Speculation Swirls Over Who Will Replace White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is leaving her job at the end of the month, but with no apparent successor announced, speculation is rampant about who will replace her. Ms. Leavitt wrote on X on Wednesday that she was “incredibly grateful” that President Trump gave her “so many extraordinary opportunities, such as working in the West Wing and spending countless hours in the Oval Office, flying around the world and meeting foreign leaders, and traveling across our beautiful country and meeting Americans from all walks of life.” However, she said she felt she could not “be the best mom my two young children deserve” while “devoting the constant time, energy, and attention required of the White House Press Secretary.”The president called Ms. Leavitt “one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office,” and said her decision was one “I totally understand and respect!” Mr. Trump said she will become one of his “top outside advisors” leading into the midterm elections.Ms. Leavitt’s departure has jaws flapping over who will be named her successor. Commentators have floated several names as potential replacements. Some pundits have floated the White House communications director, Steven Cheung, a fierce defender of the president who has a reputation of launching expletive-ridden attacks and ridiculing opponents online, as a potential successor. Users of the prediction market, Kalshi, see the White House’s principal deputy press secretary, Anna Kelly, is seen as one of the favorites to replace Ms. Leavitt, with a 16 percent chance of getting the job. One of Mr. Trump’s former attorneys and a former acting United States attorney, Alina Habba, is tied with Ms. Kelly at 16 percent. In third place on the list is one of the president’s closest aides, Natalie Harp, at 13 percent, a former One America News anchor who frequently travels with the president — and was reportedly one of the select individuals who joined Mr. Trump on a smaller plane during the secret plan to ferry the president out of Turkey amid concerns about a threat against Air Force One. Commentators have also suggested that the replacement could come from outside the White House, with some suggesting that a former Los Angeles mayoral candidate, Spencer Pratt, who garnered a lot of attention over his use of social media and artificial intelligence to generate buzz around his campaign.Another potential contender is a CNN contributor, Scott Jennings, one of the few commentators on the network who defends Mr. Trump and MAGA on a regular basis. Mr. Jennings has previously been floated as a potential White House press secretary because of his clashes with liberal guests. One other figure who has been seen as a potential candidate to replace Ms. Leavitt is the former local news anchor at Phoenix and failed Senate and gubernatorial candidate, Kari Lake, who was nominated to serve as the ambassador to Jamaica. During Ms. Lake’s 2022 gubernatorial bid, she was seen as a talented communicator for the MAGA movement. However, she has faced scrutiny over her repeated claims of election fraud and sometimes seemingly over-the-top adoration for Mr. Trump such as when she vacuumed a piece of carpet for the president to stand on. While a replacement for Ms. Leavitt has not been announced as of Thursday morning, the White House may borrow from the process that was put in place during her 11-week maternity leave this spring and summer. At that time, a rotating cast of characters filled in during the absence.

Speculation Swirls Over Who Will Replace White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt

Speculation Swirls Over Who Will Replace White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt

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