Trump Reportedly Eyes CNN’s Scott Jennings as Possible Leavitt Replacement

President Donald Trump is reportedly considering CNN conservative commentator Scott Jennings as a potential choice to become his next White House press secretary, but the president has not yet been convinced that Jennings is the right person for the high-profile role.

Trump has told advisers that he would prefer a man to replace outgoing White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, according to a Wednesday report from NOTUS citing two people familiar with the discussions.

Leavitt is preparing to leave the White House at the end of the month after Trump announced last week that she plans to step away from her position to spend more time with her newborn baby.

Jennings has emerged as one of the names under consideration as the White House weighs its options. However, Trump is reportedly “not quite sold” on selecting the CNN commentator, according to NOTUS, which paraphrased one of its sources.

Choosing a male press secretary would represent a change from most of Trump’s previous selections for the job.

Sean Spicer served as Trump’s first White House press secretary after he entered office in 2017. He was followed by Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Stephanie Grisham and Kayleigh McEnany. Leavitt took over the position after Trump returned to the White House in 2025.

Speculation surrounding Jennings has repeatedly followed the conservative commentator onto CNN, where he has faced questions from his colleagues about whether he could be preparing to make the jump to the Trump administration.

Lulu Garcia-Navarro, while guest-hosting “CNN NewsNight” last week, directly asked Jennings whether he planned to take Leavitt’s job.
“No,” Jennings responded.

But Jennings gave a less definitive response when CNN’s Kaitlan Collins later questioned him about whether he had heard from the White House regarding the position.

“I don’t really have anything to say about it other than, I mean, I would get to see you every day,” Jennings told Collins.
“That’s not a no,” Collins responded.

Despite the growing speculation, Trump is reportedly not rushing to make a final decision about who will take over the podium after Leavitt’s departure.
Jennings is also not the only name being discussed.

Former George W. Bush White House press secretary Ari Fleischer has reportedly been floated as another possibility for the position, according to NOTUS.
Meanwhile, another familiar face inside Trump’s orbit could potentially emerge as a contender.

One person close to the White House suggested that the intense recent attention surrounding top Trump aide Natalie Harp could unexpectedly put her in the running for the press secretary position.

For now, however, Trump has reportedly not settled on a successor, leaving the race to replace Leavitt open as her departure from the White House approaches.