Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. With Allie Bice. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Tina The White House may be waving off talks about who will succeed press secretary JEN PSAKI, who has said she only plans to stay in the job for a year or thereabouts. But principal deputy press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE has been noticeably taking on a more public role in recent months, including more appearances on the president’s trips, in gaggles and at press briefings. And a Democratic source with close ties to the White House told us Jean-Pierre is indeed preparing for a shot at the post when it becomes available down the road. “Karine is obviously very trusted by the president, but she hasn’t had the on-the-job training like Psaki. There’s no one coming into that position who has Psaki’s experience,” the source said. “I know she has been talking to a number of different key experts in the administration to make sure she has a fundamental understanding about the issues, ranging from foreign policy to national security to domestic policies.” A White House official with knowledge of the situation said there aren’t any internal conversations currently underway about Psaki’s replacement, due to the sheer volume of issues on her plate. But decision day could be approaching. Psaki told the New York Times in January that she planned to stay on as White House press secretary for “roughly a year, to get other aides ready for the podium.” “I think there frankly needs to be diverse spaces and voices as communicators,” Psaki said then. “Women, certainly, but beyond that.” Psaki has since said she’d consider staying on longer. “Sometime next year it’ll probably be time for a new person, a new face,” she said last week. Jean-Pierre is the only other press staffer besides Psaki who has publicly briefed the press at the White House and aboard Air Force One. “I’ll try and be nice and loud for folks,”Jean-Pierre promised reporters today as President JOE BIDEN flew to New Jersey to tout his infrastructure plan. By our count, Jean-Pierre has led four press briefings and 18 gaggles so far this year. ARI FLEISCHER, former press secretary under President GEORGE W. BUSH, said among their many duties, deputy press secretaries are expected to be able to step up and conduct a full briefing. It is considered a tryout of sorts, and feedback is given. “The way you prepare your deputy for it is you throw them in slowly. You’d let them begin on Air Force One. You let them conduct the gaggles. You expose them to all the questions in the media, but in a smaller pack with a less charged environment, and not on TV until they’re ready for it,” Fleischer said. Jean-Pierre’s very first press briefing on May 26 got its own share of news coverage, and for good reason. She became the first Black woman since 1991 to take the podium in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room. JUDY SMITH, deputy press secretary for GEORGE H.W. BUSH, was the first. Jean-Pierre was also the first openly gay spokesperson to take questions in the briefing room. Jean-Pierre’s experience as Psaki’s deputy isn’t the only thing that gives her an edge in the press secretary sweepstakes. She’s also acquired a long list of high-profile supporters, including former Democratic National Committee chair DONNA BRAZILE , who stressed to us that no matter how many times she’s gaggled or led a press briefing, Jean-Pierre is well-equipped to take on the role. “I think she walked into the White House with substantial experience as someone who’s been a public commentator on a major network, as someone who has been a major spokesperson for a presidential campaign. So she not only has the depth of experience, but I also think, the know-how after nine months in the White House,” Brazile told us. “If that door ever opens, she would be well situated to take that seat.” We also checked in to see if there are any other names popping up to replace Psaki. West Wing Playbook in May reported that White House communications director KATE BEDINGFIELD, State Department spokesperson NED PRICE and JILL BIDEN’s communication director ELIZABETH ALEXANDER were in the mix as potential successors. There’s one other name we’re adding to the list: Pentagon spokesperson JOHN KIRBY, according to two Democrats with close ties to the White House. The Biden team trusted Kirby enough to represent the administration in national TV interviews during the botched Afghanistan withdrawal in August, including on Fox News. Kirby showed that he could be steady during a crisis. But Fleischer reminded us that it’s not unusual for the White House to be looking elsewhere—beyond the administration or White House deputies—to serve as the next press secretary. “A White House would be a fool not to cast a wide net. It’s a job that many would seek. And just because somebody has inside knowledge and experience, that’s helpful but that alone is not enough to get the job,” Fleischer said. “They should definitely cast a wide net.” Do you work in the Biden administration? Are you in touch with the White House? Are you KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, the potential Psaki heir? We want to hear from you — and we’ll keep you anonymous: westwingtips@politico.com. Or if you want to stay really anonymous send us a tip through SecureDrop, Signal, Telegram, or Whatsapp here. | 
