On Friday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt joyfully announced that she and her husband are expecting a baby girl.
“We are overjoyed to expand our family and eagerly anticipate seeing our son step into his new role as a big brother,” Leavitt shared with Fox News Digital. “I am deeply thankful to God for the blessing of motherhood, which I believe is the closest experience to Heaven on Earth.”
At just 28 years old, Leavitt has made a mark in political circles with her rapid-fire responses and sharp critiques. According to a senior official in the administration, Leavitt plans to continue her duties in the White House, having assured the Daily Mail of her commitment to stay through the entire four-year term, describing the job as a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
However, her joyful announcement has likely fueled speculation that others in Washington are eyeing her position. In the capital, ambition often precedes actual vacancies, with potential successors laying the groundwork well in advance.
Even before Leavitt shared her pregnancy news, the Daily Mail discovered a discreet, high-stakes race among some of DC’s top communicators eager to catch the president’s attention.
We reached out to several current and former Trump administration officials to identify the leading candidates poised to step in after Leavitt.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavit, 28, holds an enviable post in the Trump administration. Some insiders told the Daily Mail who may make a good backup for the secretary
DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin was suggested as a possible press secretary by multiple current and former Trump administration officials
The DHS flak regularly appears on cable news in defense of the administration’s deportation efforts. She’s known to get combative when hosts spar with her over immigration
All of those named to the Daily Mail are female.
Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Tricia McLaughlin, was mentioned by three sources.
‘She’s the top choice for 90 percent of the admin,’ according to one insider.
A former White House official agreed: ‘Tricia is a good name.’
McLaughlin regularly speaks for the Trump administration’s most controversial agency and is the tip of the spear when it comes to defending deportation operations.
Appearing on Fox News almost weekly, the DHS spokeswoman is comfortable with the high-profile cable news circuit – even on less friendly outlets like CNN.
But Karoline, the source noted, would leave, ‘some pretty large shoes to fill.’ And, however impressive McLaughlin’s performance in her current role, they admitted: ‘I don’t know if Tricia checks that box.’
According to the former White House official, anybody seeking to speak for Trump likely needs to be, ‘a more household name like a TV personality.’
NewsNation host Katie Pavlich would certainly fit the bill and was suggested as a contender by two Trump officials.
Pavlich was a mainstay on conservative Fox News for the better part of a decade before signing a new deal with NewsNation this week.
She understands how to defend the president’s agenda, too, having penned a column for the conservative outlet Townhall titled, ‘Trump’s Brilliant Iran Play’ in October.
But, with the ink on her new contract barely dry, it’s hard to see Pavlich being whisked away to the White House any time soon.
Others floated as potential candidates by multiple officials include Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s first-term senior advisor, Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Chief of US Protocol Monica Crowley and political activist and college athlete Riley Gaines.
Once source revealed that some of those named had explored the press secretary role prior to Leavitt’s confirmation, though they declined to name names.
Margo Martin, the president’s glamorous social media guru and advisor, is also a contender.
‘She’s been there since day one,’ one official said. ‘The world knows who she is.’
Ex-Fox News personality Katie Pavlich, second from left, was also floated as a possible future press secretary
Fox News host Laura Ingraham was named as a potential presidential spokesperson
Former NCAA swimmer and woman’s rights activist Riley Gaines
Monica Crowley, Chief of Protocol of the United States
One Trump official noted that cmay be thought to be a back up to Leavitt, but she does not go on the record and instead handles more of the president’s digital operations
But Martin is perhaps the dark horse in the field as she lacks the pertinent experience. Even the official who named her admitted, ‘I have never heard her speak publicly.’
She is untested, having never had a press-facing job, so would need to prove that she can develop a new skillset beyond the one called for in her current role, which involves handling the president’s digital communications.
Of course, the White House has press aides under Leavitt, including Abigail Jackson, Anna Kelly, Kush Desai, Davis Ingle and others. But none of these aides were deemed to be in the running for the main job should Leavitt step aside.
Neither was hard-hitting White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, who acts more as a behind-the-scenes enforcer than a front-and-center communicator.
But, for some, all talk of Leavitt’s replacement is hypothetical in the extreme.
One former Trump White House official summed it up: ‘She ain’t leaving any time soon.’
