White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre praised fraternity students at University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill for protecting the American flag against anti-Israel protesters.

A part of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity guarded the American flag and sang the national anthem as anti-Israel protesters attempted to occupy their campus. The fraternity protected the newly hoisted flag after the university’s interim chancellor took down the Palestinian flag put up by the UNC Chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, who had been rallying on campus for five days.

Top aides and communications staff at the White House attempted to give White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre the boot by recruiting outside allies, the New York Post reported Friday.

White House communications staff Anita Dunn allegedly told colleagues to communicate with prominent Democrats in an attempt to convince Jean-Pierre to step down and “move along” with her career, sources told the New York Post. She reportedly did so with the support of White House chief of staff Jeff Zients.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre triggered outrage Monday after saying three US troops killed by a weekend drone strike in Jordan had died “fighting on behalf of the administration” rather than America.

They share a podium — and a mutual frustration. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and the National Security Council's John Kirby frequently split the podium at media briefings, but behind the scenes their relationship is fraught with tension, White House sources tell Axios.

Why it matters: As President Biden heads into a tough re-election campaign, his top-ranking spokespeople are at odds while navigating a situation in which there's one press secretary in name but two in practice — one for domestic policy, the other for foreign policy.