It’s been a full year since Karine Jean-Pierre took over the role of White House press secretary. Although she may not be known for her snarky comebacks like her predecessor, Jen Psaki, Jean-Pierre has had her fair share of fiery exchanges with the press corps.
Her most frequent antagonist is Simon Ateba, a reporter from Today News Africa. While some question the legitimacy of his outlet and credentials, Ateba manages to make headlines with his shouts in the White House briefing room.
Jean-Pierre’s first showdown with Ateba happened in January when he repeatedly interrupted her during a briefing. She warned him that if he continued to disrupt the briefing, she’d end it altogether.
“We can just end the briefing right here,” Jean-Pierre declared. Ateba eventually calmed down, and the briefing continued.
In March, Jean-Pierre was grilled by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins about President Biden’s response to the ongoing crisis at the southern border. Collins pressed Jean-Pierre on whether the administration was doing enough to address the issue.
“He’s taken action,” Jean-Pierre replied. “He’s put forward a proposal. He’s put forward his plan. That’s what we’re doing. That’s what we’re working on.”
In April, Jean-Pierre sparred with Fox News’ Peter Doocy over the administration’s plans to tackle rising gas prices. Doocy grilled Jean-Pierre, asking why President Biden wasn’t doing more to address the issue.
“We are doing everything that we can to address this issue,” Jean-Pierre shot back. “But we can’t control the global market.”
In June, Jean-Pierre faced backlash from reporters after President Biden didn’t hold a press conference during his trip to Europe. Jean-Pierre defended the president, saying he had been “very accessible to the press” throughout his trip.
“We have a president who’s taking questions, I think, almost every day,” she said.
In September, Jean-Pierre clashed with Fox News’ Kristen Fisher over the administration’s handling of Afghanistan. Fisher pressed Jean-Pierre on whether the administration had made mistakes in its withdrawal from the country.
“There’s always going to be second-guessing,” Jean-Pierre said. “What we’re focused on is making sure that we’re doing everything that we can for the American people.”