The impending departure of President Donald Trump’s top spokeswoman has speculation swirling in Washington, D.C., on who will be selected to replace Karoline Leavitt behind the press briefing room podium.
The 28-year-old White House press secretary, fresh off maternity leave, dropped a bombshell announcement on Wednesday that she will end her tenure at the end of August to spend more time with her two young children.
Now, with just two weeks left in the month, the race is on to find the next press secretary — and some predict the briefing room will see a rotating line of Trump administration officials briefing the White House press corps rather than a permanent replacement, like what happened during Leavitt’s maternity leave earlier this summer.
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio held the first news conference while Leavitt was on leave, followed by Vice President JD Vance, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz.
“The next press secretary will undoubtedly be someone who has a strong existing relationship with President Trump,” former Trump press secretary Sean Spicer told Fox News Digital.
“He values and understands the importance of this role in communicating his positions on policy, personnel and key issues, so I can’t imagine it not being someone currently in his orbit,” Spicer added.
Spicer, known for his short tenure as White House press secretary, withdrew his name for consideration a second time around.
Alina Habba, who serves as senior advisor to the attorney general for U.S. Attorneys, was viewed as a frontrunner after Trump won re-election and is once again being floated for the role.
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At the time, Habba said she was “flattered” by the consideration but believed she would “be better served in other capacities.”
She then served three months as counselor to the president before leaving Washington, D.C., for a controversial and turbulent position as interim attorney for the District of New Jersey. After her appointment was deemed unconstitutional, she resigned and was made senior advisor to the attorney general for United States Attorneys.
Habba, who was Trump’s personal attorney and a high-profile surrogate on the 2024 campaign trail, was the early favorite on Kalshi to replace the press secretary but now ranks third behind conservative political commentator Scott Jennings and Leavitt’s deputy, Anna Kelly.
Trump’s principal deputy press secretary has been seen in an outward facing role. Kelly filled in for Leavitt in media hits while Leavitt was on maternity leave but has yet to take the podium for a briefing.
Jennings, a CNN contributor and former aide to President George W. Bush, was also reportedly considered for the press secretary role when Trump retook office in 2024 before he selected Leavitt. Trump has touted Jennings’ recent book and has referred to him as a “patriot” who “gets it.”
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Trump’s senior advisor, Stephen Miller, and his wife, Katie Miller, have been floated on social media as potential replacements.
Stephen was asked Wednesday for his thoughts on his wife, former Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary and communications director, filling Leavitt’s role. In lieu of commenting, he shot a smile in the direction of the questioner.
White House communication director Stephen Cheung is one of Trump’s most forceful defenders, wielding significant influence but largely operating behind the scenes.
Other names floated as potential contenders include Breitbart’s Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle and former White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich.
Leavitt is Trump’s second-longest-serving press secretary with 19 months in the role. She comes in second to first-term press secretary and now Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ 23-month tenure.
After Huckabee’s departure, Stephanie Grisham stepped into the role for nine months but was famous for not holding a single press briefing during that time. She was eventually replaced with Kayleigh McEnany, who served through the end of Trump’s first term.
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