The search for the next White House press secretary is fueling widespread speculation, but who is actually in contention seems to be one of the best-kept secrets in Washington for now.
A senior White House official told Axios “Nobody on that list will be Press Secretary" in response to a Politico story listing multiple names of who could possibly be Karoline Leavitt’s successor, as she is leaving the position at the end of August.
From a senior WH official: “Nobody on that list will be Press Secretary.” https://t.co/tgftAq4wol
— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) August 13, 2026
The Politico story listed White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly, Senior Advisor to the Attorney General for U.S. Attorneys Alina Habba, Chief of Protocol of the U.S. Monica Crowley, Katie Miller, and Scott Jennings, which presumably rules all of them out given the Axios reporting.
Leavitt is departing from the White House on stellar terms, as she will remain in President Donald Trump’s outside orbit after leaving.
“Our wonderful White House Press Secretary, and one of my most trusted aides, Karoline Leavitt, will be departing her role at the end of the month so she can spend more time with her beautiful young children and family, a decision I totally understand and respect!” he wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday.
Leavitt said in a post that it “has been the honor and adventure of a lifetime.”
Whoever takes over the briefing room podium after Leavitt will join Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Sean Spicer, Kayleigh McEnany and Stephanie Grisham in having also served in the role under a Trump presidency.
Townhall reached out to the White House for comment.
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