President Donald Trump hinted Sunday the White House has developed a shortlist of candidates to replace Karoline Leavitt as White House press secretary. Trump spoke with reporters after returning from a trip to Ireland, saying, "We have a lot of people that want it."
When asked if he had a favorite candidate or a firm shortlist, Trump said, "No, no, but I may have developed one over the weekend."
Leavitt, 27, was the youngest press secretary to hold the post. She departed the role in mid-August to raise her second child and now works for MAGA Inc. a super PAC aligned with Trump.
Upon her departure, Trump praised Leavitt, calling her "one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office."
The White House is using Cabinet secretaries to hold press briefings temporarily. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Education Secretary Linda McMahon have all conducted or are expected to conduct briefings.
Trump confirmed the approach, saying, "We're going to use the secretaries. Marco, maybe JD, JD just did it, he did a great job. We're going to use Scott, we're going to use [Lutnick], we're going to use a lot of our secretaries. Linda McMahon is so great. And we'll do it for a little while, but ultimately I'll pick somebody."
Conservative CNN commentator Scott Jennings has been mentioned in connection with the unfilled role. Trump said Jennings "is good," though he provided no indication whether Jennings is under serious consideration.
