President Donald Trump is in 'no rush' to replace outgoing White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, but that has not stopped ambitious MAGA mouthpieces grappling for the role.
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mouthpieces → replace → role
Leavitt announced on August 12 that she would depart the White House to spend more time with her two young children, Nico, 2, and four-month-old Viviana.
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she → announce → children
CNN pundit Scott Jennings, acting US Attorney for the District of New Jersey Alina Habba and former Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo are among the names floating around the West Wing.
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Jennings → act → Wing
Others in Trump's orbit are also being watched as possible contenders, including White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly, senior Trump campaign adviser Danielle Alvarez, and former first-term staffers Roma Daravi and Caroline Sunshine.
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Others → watch → Kelly
Leavitt, meanwhile, remains close by.
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Leavitt → remain → ?
She began work at Trump's political operation, MAGA Inc., and is currently acting as a 'sounding board' for the president on who he should pick to replace her.
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he → begin → her
The job opening has prompted many aspiring press secretaries to wrestle for the role, and the West Wing has taken notice of some possible candidates attempting to boost their own odds.
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candidates → prompt → odds
'A lot of people are pitching themselves,' the Trump adviser said, noting CNN pundit Scott Jennings and Trump's former personal attorney and acting US Attorney for the District of New Jersey Alina Habba have been openly angling for the job.
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Jennings → pitch → job
Caroline Sunshine, 31, a former 2024 Trump campaign aide, regularly appears on Fox News and CNN to weigh in on White House actions
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Karoline Leavitt have been advising the president on who to select as the next press secretary
The Daily Mail was the first to report that Jennings dined with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles shortly after Leavitt announced her departure – emerging as the early frontrunner.
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Leavitt → appear → frontrunner
Sources told the Mail that Wiles was courting Jennings for the job, and it was his if he wanted it, but that was before White House personnel saw many of the CNN pundit's old comments about Trump.
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personnel → tell → Trump
Almost immediately after reports indicated that Jennings could be the next press secretary, his past comments condemning Trump's actions on January 6 began circulating in the White House.
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comments → indicate → House
'President Donald Trump caused this insurrection with his lies and conspiracy theories about the election process being rigged against him,' Jennings wrote for CNN in an op-ed published on the day of the Capitol riot in 2021.
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Jennings → cause → 2021
Reposting a picture of the article's headline, former Congressman Matt Gaetz wrote: 'Scott Jennings for press secretary is a bad idea.'
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Jennings → reposte → secretary
Trump insiders took notice of Gaetz's post.
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insiders → take → post
'There's no bad blood between the two, just wouldn't be workable given his last comments,' the Trump world insider said of Jennings's chances of becoming press secretary.
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insider → be → secretary
Jennings has since apologized for his past comments about Trump, noting in a 2024 LA Times op-ed: 'I was wrong.'
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I → apologize → ed
Scott Jennings poses with Trump aboard Air Force One as the president holds up a picture of the pundit's book about the commander-in-chief
But the pundit's close ties to Senator Mitch McConnell, who is openly anti-Trump did not help his case.
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who → pose → case
Jennings recently defended McConnell's multi-month absence from Congress as he dealt with health issues resulting from a fall and pneumonia.
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he → defend → fall
His defense of the senator has further hurt his chances of securing the role, an insider said.
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insider → hurt → role
'Trump was turned off by the McConnell stuff and his past comments on January 6,' a source familiar with the president's thinking told the Daily Mail.
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source → turn → Mail
'And the president also did say, "Look, he's doing great for us on CNN.
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he → say → CNN
Jennings declined to comment.
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Jennings → decline → ?
Meanwhile Habba, the acting US Attorney for the District of New Jersey, has also put herself forward for the role, multiple sources said.
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sources → act → role
Acting US Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba, Trump's personal lawyer, has also been floated within the West Wing as a potential replacement for Leavitt
While she said in mid-August that she is 'not in the running for any job,' Habba also said that if she was asked to serve, she would.
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she → act → job
'Of course I would do it,' she told conservative pundit Benny Johnson.
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she → do → Johnson
'Habba has a lot of connections within the White House, but the president is uninterested in giving her another job,' a source shared.
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source → have → job
'He kind of feels like she has flamed out at the opportunities he's given her in the past.
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he → feel → past
So I would say there's like a zero percent chance of that happening.'
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that → say → ?
A spokesperson for Habba did not respond to the Daily Mail's request for comment.
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spokesperson → respond → comment
Former Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo has also been floated within the West Wing as a potential candidate, according to multiple sources, after her shock departure from the network.
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Bartiromo → float → network
The longtime host left the network after over 12 years of work in early September, days after Leavitt's departure.
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host → leave → departure
Bartiromo and Trump have a friendly rapport.
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Bartiromo → have → rapport
She has interviewed the president numerous times, and he has routinely praised her reporting on social media
She allegedly leaked internal Fox material with the White House after network executives were skeptical of election-related claims the president made in a White House address in July, the New York Times reported.
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Times → interview → July
The Daily Mail contacted her lawyer for comment.
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Mail → contact → comment
While conversations about Bartiromo joining the White House staff have rippled through the West Wing, it is unclear if she has had any meetings for the role, the sources said.
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sources → join → role
Those familiar with the ongoing discussions about replacing Leavitt have also noticed several individuals 'auditioning' for the role.
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individuals → replace → role
Roma Daravi, the vice president of public relations for the Kennedy Center and an alumna of Trump's first term, has been posting clips defending the president since the outgoing press secretary announced her departure.
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secretary → post → departure
Her efforts have caught the attention of some in the president's orbit, as has Caroline Sunshine, a Disney Channel child actress who starred alongside Zendaya before entering politics.
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who → catch → politics
She began her political career interning for Kevin McCarthy and then in the first Trump White House in 2018, before swiftly landing a job as an assistant in the press office.
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She → begin → office
The blonde 31-year-old has more recently become a recognizable pundit on CNN, vociferously defending the president during roundtable discussions and posting on X about his policy victories and comedic instinct.
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old → become → victories
…and 24 more, not listed.
The Aporia
