President Donald Trump floated Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy as a possible contender for the vacant White House press secretary job, before joking that the network may already be paying him too much to leave.
Trump made the remark while speaking with reporters outside the White House after being asked what he was looking for in Karoline Leavitt’s replacement.
A reporter asked, “What are you looking for in a press secretary?”
President Trump initially said, “A lot of people want that job. I would say many of them are right here.”
The president then pointed toward the press corps and joked, “You’d like that job.”
After a pause, Trump singled out Doocy.
“Maybe a guy like Peter.”
Trump quickly suggested there could be one problem with trying to lure the longtime Fox News reporter into the West Wing.
“But he’s making too much. He’s gone. I lost him as soon as he renegotiated his last contract.”
Doocy serves as Fox News’ senior White House correspondent and also co-anchors “The Sunday Briefing.”
Trump’s comments came as the White House continues searching for a permanent successor to Leavitt, who stepped down from the high-profile role at the end of August.
Karoline Leavitt left the administration to spend more time with her family after welcoming her second child earlier this year.
Trump praised Leavitt when announcing her departure on Truth Social.
“Our wonderful White House Press Secretary, and one of my most trusted aides, Karoline Leavitt, will be departing her role at the end of the month so she can spend more time with her beautiful young children and family, a decision I totally understand and respect!”
Trump also made clear that Leavitt would remain involved outside the administration.
“Karoline will now be one of my top outside advisors, and an influential voice within the Republican Party.”
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Leavitt described her time behind the White House podium as “the honor and adventure of a lifetime.”
She later explained that balancing the demanding position with raising two young children had become increasingly difficult.
“Being a mother and welcoming a new baby while working in one of the most demanding jobs in the world has been the most rewarding yet challenging season of my life, to say the least.
“The truth is, since returning to the White House after the birth of my daughter, I have felt in my heart that I cannot be the best mom my two young children deserve while devoting the constant time, energy, and attention required of the White House Press Secretary.”
“And that is why I have ultimately made the bittersweet decision to depart the White House and embark on a new chapter in my life,” Leavitt concluded.
Leavitt became the youngest White House press secretary in history when she took the job and emerged as one of Trump’s most visible defenders during his second administration.
Several names have circulated as possible replacements, including conservative commentator Scott Jennings and deputy press secretary Anna Kelly, but the White House has not announced a permanent successor.
Donald Trump‘s mention of Peter Doocy appeared lighthearted, and there was no indication Thursday that the Fox News correspondent had been formally offered the job.
Still, the president’s decision to single him out added another recognizable name to the speculation surrounding who will next take over the White House briefing room.
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[ H/T Trending Politics ]
