President Donald Trump is approaching a major personnel decision as speculation intensifies over who will replace White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Leavitt announced Wednesday that she will leave the administration at the end of August to spend more time with her two young children, opening one of the most visible positions in the White House.
With roughly two weeks remaining before her departure, several familiar Trump allies have surfaced as possible successors, including Alina Habba, principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly and CNN conservative commentator Scott Jennings.
Trump could also take a different approach by delaying the selection of a permanent press secretary and instead relying on a rotating group of senior administration officials to conduct briefings.
The White House experimented with that model during Leavitt’s maternity leave earlier this summer. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz were among the administration officials who appeared before reporters.
Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Trump’s relationship with whoever takes the job will likely be an important consideration.
“The next press secretary will undoubtedly be someone who has a strong existing relationship with President Trump,” 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,” he added.
Spicer, who served as Trump’s first White House press secretary in 2017, has ruled himself out of consideration for a return.
Habba has emerged as one of the most recognizable names in the speculation.
Trump’s former personal attorney and a prominent surrogate during the 2024 presidential campaign, Habba was previously discussed as a possible press secretary following Trump’s election victory.
At the time, Habba said she was “flattered” by the speculation but believed she could “be better served in other capacities.”
She later served as counselor to the president before becoming interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey. Habba subsequently moved into a Justice Department role as senior adviser to the attorney general for U.S. Attorneys.
Jennings is another name receiving attention.
The conservative CNN contributor has developed a national profile through often-combative television panel discussions in which he regularly defends Trump and administration policies.
Jennings was reportedly considered for the press secretary position following Trump’s 2024 victory before Leavitt was ultimately selected. Trump has since publicly praised Jennings, calling him a “patriot” who “gets it.”
Kelly could provide the administration with a more conventional transition.
As Trump’s principal deputy press secretary, she already works inside the White House communications operation and assumed a more prominent public role while Leavitt was on maternity leave.
Kelly regularly appeared on television during that period, although she has yet to conduct a formal White House briefing from the podium.
Stephen Miller and his wife, Katie Miller, have also surfaced in speculation surrounding the vacancy.
When Stephen Miller was asked Wednesday whether his wife could replace Leavitt, he declined to answer verbally and instead smiled toward the person asking the question.
Katie Miller has extensive communications experience, having previously served as press secretary and communications director for former Vice President Mike Pence.
White House communications director Stephen Cheung has also been mentioned as a possibility. Cheung has become one of Trump’s most aggressive public defenders, although much of his work has traditionally occurred outside the briefing room.
Other names circulating include Breitbart Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle and former White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich.
Whoever takes the job will replace a press secretary who has already served longer than most of Trump’s previous White House spokespeople.
Leavitt has spent approximately 19 months in the position. Among Trump’s press secretaries, only Sarah Huckabee Sanders served longer, holding the job for roughly 23 months during his first administration.
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