Would Biden Commit to a Chief of Staff Who Is Not 'White and Male'? Jean-Pierre: 'I Forgot to Add That Percent' (January 27, 2023)

The day President Joe Biden named Jeff Zients his new chief of staff, a reporter asked White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre about the next one. “And with the Chief of Staff news today, that position is one of the more powerful ones in Washington that has never been held by someone who is not white and male. Would the President commit to choosing a Chief of Staff who is not white and male if Jeff Zients were to leave before the end of the President’s term?” the reporter asked, according to the official transcript [1].

“Here’s what I say — I’ll say to this. I’m certainly not going to get ahead of the President. That is not something that I can do from here,” Jean-Pierre said [1].

Then she ran the numbers. “But look — and I kind of said it at the top — the Biden Harris administration is the most diverse in history. That is a fact. And we expect to — we expect this trend to continue,” she said [1].

The video above shows the Jan. 27, 2023, briefing. Quotes are from the official White House transcript and Fox News [1][2].

”I Forgot to Add That ‘Percent’”

Jean-Pierre read from her list. “The Cabinet is majority people of color for the first time in history. The Cabinet is majority female for the first time in history. The majority of White House senior staff identify as female. Forty percent of White House senior staff identify as part of racially diverse communities,” she said [1].

“A record six assistants to the President are openly LGBTQ,” she added [1].

Then came the appointees. “And also, of our — if you think about of our 30,000 — about 3,000 appointees: 58 percent female, 51 percent people of color, 6 percent disabled, 31 percent first-generation Americans, 17 first-generation college grads, and 14 percent — when I say — 17 percent first-generation college grads — I forgot to add that ‘percent’ — and 14 percent LGBTQ,” Jean-Pierre said [1].

“And I think that matters. This is a — this is a — this is a record that the President is truly proud of,” she said [1].

”Bagel Wednesdays”

At the top of the briefing, Jean-Pierre had given an emotional farewell to the outgoing chief of staff, Ron Klain. “I did earlier this week, because you know I am a proud Klainiac, as I mentioned here a couple days ago — which is real; just look it up,” she said [1].

She described the morning staff call. “Ron started off by tearfully telling the team how proud he was to serve with them and how he was even prouder to what we accomplished together over the last two years,” Jean-Pierre said. “There were a lot of tears and even — but even more love on the call.” [1]

She credited Zients for the administration’s makeup. “And thanks to Jeff, we had a historically diverse team in place on day one ready to work,” she said [1].

Jean-Pierre also praised the new chief of staff personally. “And may I also add, there is no better or kinder human being. We are also all waiting to see the ‘Bagel Wednesdays,’” she said. “We hope that it makes its triumphant return.” [1]

“The U.S. [U.N] Security Council”

Asked about Haiti, Jean-Pierre put Canada on the wrong council. “During their bilat, President Biden with Prime Minister Trudeau also committed to continue coordination with partners on the U.S. [U.N] Security Council on the next steps to support stability to Haiti,” she said. The bracketed correction is in the transcript [1].

”Taps Into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Again”

A reporter asked about rising gas prices. “It could hit $4.00 in the next couple of months — the national average — according to a lot of the experts, like GasBuddy. How likely is it that the President taps into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve again this year to try to lower prices?” [1]

“So, Secretary Granholm, as you know, was here, I believe on Monday, and she was asked his question, and so that is certainly something that’s under her purview as well. And we don’t have anything to share on that,” Jean-Pierre said [1].

She blamed refinery outages and said “the price of gas is still down about $1.50 since — since June peak and around where it was when Putin invaded Ukraine.” [1]

By the Numbers

3,000: about how many appointees Jean-Pierre cited, after first saying 30,000 [1].
58 percent: of appointees female, per Jean-Pierre [1].
51 percent: of appointees people of color, per Jean-Pierre [1].
6: openly LGBTQ assistants to the President, per Jean-Pierre [1].

What Happened Next

The first woman chief of staff was Trump’s pick. After winning the 2024 election, President-elect Donald Trump named Susie Wiles his White House chief of staff. “Wiles, a longtime GOP operative and advisor to Trump, will be the first woman to hold that coveted position in American history. By all accounts, she has earned it,” Fox News reported [2].

“Wiles is credited with tightening up Trump’s campaign operations after his 2020 loss and helping him win both the Electoral College and national popular vote in 2024 – an achievement that has eluded Republican candidates for president for 20 years,” Fox reported [2].

“Susie Wiles just helped me achieve one of the greatest political victories in American history, and was an integral part of both my 2016 and 2020 successful campaigns,” Trump said in a statement. “Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected,” Trump said. “It is a well deserved honor to have Susie as the first-ever female Chief of Staff in United States history.” [2]

Trump ended DEI preferences. On Jan. 21, 2025, Trump signed Executive Order 14173, “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.” It says institutions, including the federal government, “have adopted and actively use dangerous, demeaning, and immoral race- and sex-based preferences under the guise of so-called ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI)” [3].

Such policies, the order says, “deny, discredit, and undermine the traditional American values of hard work, excellence, and individual achievement in favor of an unlawful, corrosive, and pernicious identity-based spoils system” [3].

For the classified documents questions at the same briefing, see HYGO News’ page on Jan. 27, 2023.