Former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has unveiled her memoir, shedding light on the challenging final period of President Joe Biden’s 2024 reelection campaign. In her book, she expresses that she had doubts about Vice President Kamala Harris’s ability to defeat Donald Trump, and suggests that Hunter Biden’s federal gun trial negatively impacted his father’s debate performance.
The memoir, titled Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines, was released on October 21, 2025. Jean-Pierre articulates her skepticism regarding Harris’ chances in the presidential race, citing her experiences with racism and sexism as obstacles. She writes, “But I wasn’t surprised by the outcome. The truth was, I never really believed Harris could win. I’d been in the body of a Black woman all my life…all my experiences of blistering stares and racist assumptions left me unable to see this country electing a president who looked like me.” Jean-Pierre also felt the Democratic Party did not sufficiently support Harris’ candidacy.
Jean-Pierre offers an insider perspective on the critical CNN presidential debate on June 27, 2024, which marked a turning point in Biden’s campaign. She describes her alarm as Biden began speaking, noting his confusion over numbers and his frequent pauses.
Additionally, the memoir reveals that Jean-Pierre has left the Democratic Party, now identifying as an Independent. Her decision, announced in June 2025, was motivated by a belief that “the two-party system isn’t working” and a call for politics based on values rather than strict party loyalty, according to Reuters.
Jean-Pierre criticizes the Democratic Party’s treatment of Biden, describing it as a “firing squad”. She writes, “‘You know what? I’m going to become an independent. I don’t think I can stomach being in the Democratic Party anymore.”
Biden’s performance issues are attributed to several factors by Jean-Pierre, with particular focus on the impact of Hunter Biden’s trial. Hunter was convicted on three felony gun charges, a case pursued by the Justice Department under his father’s administration. Jean-Pierre suggests the trial emotionally affected Biden, who was simultaneously engaged in European travel and debate preparations.
The memoir recounts the chaotic atmosphere on debate night. “As soon as President Biden opened his mouth at the debate podium, I became worried,” Jean-Pierre recounts. Her phone was inundated with questions from reporters regarding Biden’s health, with some speculating about possible illness.
Jean-Pierre notes that she had observed no prior decline in Biden’s mental faculties. However, she acknowledges that extensive international travel could be taxing for any leader. She stresses that the concurrent demands of Hunter’s trial and Biden’s travel schedule were particularly challenging.
The book covers the three weeks leading to Biden’s withdrawal from the race on July 21, 2024. Jean-Pierre informed House lawmakers last month of receiving specific talking points about Biden’s health for press briefings. She noted that she accused the media of promoting misleading narratives based on footage from the G7 summit.
Testifying before the House Oversight Committee in September 2025, Jean-Pierre revealed that the term “cheap fakes” was included in her briefing materials, though she could not identify the source. Following the debate, she maintained that Biden would continue his campaign, based on the information she had received at the time.
Jean-Pierre addresses concerns from actor George Clooney, who urged Biden to drop out in a New York Times piece. While acknowledging some validity to these concerns, she describes becoming aware of internal efforts to remove Biden from the race, though she did not anticipate their success.
Hunter Biden offered his own rationale for his father’s debate difficulties, attributing them to a new sleeping medication, in a July 2025 interview with YouTube’s Andrew Callaghan. He claimed these medications affected Biden’s coherence, leading to notable gaffes such as the phrase “We finally beat Medicare.”
