Karine Jean-Pierre becomes first Black woman and first openly LGBTQ+ White House press secretary

Karine Jean-Pierre formally assumes the role of White House Press Secretary, succeeding Jen Psaki. She is the first Black person and the first openly LGBTQ+ individual to hold the position in American history. Biden announces the appointment on May 5, with Jean-Pierre taking over on May 13. Born in Martinique to Haitian immigrant parents and raised in New York City, Jean-Pierre had served as Principal Deputy Press Secretary since Inauguration Day 2021. Her appointment is widely celebrated as a historic milestone, though her tenure is later marked by tensions with the press corps over transparency, accusations of Hatch Act violations, and internal White House dynamics around her role relative to NSC spokesman John Kirby.