Is Scott Jennings the favorite to be next White House press secretary?

CNN pundit Scott Jennings.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt's final day in the role is Thursday and President Trump has still yet to name her successor, more than two weeks since she announced her plans to step down from the role at the end of the month. Is Scott Jennings the favorite to be next White House press secretary?

According to the results of a poll run in Dave Rubin's newsletter last week, Scott Jennings, the conservative pundit known for confronting Democrats during debate shows on CNN, is the faraway favorite to be Leavitt's successor. Jennings is also the leader on the Kalshi market tracking who will be selected. But a report by CBS News suggests Jennings is not the frontrunner to take over the role behind the podium in the White House press briefing room. According to that report, Jennings has been under consideration, but is unlikely to be the choice to succeed Leavitt.

The report went on to say White House chief of staff Susie Wiles is vetting potential candidates for the role, but that no frontrunners have emerged behind the scenes yet. As the calendar turns to September, the report suggested, Americans can expect to see rotating members of the Trump administration appearing at the podium in the near term until a replacement is chosen.

Jennings has largely dismissed the increasing conjecture around him joining the administration, saying on CNN this week, “I don’t know what’s going to happen,” The Hill reported.

Results from last week's 'Rubin Recap' poll.

In the Rubin Recap poll, Jennings has taken nearly 50% of the vote with Alina Habba, Trump's former personal lawyer who briefly served as acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey during his second term, registering 15% in second place -- the only other name mentioned in the poll that picked up double-digit support. Earlier this month, Habba said she was "flattered" when her odds on Kalshi soared at one point, but added in a post on X, "I'm not in the running for the job."

On the betting market Kalshi, Jennings remains the leader to be the next White House press secretary, although his chances tumbled precipitously this week. Similar to Rubin Recap numbers, Kalshi had Jennings at a 44.5% chance of landing the job last week. That fell off to around 26% this week, with his lead over deputy White House press secretary Anna Kelly dipping to within 10 percentage points on Thursday.

Leavitt's entire team is expected to remain in place, the CBS News report noted, and will report to White House communications director Steven Cheung, who pulled up the rear in the Rubin Recap poll with just 2% of the votes. In recent days, Leavitt revealed that she was taking a role at MAGA, Inc., a super PAC that backs Trump, in addition to remaining a close outside adviser to President Trump. "You guys will still see me all the time," Leavitt told reporters.

During an interview with NewsNation on Thursday, Leavitt reflected on her tenure as White House press secretary. “It has been the honor and blessing of my life to serve as his spokesperson,” she said. “It has been the adventure of a lifetime.” Leavitt addressed the media again Thursday for the final time as press secretary.

“I’ll miss you guys. I know that’s probably not something anyone would expect me to say, but obviously it’s been great working with all of you,” she told reporters. And she had a little advice for whomever follows her in the role. “I think it’s most important in this job to understand that President Trump is his own best spokesperson,” she said. Trump, she said and his other communications advisers, like Cheung, have joked, “is the true communications director and press secretary here at the White House.”

To vote in the Rubin Recap poll, which is still running click here, and to subscribe to Dave's free newsletter, click here. Below, watch Leavitt's remarks to the press.