Bettors flood market with picks for next press secretary – including an under-the-radar choice
Bettors have predicted that President Trump’s pick for his next White House press secretary could be an under-the-radar choice.
The commander-in-chief has had two press secretaries so far in his second term, although the most recent person to fill the high-profile role – Katie Zacharia – lasted less than a week.
The top two candidates are already well known ; Anna Kelly, the current White House deputy press secretary and CNN’s MAGA pundit Scott Jennings.
However, a third less familiar name has been thrown into the mix – Elizabeth Pipko, a former model who worked on Trump’s 2016 campaign.
Kelly is currently the frontrunner to succeed Zacharia, according to Kalshi bettors.
They say the former beauty queen has a 15 percent chance of taking the role, as of October 21, although she was already passed over once with Zacharia’s appointment.
Kalshi bettors say Jennings has a 13 percent, and was widely considered to be favorite for the role when Trump sought to replace then-outgoing Secretary Karoline Leavitt and reportedly privately campaigned for the position.
However, despite reported backing from Trump’s chief of staff Susie Wiles, Jennings was also passed over in favor of the short-lived Zacharia.
That leaves Pipko in third place, though with six percent she is somewhat of wildcard. Pipko’s husband, Darren Centinello, worked for Trump during the latter’s 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns.
She is also known for writing a book named Finding My Place: Making My Parents’ American Dream Come True. The book tells readers about her upbringing and her Russian-Jewish parents’ emigration from the then-Soviet Union to the United States.
Pipko has often spoken publicly about her support for Trump, taking to social media around two weeks after he won the 2024 presidential election to laud his “resilience.”
“I can only hope that those who may not have supported President Trump, still find a way to be inspired by his determination and resilience,” she wrote on Instagram.
“What he has done, and what he has had to withstand, since his announcement in 2015, is nothing short of extraordinary.”
Zacharia succeeded Leavitt in October, following the latter’s unexpected departure in August. Leavitt also made an appearance on Kalshi’s list, with bettors, with a 2 percent chance that she could return to her role.
