Karine Jean-Pierre, the former White House press secretary who traded barbs with reporters under President Joe Biden, has gone dark on the news cycle since Donald Trump’s second inauguration on January 20, 2025.
Speaking Thursday, February 27, at a Harvard Kennedy School event, she revealed she’s “deprogrammed” herself from the relentless grind of Washington, tuning out cable chatter to focus on her 10-year-old daughter and a newfound quest for “self-care.”
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“The last time I watched the news was January 20, when I was at the White House. I have not watched the news since,” Jean-Pierre said, her tone a mix of relief and resolve. “I’ve really tried to focus on my daughter… I have done, I think the best way to say this is, I have deprogrammed myself so that I can be a civilian again.” Gone are the 4:30 a.m. wake-ups that defined her four-year stint, replaced by a quieter life she insists she doesn’t miss—though she’d “easily” dive back in if called.
No adrenaline crash, no nostalgia for the briefing room’s hot seat—just a hard pivot to normalcy. Jean-Pierre’s media detox stands out in a town where ex-officials often leap to pundit gigs.
Her predecessor, Jen Psaki, slid into MSNBC’s spotlight in 2022 with Inside with Jen Psaki, a path conservative talking heads bet Jean-Pierre would follow. Yet, she’s mum on next moves—no network deals, no book teases—just a blank slate as she sheds the Biden era’s weight.
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Back at the podium, Jean-Pierre was a lightning rod, branding Trump and the GOP “extreme” and “threats to democracy.”
She leaned hard into Biden’s rhetoric, affirming Trump as a “fascist” after ex-chief of staff John Kelly’s 2024 jab, and in 2022, echoing claims of Republican “semi-fascism” over voting rights and freedoms.
Her spiciest clashes came with Fox News’ Peter Doocy, whose needling questions—on inflation, border chaos, or Biden’s gaffes—often left her deflecting with a steely smile.
Now, she’s off the grid, a deliberate unplugging from the fray she once shaped. At Harvard, her words hinted at exhaustion eclipsed by peace—no more spin, just a mom reclaiming her mornings.
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Whether it’s a permanent fade or a pause before the next act, Jean-Pierre’s news blackout marks a rare exit from D.C.’s echo chamber. For a voice that once defined Biden’s defense, silence is the new loud.
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