President Donald Trump said he already has a potential name in mind to succeed Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, even as his team sorts through a flood of applications for one of the most visible jobs in the White House.
The 80-year-old president was asked about the search this week before boarding Air Force One, days after Ms Leavitt confirmed she would soon be leaving the role.
‘Maybe you, maybe you,’ Trump replied, pointing toward the assembled reporters. One journalist then asked whether he would consider Scott Jennings, the conservative commentator frequently seen on CNN and other programs.
‘Scott Jennings is good,’ the Republican leader said immediately, before returning to his teasing suggestion that one of the White House correspondents traveling with him might be in the running.
‘I will tell you this,’ Trump added. ‘I have never had so many job applications in my life.’
Standing nearby, Ms Leavitt nodded in agreement and responded: ‘Yes, sir.’
‘They all want that job, they love that job,’ Trump continued. ‘She’s made that job very glamorous.’
Ms Leavitt, 28, is expected to leave at the end of the month. When she announced her departure from the front lines of the Trump administration, she spoke candidly about the intensity and demands of serving as press secretary.
President Donald Trump, 80, said he has ‘never had so many job applications in my life’ as he continues his search to replace Karoline Leavitt as press secretary
When asked if he’d consider Scott Jennings, a conservative commentator, Trump replied: ‘Scott Jennings is good’
‘Being a mother and welcoming a new baby while working in one of the most demanding jobs in the world has been the most rewarding yet challenging season of my life,’ she said.
‘The truth is since returning to the White House after the birth of my daughter, I have felt in my heart that I cannot be the best mom my two young children deserve while devoting the constant time, energy, and attention required of the White House Press Secretary.’
Her announcement came shortly after Ms Leavitt returned to Pennsylvania Avenue from maternity leave, telling everyone: ‘Let’s get back to work.’
The mother-of-two had returned from maternity leave on July 16 after giving birth to her daughter in May. She also has a two-year-old son with her husband Nicholas Riccio, 61.
One source close to Ms Leavitt, the youngest ever White House press secretary, reveals she had been strongly weighing whether to quit during maternity leave, as the President would contact her often and repeatedly ask when she was coming back.
‘No doubt one of the hardest decisions of her life so far,’ the source told Our News Outlet.
Another source says that, after returning from maternity leave, Ms Leavitt very quickly realized she definitely needed out.
‘First week back she realized she wasn’t feeling it anymore,’ the source said. ‘Trump really didn’t want her to leave as he actually trusts her and doesn’t like having to deal with new people in his circle when he wants to focus on getting stuff done in his time left in office.’
Ms Leavitt became the youngest ever White House press secretary at the age of 27. She will depart the White House at the end of the month
Two sources also explain that Ms Leavitt has been confiding to those close to her over the past two months that she is ready to step down.
‘She was just trying to figure out how to politely step down with his [Trump’s] blessing,’ one of those sources explained.
The President posted on Truth Social that it was ‘a decision I totally understand and respect,’ calling Leavitt ‘one of the best White House press secretaries in the history of the office.’
Trump added that Ms Leavitt would remain a ‘top outside adviser’ and an ‘influential voice’ in the Republican Party as the White House gears up for crunch midterm elections this November.
Rarely has a press secretary wielded the level of access Ms Leavitt has commanded, from sitting in on classified Situation Room meetings to steering crisis strategy around the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
She first entered Trump’s orbit in 2018 and went on to be his press secretary for his 2024 campaign. Ms Leavitt also previously worked as an assistant White House press secretary in 2020.
She took on the role as White House press secretary at the age of 27 when Trump came back into power.
