Karine Jean-Pierre makes history at White House briefing

WASHINGTON — At her first briefing as the White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre acknowledged that her ascension to the high-profile position was one that has made history.

“I am obviously acutely aware that my presence at this podium represents a few firsts,” Jean-Pierre said from the podium of the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room on Monday afternoon. “I am a Black gay immigrant woman — the first of all three of those to hold this position. I would not be here today if not for generations of barrier-breaking people before me. I stand on their shoulders.”

Jean-Pierre replaced Jen Psaki, President Biden’s first press secretary, who conducted her final briefing last Friday. The new spokesperson praised Biden for overseeing a historically diverse administration that includes many women and people of color in top posts.

“It’s not about me,” she said. “It’s about this place."

The 47-year-old daughter of Haitian immigrants takes over as White House spokeswoman as a number of foreign and domestic crises compete for the president’s attention. She opened the briefing by reading the names of the 10 people killed by a racist gunman in Buffalo, N.Y. Later she fielded questions on inflation, the infant formula shortage and the coronavirus pandemic.

For decades, the position Jean-Pierre now occupies was held almost exclusively by white men. The first woman to serve as White House press secretary was Dee Dee Myers, who served in that role for Bill Clinton for the first two years of his first presidential term.

There had never been a Black press secretary in the White House until Jean-Pierre took over for Psaki, who is leaving for a position with MSNBC.

Until recently, the White House press corps was also largely composed of white men, though that, too, has been changing in recent years.

Toward the end of her first briefing, Jean-Pierre alluded to a news report about the suburban New York elementary school she attended and the inspiration that students there said they felt at seeing her serve in a prominent White House role.

“What I hope is that young people get to dream big,” she told reporters, “and dream bigger than they have before by seeing me stand here and answer all of your questions.”