Alina Habba poured cold water Wednesday on speculation that she could replace Karoline Leavitt as White House press secretary, despite emerging as a betting favorite for the high-profile job.
“Flattered by the Kalshi odds, but I’m not in the running for any job,” Habba posted on X.
“However, if I’m getting a new one, I’d love for one of these anonymous sources to let me know first,” she continued. “Fake news remains the undefeated champ…well…until I come at them.”
Habba, a longtime Trump ally who now serves as senior adviser to the attorney general for U.S. attorneys, had climbed to the top of the pack on prediction market Kalshi as Washington buzzed over Leavitt’s successor.
Bettors gave Habba a 35% chance of landing the podium before she publicly took herself out of contention.
Leavitt, 28, announced earlier this month that she will step down at the end of August to spend more time with her two young children. She recently returned from maternity leave.
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Her looming departure has fueled speculation over whom President Donald Trump will select as the next public face of his administration.
Habba’s name previously surfaced for the press secretary role after Trump’s 2024 election victory. At the time, she said she was “flattered” by the consideration but believed she would “be better served in other capacities.”
She instead joined the White House as counselor to the president, serving in the role for just over two months before Trump appointed her interim U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey.
Habba later remained in the office as acting U.S. attorney, but a federal appeals court upheld a ruling that her continued service was unlawful. She resigned and was subsequently named senior adviser to the attorney general for U.S. attorneys.
Before entering the Trump administration, Habba served as the president’s personal attorney and became one of his most prominent surrogates during the 2024 campaign.
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