President Donald Trump on Friday threw out the name of a female aide to possibly succeed Karoline Leavitt as White House press secretary.
It wasn’t Natalie Harp, one of Trump’s closest aides who has been in the spotlight after Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., name-dropped her at a campaign rally on Sunday.
Trump didn’t appear close to picking a successor to Leavitt, who is leaving at the end of the month after serving as White House press secretary since the start of the president’s second term.
“I dunno. Maybe Margo? What do you think of Margo? Maybe Margo,” Trump asked reporters at Joint Base Andrews shortly before going to South Carolina to hold a campaign rally for Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C.
The “Margo” Trump was referring to is Margo Martin, special assistant to the president and communications advisor in the White House.
Trump mentioned Martin by name after joking that maybe he would pick a reporter as his next press secretary.
“What about Scott Jennings, sir?” a reporter asked the president, referring to the CNN contributor who is reportedly angling for the job.
“Scott Jennings is good,” Trump replied.
The president claimed the position is highly sought after.
“I will tell you this, and Karoline will tell you this” Trump told reporters, “I have never had so many job applications in my life. They all want that job. They love that job.”
Trump credited Leavitt for the position being in demand.
“She made that job very glamorous,” the president said.
Prediction market Kalshi is taking wagers on who will be Trump’s next press secretary, with Jennings as the odds-on favorite.
The CNN contributor’s chances were at 41% as of late Friday afternoon, with White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly at 19%.
Harp was in third at 6%, while Martin was tied for the fifth at 4%.
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Howard Koplowitz; al.com; (TNS) || ©2026 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit al.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
