While expectations may not have been all that high for the White House’s “historic” shatterer of glass ceilings, you’d at least expect press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre to know her own party’s senators — after all, there are only 48 of them.
Not only did KJP blow the names of both of Hawaii’s senators Monday, but she also referred to Sen. Mazie Hirono as a “he” while addressing the devastating wildfires in Maui that have left nearly 100 dead.
“Sen. Horino, who I’ve said the president spoke to just last night,” Jean-Pierre said. “He thanked the president for the immediate support the federal agencies have delivered for residents of Hawaii.”
Historic https://t.co/fVB979yvFP
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) August 14, 2023
The misgendering is especially egregious given that, in addition to checking boxes for being black and an immigrant, Jean-Pierre also checks the gay box for being a lesbian.
For what it’s worth, the president’s official spokesperson did not discriminate in mispronouncing Hirono’s name, as she called Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz “Sen. Schwartz.”
President Biden drew plenty of scorn Monday when he declined to comment on the tragedy, simply replying: “No comment.” But Jean-Pierre tried to cover for her insensitive boss, citing a quote from last week to say the president and his wife were praying for the victims.
“As the president said last week that he and the first lady are praying for families who are grieving their loved ones and for everyone who has suffered devastating losses of land and property as a result of the wildfires in Maui,” she said.
Here’s a quick sampling of responses to the story from “X,” formerly known as Twitter:
Well Hawaii is very liberal maybe she Identifies as a man
— Chuck (@USATurboman) August 14, 2023
Never mind pronouncing names, Karine has no clue who Mazie Hirono is.
— Hans Mahncke (@HansMahncke) August 14, 2023
REMINDER: KJP’s job, her ONLY job, is to communicate effectively for the President.
— Cruadin (@cruadin) August 14, 2023
Diversity hire
…and I only say that to highlight the real issue
The Federal Government is the institutional racist organization who is hell bent on separating us by race
Don’t believe me? Then why do they ask about your ethnicity on a job application?
— Trawling Troll (@_TrawlingTroll) August 14, 2023
Always well prepared isn’t she said no one ever…
— John Ayres (@JohnAyr12294351) August 14, 2023
Vacations and time away from the press corps didn’t help her at all. Her historic performances just keep on coming.
— Ron Arnone (@224RMA) August 14, 2023
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Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
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