CNN’s Scott Jennings Shares Big Update on Trump Press Secretary Job

Scott Jennings brushed off talk about the search for a new White House press secretary on Sunday (August 23) following reports that he is a frontrunner for the position.

On Sunday’s edition of CNN’s State of the Union, host Dana Bash put the conservative commentator on the spot when she played a clip of President Donald Trump talking about Jennings to reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. When asked if the CNN contributor is an option for the job, the president replied, “Scott Jennings is good.”

Trump’s comments came after The Daily Beast reported that Jennings was a favorite for the position, which becomes vacant at the end of the month when Karoline Leavitt officially steps down. Leavitt, who welcomed her second child with her husband, Nicholas Riccio, in May, said she is stepping away to spend more time with her family.

Asked to react to Trump’s comments, Jennings said, “Hey, I think President Trump is good, so we agree on something. It’s mutual.”

Scott Jennings on Being Considered for White House Press Secretary: “Hey, I think President Trump is good, so we agree on something. It’s mutual. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t have anything to say about it this morning, but I will say this. Karoline Leavitt has… pic.twitter.com/nM4rupi9hl

— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) August 23, 2026

However, he downplayed his interest in the position and moved on to talking about previous press secretaries. “I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Jennings stated. “I don’t have anything to say about it this morning, but I will say this… Karoline Leavitt has been one of the best Press Secretaries in the last… in the modern era.”

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“The president has had a few good ones,” he continued. “Sarah Sanders was also terrific, now governor of Arkansas. So, whoever does that job, big shoes to fill.”

Bash then noted that Trump recently posted a photo of himself as press secretary, describing it as “probably one of the most accurate things he’s ever posted… because he thinks he is the best press secretary.”

“Well, we’ve never had a president who dictated his own communications strategy the way this one does,” Jennings responded. “And it’s served him quite well, as a two-term president.”

Jennings, a long-time MAGA mouthpiece and Trump defender, previously served as a special assistant to the president and deputy director of political affairs during the George W. Bush administration. He also worked as an advisor for Senator Mitch McConnell.