Who Might Replace Karoline Leavitt as Press Secretary?

With White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt set to step down from her role at the end of the month, the question of who will replace her is looming over Washington.

Leavitt, 28, assumed the Press Secretary role at the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term last January, becoming the youngest person to ever hold the position.

President Donald Trump announced Leavitt’s departure in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, saying that she would leave her role to focus on her family but that she would remain one of his “top advisors, and an influential voice within the Republican Party.” Leavitt, who gave birth to her second child in May, thanked Trump in a lengthy post on X, in which she described her decision to focus on her two young children “bittersweet.” “I will always remain a vocal advocate for MAGA and the Republican Party,” Leavitt wrote.

Read More: Karoline Leavitt’s Most Memorable Moments as White House Press Secretary The White House has so far offered no further information on who might succeed Leavitt as Press Secretary.

It redirected TIME to Leavitt and Trump’s posts when asked about candidates for the position, and has told multiple outlets that no decision has been made.

But some names are already being floated as possible contenders to take Leavitt’s place behind the White House podium.

Here’s what you should know about those potential replacements.

Alina Habba Trump’s former personal lawyer Alina Habba is reportedly being considered to take over as Press Secretary when Leavitt departs.

The New York Post reported on Wednesday, citing sources within and close to the Administration, that Habba was an early frontrunner for the role.

Habba joined Trump’s legal team in 2021 and became a prominent public voice in his defense during the 2024 hush-money trial that resulted in his conviction on 34 felony counts.

Trump said after his reelection that he was naming Habba as his presidential counsellor, and called her “a "tireless advocate for justice" and "unwavering in her loyalty.” Following his return to the White House, Trump last year selected Habba for another position: the interim U.S. attorney in New Jersey.

He later nominated her to serve in that role on a permanent basis, but her confirmation faced headwinds in the Senate and a panel of judges declined to extend her interim tenure, seeking to replace her.

Trump and his Justice Department battled to keep her there, though, and he withdrew her nomination to clear the way for her to take on the position in an acting capacity.

Habba ultimately stepped down from the U.S. attorney post in December, after a federal court found that she had been unlawfully appointed.