Alina Habba publicly dismissed talk that she could replace outgoing White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, and within hours, betting markets moved CNN commentator Scott Jennings to the front of the line.
Habba, who now serves as senior adviser to the attorney general for U.S. attorneys, posted on X on Wednesday that she has no interest in the job. "Flattered by the Kalshi odds, but I'm not in the running for any job," she wrote. She added a jab at the reporters who floated her name without checking with her first.
Her statement landed after prediction market platform Kalshi, where users place real-money wagers on political outcomes, had given Habba a 35% chance of being named Leavitt's successor. Once she took herself out of the conversation, Jennings jumped to the top of the Kalshi board, followed by Leavitt's deputy, Anna Kelly.
Leavitt, 28, announced earlier this month that she would step down from the podium at the end of August to spend more time with her two young children. She had only recently returned from maternity leave. The New York Post reported the announcement stunned White House insiders and immediately set off a scramble of speculation about who would follow her.
President Trump praised Leavitt's tenure in strong terms.
"One of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office."
Leavitt's effectiveness behind the podium earned wide recognition, and her exit leaves a gap that the administration will need to fill quickly. Just The News noted the press secretary role is one of the most visible communications positions in the White House, making the transition a matter of broad public interest.
This is not the first time Habba has had to wave off press secretary speculation. After Trump won the 2024 presidential election, her name circulated for the role then, too. She said at the time that she was "flattered" but believed she would "be better served in other capacities." Leavitt was ultimately chosen.
Since then, Habba has moved through several positions in the Trump orbit. She served just over two months as counselor to the president before being appointed interim U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey. A federal appeals court later upheld a ruling that her service as acting U.S. attorney was unlawful, and she resigned from the post. She was subsequently named to her current advisory role at the Department of Justice.
On Wednesday, she made clear the latest round of rumors was no more accurate than the last. In her X post, she wrote:
"However, if I'm getting a new one, I'd love for one of these anonymous sources to let me know first. Fake news remains the undefeated champ...well...until I come at them."
With Habba out, the field of potential replacements is wide open. Jennings, a CNN political commentator and former aide to President George W. Bush, now sits atop the Kalshi prediction market. Trump has touted Jennings' recent book and referred to him as a "patriot" who "gets it", language that, in Trump's orbit, often signals real favor. Jennings was also reportedly in the mix for the press secretary job after the 2024 election before Leavitt was selected.
Kelly, Leavitt's principal deputy press secretary, is the second name on the betting board. The Washington Examiner reported that Kelly, 29, has been increasingly representing the White House on television and radio, a natural audition for the top job. The Examiner also flagged Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson, 26, and War Department public affairs adviser Sean Parnell as possible contenders. Wilson's father is former Trump adviser Steve Cortes.
The New York Post's reporting cast an even wider net, listing Breitbart Washington bureau chief Matthew Boyle, Taylor Budowich, Steven Cheung, Katie Miller, Monica Crowley, Kari Lake, and Rachel Campos-Duffy among names circulating in Trump's world.
The Examiner also raised a possibility that would make the whole guessing game moot: Trump could choose not to replace Leavitt at all. Precedent exists, no formal replacement was named during Leavitt's maternity leave earlier this summer.
Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer, who held the role during the first months of Trump's initial term, previously told Fox News Digital what he believes the president will prioritize in picking a successor.
"The next press secretary will undoubtedly be someone who has a strong existing relationship with President Trump."
That criterion narrows the realistic field. Habba, Jennings, Kelly, and several others on the rumored shortlist all have direct ties to Trump or his senior staff. But a personal relationship with the president is a baseline, not a guarantee, and Trump has shown no reluctance to surprise the political class with his personnel picks.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on the search, but no response was included in the reporting. Trump himself has not made any public statement indicating a frontrunner or a timeline for the decision.
The press secretary role carries weight beyond daily briefings. The person at the podium shapes public perception of the administration's priorities, handles hostile questioning from the White House press corps, and serves as the president's most visible daily surrogate. Leavitt earned praise for her combative but composed style. Whoever follows her will inherit a briefing room that remains adversarial and a media environment that gives the administration little margin for error.
For now, the betting markets have a new favorite. The White House does not. And the only person who has spoken definitively is the one who said she does not want the job.
In Washington, the clearest signal is often the one nobody expected: someone saying "no" and meaning it.
