Trump Reportedly Thinking About Dumping Chief of Staff Susie Wiles as Rivals Are Circling: ‘She’s Burned a Lot of People’

 
Susie Wiles

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump is privately asking allies about whether he should replace White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, even as he publicly insists his longtime aide still has his “COMPLETE confidence,” according to a new Politico Playbook report.

The president has recently begun consulting with friends and political allies about what they think of Wiles and discussing possible successors, four people with direct knowledge of the conversations told Playbook on Thursday.

The inquiries have reportedly intensified as the November midterms approach, and Trump grows frustrated with his political standing.

Among the potential replacements Trump has floated are Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and New York Yankees president Randy Levine, according to the report. Trump is also said to have considered Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Wiles’ rivals and critics have apparently seized on the moment, per the outlet, forwarding Trump negative coverage involving Wiles and members of her circle.

“She’s burned a lot of people,” one Republican operative close to the White House told Playbook.

Recent scrutiny has focused on foreign consulting work involving longtime Trump advisers James Blair and Chris LaCivita, as well as Wiles’ daughter Katie Wiles.

Katie Wiles is a partner at Continental Strategy, a lobbying firm that signed a $35,000-a-month contract to represent Republika Srpska, the semi-autonomous Bosnian Serb entity. The firm says she did not lobby U.S. officials on its behalf.

“Susie has this whole cadre of people that have been found to have been monetizing his ecosystem pretty dramatically,” one senior outside Trump adviser told Playbook.

Trump, however, issued an emphatic denial that Wiles was in danger, telling the outlet Truth Social-style:

TOTAL FAKE NEWS Politico doesn’t care about facts, integrity, or honest journalism — it’s why I kicked them out of the White House!” he said. “Susie Wiles is my loyal and longest serving Chief of Staff — there is a reason for that. She has been with me since the beginning, is my trusted advisor, and has my COMPLETE confidence. President DONALD J. TRUMP.

White House spokesperson Danielle Alvarez similarly said the anonymous sources “know nothing,” describing the administration as a “united team focused on his America First agenda – not the egos and political games of anonymous outsiders.”

Wiles has been one of Trump’s most durable political aides, working with him across multiple campaigns and serving as a senior strategist during his return to the White House before becoming chief of staff at the start of his second term.

Her current tenure has also coincided with a recent health scare. Trump disclosed in March that Wiles had been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, though she remained in the job during treatment. In September, Wiles said pathology results from the Mayo Clinic showed she was cancer-free, thanking Trump for his “unwavering support.”

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