Alina Habba Says She’s ‘Not in the Running’ to Replace Karoline Leavitt as White House Press Secretary

Alina Habba is shutting down speculation that she could become President Trump’s next White House press secretary, declaring that she is “not in the running” for the high-profile position despite initially emerging as the betting favorite.

Habba, a longtime Trump ally who previously served as one of his attorneys, addressed the rumors Wednesday after prediction markets placed her at the top of the list of potential replacements for outgoing press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

“Flattered by the Kalshi odds, but I’m not in the running for any job,” Habba wrote on social media. She joked that if she actually were getting a new position, she would appreciate it if the anonymous sources fueling the speculation would tell her first.

Habba then dismissed the reports as “fake news,” seemingly putting an end to suggestions that she was actively pursuing the White House communications job.

Before Habba issued her denial, bettors on prediction market Kalshi had given her roughly a 35% chance of succeeding Leavitt. Her odds quickly declined following her statement, while conservative commentator Scott Jennings moved into the lead with approximately 30% odds.

White House principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly was also among the names receiving attention, with prediction-market bettors giving her about a 13% chance of landing the position.

Habba has been one of Trump’s most recognizable defenders for years. She gained national attention while representing Trump during several of the criminal and civil cases brought against him before his return to the White House.

Her frequent television appearances and aggressive defense of Trump made her a familiar face to conservatives across the country. After Trump returned to office, Habba briefly served as counselor to the president in the West Wing before being appointed as New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor.

That background made Habba an obvious name to surface after Trump announced that Leavitt would leave her position at the end of August. Leavitt is stepping away from the demanding press secretary role to spend more time with her family.

Leavitt became one of the administration’s most prominent public figures after taking over as press secretary at the beginning of Trump’s second term. She regularly sparred with reporters during White House briefings while aggressively defending the president’s policies and agenda.

Replacing her will give Trump another important personnel decision as his administration heads toward the November midterm elections. The press secretary will become one of the administration’s most visible messengers during a crucial period for Republicans.

For now, however, Habba is making clear that she does not expect to be that person. Her public denial immediately reshuffled speculation over the position and left Jennings, Kelly and other potential candidates at the center of the search for Leavitt’s successor.