The race to replace White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is already heating up, with several well-known Trump allies emerging as possible successors after her surprise announcement that she will leave the role at the end of August.
Leavitt, 28, stunned Washington insiders Wednesday when she revealed she was stepping away from the briefing room to spend more time with her young family.
She had become one of President Donald Trump’s most visible and effective messengers, earning praise from conservatives for aggressively defending the administration while frequently using briefings to deliver news rather than simply field questions from reporters.
A White House source said Trump has not yet settled on a replacement.
But sources inside and close to the administration told The New York Post that former acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba and Breitbart Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle are among the early names drawing serious attention.
Habba became a familiar face to Trump supporters while serving as one of his defense attorneys, regularly going on television to defend him during his legal battles.
She later joined the West Wing as a counselor to the president before Trump appointed her as the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey.
Her selection would follow a familiar Trump formula. Former press secretary Kayleigh McEnany was also an attorney and became known for forcefully confronting the White House press corps during Trump’s first term.
Boyle, meanwhile, has deep ties to the conservative media world and is reportedly well-liked among Trump allies.
Trump knows Boyle personally and has sat for numerous interviews with him, including a recent Oval Office interview.
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His years covering the Trump movement and digging into political controversies could make him an appealing choice for an administration that has repeatedly clashed with legacy media outlets.
Other possible contenders include former White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich and current White House communications director Steven Cheung.
Budowich helped shape the administration’s early communications strategy and played a major role in restructuring access to the White House press pool, opening up opportunities for a broader range of media outlets.
Peter Doocy shares new details about White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s departure, what’s next for her outside the Trump administration, and who could be in the running to become the president’s next spokesperson. pic.twitter.com/kKhuDX9c1V
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) August 13, 2026
Cheung already performs many of the behind-the-scenes duties associated with the press secretary role, regularly communicating with reporters and shaping the administration’s public messaging.
Still, he has generally avoided the on-camera briefing room spotlight, including during Leavitt’s recent maternity leave.
Katie Miller, wife of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, has also been floated as a possibility.
Miller previously served as press secretary to Vice President Mike Pence during Trump’s first administration and now hosts a podcast featuring senior administration officials.
Principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly and U.S. chief of protocol Monica Crowley are also reportedly in the mix.
Meanwhile, speculation has stretched beyond traditional White House communications figures.
🇺🇸 Karoline Leavitt walked away to be with her kids… and the race to replace her started before the ink was dry.
Hours after she announced she was stepping down, the betting markets already locked in their favorites: Anna Kelly and Alina Habba are now sitting at the top of the… pic.twitter.com/1SydH5w9Pe
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) August 13, 2026
Names circulating include longtime Trump adviser Jason Miller, Fox News personality Rachel Campos-Duffy, conservative commentator Scott Jennings and former Arizona candidate Kari Lake.
Even former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt briefly surged in political betting markets as gamblers tried to guess who Donald Trump might tap next.
Leavitt said she is leaving the job to spend more time raising her two children, including 2-year-old Niko and three-month-old Vivi.
She is still expected to remain close to the president.
Trump wrote in a statement that Leavitt was among his “most trusted aides” and was “one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office.”
With no successor announced yet, Trump could also choose to temporarily lean on senior administration officials for briefings.
Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent have all previously stepped behind the podium, as has Trump himself.
For now, the briefing room remains up for grabs, and the competition to become the next public face of the Trump White House is only beginning.
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