Skip to the story
All StoriesPoliticsConflict & SecurityBusiness & EconomyScience & TechHealthClimateMedia
All stories
Politics93 outlets ran this5 min read

Scott Jennings leads race to replace Karoline Leavitt as White House press secretary

Trump administration considers external candidates after Leavitt’s departure at month-end

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published
Scott Jennings

What this story says

  • Scott Jennings, a CNN political commentator and former George W. Bush administration official, is the early favourite to replace outgoing White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
  • White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles met Jennings at Mastro’s Steakhouse in Washington, DC, at the request of the White House, though officials say no decision has been made.
  • Jennings is one of several candidates under consideration, including Natalie Harp, a White House executive assistant, while Alina Habba has ruled herself out.
  • Leavitt’s departure at the end of August leaves a vacancy ahead of the November midterms, with President Trump reportedly in no rush to fill it.

Who covered it

Left 20%(14)Centre 29%(20)Right 51%(35)

Percentages are shares of the 69 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 24 of the 93 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

78/100

Craft

65/100

Hype

35/100

93 sources · methodology

Missing from the left

Only 14 of the 69 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.

A reader who follows the left would not have seen this. We report the absence rather than explain it: outlets choose what to cover for many reasons, and we have no evidence about which one applies here.

Scott Jennings has emerged as the leading candidate to replace Karoline Leavitt as White House press secretary, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. Leavitt, who announced her departure last week to spend more time with her family, will leave the role at the end of August. The White House is facing a vacancy less than three months before the midterm elections, though officials have stressed that the selection process is not being rushed.

Jennings, a CNN political contributor and longtime adviser to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, met with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles at Mastro’s Steakhouse in Washington, DC. The meeting was arranged at the request of the White House, two sources told CNN. Jennings has not publicly confirmed whether he is seeking the position, telling CNN’s Abby Phillip on Wednesday that he had "no comment" when asked if he was interviewing for the job.

Other names have been floated as potential replacements. Natalie Harp, a White House executive assistant, has been mentioned by President Trump in private conversations, according to one source. Alina Habba, a former Trump lawyer, publicly ruled herself out of the running on Wednesday, posting on X that she was "not in the running for any job." The White House is reportedly looking for an external candidate who can maintain professionalism while serving as the administration’s public face.

What the reports disagree on

The reports diverge on whether Jennings is actively campaigning for the role. CNN’s full report states that Jennings refused to say if he had been in contact with the White House about the job, while Raw Story’s digest claims Jennings has sent clips of himself to Trump’s inner circle in an effort to secure the position. The New York Post’s digest reports that some of Trump’s allies are trying to block Jennings’ candidacy due to his ties to McConnell.

What the coverage left out

None of the right-rated digests mentioned that Alina Habba publicly ruled herself out of the running for the press secretary position. None of the left-rated digests reported that some Trump allies are opposing Jennings’ candidacy due to his ties to McConnell. The centre-rated digests did not carry Jennings’ public defence of Natalie Harp or the internal White House concerns about his suitability for the role.

Tags:#WhiteHouse#PressSecretary#ScottJennings#KarolineLeavitt#TrumpAdministration#USPolitics

Coverage settled. We checked this 19 times and stopped on 26 Aug 2026, 04:30. The figures above are what it finished at.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

14 rated outlets

  • The four left-rated digests led on Jennings’ public defence of Natalie Harp, a White House aide, as part of his bid for the press secretary role. The Independent’s digest noted that Jennings described Harp as "not the White House press secretary" and "not a household name" in a televised segment. Mediaite’s digest reported that Jennings sent clips of his defence of Harp to the White House, framing it as an effort to curry favour. Raw Story’s digest characterised Jennings as "desperate" and "itching for a job."
  • CNN’s full report, the only left-rated article published in full, focused on the internal dynamics of the selection process. It quoted a senior White House official describing Jennings as "competent and good on TV," while another adviser questioned whether he could handle the behind-the-scenes work that made Leavitt effective. The report also noted that Wiles is seeking a "grown up" who understands the role’s demands.

Centre

20 rated outlets

  • The twelve centre-rated digests uniformly led on Jennings’ emergence as the early frontrunner, citing CNN’s reporting that multiple sources identified him as the favourite. The digests noted that the process is far from complete and that Wiles plans to meet with other candidates. None of the digests mentioned Jennings’ defence of Harp or the internal opposition to his candidacy reported by right-rated outlets.
  • The digests also carried the White House’s insistence that no decision has been made, with one official quoted in CNN’s full report pushing back on the idea that Wiles is backing anyone at this stage. The reports highlighted that Trump is not rushing the process and is considering a rotating cast of Cabinet officials to handle briefings in the interim.

Right

35 rated outlets

  • The twelve right-rated digests emphasised opposition to Jennings within Trump’s base. The New York Post’s digest reported that some of Trump’s fiercest allies are trying to derail Jennings’ candidacy due to his longstanding ties to Mitch McConnell. Fox News and WABC’s digests led on a separate story: Republican criticism of Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff for comments about Natalie Harp, a cancer survivor and White House aide, which were labelled "sexist" and "misogynist."
  • Several right-rated digests framed Jennings’ candidacy as part of a broader narrative about internal White House power struggles. Patriot Newsfeed’s digest stated that Jennings is being "pushed" by Wiles, while Zero Hedge’s digest led with the headline "The Harp Defense: Jennings Jockeys For SPOX After Leavitt Leaves," linking Jennings’ public defence of Harp to his pursuit of the job. None of the digests mentioned the White House’s search for a "grown up" or the concerns about Jennings’ ability to handle behind-the-scenes work.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Scott Jennings leads race to replace Karoline Leavitt as White House…?
Of the 69 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 20% are rated left, 29% are rated centre, 51% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 93. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is Scott Jennings leads race to replace Karoline Leavitt as White House… left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 69 rated outlets on this story, 20% are rated left, 29% are rated centre, 51% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of Scott Jennings leads race to replace Karoline Leavitt as White House… biased?
Scott Jennings leads race to replace Karoline Leavitt as White House press secretary is one event reported by 93 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which side is not reporting Scott Jennings leads race to replace Karoline Leavitt as White House…?
When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
Which outlets covered Scott Jennings leads race to replace Karoline Leavitt as White House…?
93 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
Who is Scott Jennings?
Scott Jennings is a CNN political contributor and former adviser to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. He served in the George W. Bush administration and is now the early frontrunner to replace outgoing White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Jennings has not publicly confirmed whether he is seeking the role.
Why is Karoline Leavitt leaving the White House?
Karoline Leavitt announced she will leave her role as White House press secretary at the end of August to spend more time with her family. Her departure comes less than three months before the midterm elections, creating a vacancy in the administration’s communications team.
Who else is being considered for the press secretary role?
Other names floated for the role include Natalie Harp, a White House executive assistant, and Alina Habba, a former Trump lawyer. Habba publicly ruled herself out of the running on Wednesday. The White House is reportedly considering external candidates who can maintain professionalism in the role.
What are the concerns about Scott Jennings’ candidacy?
Some Trump advisers have questioned whether Jennings can handle the behind-the-scenes work that made Leavitt effective, according to CNN. Right-rated outlets report that some of Trump’s allies oppose Jennings due to his ties to Mitch McConnell. Jennings has not publicly addressed these concerns.

Read it at the source

1146 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

239
Show 231 more

Centre

314
Show 306 more

Right

261
Show 253 more

Not rated

332
Show 324 more

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

More in Politics

All Politics →
Replica Oval Office exhibit updated to reflect Trump's second-term decor3 min readReplica Oval Office exhibit updated to reflect Trump's second-term decorRead storySNL sketch mocks Trump offering $5,000 for votes3 min readSNL sketch mocks Trump offering $5,000 for votesRead storyOusted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, arrive at the Wall Street Heliport in the Manhattan borough of New York on Jan. 5, 2026. (Starmax/Newscom via ZUMA Press/TNS) (Starmax/Newscom via ZUMA Press/TN)3 min readUS Prosecutors Say Maduro Not Immune to Narco-Terror ChargesRead story
How left, centre and right covered the race to replace Leavitt | MediaBias News