MAGA Insiders Reportedly Skeptical About Karoline Leavitt’s Expected Replacement

With White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on maternity leave, the Principal Deputy Press Secretary, Anna Kelly, is expected to fill in. However, insiders in the administration reportedly are not quite convinced that Kelly matches up to Leavitt’s capabilities, with one person even claiming that the former pageant queen “needs more polish.”

Kelly, who won the 2019 Miss State Fair of Virginia crown, has already featured on several pro-Trump news outlets, including Fox News, One America News, and Real America’s Voice. She is now being considered among the several MAGA officials who will brief the press during Leavitt’s absence. 

Despite being one of the top picks to stand in for Leavitt, not every insider is certain about Kelly. “[Kelly] needs more polish despite being a former pageant contestant,’ one RNC official told the Daily Mail bluntly. 

Yet another administration official said, “Good on TV, but I wouldn’t say she could completely fill Karoline’s shoes.”

The Daily Mail has described Kelly as an “acid-tongued pageant queen” and a “fiery-tempered redhead known for foul-mouthed tirades at reporters.” Like Leavitt, Kelly has also defended President Donald Trump and called out the “fake news” that has critiqued the administration. 

The 28-year-old reportedly graduated with a degree in Political Science from Auburn University in Alabama, and then earned her Master’s in Political Management from The George Washington University. 

The Principal Deputy Press Secretary then competed in and won the 2019 Miss State Fair of Virginia. 

The Irish Star reports that in an interview with The Clay Travis & Buck Saxton show, Kelly spoke about her experience working with Karoline Leavitt. She also said that being in the White House is “exciting” and that she does not let the “fake news” negatively impact her. 

“They can try to push their fake news narrative,” she said. “But guess what? The approval is on our side…this is what the American people want,” she said. Kelly also expressed excitement, with the Trump administration constantly “winning.”

Meanwhile, Karoline Leavitt is expected to be on maternity leave for a couple of weeks. A White House insider told the Daily Mail that the exact time of her return has not yet been determined. 

Leavitt, 28, is expecting her second child with her husband, Nicholas Riccio, 60. She had her last official briefing with the press on Monday, April 27, after returning from a three-day leave to address the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner last weekend. 

The White House has not named a formal substitute to fill in for Leavitt’s role in her absence. Instead, apart from Anna Kelly, a slew of Trump administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and the White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security advisor, Stephen Miller, are expected to handle press briefings.