Karoline Leavitt’s Possible Successors Emerge
A high-stakes guessing game has erupted inside the West Wing following Wednesday’s news that Karoline Leavitt will exit her post as White House press secretary. Insiders immediately pivoted to a single question: who takes her place at the lectern once she departs at month’s end?
No clear favorite has emerged.
A source close to the administration told the New York Post that President Trump has made no final call on a successor, leaving the field wide open and speculation running rampant across Washington circles.
Two names currently dominate the conversation.
Attorney Alina Habba and Breitbart Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle sit atop most insider lists as the strongest early contenders, according to multiple sources within and close to the administration.
Habba’s path to prominence began in the courtroom, not the briefing room. She served as one of Trump’s defense lawyers, appearing frequently before cameras to argue his case in the press well ahead of his return to the White House.
A short stint followed as a West Wing counselor to the president, after which Trump elevated her to acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey.
Her resume echoes a precedent already set once before.
Trump tapped fellow attorney Kayleigh McEnany as press secretary during his first term, and she went on to win praise for her sharp defense of his agenda on camera.
Boyle offers a contrasting profile built on years inside conservative media rather than the courtroom.
Colleagues describe the Breitbart journalist as combining tenacious investigative instincts with a steady, unflappable style — traits honed through sustained coverage of the broader Trump movement.
The president knows him well enough to have granted him repeated interviews, including a recent one-on-one in the Oval Office itself.
Further down the list sits Taylor Budowich, who exited his post as White House deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel last September to return to private industry.
During his tenure, Budowich helped craft the administration’s early communications playbook and spearheaded a restructuring of the press pool that widened access for smaller gatherings, including events inside the Oval Office.
Steven Cheung, the sitting White House communications director, also draws consideration.
He already handles much of the informal groundwork tied to the job, briefing journalists behind the scenes on a near-daily basis.
Cameras, however, remain outside his comfort zone — he skipped opportunities to hold on-record briefings even while Leavitt was away on maternity leave.
A handful of names further from the traditional press orbit have surfaced as well.
Katie Miller, once an aide to Elon Musk during his DOGE tenure, now hosts a podcast that regularly books senior administration figures as guests.
She is married to Stephen Miller, the deputy chief of staff for policy, who was asked directly about his wife’s prospects following a Wednesday television appearance.
He responded only with a smile, offering no comment.
Principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly and U.S. Chief of Protocol Monica Crowley complete the inner circle of possibilities.
Crowley, who spent years as a journalist before entering government, maintains frequent contact with the president through her current post.
Outside observers have turned the search into something of a spectator sport.
Betting platform Kalshi recorded sharp price swings throughout the day as users wagered on the outcome.
Jason Miller, a Trump adviser dating back to the 2016 campaign, briefly held second place behind Habba before heavier wagers elsewhere pushed his odds down.
The action then shifted toward Rachel Campos-Duffy, a Fox News host married to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, whose odds climbed as high as 65 percent at one point.
That lead proved temporary, too — former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt soon surpassed her in the betting.
Jason Miller, notably, was recently reported to be rejoining the administration after a stretch in the private sector, though he has never formally pursued the press secretary job himself.
A wider circle of speculative names includes conservative pundit Scott Jennings and former Arizona candidate Kari Lake, the latter having overseen the push to dismantle Voice of America while leading the federal media agency that funds it.
As for Leavitt herself, she cited her two young children — 2-year-old Niko and three-month-old Vivi — as her reason for stepping back, and she is expected to remain a trusted voice in Trump’s orbit even after leaving the podium behind.
Trump offered a warm send-off in a written statement, describing Leavitt as one of his “most trusted aides” and “one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office.”
Until a permanent choice is made, the administration may lean on a rotating cast of senior officials to fill briefing duties.
Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent have each stepped behind the podium before — a role Trump himself has also filled on occasion.
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