Trump posted a painting of himself as “the best press secretary” on Truth Social. This comes just days after he praised Karoline Leavitt as one of the best in the job’s history.
Donald Trump has weighed in on who he thinks should be the next White House press secretary, and the answer seems to be – himself.
On Thursday night, he posted an image on Truth Social showing an image depicting him standing behind the White House briefing room podium.
The caption read simply: “The best press secretary.”
A very different tone from last week
What makes the post stand out is the timing. Just days earlier, Trump had nothing but praise for Karoline Leavitt, calling her one of the best press secretaries in the history of the office.
He said she’d remain close to him as one of his top outside advisors, and that he respected her choice to step back and spend more time with her family.
The Air Force One incident
Leavitt’s exit comes not long after a striking story broke about a flight departing Turkey following July’s NATO summit.
Multiple outlets, including CBS, CNN, and The Washington Post, reported that Trump was secretly moved off Air Force One and onto a smaller decoy plane via catering truck after intelligence pointed to a credible Iranian missile threat.
The aides confirmed to have joined him were executive assistant Natalie Harp (earning her the new nickname “blankie”), Oval Office operations director Walt Nauta, and deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino, along with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and other senior staff remained on the original aircraft.
Where exactly Leavitt was that day isn’t entirely clear. Some reports have suggested she remained on the original plane, the one believed to be a potential target. This claim fueled online speculation that her resignation, announced less than 24 hours after, was connected to the incident.
Other reporting, however, indicated she wasn’t on the trip at all, having recently given birth and been on parental leave at the time.
The White House and a reporter who covered the story have denied she was involved in the flight switch.
Why Leavitt is officially leaving
Leavitt has said her departure is about wanting more time with her children after returning from maternity leave in July. She described the decision as bittersweet, adding she felt she “cannot be the best mom my two young children deserve” while carrying the demands of the role.
No official successor has been named yet, but a handful of names have come up. Among them are Natalie Harp, aide Margo Martin, deputy press secretary Taylor Rogers, and former beauty queen Anna Kelly.
CNN commentator Scott Jennings has also reportedly caught Trump’s attention as a possible pick.
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