President Donald Trump is reportedly scrambling to contain a growing White House firestorm after names of potential replacements for his longtime chief of staff, Susie Wiles, surfaced in a new report.
Trump has reportedly asked close friends and allies whether he should fire Wiles before Democrats potentially make major gains in the upcoming midterm elections.
The president has reportedly floated several names as possible successors, raising the stakes for the longtime aide. That’s according to a new report from Politico, which cited four sources in its reporting.
Some of the names Trump had floated to replace Wiles, the first female chief of staff, included Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and New York Yankees executive Randy Levine.
Two other names batted about, Politico reported, are real estate mogul and Trump negotiator Steve Witkoff and Federal Housing Finance Agency director Bill Pulte.
The Hill reported Trump responded to Politico, denying he has any such plans or that he talked with anyone about Wiles’ future.
“TOTAL FAKE NEWS Politico doesn’t care about facts, integrity, or honest journalism — it’s why I kicked them out of the White House!” the president said in a statement.
“Susie Wiles is my loyal and longest-serving Chief of Staff — there is a reason for that,” he insisted.
“She has been with me since the beginning, is my trusted advisor, and has my COMPLETE confidence,” he added.
Trump has a habit of reaching out to people close to him for advice on his staff. And Politico reported there are plenty of people encouraging him to dump Wiles, a longtime Florida political operative. At least one Republican player allegedly said Wiles has “burned a lot of people” during her time at the helm of the Trump administration.
Wiles was also a co-chair of Trump’s 2024 re-election campaign and has been widely credited with helping him retake the White House.
Another name surfacing as a possible replacement? Former Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The Independent is reporting that allies of McCarthy are suggesting he could help Trump manage a Democratic majority in Congress, especially with a potential future House Speaker, Hakeem Jeffries.
In a frenzy of social media posts, commenters shared that while they don’t particularly like Wiles, her potential replacement could be even worse.
“She’s an awful person. But I’m a little nervous that she’s the only thing keeping us from a catastrophic event,” a Threads user admitted.
Others agreed. “If he fires her, then the wheels really will come off the cart. There will be no adults in the room.”
This commenter joked, “He might want to consider that she knows where all the bodies are hidden.”
Another poster said simply, “Wow!”
Wiles has been with the Trump camp for quite some time.
She oversaw his operation in Florida during his first run for the White House in 2016. Then, in 2020, she again oversaw his Florida operation as co-chair and senior adviser, according to Ballotpedia.
After Trump lost to Joe Biden in 2020, Wiles served as chief executive of Trump’s political action committee, the Save America Leadership PAC.
Trump has repeatedly praised her work and claims he still has full faith in her.
“The Susie Wiles story was a fake story. She’s been incredible,” Trump told reporters Friday on the South Lawn.
“They released it knowing it was a fake story. Susie is here, and she’s going to be here for a long time,” he continued.
