White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles appears to be on the way out the door as President Donald Trump calls friends and allies seeking their input on her replacement.
Among the names being floated by the president is controversial adviser Stephen Miller.
According to a report from Politico Playbook, Trump has been "soliciting views" on Wiles from friends and allies and musing about replacements, four people with direct knowledge of the conversations said. The calls have picked up as the November election nears and Trump expresses private frustration with his poll numbers, the outlet reported. One senior elected Republican official who got a call said the president raised “the first honest questions about Susie.”
That official said Trump mentioned Stephen Miller, his deputy chief of staff, and New York Yankees President Randy Levine as an "outside option." People close to the president told Playbook he is also considering Steve Witkoff, Bill Pulte and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, whose allies argue he could help Trump "handle a hostile Democratic Congress."
Playbook reported that Wiles’ rivals and people who feel “burned” by her have been encouraging Trump and sharing unfavorable coverage of her and her family with him.
“She’s burned a lot of people,” a Republican operative close to the White House admitted to Playbook.
Trump pushed back in a statement to Playbook. “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.”
A White House official told Playbook that Wiles has yet to discuss with Trump how long she will stay.
Playbook said Trump has bristled at reports that advisers James Blair and Chris LaCivita, allies of Wiles, did paid work for Republika Srpska, a semi-autonomous Bosnian Serb territory. It also cited reports that Wiles’ daughter Katie represented the territory; her spokesperson has said she “has not spoken with any United States Government official regarding Srpska,” the Daily Beast reported.
One person close to Trump said he wasn’t previously aware of her work and that Wiles’ rivals made sure the headlines "reached the president," Politico reported.