Karine Jean-Pierre, the now infamous White House press secretary, has somehow managed to land a position as senior adviser in President Biden’s administration during his last three months in power. This is cause for surprise given the apparent internal discontent surrounding Jean-Pierre’s lackluster performance in her previous role.
The senior adviser post Jean-Pierre has claimed was previously graced by crucial policy makers like Donald Trump’s Jared Kushner, Barack Obama’s David Axelrod, and George W. Bush’s Karl Rove. It is scarcely believable that Jean-Pierre could occupy the same space, given her glaring deficiency in competence.
Strangely enough, Jeff Zients, White House chief of staff, has not shied away from stating that ‘Karine has been a trusted adviser to the President and all of us here at the White House since day one.’ Well, as behooves the fable of ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes,’ no one seemingly dares to question the leader’s judgment, even if it bares the distinct stench of ineptitude.
Interestingly, Jean-Pierre’s promotion to senior adviser does not result in a salary hike, aligning with the notion that this new title is mere window dressing. She currently earns $180,000 annually, which is par for the course for senior advisers.
As part of her new role, it seems, Jean-Pierre will retain her old responsibilities, continuing to perform as press secretary. A strange promotion indeed, with no known changes in job responsibilities. It seems as though the Biden administration is running out of shiny titles to bestow on subpar performers.
What’s more, this promotion has been met with cynicism, even within the administration. As one former Biden White House official whisperingly notes: ‘The senior adviser honorifics mean nothing and are a joke.’
The inefficacious nature of recent promotions in the Biden administration is seen by some reporters as a mirror image of ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes.’ The elevated roles are as empty as the hapless emperor’s new outfit in the tale.
The plot thickens with the revelation of a covert operation by former Biden senior adviser Anita Dunn, who held a de facto leadership in White House communications, to unseat Jean-Pierre. This isn’t so shocking, given Jean-Pierre’s dubious record.
Dunn, before departing from the White House in July, confided to colleagues her intentions of leveraging the influence of Democrats outside the administration to nudge Jean-Pierre towards the exit. It appears the ivory tower isn’t as united as it would like the public to believe.
Ironically, Dunn claimed that the same Zients, who proudly announced Jean-Pierre’s promotion, was in the know and supportive of this plot. However, true to the administration’s flip-flop character, Zients later backpedaled on this claim.
A revelation emerged, with an anonymous source attesting that there were external efforts towards convincing Jean-Pierre that leaving back in fall 2023 would be a prudent career move. Apparently, Jean-Pierre’s blatant lack of understanding and preparation were the precursors to this gesture.
An informant cited: ‘Karine doesn’t have an understanding of the issues and she reads the [binder] word-for-word. She doesn’t have a grasp of the issues and doesn’t invest the time to learn.’ There seems to be a consensus that her performance has consistently fallen short.
An unanswered question is why the press secretary wasn’t simply relieved of her position. A source alluded to apprehensions regarding diversity representation, a rather shallow reason for keeping an ill-performing official on board, one might argue.
In an interesting development last December, Jean-Pierre received an out-of-the-blue offer to become president of EMILY’s List, a major Democratic group that fundraises for women candidates. One can only speculate whether this was an orchestrated endeavor to lead her away from the White House.
Jean-Pierre has been at odds with National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, whose ambition to call on reporters himself has been consistently rebuffed by her. Unsurprisingly, this tussle for dominance hasn’t sat well with Jean-Pierre, another black mark on her record.
Come January 20, President Biden leaves office, leaving behind a legacy of questionable appointments. Jean-Pierre, one of his six senior advisers, will be among those remembered for her bewildering rise in the midst of seemingly widespread dissatisfaction.