vice President Kamala Harris stepped in at the 11th Hour and lost to Donald Trump anyway.
Most surprising to many is that Jean-Pierre announced she is leaving the Democratic Party, after a long career as an operative, at a time when Democrats are soul-searching to try to find a way to combat Donald Trump. Her new book, titled Independent, has a cover featuring shattered glass, and a PR release describes its substance as 'a look inside a broken White House, outside the party lines.'
Her publisher Hachette describes an 'urgent, timely analysis' and urges Americans to 'vote their values and maintain individuality within party lines.'
One operative called it 'the most grift-y thing I've seen in a long time, and that's saying something in Washington.'
'A lot of group chats were revived today,' posted former White House official Symone Sanders-Townsend, a former advisor to VP Kamala Harris, on X, adding a smiling / crying emoji.
'Counting 13 on my end,' chimed in former Biden State Department spokesman Vedant Patel.
'Lol,' wrote former White House assistant press secretary Jeremy Edwads, reposting an article about Jean-Pierre penning the book and leaving the party.
Former officials contacted by DailyMail.com said they didn't know what kind of advance Jean-Pierre was coming in, after failing to land a high-profile TV gig as did her predecessor Jen Psaki, now an MSNBC host.
'Probably best to purge the party of our most delusional and self-serving personalities,' the former official added.
The slack-jawed responses came after news broke that Jean-Pierre, who spent years defending Biden from the White House podium on both substance and questions about his age, health, and mental fitness was writing the book.
It comes as her former boss has been hit by a round of tough press coverage with the release of Axios reporter Alex Thompson and CNN anchor Jake Tapper's new book, 'Original Sin,' which rakes the Biden White House for covering up signs of his decline.
'In a country obsessed with blind loyalty to a two-party democratic system, Karine Jean-Pierre, former White House press secretary to the Biden-Harris administration, shares why Americans must step beyond party lines to embrace life as Independents,' according to an online release for the book.
'Jean-Pierre didn't come to her decision to be an Independent lightly,' it says – indicating she has leaving the party, after working in the Biden administration.
She worked as a political director for Obama. She also worked for liberal outside group MoveOn. Jean-Pierre didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on her new project.
The write-up for her forthcoming book indicates she'll take on people within the party who tried to force Biden to end his reelection campaign after his debate disaster.
'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,' according to the release.
It calls it a 'hard-hitting yet hopeful critique.'
The tome runs 256 pages, and goes on sale October 21.
Although she has been largely quiet since Biden left office following former Vice President Kamala Harris's defeat, Jean-Pierre referenced some of the scores she plans to settle during an interview in February at the Institute of Politics at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.
She said the 'toughest thing to see' was a 'firing squad' during the weeks after Biden's debate, when a series of party stalwarts pushed him to get out of the race, arguing he couldn't defeat Donald Trump with his lousy approval ratings.
'I had never seen anything like it before,' she intoned. 'I had never seen a party do that in the way that they did. And it was hurtful and sad to see that happening – a firing squad around a person who I believe was a true patriot.'
Harris' loss to Trump in all seven heavily contested battleground states has led to a round of soul-searching among Democrats while Trump seeks to transform the country and takes on institutions from the Ivy League to the legal establishment to arts institutions like the Kennedy Center.
Prominent figures inside and outside Biden's inner circle are getting quizzed on whether they themselves saw evidence of mental decline in the 82-year-old Democrat.
The White House last year was forced to deny a report of an internal plot to entice Jean-Pierre to leave her post, amid complaints about some of her stumbles her reliance on a binder of prepared information.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
31 minutes ago
- The Independent
Tesla shares rebound on news of Musk and Trump talks after explosive feud cost firm $99bn in a day
Tesla shares are poised to jump as much as 5.7 per cent when stock markets open in the US later today after the business took a $99bn (£73bn) hit following an explosive feud between Donald Trump and Elon Musk. The share price of the electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer tanked from more than $322 at the start of Thursday's trading to $284 at the end of the day, more than a 14 per cent drop as a result of a back-and-forth argument between the pair, which covered everything from government contracts to the Epstein files. However, a ceasefire of sorts appears to have been brokered, and the two are due to meet on Friday - resulting in some investors surging back into Tesla stock. Even so, with futures markets showing around a 5.7 per cent rise in pre-trading just before 9am BST, that still means the market capitalisation of Tesla - the measure of its overall value by share price - will have dropped a full $99bn in a day. After-hours trading shows the buying and selling of shares outside of regular stock market opening hours, mostly dominated by big corporate investors. That is reflected in the futures price, which shows the stock price that a company will 'open' at. The large sell-off means Tesla has again lost its status as a $1tn company, though it still ranks in the top ten largest American companies. The one-day cost to Mr Musk's net worth personally was around $34bn (£25bn), according to Bloomberg's Billionaires Index, at the time stock markets closed in the US. He remains the richest person on the planet by a distance. Separate from share price woes, Mr Trump's tax and spending Bill could be set to cost Tesla. Eliminating tax incentives for US buyers purchasing EVs, in addition to a similar scheme in California, could cost Tesla more than $3bn, analysts estimate. Outside of Tesla, Mr Musk's other business interests could be hard-hit too if the US president presses ahead with his threats to cancel government contracts with SpaceX. Other car manufacturers across the UK and Europe have not reacted with notable share price changes after the feud took place outside their trading hours on Thursday. German-listed Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes were largely flat in early trading, with the UK's Aston Martin Lagonda up 2 per cent. Ferrari is listed in New York and is up 0.4 per cent in pre-trading, with General Motors at 0.5 per cent and Toyota's US listing set to open 0.3 per cent up.
Daily Mail
42 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Blow by blow, how Elon Musk tore apart friendship with Trump with one bombshell post after another on X, from endorsing his impeachment to wild claims about Jeffrey Epstein
The public feud that unfolded last night between Donald Trump and Elon Musk closely resembles a dispute between two children in the playground. For the first term, they were inseparable. Donald invited Elon to play in his castle with all his classmates, and together they ruled the yard. But after a while, Donald decided he didn't want Elon to stay. Last week, he asked him to leave the castle and hang out with other people for a while. Elon sulked all weekend. When he came back, he told the whole school how stupid Donald and his friends were. He also claimed the only reason Donald got into the castle instead of that older kid in the first place was because of him. Before long, they were both yelling nasty insults and accusing one another of being naughty. Elon agreed with one pupil who said Donald should be kicked out of his castle. Unfortunately, the two participants in this argument are grown men. One is the leader of the free world, and the other is the world's richest man. They wrote their insults on separate social media platforms that they own. And one of the statements made amid the war of words alleged that the President of the United States was covering up his links to a convicted paedophile and sex offender. Here's a blow-by-blow account of how the bromance between two titans of American politics and popular culture unfolded. One of the accusations made amid the war of words alleged that the President of the United States was covering up his links to a convicted paedophile and sex offender The Trump-Musk relationship at its height was unprecedented in Washington - a sitting president granting a billionaire tech CEO access and influence inside the White House and throughout his government. Musk spent nearly $300 million backing Trump's presidential campaign and other Republicans last year, and was made a special adviser once Trump returned to the Oval Office. For months, the tech mogul used social media platform X to amplify Trump's messages while attacking the bureaucracy and federal spending through his self-styled Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Now, not only has the tech giant left the Trump White House - he became its harshest and perhaps most consequential critic overnight The public feud was seemingly initiated by Musk just days after he departed DOGE, with the X CEO taking aim at the GOP's 'One Big, Beautiful Bill' - a tax and spend bill tabled by the Republicans that will also increase the government's debt ceiling. The controversial bill was passed by the House of Representatives last month and is now being scrutinised in the Senate. On Tuesday, Musk posted on his social media platform that the bill was an 'abomination' and went on to urge Senators to 'kill the bill' on Wednesday. 'This spending bill contains the largest increase in the debt ceiling in US history! It is the Debt Slavery Bill,' he wrote. 'Call your Senator, Call your Congressman, Bankrupting America is NOT ok! KILL the BILL.' Musk also declared that the planned additional spending and the debt ceiling hike included in the bill 'more than defeats all the cost savings achieved by the DOGE team '. The blatant attack on the bill raised eyebrows given Musk's deep connections with the Republican party and personal friendship with Trump. Yet, when the US President met privately with White House officials on Wednesday, there was little to suggest that a public spat was in the offing with Musk, whose financial backing and support on social media were instrumental in sealing his second term in the Oval Office. Two White House officials familiar with the matter told a Reuters reporter that Trump expressed confusion and frustration in the meeting about Musk's attacks on his sweeping tax and spending bill. But he held back, the officials said, because he wanted to preserve Musk's political and financial support ahead of the midterm elections. By Thursday afternoon, however, Trump's mood had shifted. He told his team it was time to take the gloves off - and so began a public squabble that caught the world's attention. Trump took to Truth Social to hit back at Musk following criticism of the One Big Beautiful Bill Sitting next to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office, Trump told reporters he was 'very disappointed' in his former adviser's criticism of the bill. 'I'm very disappointed with Elon. I've helped him a lot. He knew the inner workings of the bill better than anybody sitting here. He had no problem with it,' he said. 'All of a sudden he had a problem & he only developed the problem when he found out we're going to cut EV mandate,' Trump claimed, in reference to a phasing out of tax credits for purchases of electric vehicles. Musk quickly hit back on social media. 'False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!' he said. Trump went on to say during his meeting with Merz: 'Musk hasn't said bad about me personally, but I´m sure that will be next.' He was quickly proven right. Musk vented his anger directly at Trump, saying his tariffs 'will cause a recession in the second half of this year' and accusing him of lying. He also said it was 'very unfair' that the legislation would eliminate tax incentives for electric vehicles. The back-and-forth devolved from there. Trump posted again on Truth Social, writing: 'Elon was 'wearing thin', I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!' Musk immediately retorted on X: 'Such an obvious lie. So sad.' Within minutes, he went on to say that it might be time to create a new political party and shared a poll to his followers asking for their opinion. With each post, the spat became yet more virulent - until Musk dropped a new allegation which could one day prove to be the catalyst leading to the downfall of one - if not both - participants. 'Time to drop the really big bomb: (Donald Trump) is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT! 'Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out!' Trump's commitment to greater transparency in the run up to November's election had many Americans hoping that he would shed light on the deplorable activities of sex offender and disgraced financier Epstein - and the litany of rich and famous figures thought to have been involved with him. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 in a Manhattan jail - though there is widespread speculation he may have been murdered. Before he was elected, Trump said he would have 'no problem' releasing files related to Epstein, but almost six months into his presidency, no more information has been revealed. Following the wild allegation, Musk endorsed a post on X from Ian Miles Cheong, a right-wing activist and prominent supporter of the tech mogul, calling for Trump's impeachment. Musk endorsed a post on X from Ian Miles Cheong, a right-wing activist and prominent supporter of the tech mogul, calling for Trump's impeachment. Trump retorted on Truth Social by threatening to cut off Elon's companies from various lucrative government contracts. 'The easiest way to save money in our budget, billions and billions of dollars, is to terminate Elon's government subsidies and contracts,' Trump posted. Musk promptly fired back, with the SpaceX chief saying he would begin 'decommissioning' his company's Dragon spacecraft in response. The spacecraft is vital for ferrying NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station. By Friday morning, it appeared the spat was over. In a statement, the White House played down the war of words, calling it an 'unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted.' Musk late last night appeared to extend an olive branch on social media, replying: 'You're not wrong' to a post from hedge fund manager Bill Ackman that called on the pair to reconcile and urged: 'We're much stronger together than apart'. Trump's aides are reportedly looking to organise a call between the president and his former 'First Buddy' later today to smooth over the fallout. Musk also walked back his statement about decommissioning the Dragon rocket. But the consequences of the spat were immediate. Musk yesterday said he would begin 'decommissioning' his company's Dragon spacecraft use to take astronauts to and from the International Space Station after Trump threatened to terminate government contracts with the tech mogul's companies Tesla's stock price plunged 14% on Thursday - wiping hundreds of billions of dollars off Musk's EV company's valuation. It also drove uncertainty among Trump's allies in Congress, who are working to pass the monumental spending package that Democrats and a small number of vocal Republicans oppose. The breakup could go on to drastically reshape both men's futures. For Trump, losing Musk's backing threatens his growing influence among tech donors, social media audiences and younger male voters - key groups that may now be harder to reach. It could also prove a damaging blow to Republican fundraising efforts ahead of next year's midterm elections. For Musk, however, the stakes are potentially even higher. The spat risks intensified scrutiny of his business practices that could jeopardise government contracts and invite regulatory probes, which might seriously threaten his companies' profits. A termination of government contracts, including for launching rockets and for the use of the Starlink satellite service, would prove devastating.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Legal blow for Trump as judge blocks ban on Harvard's foreign students
A judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump from barring international students from entering the US to study at Harvard University over alleged 'national security' concerns. Judge Allison Burroughs issued a temporary restraining order, saying that Trump's directive would cause "immediate and irreparable injury" before the courts could review the case. Trump claimed Harvard refused to provide information about "known illegal activity" on campus allegedly committed by international students. Harvard has filed a claim stating that Trump violated federal law by failing to back up his allegations about national security. University spokesperson Jason Newton says Harvard will continue to protect its international students.
