Trump teases handing Scott Jennings brutal snub as insiders say 'it's not going to be him'

President Donald Trump is in no rush to hand the White House podium to Scott Jennings, and on Friday he made a point of dropping a new name into the mix.

Asked about his search for a press secretary to replace the departing Karoline Leavitt, Trump gave the CNN pundit a lukewarm nod before pivoting.

"Scott Jennings is good," Trump said, according to CBS News reporter Kathryn Watson. "What do you think of Margo? Maybe Margo." He added, "I have never had so many job applications in my life."

The "Margo" in question is Margo Martin, a longtime Trump spokeswoman who serves as a special assistant to the president and communications adviser, who was photographed boarding Marine One with Trump that same afternoon. The idea drew a quick booster: "I might get into trouble with Margo, but she would make a great press sec," posted Katie Miller, a former DOGE official and wife of top White House aide Stephen Miller.

The public flirtation is the latest sign that Jennings — reported to be the frontrunner after secret meetings with chief of staff Susie Wiles — may not be the lock some coverage suggested. Jennings has spent weeks in what critics called a public audition, sending clips of his Trump-friendly CNN hits to White House staffers, though no offer has been extended.

Behind the scenes, some in Trump's orbit have reportedly worked to sink his chances over his ties to ailing Sen. Mitch McConnell.

"It's not going to be him," one source told the New York Post, calling the search "an open book."