A shock name is considered the favorite to replace Karoline Leavitt as the next White House press secretary.
MAGA political commentator Scott Jennings is the current frontrunner to take on the prominent role in Donald Trump’s administration, sources with knowledge of the situation told the Daily Beast.
Jennings, known for his argumentative and childish appearances defending Trump on CNN, has a history of working in public relations and served in the George W. Bush administration as a special assistant to the president and deputy director of political affairs.
The top Trump ally also previously worked as an adviser to missing Sen. Mitch McConnell, 84, and worked on several of the Kentucky Republican’s re-election campaigns.
Leavitt, 28, sent shockwaves through D.C. after it was revealed she would be stepping down from her White House press secretary role at the end of the month to spend more time with her family following the birth of her second child in May with her 60-year-old husband.
Jennings was extremely coy when asked directly if he was throwing his hat into the ring to replace Leavitt during a Wednesday night appearance on CNN’s NewsNight.
“Karoline Leavitt has been maybe the greatest White House press secretary in the last 30 years, at least. She’s been nothing short of brilliant,” Jennings said. “I don’t know a single Republican in the country who isn’t in awe of and in appreciation of Karoline tonight. So Godspeed on your journey back to your family. You’ve done great stuff.”
Jennings showcased the skills necessary to be White House press secretary by avoiding a direct question and then straight away praising one of Trump’s deeply unpopular policies, this time the president’s gaudy makeover of the White House, complete with plans for a tacky $400 million ballroom extension.
Numerous other names are believed to be in the running to replace Leavitt as press secretary. If the optics of replacing another woman who has departed Trump’s Cabinet with a 48-year-old man aren’t ideal, the president has plenty of female options.
Alina Habba, Trump’s former defense attorney and disbarred acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey, is considered a strong candidate, sources told the New York Post. Habba essentially acted as Trump’s press secretary during his New York civil fraud trial in 2024, including making several ill-advised media appearances during the court proceedings.
Other names being floated include deputy press secretary Anna Kelly, a former beauty pageant winner who also served as national press secretary for the Republican National Committee.
Two-time Arizona election loser Kari Lake and Katie Miller, the wife of top White House aide Stephen Miller and a former top aide at Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), are considered longshot candidates to replace Leavitt.
Elsewhere, sources told the Post that White House communications director Steven Cheung, Trump’s former White House deputy chief of staff for communications Taylor Budowich, and Matthew Boyle, the Washington bureau chief for right-wing news site Breitbart, are in the running.
Another dark horse is considered the favorite on prediction betting market Kalshi.
Roma Daravi, the vice president of public relations at the now-MAGAfied Kennedy Center, is listed as the leading candidate, with a 24 percent chance of being Trump’s next press secretary.
Lara Trump, who is married to the president’s second-eldest son, Eric Trump, is joint second at 23 percent.
Natalie Harp, Trump’s favorite blonde White House aide who accompanied him in a catering truck to escape Air Force One into a decoy plane amid reports of an Iranian assassination threat, is also given a 23 percent chance.
Habba and Kelly, both at 22 percent, make up the rest of the top five, according to Kalshi.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House and Scott Jennings for comment.
