Trump has a weirdly specific wish list to replace Karoline Leavitt

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 12, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Karoline Leavitt's stint as President Donald Trump's press secretary was full of controversies, from her insulting Generation Z by blaming them for their economic suffering to accidentally confirming a story about Trump arguing with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that she had intended to deny. Yet now that she is being replaced as press secretary, one reporter claims that Trump has a very long and weirdly specific wish list for her successor.

"According to my sources, the next White House press secretary will be someone @realDonaldTrump deems 'from central casting,'" posted journalist Mark Halperin on X on Wednesday. He added that the person will need to be "either a man or a woman, someone who thinks much of the White House press corps is biased against this president, has never been governor of Arkansas, and is not named 'Scott.'"

Halperin concluded, "Narrows it down quite a bit…."

While it is unclear how much of Halperin's post was satirical, Trump has a long history of preferring to work with people who look good in their parts, from Hegseth to his first Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson.

Leavitt's departure had its own weirdness to complement Trump's reported laundry list for her follow up. When she posted her goodbye statement online, it was flagged for being written by AI.

"The truth is since returning to the White House after the birth of my daughter, I have felt in my heart that I cannot be the best mom my two young children deserve while devoting the constant time, energy, and attention required of the White House Press Secretary — and that is why I have ultimately made the bittersweet decision to depart the White House and embark on a new chapter in my life," Leavitt wrote, adding that she was grateful for her husband and family. Yet as Status News reporter Natalie Korach pointed out, a brief note at the end of Leavitt's post said "Interesting flag at the bottom of this post: 'Made with AI.'"

For Karoline Leavitt, the youngest person ever to command the White House podium, stepping down marks the end of a whirlwind tenure defined by fierce loyalty to Donald Trump and sharp, unyielding parrying with the press corps. Having recently returned from maternity leave following the birth of her second child, Leavitt ultimately chose family over the relentless 24/7 grind of the briefing room. Yet, true to her turbulent time in the spotlight, her digital sign-off became an ironic final headline when it was flagged as AI-assisted. Rather than fading away, Leavitt pivots smoothly into an outside advisory role, leaving a massive void and a unique standard for whoever inherits the president’s next communications apparatus.

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