Vice President JD Vance took the lectern in the White House briefing room on August 31 as the administration still searches for a permanent replacement for departing press secretary Karoline Leavitt, and President Trump's quip about a "demotion" drew laughs and questions about who gets the job next.
Vance, 42, stood at the head of the James S. Brady briefing room and fielded questions from reporters, a role typically reserved for the White House press secretary. The appearance came as the Trump administration has yet to name anyone to fill the vacancy left by Leavitt, and The Mirror reported that senior officials will rotate through the briefing room until a pick is made, the same arrangement used during Leavitt's 11-week maternity leave.
Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy set the tone early, asking Vance: "Are we addressing you as Vice President or Press Secretary?" Vance played along, relaying an exchange he said took place minutes earlier in the Oval Office.
"It's funny, before I came out here, I was talking with the president in the Oval Office, and he said, 'Be careful. I want you to do well, but if you do too well, I might make you the press secretary.'"
The line drew attention, but the substance underneath it matters more than the joke. The press secretary vacancy remains unfilled, a growing roster of names is circulating, and the administration is relying on its most senior officials, including the vice president, to keep the briefing room running.
Trump told reporters he has been flooded with interest in the job. "I've never had so many job applications in my life," the president said, adding that Leavitt had made the role look "glamorous."
The list of candidates reported so far is wide. Sources told the New York Post that Alina Habba, the president's former defense attorney, is being eyed for the position. Habba essentially served as a public spokesperson during Trump's 2024 New York civil lawsuit, regularly appearing before cameras outside the courtroom.
Vance himself has been a visible defender of the president's agenda across multiple fronts, which may explain why Trump tapped him for the briefing room rotation.
Other names in the mix include Anna Kelly, the current deputy press secretary who previously served as national press secretary for the Republican National Committee. CNN contributor Scott Jennings has also drawn speculation. Jennings allegedly met with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles since the position opened, though he has not confirmed anything publicly.
Longer-shot candidates include Kari Lake, Katie Miller, the wife of Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, and White House Communications Director Steven Cheung. Former White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications Taylor Budowich and Breitbart Washington bureau chief Matthew Boyle have also been named as possibilities.
Whatever comes next, Leavitt's departure has prompted a round of public appreciation from Republican figures. Jennings, speaking on CNN's NewsNight, offered an effusive assessment of her tenure.
"Karoline Leavitt has been maybe the greatest White House press secretary in the last 30 years, at least. She's been nothing short of brilliant."
He went further, saying he did not know "a single Republican in the country who isn't in awe of and in appreciation of Karoline tonight," and wished her well on her return to family life.
The specific reason for Leavitt's departure has not been detailed publicly. But the warmth of the send-off, and the sheer number of people jockeying for her chair, suggests the role carried more visibility and influence than the position has in past administrations.
Vance used the briefing to poke fun at his own expanding list of responsibilities, comparing himself to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has taken on additional duties within the administration.
"So I'm not Marco. I have not yet accepted any additional jobs, though I guess the Fraud Task Force co-chair is my second additional job."
The remark underscored a real dynamic. Vance has been accumulating roles and public-facing assignments beyond the traditional vice-presidential portfolio. His co-chairmanship of the Fraud Task Force adds a policy portfolio on top of the political one. And recent staffing shifts around his office, including the planned departure of his chief of staff, Jacob Reses, suggest a team in transition even as Vance's public profile grows.
White House sources told CBS that the rotating-briefer arrangement will continue until a permanent press secretary is named. During Leavitt's maternity leave, the same system kept the briefing room operational without a single designated face at the podium.
The approach has its advantages. Putting cabinet-level officials and the vice president behind the lectern signals that the administration takes the briefing room seriously enough to send its heaviest hitters. But it also leaves reporters, and the public, without a consistent point of contact, and it puts senior officials in a format designed for rapid-fire questioning on topics that may fall outside their primary lanes.
Some coverage framed Trump's remark to Vance as a threat or a sign of tension. The actual exchange, as Vance relayed it, reads more like the kind of locker-room ribbing that is common between principals who work closely together. Trump told Vance to "do well", and then joked that doing too well might cost him his current title.
That framing matters. The relationship between Trump and Vance has drawn constant media scrutiny, with outlets looking for cracks in every public interaction. But a president who sends his vice president to the briefing room and jokes about his performance is not a president signaling displeasure. He is signaling confidence, and maybe a little competitive pride.
Vance, for his part, has shown no hesitation about stepping into unfamiliar formats. He has spoken bluntly to his own party about the need to fix the economy rather than blame voters, and he handled the briefing room exchange with Doocy without breaking stride.
The real question is not whether Vance can handle a press briefing. He plainly can. The real question is how long the administration lets the press secretary chair sit empty, and whether the sprawling list of candidates signals a genuine search or a White House that is content to let its senior officials share the spotlight a while longer.
When you have a vice president willing to take the podium, a president who jokes about the job's appeal, and a line of applicants out the door, the vacancy starts to look less like a problem and more like a luxury only a confident administration can afford.