President Donald Trump is in no hurry to name a successor to outgoing White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and is considering a temporary arrangement in which several officials rotate through the role, according to a new report. The president is weighing a plan to have Cabinet officials tackle press briefings for “an indefinite period,” multiple unnamed sources familiar with the matter told CNN. The White House used a similar approach during Leavitt’s maternity leave from April through July, when senior officials including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared at the podium.
Trump “genuinely doesn’t know who to pick and has expressed zero urgency,” a senior White House official told the outlet. Leavitt, who became the youngest White House press secretary in history when she took the job at 27 last January, announced earlier this month that she would leave at the end of August to spend more time with her family. The sudden opening of the senior position has prompted jockeying among potential candidates and their backers, CNN reported.
Some have appealed directly to Trump, while others have approached junior advisers. Several names — most of them women — have circulated, including political commentator and model Elizabeth Pipko; Alina Habba, the former acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia; White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly; and former Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin. CNN conservative commentator Scott Jennings has also been mentioned as a possible replacement.
Asked on air last week whether he wanted the job, Jennings demurred, replying: “I don’t know.” He also praised Leavitt as “maybe the greatest White House press secretary in the last 30 years.” Trump, meanwhile, appeared interested in Fox News correspondent Alexis McAdams during a one-on-one interview Sunday. When McAdams asked whether he had a replacement in mind, Trump replied: “How about you?” Still, some potential contenders are said to be wary of the position. And now they’ll have to follow and be constantly compared to Karoline,” a source told CNN.
Failing to name a permanent replacement in the short-term could leave the president without a full-time spokesperson at a pivotal moment in his presidency: the upcoming midterm elections. The Independent has contacted the White House for comment. Trump announced Leavitt’s departure — a decision that reportedly caught him off guard — in an August 12 Truth Social post.
He added that Leavitt would remain a close outside adviser. In a follow-up post, Leavitt — who gave birth to her second child in May — said serving as the president’s spokesperson had been “the honor and adventure of a lifetime.” “The truth is since returning to the White House after the birth of my daughter, I have felt in my heart that I cannot be the best mom my two young children deserve while devoting the constant time, energy, and attention required of the White House Press Secretary,” she added. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
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