Trump’s record firing of Katie Zacharia as press secretary leaves these 5 names waiting to be next

President Donald Trump's White House has no press secretary again after Katie Zacharia was dismissed on October 16, days into a tenure that began October 12. Her debut briefing lasted 14 minutes, with questions from only three reporters, and drew criticism from observers and from people inside the administration. The timing is awkward, with midterm elections two weeks away and polls suggesting Republicans could lose both chambers. Communications Director Steven Cheung said the president will keep traveling the country to rally voters, according to The Independent.

No replacement has been named, but several people are being discussed. CNN commentator Scott Jennings, whom Trump praised in August, sidestepped a question on air about whether he would accept. Margo Martin, a special assistant, was floated by Trump himself that month. Anna Kelly, a 29-year-old deputy press secretary and former Republican National Committee spokesperson, is seen by Newsweek as a leading contender; the prediction market Kalshi gave her 16 percent, just ahead of Jennings. Maria Bartiromo, who left Fox Business in September, had reportedly signaled to Trump she would refuse the job, according to Axios.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Independent’s reporting. Read the full story at The Independent →