谁会接替卡罗琳・莱维特出任白宫新闻秘书？ 如今这成了华盛顿政界最热门的猜谜话题。
特朗普总统于周三宣布，白宫新闻秘书莱维特将于本月底离职，以便多陪伴年幼的子女。消息一出，政界人士聚餐、线上聊天时都在热议继任人选。眼下距离中期选举仅剩不到三个月，白宫新闻宣传团队将迎来重大人事变动。
特朗普向来自认是自己最好的发言人，如今要找人接替莱维特并非易事。莱维特不仅频繁出面公开发声，更是他最信任的心腹幕僚之一。
白宫通讯主任史蒂文・张周四向 CNN 发送短信评价：“她独一无二，没人能复刻她的工作。”
有消息人士告诉 CNN，白宫不少工作人员目前也不清楚继任者人选。一名白宫内部人士透露，总统或许会等到中期选举结束后再敲定新人；还有人预测，在特朗普剩余两年半任期内，这个岗位可能会长期空缺。
但一位不愿具名的共和党幕僚表示，这个岗位必须尽快填补。 “这是助力中期选举宣传的关键人手。” 他说道。
潜在候选人名单
特朗普尚未表态倾向由谁接任。
CNN 采访了多名特朗普阵营的公关人员与顾问，梳理出十余名热门人选。白宫方面表示，所有候选名单都只是外界猜测，不足为信；CNN 也无法确认特朗普对这些人的考量程度，以及他们本人是否有意角逐该职位。
候选人中既有现任、前白宫工作人员，多数拥有有线电视媒体出镜经验，甚至还包含一名特朗普家族成员。
流传度较高的人选如下： 斯科特・詹宁斯：曾在小布什政府白宫任职，如今是 CNN 特约评论员，频繁在节目中为特朗普辩护。知情人士透露，总统权力交接阶段，小唐纳德・特朗普曾力荐他出任首席发言人。不过詹宁斯近期回避了自己是否有意竞争该岗位的问题。他周三做客 CNN 节目《艾比・菲利普新闻夜》时表示：“我不好说，但我必须承认，卡罗琳・莱维特至少是过去 30 年间最出色的白宫新闻秘书，她的表现堪称完美。” 阿丽娜・哈巴：特朗普前私人律师、政治顾问，曾短暂担任新泽西州联邦代理检察官，深得特朗普信任，外界普遍看好她。 安娜・凯利：莱维特的副手、首席副新闻秘书，少数几名获授权赴福克斯新闻等媒体替总统发声的白宫官员。 特里西娅・麦克劳克林：前国土安全部发言人，任职期间在各大有线电视节目强势捍卫特朗普的边境政策，出镜率极高，获得总统认可。 伊丽莎白・皮普科：前模特、共和党全国委员会前发言人，与特朗普家族关系密切。知情人士称，当初选定莱维特之前，她就曾是该岗位候选人。 莫妮卡・克劳利：前福克斯新闻评论员，现任美国礼宾事务主管，经常陪同总统出访，负责接待到访华盛顿的各国领导人。 罗玛・达拉维：特朗普第一任期白宫新闻团队成员，现任深陷舆论风波的肯尼迪艺术中心通讯主管。她的支持者在社交平台大力推举她参选。 劳拉・特朗普：总统儿媳，2024 年大选期间担任共和党全国委员会主席，如今在福克斯新闻主持一档周播节目，也是潜在人选。
CNN 采访中提及的其他候选人还有：特朗普资深公关顾问杰森・米勒、前首席副新闻秘书哈里森・菲尔兹、前 ESPN 主持人、特朗普 “让美国再次伟大” 运动支持者塞奇・斯蒂尔。
政治预测平台 Kalshi Politics 周四早间更新榜单，哈巴、凯利、米勒、达拉维位列热门候选人前四位。（CNN 与 Kalshi 有合作，会引用其数据报道重大时政事件，但 CNN 采编人员禁止使用该预测平台。）
当然，特朗普也完全可能跳出这份名单，选择意想不到的人选。
特朗普 2020 年竞选团队发言人、共和党战略顾问艾琳・马圭尔表示：“会有不少人刻意造势争取这个职位。但如果某人表现得太过急切、大肆自我炒作，反而会让总统心生反感。” 暂无公认接班人选
多名知情人士透露，继任人选迟迟没有眉目，核心原因是莱维特离职的决定十分突然，总统与白宫团队都毫无准备。
今年 5 月莱维特生下第二个孩子前，她曾私下表示会干完特朗普整个第二任期。但这一表态让部分白宫工作人员颇有微词。有消息人士指出，莱维特没有在新闻团队中培养后备骨干，如今岗位空缺，短板彻底暴露。
这名消息人士称：“团队里没人有机会被视作既定接班人。反观特朗普第一任期内的几任新闻秘书，都会刻意提拔基层员工、培养继任者。”
该消息人士还提到，莱维特卸任后会继续担任总统外部顾问，她的意见或许会影响特朗普的最终决定。
短期来看，多名消息人士表示，白宫会复刻莱维特休产假期间的应对方案：安排副总统 JD・万斯、国务卿马尔科・卢比奥等高层轮流召开发布会、对外传递政策立场、回应记者提问。不过此前这些高层主持发布会的效果参差不齐。 特朗普选拔新闻秘书的核心考量
特朗普和传统总统不同，并不依赖专职新闻秘书对接媒体 —— 他经常直接接受记者采访，还会亲自回复记者的电话、短信。
无论最终人选是频繁上电视的熟面孔，还是低调幕后工作者，获得特朗普绝对信任是第一硬性门槛。
马圭尔分析：“外来人士基本不可能拿到这个岗位，这是最大门槛。符合条件、且身处总统核心圈子的人选本就寥寥无几。”
此外，候选人的外在形象也是重要评判标准。
一名贴近特朗普的消息人士透露：“总统选人很看重对外形象，他未必关心候选人能不能胜任本职工作，更在意这个人出镜观感如何。”
但另一名消息人士称，特朗普或许会倾向选择比莱维特低调的人选。莱维特任职期间热度极高，在社交平台 Instagram 积累了超 300 万粉丝，家喻户晓。
多数热门候选人都常年在右翼媒体为特朗普及其政策发声。莱维特在任时也形成固定惯例，发布会优先对接立场友好的媒体，还专门增设 “新媒体专属席位”。
不过贴近总统的消息人士表示，合格的候选人必须多在其他媒体发声历练，才能应对发布会里记者连珠炮式的尖锐提问。
“很多人根本不了解这份工作有多考验人，需要海量研读、吃透所有可能被问到的议题，背后付出的心血远超外人想象。” 该消息人士说道。
归根结底，新任新闻秘书的所有工作，最终都要服务于特朗普一人。
马圭尔总结：“白宫新闻发布台是全球最受关注的岗位之一，总统敲定继任者会经过慎重权衡。他极度看重政策传播、舆论话术，以及传递消息的发言人本身。”
Who could replace Karoline Leavitt as White House press secretary？
It’s become Washington’s hottest new parlor game： Who will beKaroline Leavitt’ssuccessor？
Names started circulating at dinner tables and over text chains after President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday his press secretary’s plans to depart at the end of the month to spend more time with her young family， upending his press operation with less than three months until the midterm elections．
For a president who believes he’s his own best spokesperson， replacing Leavitt — who took a proactive， public－facing role but also became one of his most trusted advisers — will be a challenge．
“She is one of one． Nobody will ever be able to do what she did，” White House communications director Steven Cheung told CNN in a text message Thursday．
It was not immediately clear to some White House staff who would fill the role， a source told CNN． One source close to the White House suggested the president might not name a replacement until after the midterms， while some predicted the role might stay unfilled for the duration of Trump’s two and a half years left in office．
But one GOP operative granted anonymity to speak freely suggested the job should be filled — and soon．
“It’s another deployable asset for the midterms，” they said．
Potential candidates
The president has yet to weigh in on who could fill Leavitt’s shoes．
But about a dozen names emerged as potential options from CNN’s conversations with several communicators and advisers in Trump’s orbit． The White House downplayed any shortlists as speculation or wish casting， and CNN hasn’t confirmed to what degree Trump is considering any of these people or whether they’re pursuing the job．
Some names are current or former Trump staffers， many have cable news experience， and at least one is a Trump family member．
Among the names circulating is Scott Jennings， who served in the George W． Bush White House and has made waves as a CNN contributor sparring on the president’s behalf．
Jennings — who had the backing of Donald Trump Jr． for the top spokesperson job during the presidential transition， according to a source with knowledge — has deflected about interest in the role this time around．
“I don’t know but I’ll tell you this： Karoline Leavitt has been maybe the greatest White House press secretary in the last 30 years at least． She’s been nothing short of brilliant，” he said Wednesday on CNN’s “NewsNight with Abby Phillip．”
Alina Habba， a former lawyer and political adviser to Trump who briefly served as acting US attorney for the District of New Jersey， has been floated as an option with Trump’s trust．
And then there’s Leavitt’s number two， principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly， who’s one of a small handful of staffers authorized to speak as a surrogate on outlets including Fox News．
Tricia McLaughlin， who became a frequent presence on cable news during her time aggressively defending Trump’s border policies as Department of Homeland Security spokesperson， could be another option who’s earned Trump’s confidence．
Elizabeth Pipko， a former model and Republican National Committee spokesperson， has close ties with the Trump family and was under consideration for the job before Leavitt’s selection， a source close to Trump said．
Monica Crowley， a former Fox News analyst now serving as the US chief of protocol， often travels with the president and plays host to world leaders visiting Washington．
Allies of Roma Daravi， who worked in Trump’s press shop in his first term and now is communications director for the embattled Kennedy Center， have beenpromoting heron social media as a contender．
The president’s daughter－in－law， Lara Trump， could also be an option． She served as Republican National Committee chair during the 2024 presidential campaign and now hosts a weekly show on Fox News．
Other names that came up in CNN’s conversations include longtime Trump communicator Jason Miller， former principal deputy press secretary Harrison Fields and former ESPN anchor－turned－MAGA－ally Sage Steele．
Prediction markets have also begun prognosticating．Kalshi Politicsranked Habba， Kelly， Miller and Daravi at the top of its list Thursday morning． （CNN has a partnership with Kalshi and uses its data to cover major events． But CNN editorial employees are not allowed to use prediction markets．）
It’s also entirely possible that the president goes in another direction altogether．
“There will be plenty of people who try to drum up noise． If anybody seems too eager or like they’re pushing too much， that could turn the president off，” said Erin Maguire， a Republican strategist and spokesperson for Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign．
No heir apparent
One of the reasons a replacement wasn’t immediately clear， multiple sources familiar with the matter said， is because the timing of Leavitt’s decision caught the president and the White House off guard．
Prior to the birth of her second child in May， Leavitt had privately suggested she might stay in the role for the entirety of Trump’s second term． That didn’t sit well with some staffers， with one source familiar raising concerns that Leavitt did not create a pipeline of talent in her press shop — which is now becoming a problem．
“The team didn’t really get the latitude to be seen as heir apparent，” that source said， adding that Leavitt’s predecessors in Trump’s first term had been intentional about empowering lower－level staffers．
Leavitt — who Trump said will remain an outside adviser — will likely have some influence over Trump’s eventual decision， that source suggested．
In the short－term， multiple sources suggested the White House could return to the playbook used during Leavitt’s maternity leave， deploying Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio， among other top officials， to deliver the day’s messaging and field questions — although they handled the pressure of the podium with various levels of success．
What Trump’s prioritizing
Trump isn’t a traditional president who needs a traditional press secretary to interface with the media — he often speaks directly to the press and has also been known to respond to reporters’ calls and texts．
Regardless of whether he goes for someone who’s on TV or who operates more behind－the－scenes， his pick will have to have his trust．
“I don’t see an instance where someone from outside the orbit comes in． That’s the biggest hurdle — it’s a small pool of people qualified and enough in the orbit to be considered，” Maguire said．
There’s also the question of presentation．
“Everything is viewed through the eyes of ‘central casting，” said one source close to Trump， adding， “I don’t think he cares who can actually do the job． I think it’s about what he or she looks like．”
But another source suggested he may want someone who’s “less of a celebrity” than Leavitt， who became a household name and built an Instagram following of more than 3 million during Trump’s second term．
Many of the potential contenders have promoted the president and his policies on right－leaning outlets， and Leavitt solidified a practice of turning to friendly reporters during her briefings， including the establishment of a “new media” seat．
But the source close to Trump suggested that any viable contender should spend some time defending the president on other networks to prepare for the rapid－fire of the briefing room．
“I don’t think people grasp how much studying is required to do that job， how much reading， how much thoroughly understanding every topic you could possibly be asked — I don’t think everybody recognizes how much work that is，” the source said．
But ultimately， Leavitt’s successor will have to perform for an audience of one．
“It is the biggest podium in the world， so filling that role is one of the biggest calculations the president is going to make — because he cares about message， he cares about the messaging， and he cares about the messenger，” Maguire said．
