The Trump White House is weighing a plan to rotate cabinet members through the press briefing room podium rather than immediately naming a new press secretary after Karoline Leavitt's departure, a strategy it already tested during her maternity leave.
Semafor White House correspondent Shelby Talcott reported in a Monday newsletter that the administration is discussing the cabinet-rotation approach as a temporary measure. An unnamed White House official told Semafor the plan would remain in place until a new permanent press secretary is named.
Leavitt, 28, announced she is leaving the post at the end of August, citing the difficulty of balancing motherhood with one of the most demanding roles in Washington. She recently returned from maternity leave after the birth of her second child, a daughter named Viviana, in May. She also has a two-year-old son. AP News reported that no replacement has been named.
In a statement posted when the departure was announced, Leavitt explained her decision plainly:
"Being a mother and welcoming a new baby while working in one of the most demanding jobs in the world has been the most rewarding yet challenging season of my life."
She added that since returning from leave, she felt she could not be the best mother her children deserve while devoting the constant time, energy, and attention the press secretary role requires.
The cabinet-rotation idea is not new. During Leavitt's maternity leave earlier this year, the White House chose not to name an interim press secretary. Instead, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz each took turns behind the podium in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room.
Talcott's report framed the arrangement as one that worked well enough the first time to merit a repeat:
"It's a temporary practice that satisfied Trump during the period that Leavitt was off for maternity leave, and a White House official told Semafor that it's once again under discussion until a new permanent press secretary is named."
The approach carries a practical logic. Cabinet secretaries can field questions on their own policy portfolios with more authority than a generalist spokesperson. And with Trump himself taking questions from reporters multiple times a week, the White House may see less urgency to fill the podium with a single dedicated face.
President Trump has not been shy about his regard for Leavitt's performance. He called her "one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office" and announced she would transition to a role as one of his top outside advisors, with a focus on Republican midterm election efforts. Fox News reported that Leavitt, who became the youngest person ever to hold the press secretary title when Trump returned to office in January 2025, will remain an influential voice in the party.
When Fox News correspondent Alexis McAdams asked Trump directly whether Leavitt was replaceable, he did not hedge:
"No, she's not. She really isn't. She's standing right over there, and she's done a great job."
He then joked: "I found out she likes her children more than she likes Trump. I'm very concerned about that."
The lighthearted remark underscored a real point. Leavitt's departure caught many insiders off guard. The New York Post reported that the announcement stunned people inside the administration who viewed her as highly effective and stable in the role.
Even as the White House weighs the cabinet-rotation model, speculation about a permanent replacement has already taken hold. Early front-runners include former acting U.S. attorney Alina Habba and Breitbart Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle. Other names in the mix, per the Post's reporting, include Taylor Budowich, Steven Cheung, Katie Miller, Anna Kelly, Monica Crowley, Kari Lake, and Rachel Campos-Duffy.
The Washington Examiner identified four leading contenders. Anna Kelly, 29, serves as Leavitt's current second-in-command, the principal deputy press secretary, and has been appearing more frequently on television and radio. Kingsley Wilson, 26, holds the Pentagon press secretary title and was the youngest War Department press secretary when she was appointed in May 2025. Sean Parnell, the War Department's public affairs chief, and Habba round out the short list. Prediction markets on the Kalshi platform are already placing odds on the field.
But the White House may not rush the decision. The cabinet-rotation model gives the administration breathing room, and Trump's own media availability makes the traditional daily briefing less central to the communications operation than it was under prior presidents.
A January 2026 Breitbart News exclusive documented just how accessible Trump has been to the press. In 2025 alone, the president participated in nearly 500 transcribed events and engaged with reporters at roughly three-quarters of them. He took questions at 134 press sprays, all 15 of his general rallies, and 14 formal press conferences.
Beyond those structured settings, Trump fielded questions at 31 Marine One gaggles, 41 gaggles aboard Air Force One, and 28 more outside the aircraft. That volume of direct access dwarfs anything offered by recent predecessors and makes the press secretary role, while still important, less of a bottleneck for information.
Just The News noted that during Leavitt's maternity leave, senior officials including Vance and Rubio filled in without any visible disruption to the administration's messaging operation. That track record gives the White House confidence the approach can hold again.
Several open questions remain. The White House has not disclosed which specific officials would rotate through the briefing room this time, whether the search for a permanent replacement is actively underway, or how long the interim arrangement might last.
What is clear is that Leavitt set a high bar. At 28, she managed a combative press corps with composure, earned public praise from the president, and left on her own terms for a reason most Americans respect, her kids come first.
A White House that can put its Treasury Secretary and Vice President behind the podium to answer questions directly is not a White House struggling for spokespeople. It is one with options most administrations never had.
