Karoline Leavitt made a not-so-unexpected announcement this week that she's leaving her post as White House Press Secretary at the end of the month to spend more time with her family. She's only 28 years old, a mother of two, and has served as press secretary since Trump's second term began in January 2025. That's a lot of ground covered in a short amount of time. Makes sense. Naturally, the guessing game over her replacement at the White House podium is already in full swing. Names are flying from every direction, some predictable, some surprising, and one name sticks out as a favorite.
Scott Jennings is reportedly near the top of the list. He's spent the past few years taking apart his own network's liberal panelists on live television, making an otherwise unwatchable network occasionally worth tuning into.
Okay, I don’t watch it; I catch the clips on social media.
Still, the point applies.
Jennings regularly appears on NewsNight with Abby Phillip, where his conservative commentary routinely draws pushback from his fellow panelists, who aren’t used to being challenged.
As I already pointed out, I don't watch CNN. But I love seeing Jennings take down his liberal co-panelists whenever a clip crosses my feed. That makes it fun to watch. Jennings has been one of the most effective conservative voices on a network that has often used conservative-but-anti-Trump commentators like S.E. Cupp to manufacture the illusion of balance.
That's not a coincidence.
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When Jennings was asked on air Wednesday night whether he could be Leavitt's replacement, he didn't take the bait. "I don't know, but I'll tell you this, 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."
We’ll see what happens, but I could see him doing an amazing job handling the media during daily press briefings.
Of course, Jennings isn't the only name in play. Sources told the New York Post that Alina Habba, Trump's former defense attorney and the disbarred acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey, is also a strong candidate. Those same sources say deputy press secretary Anna Kelly, a former beauty pageant winner who once served as national press secretary for the Republican National Committee, is also in the mix.
The Post's sources add that White House communications director Steven Cheung, former White House deputy chief of staff for communications Taylor Budowich, and Breitbart Washington bureau chief Matthew Boyle are in the running as well. The Daily Beast, meanwhile, names Kari Lake and Katie Miller, wife of top White House aide Stephen Miller and a former top DOGE aide, as longshot candidates. Then there's Roma Daravi, vice president of public relations at the Kennedy Center, who the Daily Beast says is the current frontrunner.
I haven't seen most of these candidates in action, so I can't say whether any of them would outperform Jennings behind the podium. What I do know is this: if Jennings gets the nod, he'll do a fantastic job.
