Veteran Reporter Neil McCabe Names Potential Contenders to Replace White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt

Kaitlin Housler
press briefing

Veteran political reporter Neil W. McCabe discussed the upcoming departure of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and the potential candidates to succeed her during an appearance Thursday on The Michael Patrick Leahy Show live from outside the White House.

President Donald Trump announced on August 12 that Leavitt would leave the position at the end of August to spend more time with her family. Trump said she would continue serving as one of his outside advisers.

Leavitt recently returned to the White House after taking maternity leave following the birth of her second child in May.

McCabe, who currently works as Real America’s Voice White House correspondent, told Leahy that the next press secretary could be announced after Labor Day and described Trump’s approach to selecting people for high-profile positions.

“Probably sometime after Labor Day because the president has a very unique process for these kinds of positions where he basically throws a bunch of scorpions in a box,” McCabe said. “Let’s just see who’ll, let’s see who climbs out.”

McCabe said the administration has a deep bench of officials who are already comfortable handling the media, potentially making the transition easier.

“You look at the cabinet officers,” McCabe said. “You have cabinet officers who can hold their own in front of the cameras and with the press. They can handle reporters.”

He specifically pointed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance, saying Vance has demonstrated an ability to handle challenging television interviews.

“I don’t know why CNN or CBS allows JD Vance to do their Sunday shows anymore because it’s just carnage, right?” McCabe said. “He just tears them up.”

McCabe also emphasized the press secretary’s job extends beyond the televised briefings.

“There is…a back office side to that job,” McCabe said. “And that’s actually the care and feeding of reporters.”

He explained that the press secretary oversees a larger team responsible for handling day-to-day interactions with journalists and logistical questions surrounding presidential events.

“So Karoline Leavitt was obviously great at the podium, but she was also great running the team in the White House Press Office,” McCabe said. “That’s the other side of the job that no one sees, but frankly, is more important than whether or not somebody can perform at the podium.”

Leahy reiterated his previous recommendation of Breitbart Washington Bureau Chief Matt Boyle for the position. McCabe agreed Boyle could be a strong choice.

The discussion also mentioned other potential names, including Chief of Protocol of the United States Monica Crowley, Deputy U.S. Representative to the United Nations and former State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, and conservative radio host John Fredericks.

McCabe praised Bruce as “excellent” and said there are candidates across conservative media who could potentially take the position.

Watch:

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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.

 

 

 

 

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