For nearly a month, the White House has been without a press secretary, the longest such gap in modern American history. There is little sign of urgency to fill the job.

The stretch since Karoline Leavitt left her post in August has hardly been quiet. President Donald Trump’s approval ratings have hit their lowest point to date, he has escalated a trade war with U.S. allies and the war with Iran is nearing its seventh month with no clear end in sight. That is more than enough to keep a chief spokesperson busy.

Even so, some senior aides are in no hurry, and they want the job to go to someone already inside the White House. In recent weeks, they have worked to steer Trump away from an outside pick, such as Scott Jennings, the conservative CNN commentator who emerged as an early favorite, according to a person familiar with the decision-making process, who was granted anonymity to describe internal deliberations.

Leavitt’s physical desk hasn’t sat empty: Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, has moved into it. But her job remains vacant.

In that absence, Trump attempted to bar journalists from three major media outlets — MS NOW, CNN and Politico — from the White House grounds. He himself referred to the move as a “ban on the free press,” and it quickly became a significant test of the First Amendment.

It would not have happened had Leavitt still been in the building, according to two people familiar with the White House’s internal dynamics, who were granted anonymity to speak candidly about the press ban. Both suggested she would have been able to talk Trump down from the decision.

“The ban is one of those moments where you’ve got to ask who’s around the president right now and how did something like this get sent out, catching some of his own top staffers by surprise,” one of the people said.

The other person described the internal dynamics of the press shop right now as less tethered to Trump than during Leavitt’s tenure — which is why Trump’s move caught everyone in the White House press shop by surprise, including senior staffers.

“Nobody close to the President was surprised at his action to hold the fake news accountable,” a White House spokesperson emailed MS NOW after this story was published. “No President is required to host a hostile operation on the grounds. Access has always been a privilege — and President Trump is applying that rule.”

On Thursday, a judge ordered Trump to restore access for the three news outlets. Journalists for all three were back on White House grounds later that day. The order is temporary, lifting the ban while the court case proceeds.

The episode underscored how much of the White House’s message now runs through Trump himself. The two people who described the internal dynamics, along with a third who spoke to MS NOW for this story, all made some version of the same point: Trump is his own best messenger, and all of the White House believes that.

The problem, the third person added, is that Trump — as in this case — can make sweeping declarations that draw bipartisan backlash and comparisons to authoritarianism without running it through the White House’s usual communications channels.

That impulse to act unilaterally helps explain why Trump has felt little urgency to name a new press secretary. He was fond of Leavitt’s fierce loyalty to him and combative style with journalists. And although he watches plenty of cable news, he has yet to see anyone on the pundit circuit he deems worth bringing into the fold as his most ardent and public defender.

In the meantime, the press shop has patched together a temporary structure. Danielle Alvarez, a former campaign spokesperson for Trump, has taken on a senior role to help bridge the long transition. Jason Miller, a longtime Trump adviser, has also moved into a senior messaging role — although he did so before Leavitt left.

But neither Alvarez nor Miller intends to host press briefings, according to one of the people describing internal dynamics. The White House has held just two press briefings in the past two months: one by Leavitt and one by Vice President JD Vance.

UPDATED (Sept. 25, 2026 at 8:48 a.m. ET): This article has been updated with a statement from the White House.

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