President Donald Trump's longtime chronicler says the president has already started a ritual that spells doom for one of his most powerful aides.
In a Thursday episode of "Inside Trump's Head" co-hosted by Joanna Coles, Trump biographer Michael Wolff said the president is "asking around" about White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, a habit Wolff called "the kiss of death" in Trump's orbit.
Coles pointed to a Politico report Thursday morning that Trump has been calling people to sound them out on Wiles. Wolff predicted earlier this year that she would not survive past the midterms.
Wolff said he knows the routine firsthand.
"He calls up people, and he's actually even done this to me," Wolff said. "And he says, 'What do you think about so-and-so? What do you think about Steve?'"
Wolff said that question was about Steve Bannon.
"Everybody knows that the asking around about is the kiss of death," Wolff said. "That means you have to say, 'Well, you know, I think there's some issues there, Mr. President.'"
He added that the calls themselves chip away at the target as word travels.
"It begins to undermine people," Wolff said. "So this gets spread from one person to another."
Asked whether that means the end for Wiles, Wolff did not hedge.
"I expect that it does mean that after the midterms, she will be toast," he said.
Wolff brushed off reports that Trump is asking about possible replacements, saying the names matter less than the message.
"What he is doing is sending a signal that Susie Wiles is out," Wolff said. "He's poisoning the Susie Wiles ground."
Coles asked why Wiles, who must know what is happening, would not simply walk away now. Wolff said she will stay put until the votes are counted.
"She'll wait until after the midterms," he said. "That's just what you do if you have a scintilla of loyalty."
Wolff also said it was "very possible" Wiles had no idea Trump planned to name Katie Zacharia as White House press secretary until he announced it.
He contrasted Wiles with Nikki Haley, who quit as UN ambassador ahead of an election rather than ride out a sinking ship.
"I think the goal was not to be taken down by the ship," Wolff said. "Where is she now?"