President Trump has yet to name a successor following Karoline Leavitt’s August 27 departure from the White House press secretary role after she cited family priorities and transitioned to an outside advisory position with MAGA Inc. ahead of the November midterms. As of early September, briefings have resumed with Vice President JD Vance and other officials filling in, while the president reviews a large pool of applicants and seeks a communications lead willing to aggressively defend administration priorities. The search, overseen by Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, shows no public front-runner or firm timeline, with the process shaped by the need to maintain messaging continuity during the midterm campaign and ongoing policy debates.