Scott Jennings' chances of being the next White House press secretary have dropped on Kalshi, putting him nearly even with Anna Kelly. But despite the drop from a recent high of nearly 45%, he remains the favorite.
The market for the next White House press secretary shows Jennings leading at 27%, followed by Kelly at 24% and Margo Martin at 9%.
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Scott Jennings
Karoline Leavitt officially left her position as White House press secretary last Thursday. Jennings' name is still in the running for the position even though he has not given much indication that he would take the job.
The Guardian's Jeremy Barr noted that although Jennings is now known as a prominent defender of President Donald Trump on CNN, he has not always supported the president.
Jennings was highly critical of Trump following the 2020 presidential election and again after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Jennings said the president “clearly violated his oath of office to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution to the best of [his] ability.”
Two years later, when President Trump launched his presidential campaign, Jennings said the Republican Party needed “a new nominee” and suggested that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis seek the Republican nomination instead.
Jennings' public stance toward Trump later changed as the former president secured the Republican nomination. He started appearing regularly on CNN as the network’s “in-house MAGA gladiator who is always game to appear on television and beat up any liberals that challenge him.”
Jennings' potential candidacy has also drawn criticism from some Trump allies. The Huffington Post’s Pocharapon Neammanee wrote that former Trump spokeswoman Caroline Sunshine appeared with Jennings on CNN’s NewsNight to discuss issues like the war in Iran. The two clashed during the discussion before Sunshine argued that Jennings would damage Trump's legacy if he became press secretary.
Sunshine reminded the panel that Jennings worked as an adviser for President George W. Bush during both of his presidential campaigns, “which is why I don’t want you going anywhere near Donald Trump’s presidency to go ruin it with more of your Iraq 2005 talking points.”
The Daily Beast’s William Vaillancourt also reported that Sunshine openly criticized Jennings on CNN for his comments on the health of Sen. Mitch McConnell, who was hospitalized earlier this month after a fall in his home. She accused Jennings of lying about speaking to the Senator on the phone during his hospital stay.
“I don’t believe you had a phone call with Mitch McConnell, I’ll tell you that,” Sunshine told Jennings on the air. “I don’t believe you had a 20-minute phone call with Mitch McConnell, and I don’t think a lot of people do, either.”
Jennings responded by saying that Sunshine’s assertion sounded like “a garden-variety conspiracy theorist.”
Despite the criticism and his recent price decline, Jennings remains the market leader at 27%, just three points ahead of Kelly.
The takeaway:
Kalshi markets now predict:
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