NEWSScott Jennings' Reported Susie Wiles Meetings Fuel White House Press Secretary Rumors
Scott Jennings is reportedly being considered for the White House press secretary position.
Aug. 21 2026, Published 5:33 a.m. ET
Scott Jennings may already be deeper into the White House press secretary sweepstakes than he has let on.
The CNN commentator and former George W. Bush aide reportedly met with President Donald Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, to discuss taking the job before Karoline Leavitt publicly announced she was stepping down to spend more time with her young family, according to the Daily Mail.
Jennings, 48, has declined to say whether he wants the role. The White House has officially denied that meetings between Jennings and Wiles took place.
The Susie Wiles Factor
Scott Jennings reportedly met with Susie Wiles about the potential White House role.
Three sources familiar with the process told Daily Mail that Jennings has met with Wiles more than once and that the two “speak often.” One source said the job is “his if he wants it,” and that “he does.”
The reported meetings would place Wiles at the center of a succession fight that has quickly turned into a very Trump-era casting call. Other names said to be in the mix include Natalie Harp, Alina Habba, Katie Zacharia, Tricia McLaughlin, Elizabeth Pipko, Roma Davari, Bill Pulte, Matthew Boyle and White House Communications Director Steven Cheung.
Jennings’ reported weekend dinner with Wiles at Morton’s in Washington also stood out because other hopefuls were reportedly trying to get Trump’s attention at his Bedminster golf club.
“It was like The Apprentice,” one person told the Daily Mail. “It reeks of desperation.”
A Different Kind of Podium
The CNN commentator emerged as one of the reported contenders to replace Karoline Leavitt.
“Assuming the reporting is accurate, Jennings would represent a real pivot in what Trump wants the press secretary to be,” said political commentator Kaivan Shroff.
“Since Sean Spicer, Trump’s press secretaries have all been women, often with a younger, highly telegenic rapid-response profile,” he added.
“Jennings is much closer to the Spicer model in stature and résumé: an older, seasoned Republican operative with White House experience and his own national media identity,” he explained.
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The Cable-News Problem
Scott Jennings’ experience as a Republican operative could shape his potential White House role.
Jennings’ TV profile may be the selling point, but it also comes with risk.
“He has already shown on CNN that he can come across as combative, irritated or openly confrontational, and that dynamic could produce a lot more viral conflict-driven briefing-room clips,” Shroff noted.
The reported meetings with Susie Wiles intensified speculation over Donald Trump’s next press secretary.
“He has sat on panels with many of the same journalists and commentators who cover this White House, so there is familiarity and probably some existing rapport,” he continued. “But that could also make reporters more comfortable challenging him aggressively than they would be with a more traditional spokesperson.”
If Trump chooses Jennings, Shroff said, the message would be unmistakable.
“You are not really choosing someone who is even pretending to be a neutral conduit between the administration and the press,” he said, “you are choosing one of the most recognizable MAGA avatars on television and moving him directly from the cable-news panel to the White House podium.”
