Former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who announced her departure from the Democratic Party in June, has released her memoir, Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines, on October 21. In excerpts from the book, Jean-Pierre expresses astonishment at President Donald Trump’s success in winning over a broad coalition of voters, including groups that have historically been reliable Democratic constituencies.
Trump’s victory over former Vice President Kamala Harris included securing a sizable share of minority voters.
According to a June Pew Research analysis cited in the book’s context, Trump expanded his multiethnic support by winning 40% of Asian voters, 48% of Hispanics, and 15% of Black voters. Exit polls also showed that a majority of Americans earning less than $50,000 a year voted for Trump, while those making over $100,000 broke for Harris.
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Despite these concrete numbers illustrating a shift, Jean-Pierre, who served as press secretary for over half of the Biden administration, writes that she is still unable to explain why Democrats lost while simultaneously maintaining positions that alienated key groups.
“How did the party of working-class people — and the most pro-union president in generations — lose working-class voters? How did the party that embraced Black Lives Matter and pushed for the expansion of voting rights wind up losing so many minority voters on Election Day? How did the party that had elected ‘Scranton Joe’ allow itself to become branded as a group of liberal elites out of touch with a large swath of the country?” Jean-Pierre questions. “I can’t say I have all the answers. I wish I did.”
Jean-Pierre, who is openly lesbian, uses her memoir to outline her reasons for leaving the Democratic Party, citing frustrations with attempts by some Democrats to moderate positions on issues such as LGBTQ rights. She took aim at ex-Obama White House chief of staff and ex-Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel over his recent remarks describing the Democratic Party as “weak and woke.”
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“‘Woke,’ shorthand for being sensitive to the concerns of Black people, trans Americans, and other marginalized communities, has been relentlessly attacked by the GOP,” Jean-Pierre wrote. “And when Dems use Republican talking points, criticizing ‘woke’ ideas, they are taking the GOP’s bait.”
Doubling down on her belief that the party should cater to its progressive base, Jean-Pierre insists the GOP is a “homogeneous party” with a “singular message of resentment and hate.” In contrast, she frames the Democrats as a “big tent party representative of the nation’s diversity” that should embrace its variety as a strength.
“Dems, meanwhile, are a big tent party representative of the nation’s diversity. That’s something they should embrace as a strength, that they should lean into. They shouldn’t be adopting the GOP’s attack lines,” she wrote, adding, “It’s a betrayal of those who have led the Dems to victory in countless elections.”
The commentary highlights the internal rift within the Democratic Party over how to recover from their 2024 loss, with some advocating a move toward the center and others, including Jean-Pierre, arguing the party should remain committed to its progressive platform.
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