Donald Trump just told the world that nobody can fill Karoline Leavitt's shoes.
During a Fox News sit-down with correspondent Alexis McAdams on Monday, the president showered his departing press secretary with praise while cracking jokes about her exit. When McAdams posed the question of whether Leavitt could be replaced, Trump was blunt. He said she absolutely cannot, according to reports, before gesturing toward her and calling her performance outstanding.
Then came the comedic gold. Trump quipped that Leavitt apparently cares about her kids more than she cares about him, and he's "very concerned" about that. Classic Trump. When McAdams pushed further on potential successors, the president pivoted and told the Fox reporter she should take the gig herself. He went on to compliment McAdams, saying he's always been a fan of hers and that's precisely why he agreed to the interview.
Leavitt, who is only 28, dropped the bombshell last week that she'd be leaving the podium by month's end to focus on her growing family. The young mother welcomed her second child, a daughter named Viviana, on May 1, and said the balancing act between raising two little ones and running the most high-profile communications job on Earth became too much after returning from leave.
But here's where things get really spicy. Trump may have accidentally tipped his hand regarding her replacement over the weekend. The president was hosting guests at his Bedminster, New Jersey, property, and sitting prominently among them was none other than Alina Habba, his former personal attorney. Social media footage captured Trump dancing to YMCA with Ivanka while Habba was positioned right behind him. The optics were impossible to ignore.
Habba's name has been swirling in replacement chatter for days now. The 42-year-old Jersey native built her legal reputation defending Trump during his civil fraud battle with New York Attorney General Letitia James. That case resulted in Judge Arthur Engoron ordering Trump to cough up over $460 million, but a New York appellate court tossed that ruling in August 2025, handing Trump a massive win.
Habba also had a brief and turbulent run as acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey. She was installed in March 2025 but forced out by December after an appeals court found her appointment violated federal requirements. She didn't go quietly, posting on X that compliance should never be confused with surrender and vowing the setback wouldn't weaken her one bit.
She founded her own firm, Habba, Madaio and Associates LLP, back in 2020, with offices in both Bedminster and New York.
The search for Leavitt's successor is expected to pick up steam as Republicans gear up for November's midterm elections, where control of both congressional chambers hangs in the balance. Whether Habba ends up behind the famous White House podium remains to be seen, but her weekend proximity to the president certainly raised every eyebrow in Washington.
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