President Donald Trump suggested Fox News correspondent Alexis McAdams as a potential candidate for White House press secretary during a televised interview on Sunday. The exchange occurred while McAdams was interviewing the president, who noted that he was seeking a successor for Karoline Leavitt. Leavitt announced her resignation last week, stating she intended to leave the role to focus on her children.
The transition follows Leavitt’s return from maternity leave after the birth of her second child. Trump stated on Truth Social that he respected her decision to prioritize her family and announced she would remain as an outside advisor. Leavitt, who was 27 when she took the position in January 2025, was the youngest person to serve as White House press secretary.
During the Sunday interview, McAdams asked the president if Leavitt was replaceable and if he had a successor in mind. Trump gestured toward McAdams and stated, "How about you?" while adding that she "could do the job." McAdams, who is based in New York City, has been with Fox News since 2021. Trump has previously appointed other Fox News figures to his administration, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro.
The transition involves the departure of a specific federal employee who managed the administration's media relations during the first eight months of Trump's second term. For the roughly 2,100 members of the White House Press Corps, the appointment of a new secretary changes their primary point of contact for obtaining quotes and data on government actions. If a news correspondent like McAdams moves from reporting on the government to representing it, it continues a pattern of the administration hiring from media organizations to fill senior communication and cabinet-level roles.
What happens next is a selection process for a permanent replacement, though a White House official stated the president is in no rush to name one. Leavitt is scheduled to depart her role at the end of August. Until a permanent successor is confirmed, the administration will rely on the aforementioned rotating group of officials to conduct press briefings. No specific dates for a new appointment have been announced, and McAdams has not publicly stated whether she is pursuing the role beyond the on-camera exchange.