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President Donald Trump has yet to choose a successor to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, setting off speculation over who could become the administration’s next public face as she prepares to leave the West Wing.
Leavitt will join “Fox & Friends” Thursday morning for her final interview as White House press secretary on her last day in the role, as the 29-year-old prepares to spend more time with her two young children before joining Trump-aligned political group MAGA Inc.
Trump’s choice of a new press secretary will help define the final stretch of his presidency, putting one of the administration’s most visible voices at the center of shaping his legacy and the political battle over what comes next.
While the hunt continues to name a new press secretary, the briefing room will see a rotating line of Trump administration officials briefing the White House press corps rather than a permanent replacement, similar to when Leavitt was on maternity leave earlier this summer, CBS reported.
WHITE HOUSE PLANS GUEST HOSTS FOR PRESS BRIEFINGS WHILE KAROLINE LEAVITT TAKES MATERNITY LEAVE
President Donald Trump and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stop to speak to the media as Trump departs on Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House Feb. 27, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
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 final two years of any president’s second term are shaped by an inevitable reality: the day after the midterms, all eyes begin turning toward the next general election,” Fox News host Dana Perino told Fox News Digital. “Many of the top White House reporters head out to the campaign trail, and nearly every question starts to be viewed through a political lens.”
Perino served as White House press secretary under former President George W. Bush from 2007 to 2009.
“For a press secretary, the challenge is managing the day-to-day work of governing while staying out of the campaign itself—though with President Trump, he may very well want to remain deeply involved,” the Fox News host added.
Perino said Leavitt did so well “both in front of the camera and behind the scenes.”
TRUMP SAYS KAROLINE LEAVITT WILL LEAVE WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY ROLE, BECOME OUTSIDE ADVISOR
President Donald Trump, accompanied by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, speaks to reporters as he departs the White House July 15, 2025 (AP)
“There are two critical aspects of the job — the public-facing one that includes the briefing where the press secretary is the public face of the President’s policies and priorities,” former Trump press secretary Sean Spicer told Fox News Digital.
Spicer said the next press secretary will “undoubtedly” be someone who has a strong existing relationship with the president.
“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, who served as Trump’s first White House press secretary, said he was not seeking the role again.
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 but has recently shut down the idea.
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.
“Flattered by the Kalshi odds, but I’m not in the running for any job. However, if I’m getting a new one, I’d love for one of these anonymous sources to let me know first. Fake news remains the undefeated champ…well…until I come at them,” she wrote on X.
TRUMP’S DC LAW-AND-ORDER BLITZ MARKS ONE YEAR WITH EYE-POPPING HAUL OF SUSPECTS
CNN political commentator Scott Jennings attends the “A Revolution of Common Sense” Book Launch in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 2, 2025. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images Courtesy of the Rainey Center)
Trump’s principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly 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.”
Jennings was spotted with Trump’s chief of staff Susie Wiles for a meal days after Leavitt’s announcement, according to a Daily Mail report.
Trump’s senior advisor, Stephen Miller, and his wife, Katie Miller, have been floated on social media as potential replacements.
Stephen Miller was asked 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, Miller smiled at the reporter who asked the question.
Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, and his wife, Katie Miller, an aide for DOGE, attend the White House Easter Egg Roll April 21, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
White House communication director Steven 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.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.
