As President-elect Trump fills out his cabinet ahead of Inauguration Day, speculation is swirling inside Mar-A-Lago and across media circles about who he might tap to fill the key role of White House press secretary.
Here are five candidates for what will be one of the most high-profile jobs in Trump’s White House.
Karoline Leavitt
Leavitt is widely viewed as the favorite, having served as the Trump campaign’s top spokeswoman and top messenger.
Leavitt, 27, served as a press aide and speech writer for Trump during his first administration. She ran an unsuccessful campaign for Congress in New Hampshire’s 1st District, though she won a contested GOP primary.
If she were to be selected, Leavitt would be the youngest serving White House press secretary since Ron Ziegler in the 1970s during former President Richard Nixon’s administration. He was 29 at the time.
Leavitt worked under former White House press secretary turned Fox News host Kayleigh McEnany before taking a job as communications director for Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who Trump tapped this week to serve as ambassador to the United Nations.
Leavitt was a near-constant presence on conservative networks during the campaign. She is known to be relentlessly on message in her defense of Trump’s policies and controversial statements, and has shown a willingness to clash with the likes of CNN and other outlets.
She welcomed a baby earlier this year and is an outspoken Catholic.
If Trump is looking to put a new face on the next generation of communicators for his “America First” agenda, Leavitt is likely to be the pick.
Steven Cheung
Cheung served as one of Trump’s most loyal and tough attack dogs in the years after he left the White House.
Reporters in Washington and around the country have become accustomed to the biting and brash statements defending Trump that often come with Cheung’s name attached.
Cheung came to Trump’s re-election campaign after a stint as a top communications officer for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, a league headed up by Trump ally Dana White.
Though he has not appeared as regularly on cable news shows or in other media as other Trump surrogates, Cheung is among the former president’s most ardent loyalist.
Trump allies expect Cheung to have a role in the White House if he wants one, though it may be more likely to be behind the scenes than at the podium.
Alina Habba
Habba rose to public prominence during Trump’s hush money trial, which drove days of news coverage and sparked nearly daily press conferences led by Habba defending the former president against prosecutors.
A New York-based attorney who has served as the former president’s top spokesperson for legal matters, Habba was a regular at MAGA rallies and other public events in the weeks leading up to Election Day.
She frequently appears on Fox News Channel and other conservative media outlets to push back on legal investigations Trump has faced and regularly ridicules Democrats and members of the press over coverage of Trump.
If Trump’s advisors feel his agenda is likely to face legal scrutiny, Habba could be a prime candidate to defend the president’s plans during what is likely to be contentious interactions with reporters in the West Wing.
Scott Jennings
Jennings is a familiar face to viewers of CNN, one of Trump’s top media punching bags.
A former aide to President George W. Bush, Jennings today is featured as a quick-witted conservative pundit on a network that during Trump’s first term became known for its aggressive coverage of the former president.
He also served as a top advisor for years to the re-election campaigns of outgoing GOP Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky), who worked with the former president to appoint several conservative Supreme Court Justices during his first term but clashed with Trump toward the end of his time in Congress.
Jennings was a staple of CNN’s coverage in the weeks leading up to the election and often sparred with top Democratic pundits and analysts like David Axelrod and Van Jones.
Jennings was reportedly in consideration for a job in Trumps’ White House and has been a contributor to the network since 2017.
Trump may find Jennings more useful as a talking head promoting his agenda on cable news than in his White House press shop.
Jason Miller
Miller is one of Trump’s longest-serving aides, having been chief spokesperson for his 2016 campaign. He also served a brief stint as his transition team’s communications director after his victory that fall.
Miller has served as a contributor to CNN, Newsmax and several other media outlets and has been instrumental to Trump’s attack-the-press strategy. He was a senior adviser to Trump’s 2024 White House campaign and a frequent surrogate on the airwaves.
A veteran political communications and messaging expert with deep ties to Trump’s family and inner circle, Miller is among the most experienced options Trump has when selecting his top press aide ahead of his first day in office.
