Scott Jennings: Trump Needs An Experienced Press Secretary To Advance His Agenda And Protect His Legacy
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2026/10/17/scott_jennings_trump_needs_an_experienced_press_secretary_to_advance_his_agenda_and_protect_his_legacy.html

CNN senior political commentator Scott Jennings reacted to Katie Zacharia's departure as White House press secretary less than a week after taking the job, outlining the qualifications he believes are necessary for her successor.

"I think the only thing that should concern the President is finding the right person for this job and any other job that he needs to fill. He needs to finish out this administration strong, no matter what happens in the November midterm. He's got two years left, and that's a lot of time. And I know he has views about what he wants his legacy to be, and has some policy ideas that he'd like to implement. You just need the strongest possible team that you can find. I think his chief of staff is one of the strongest possible chiefs of staff you could have. They just hired a new legislative director who's very well regarded on Capitol Hill."

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: So, Scott, I mean, if the President chooses someone without a lot of background, right, and so close to a pivotal election, I mean, is this ultimately on him and his vetting and his decision-making?

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, SENIOR ADVISER TO MITCH MCCONNELL, FORMER SPECIAL ASST. TO PRES. GEORGE W. BUSH, HOST, "THE SCOTT JENNINGS RADIO SHOW" ON SRN: Well, everything that happens in the White House is up to the President, ultimately, and it's his prerogative on who to hire for this job or the Cabinet or anything else. Anybody else that reports directly to him.

My advice to him would just be to get the most qualified person you can get, with the most experience, somebody who can stand behind that podium with credibility and not just carry your message, but also handle the incoming that is sure to come.

If the Republicans don't do well in the midterms, you all can all imagine the sort of hostile environment they're going to face in Washington for the next couple of years. And that person, along with a couple of key members of Congress, are going to be on television every single day, sort of dealing with that onslaught.

So, I mean, there's the short-term issue of political messenger, but then there's the next couple of years, as he fights for his own legacy and fights to--

SCIUTTO: Yes.

JENNINGS: --leave a mark as he exits the presidency. That person's going to be right in the middle of it. So, I think you want somebody with as much of experience and maybe has been around D.C. a little bit and has TV experience and so on and so forth.

So, there's a lot of things that go into it. And maybe a little management experience because that office does have a pretty big staff, and it does require a little bit of management, as Brian and Maria know.

SCIUTTO: So, Scott, given that your name was on the short list prior, were you making a pitch for yourself just then?

JENNINGS: Oh, me? No, I wouldn't negotiate my personnel prospects with you here on television.

But I do have a -- I do have a view about how to staff government positions. And my view is very simple: find the most experienced, competent person that you can find because you deserve it. You're the President of the United States. You're the most powerful person in the world. You're the leader of the free world. And everybody who speaks on your behalf has to speak with credibility and authority, when they stand up behind that podium because, they're speaking to the whole world, and the things you say at that podium can move markets and move mountains. And so, that person is very -- very pivotal.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

JENNINGS: A lot of people you hire never see the light of day again, but that person is in the spotlight every single day.