Trump closing in on new press secretary as administration officials push for pick who could break the mold

Donald Trump is considering candidates for the vacant White House press secretary role, with people in his administration reportedly urging him to choose conservative commentator Ben Ferguson. The choice matters because the press secretary is a prominent public voice for the administration, and the White House has been without one since Katie Zacharia left after a week in the job.

Sources say Trump is leaning towards appointing a man, though Ferguson is not a settled choice and Trump is still weighing his options. Conservative commentator Scott Jennings is also being considered, alongside White House communications director Steven Cheung, Breitbart editor Matthew Boyle and former press secretary Ari Fleischer; women are also reportedly on the shortlist. The previous seven press secretaries across Trump’s first and second terms and Joe Biden’s term were women; Sean Spicer was the last man to hold the role, in 2017.