Trump Says 'Zero Chance' He Fires Susie Wiles as West Wing Infighting Spills Into View
After two days of replacement rumors, the president backed his chief of staff, while insiders brace for blame games if the midterms go badly.
Eighteen days before the midterms, the most talked-about job in Washington was not on the ballot.
According to the New York Post, President Trump moved Friday to end two days of speculation that he might replace White House chief of staff Susie Wiles. "Zero chance," he said of firing her, adding that she is "going to be here for a long time." He called a Politico Playbook report that he was asking allies who might replace her "fake news," saying, "I could not be more happy with Susie." A close outside adviser told the Post, "I can tell when he is being genuine, and he really meant that."
Wiles was declared cancer-free last month after medical treatments, the Post notes, and is widely credited with bringing stability to a West Wing that was consumed by personnel drama in Trump's first term.
So why the rumors? The Post points to several things. Trump made an on-the-spot job offer to Katie Zacharia as press secretary last Friday without Wiles being part of the interview. Zacharia was out of a job by this Friday after a rough first week. Last week, Trump fumed publicly over reports that two MAGA Inc. super PAC leaders, Chris LaCivita and James Blair, took a paid side trip to the pro-Russian Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Later reports noted that Wiles' daughter had also recently traveled to the territory.
Insiders told the Post that people close to the president are positioning themselves in case Republicans do poorly on Nov. 3. Names mentioned in the speculation include housing official Bill Pulte and deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. Corey Lewandowski, according to the Washington Post as cited by the New York Post, has been pushing for Pulte, though he denies discussing it with Trump. "All the infighting [is] so so great two weeks ahead of midterms," one administration official said sarcastically.
Some Republican sources argue staff would not be to blame for a bad night, pointing instead to the Iran war's effects on energy prices, inflation and interest rates. Others say Republicans could beat expectations. "As long as she wants the job, I think she could have it," one said.
For now, the answer from the top is clear. Wiles stays.