PoliticsTrump Loyalists Sabotage Scott Jennings' Press Secretary Chances Citing His 'Opinions Vary' Stance and McConnell Connection
Scott Jennings' chances of landing the job are reportedly being 'derailed' due to his connection to Mitch McConnell.
Aug. 21 2026, Published 2:18 p.m. ET
Donald Trump's "fiercest allies" are reportedly working to push CNN commentator Scott Jennings out of the running to become the next White House press secretary.
"It's not going to be him," an insider close to the Trump Administration told the California Post on Thursday, August 20.
Karoline Leavitt's Departure Was Announced Earlier This Month
Karoline Leavitt's departure from her position was announced on August 12.
As OK! previously reported, Trump, 80, announced the departure of his current White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, via his Truth Social account on August 12.
Calling her one of his "most trusted aides," the president said Leavitt, 28, was stepping down at the end of the month "so she can spend more time with her beautiful young children and family."
Leavitt served as press secretary since the beginning of Trump's second term on January 20, 2025. She returned to the podium last month following a brief maternity leave after giving birth to her daughter, Viviana, this past May. She also shares a 2-year-old son, Niko, with her husband, Nicholas Riccio.
Scott Jennings' Chances of Being White House Press Secretary Are Being 'Derailed'
Scott Jennings has publicly called Mitch McConnell his 'mentor.'
Jennings, 48, has largely been seen as Leavitt's possible successor, though insiders told the outlet that Trump allies were trying to "derail" the CNN pundit's chance at the job due to his "longstanding ties" to Sen. Mitch McConnell.
The media personality has publicly called McConnell, 84, his "mentor" and helped lead his successful 2002 reelection campaign.
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Scott Jennings Spoke Out Against Donald Trump in 2021
Scott Jennings heavily criticized Donald Trump following the January 6 riots.
Jennings was among many who echoed McConnell's opinion of Trump in the wake of the January 6 riots, calling him "practically and morally responsible" for the violence.
"Trump caused this insurrection with his lies and conspiracy theories about the election process being rigged against him," he wrote in a CNN op-ed published in January 2021.
While speaking about the riot's participants, whom Trump mass-pardoned upon taking office in January 2025, Jennings called them "domestic terrorists" who should "be treated like any other terrorist uprising with the full force and fury of the US government."
When asked for a comment on the report, Jennings responded with a GIF of Patrick Swayze's character from the 1989 film Road House, with the caption, "Opinions vary."
Finding the Next White House Press Secretary Is 'Slow-Moving'
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles reportedly met with Scott Jennings over the weekend.
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles reportedly met with Jennings this past weekend, but also had other conversations with "several other people."
The outlet reported that the hiring process for the next press secretary was "slow-moving" as some believed Trump was "dragging his feet on choosing" Leavitt's replacement, according to a senior administration official.
"It's an open book," the source explained. "There are no favorites or preconceived ideas."
