Scott Jennings, 48, Emerges as Early Favorite for White House Press Secretary
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 28
Scott Jennings, 48, Emerges as Early Favorite for White House Press Secretary
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 28
Summary
Scott Jennings is being eyed as an early favorite to replace departing White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, though he has publicly declined to say whether he would take the job.
His rise follows a sharp turn from years of anti-Trump criticism to full-throated support after Trump secured the 2024 Republican nomination, alongside a higher profile as CNN’s combative pro-Trump commentator.
Allies say that TV experience could help him spar with reporters and defend the administration, while his years in George W. Bush’s White House and as a Mitch McConnell adviser give him Washington ties.
Critics argue the role would further erode his credibility, pointing to on-air clashes over Trump’s legal troubles and a profane exchange this spring that drew calls for CNN to punish him.
If chosen, Jennings would leave CNN without its most visible conservative voice and give Trump a spokesperson drawn from one of the networks he most often attacks.