On Monday, NBC’s 3rd Hour Today show welcomed MSNBC political analyst and MoveOn.org chief public affairs officer Karine Jean-Pierre on the program to promote her new book, Moving Forward, which was billed as part memoir, part “handbook” for left-wing political activism. However, none of Jean-Pierre’s radical political views were questioned during the fawning segment.
“And welcome back, our next guest is a political expert living out her version of the American dream,” co-host Dylan Dreyer announced at the top of the glowing profile for the liberal activist, who was never actually labeled as such. Fellow co-host Craig Melvin gushed: “Now she’s sharing the story behind her rise and using her voice to empower anyone with dreams of their own.”
In the taped puff piece, Melvin gave viewers the back story of their guest: “Karine Jean-Pierre built a career working in local races, then on to presidential campaigns, eventually landing in the White House.”
After Jean-Pierre described her struggles with depression in college, Melvin steered the report toward her entry into Democratic politics: “Karine slowly pulled herself through the darkness and decided to pursue what really inspired her, invoking change in the nation she loves.” Jean-Pierre proclaimed:
I wanted to tell my story, my personal story, and be raw and honest, but also get, you know, get people involved in politics, right, do that call to action. Like you know, if you want to get into politics, you can do it. You can have a voice.
After introducing Jean-Pierre by touting her roles at MoveOn.org and MSNBC, Melvin invited her to explain “the impetus behind the book.” In addition to recounting her personal story, she couldn’t help but veer into politics: “I really, I think in the time that we’re in....And also this anti-immigrant sentiment out there that’s really just tough to hear because of what I went through and what my parents, being from a country, being from Haiti, that was called an s-hole country, right?”
Dreyer chimed in:
One thing I think is great about the book is, you know, you’re kind of giving people who think they don’t have a voice, a voice. And really anyone who thinks, “Well, I didn’t follow politics through high school, I don’t follow politics right now, but I have a voice, but how do I get it out there?” It’s almost like a handbook.
Jean-Pierre agreed: “It is, it is. It’s a blueprint, it’s a handbook, it’s a way forward. I lay out, you know, some really hopefully substantiative things that people can understand and say, ‘Oh, okay, this is something I can do.’”
While boosting her book, the hosts avoided any discussion of Jean-Pierre’s leftist ideology. Back in 2017, she argued that Trump administration plans to end the Obama-era DACA program for young illegal immigrants amounted to a “white supremacy agenda.” In July, she agreed with MSNBC host Donny Deutsch that President Trump should be constantly labeled a “fascist.” In August, she cheered the media joining Democrats in relentlessly trashing Trump.
Wrapping up the Monday segment, Melvin urged viewers to go to Today.com to order Jean-Pierre’s book and reminded them that “you can also catch her on MSNBC just about every day.”
Perhaps before network journalists tell their audience to go out and buy a colleague’s book, they should be honest about the partisan political agenda of that person.
Here is a transcript of the November 4 segment:
9:33 AM ET
DYLAN DREYER: And welcome back, our next guest is a political expert living out her version of the American dream.
CRAIG MELVIN: Now she’s sharing the story behind her rise and using her voice to empower anyone with dreams of their own.
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: I want young people, people who feel like don’t have a voice or have never been involved in a political process, you know what, this is not the time to sit down. This is not it.
MELVIN: Karine Jean-Pierre built a career working in local races, then on to presidential campaigns, eventually landing in the White House.
JEAN-PIERRE: Being an immigrant, everything, the hardship that I have gone through, and here I am walking into the White House, going to work for the first black president. It was a great experience, and I cherish it.
MELVIN: But for Karine, the pathway into politics was anything but typical, as a naturalized citizen and daughter of Haitian immigrants, Karine faced many obstacles growing up.
JEAN-PIERRE: I did feel very much like an outsider, we were not wealthy, we were working class, being the oldest of three kids and having to take on responsibilities that a young kid should not have to. Being from the Haitian community, which also gives a whole layer of something different, being an immigrant, a layer of something different, being gay, a layer of something different.
MELVIN: Karine felt pressure to follow the path her parents set out for her.
JEAN-PIERRE: My parents believed success meant that you had to be three things, a doctor, an engineer or a lawyer, and for me, I was – I had to be a doctor.
MELVIN: But at college, Karine entered a period of depression and says she tried to end her life.
JEAN-PIERRE: The pressure was just really heavy and I thought to myself, maybe if I’m not around, maybe if I’m not here anymore, you know, life will be better.
MELVIN: Karine slowly pulled herself through the darkness and decided to pursue what really inspired her, invoking change in the nation she loves.
JEAN-PIERRE: I wanted to tell my story, my personal story, and be raw and honest, but also get, you know, get people involved in politics, right, do that call to action. Like you know, if you want to get into politics, you can do it. You can have a voice.
MELVIN: And Karine is here with us this morning. Always good to see you.
JEAN-PIERRE: Good to see you, my friend.
MELVIN: You’re so busy. Keeping busy as the chief public affairs officer for Move On, MSNBC political analyst, that’s usually where I see you. And now you’ve got this new book that you’ve written, it’s out right now, it’s called, Moving Forward: A Story of Hope, Hard Work, and the Promise of America. What’s the impetus behind the book.
JEAN-PIERRE: Wow. Well, first of all, thank you so much for having me here. I really, I think in the time that we’re in – there’s a couple of reasons – the time that we’re in and also I have a 5-year-old, and my daughter, and wanted to put together something, write a book that was really honest and told the truth in a real way because I know so many people who go through ups and downs in their lives, and they don’t think anybody else is going through that same, that same path or having issues or having problems. And you know, I’m lucky, I get to be on TV to talk to you guys, I get to – I’ve worked in the White House –
MELVIN: Teach.
JEAN-PIERRE: You know, I teach, and I think many people feel or don’t know what I’ve been through. And they think, “Oh, this must be her life, she must have a perfect life.” And I wanted to be really honest, it’s like, “No, it wasn’t perfect. It will really, really hard.” And also this anti-immigrant sentiment out there that’s really just tough to hear because of what I went through and what my parents, being from a country, being from Haiti, that was called an s-hole country, right? And I wanted to tell the truth, right, in a real way and just to uplift people and inspire people. You know, I dedicate my book, it basically goes to anyone who has ever been said, “No.” I hope this book inspires you and motivates you, and that’s the impetus of the book.
DREYER: One thing I think is great about the book is, you know, you’re kind of giving people who think they don’t have a voice, a voice. And really anyone who thinks, “Well, I didn’t follow politics through high school, I don’t follow politics right now, but I have a voice, but how do I get it out there?” It’s almost like a handbook.
JEAN-PIERRE: It is, it is. It’s a blueprint, it’s a handbook, it's a way forward. I lay out, you know, some really hopefully substantiative things that people can understand and say, “Oh, okay, this is something I can do.” And just lay it out. Like I got into politics technically “late,” you know, most people that you hear stories about, oh, they’re in college and they’re running for their club in college or president of their class. And I got in, in grad school and I was about 25, 26 years old, and I still didn’t know when I went to grad school that I was going to go into politics. And it just had to be mentors that I met. I went to Haiti for the first time for a school project and that’s when I was like, “I want to make a difference, what does that look like?” And my mentors of mine say, “Oh, why don’t you, you know, change policy, you can do that doing politics.” And that was my path, and that’s what I wanted to lay out for people.
SHEINELLE JONES: I have a question for you, before you leave us, take me back to, I know you were moderating an event, you were speaking with presidential candidate Kamala Harris, and something happened, did somebody run on stage? I just remember, did you run in between? Like who – most people would run the other way. What were you thinking in that moment because I’m sure it all happened so fast?
JEAN-PIERRE: It happened so fast. It was a Move On Big Ideas Forum, eight candidates came and they gave their big idea. I was on the stage with Kamala Harris, as you just showed, Senator Harris, and as we’re talking, and we’re talking about issues of women of color, issues of black women, this white guy and his privilege came on stage and it was scary because 24 hours prior, there was the shooting at Virginia Beach, and you hear about these mass shootings and you know that I'm sitting next to –
JONES: Were you on edge the whole –
JEAN-PIERRE: I was on edge when I saw him because I didn’t know, and I’m thinking, here’s a senator, a woman of color, black woman running for president, I don’t know what’s going on, and it was – honestly it was just me reacting. It was –
MELVIN: He should have never gotten that close.
JEAN-PIERRE: It was – he should have never gotten that close, and that was a big mistake, and I have to tell you, Sheinelle, though, that, what happened, what people saw on that stage caused so many conversations about how women feel, their safety, everything that they deal with at work, day-to-day, when a man comes on stage and disrespects them in every way. And so that conversation was started, you know, hours before and people started telling me their stories and it was an interesting, it led to a bigger conversation that had so much nuances in it.
MELVIN: Karine, thank you.
JEAN-PIERRE: Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it.
MELVIN: And you can learn more about Karine’s book, Moving Forward, on Today.com/shop, and you can also catch her on MSNBC just about every day. [Laughter]
