Karine Jean-Pierre, the lesbian former White House Press Secretary under President Joe Biden, has dropped her Democratic party affiliation and switched to independent, according to her upcoming book Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines, scheduled for an October release.

“In a country obsessed with blind loyalty to a two-party democratic system, Karine Jean-Pierre, former White House press secretary to the Biden-Harris administration, shares why Americans must step beyond party lines to embrace life as Independents,” the book’s description says. “It can be worthwhile to carve a political space more loyal to personal beliefs than a party affiliation, and what questions you need to ask yourself to determine where you fit politically.”

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Jean-Pierre has said she hopes her White House role inspired young girls to follow their dreams.

“Jean-Pierre didn’t come to her decision to be an independent lightly,” the description continues. “She takes us through the three weeks that led to Biden’s abandoning his bid for a second term and the betrayal by the Democratic Party that led to his decision.”

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Jean-Pierre’s characterization of the party’s “betrayal” of her former boss shows her opinion of what led him to drop out. Even before Biden’s disastrous debate performance last June 27 against now-President Donald Trump, Biden had given fewer media interviews than any other president since at least Ronald Reagan. After the debate, at least 20 Democratic Congress members asked Biden to drop his presidential campaign, including several out queer legislators.

Upon dropping out on July 25, he immediately endorsed then-Vice President Kamala Harris, partly to ensure that his campaign funds could legally be transferred to her campaign instead of being refunded to donors as Democrats scrambled to select a new candidate with just four months left before the national elections.

Republicans and right-wingers have long accused Biden administration officials of “hiding” Biden’s declining mental state — even as Trump shows his own signs of cognitive decline. Democrats and political pundits have argued ever since whether Biden doomed Democrats’ electoral chances by not dropping out earlier.

In a Wednesday Instagram video, Jean-Pierre said that the “number one question” that people ask her these days is “How do we get out of this? How do we protect our democracy? How do we protect vulnerable communities among us? What do we do next?”

“In an era of misinformation, disinformation, the regressiveness of social policy… we need to… think outside of our boxes and not be so partisan,” she continued. “If you are willing to stand side-by-side with me, regardless of… how you identify politically, and as long as you respect the community that I belong to and vulnerable communities that I respect, I will be there with you. I will move forward with you.”

A March 2024 poll found that 30% of LGBTQ+ voters identify as Independents and 8% of Independents identify as LGBTQ+. Approximately 78% of Independent respondents said that they support LGBTQ+ anti-discrimination laws, 71% said they support same-sex marriage, and 59% opposed allowing small business owners to refuse service to LGBTQ+ people based on their religious beliefs.

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