Updated
Updated · CNN · Aug 17
Trump Weighs Cabinet Rotation for Briefings as Leavitt Exits at End of August
Updated
Updated · CNN · Aug 17

Trump Weighs Cabinet Rotation for Briefings as Leavitt Exits at End of August

3 articles · Updated · CNN · Aug 17

Summary

  • Cabinet officials could handle White House press briefings for an indefinite stretch after Karoline Leavitt leaves at the end of August, with Trump still undecided on whether to name a successor.
  • Trump has shown little urgency in filling one of the administration’s most visible jobs, according to sources, even as allies lobby for preferred candidates and some contenders quietly seek internal backing.
  • Roughly a dozen names are seen as in the mix, including Elizabeth Pipko, Alina Habba, Scott Jennings, Anna Kelly and Tricia McLaughlin, though it remains unclear what qualifications Trump wants or whether he will fill the post at all.
  • The idea fits Trump’s second-term approach: briefings have been sporadic, he often acts as his own spokesman on Truth Social and by phone, and Marco Rubio, JD Vance and Mehmet Oz filled in during Leavitt’s maternity leave.

Insights

With the press secretary role emptying, could the White House permanently replace traditional briefings with a rotating cast of Cabinet members?
As top candidates hesitate, will a high-profile figure step up to the podium, or is the traditional press secretary era officially over?