Jean-Pierre Is the First Openly Gay Woman and the Second Black Woman to Deliver a White House Press Briefing
White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre made her debut at the briefing room podium on Wednesday, making history in the process in what some viewed as a first audition for the press secretary job down the road.
Jean-Pierre became the first openly gay woman to deliver a White House briefing, and she is only the second Black woman to do so. The first, Judy Smith, did so in 1991 as deputy press secretary for then-President George H.W. Bush.
“I appreciate the historic nature. I really do,” Jean-Pierre said when asked about the rarity of a Black woman standing behind the podium. “But I believe that being behind this podium, being in this room, being in this building isn’t about one person. It’s about what we do on behalf of the American people. Clearly the president believes representation matters, and I appreciate him giving me this opportunity.”
