10
Loading video...
By Marni Rose McFall
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Former senior adviser to President Donald Trump, Danielle Alvarez, has emerged as the front-runner on the prediction market Kalshi to become the next White House press secretary.
As of Monday morning, Alvarez leads the market with a 19 percent chance, followed by principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly at 14 percent and political commentator Scott Jennings at 7 percent. On Saturday afternoon, the prediction market placed Alvarez at a 3.5 percent chance.
Alvarez, a Cuban American communications strategist, served as a senior adviser during Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and previously held the role of communications director for the Republican National Committee during the 2022 midterm elections. Following the 2024 campaign, she joined the bipartisan public strategy firm Mercury Public Affairs while continuing to consult for the Trump administration.
Read More on News
The shift on the market comes as Trump sparked some confusion over the weekend after posting on Truth Social that he had offered Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) CEO Dana White the position and asked him to take it. However, he later reneged and said he was joking.
Newsweek has reached out to Alvarez for comment.
...
The Embattled Search for a New Press Secretary
Speculation over the next White House press secretary continues to mount months after Karoline Leavitt, the youngest press secretary in U.S. history, stepped down from the role in August.
Trump confirmed her departure on Truth Social, stating that she was leaving to spend more time with her children and family, calling it “a decision I totally understand and respect.”
A permanent replacement has not yet been selected. Conservative commentator Katie Zacharia briefly assumed the role in October but was fired by Trump after just five days following a heavily criticized debut briefing, during which she spent 14 minutes at the podium and answered questions from only three outlets.
...
Among the prospective candidates frequently mentioned for the post is Katie Miller, a political adviser and podcaster who previously served as communications director to former Vice President Mike Pence from 2020 to 2021 and as communications director for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) early in Trump’s second administration.
Miller, who is married to Stephen Miller, announced on Sunday that she is suspending her podcast after her husband was named Trump’s new chief of staff after Susie Wiles' departure.
“With @StoehenM taking on this new role for President Trump, I’ve decided to stop recording new podcast episodes,” she wrote in an X post that has been viewed 1.5 million times. “Nothing is more important than raising our four kids. While I’ve loved the podcast, the time commitment is too great and now is the time to step away. I’ll be cheering President Trump and his team on from outside the administration.”
Another unexpected contender for the role may be rapper Nicki Minaj. Trump said during an interview in October that he would consider her for the role.
Trump Says He 'Was Kidding' About Dana White Job Offer
Trump walked back comments regarding the White House press secretary role, clarifying that his offer to White was made in jest.
Trump had posted Saturday that he offered the job to White, a longtime friend and ally, calling him a “violent fighter and Warrior” and writing that he would be a “Press Secretary like none other,” before concluding, “please take the job.”
Speaking to reporters in Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday Trump dismissed the online reaction to the post.
"You would have thought that people would have said, 'He's having a good time!'" he said. "I will tell you, I was only kidding, but Dana loves the idea!"
...
The initial post sparked online speculation that the president may have confused the UFC executive with Dana W. White, a former assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs and chief Pentagon spokesperson.
The former defense official addressed the mix-up in a LinkedIn post Saturday.
“To everyone texting me congratulations: thank you, but you have the wrong Dana White. I’ve stood at a podium and taken questions from the Pentagon press corps. I have never stood in an octagon. I’d like to keep it that way,” she wrote, adding her best wishes for the next press secretary.
Related Story
Newsweek Webinar: How the Politics of AI Could Shape Midterms
Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Matthew Cannon and Anthony Murray.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines