President Donald Trump is firing back at a new Politico Playbook report claiming he has privately asked allies whether he should replace White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, insisting his longtime aide has his “COMPLETE confidence.”
According to the report, published Thursday, the president has recently begun consulting with friends and political allies about their views on Wiles and discussing possible successors. Playbook cited four people with direct knowledge of the conversations.
The inquiries have reportedly intensified as the November midterms draw closer and Trump grows frustrated with his political standing, according to the outlet.
Among the potential replacements Trump has allegedly floated are Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and New York Yankees president Randy Levine. The report also claims Trump has considered Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Politico reported that Wiles’ rivals and critics have seized on the moment, forwarding Trump negative coverage involving Wiles and members of her inner circle.
“She’s burned a lot of people,” one Republican operative close to the White House told Playbook.
Recent scrutiny has centered 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, flatly rejected the notion that Wiles’ job is in jeopardy, issuing an emphatic denial in his signature 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!” Trump 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.”
The White House also pushed back hard. Spokesperson Danielle Alvarez 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 proven to be one of Trump’s most enduring political aides. She has worked alongside him across multiple campaigns and served as a senior strategist during his return to the White House before becoming chief of staff at the start of his second term.
Her time in the role has also included a serious health scare. Trump disclosed in March that Wiles had been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, though she stayed on the job throughout her treatment.
In September, Wiles shared encouraging news, saying pathology results from the Mayo Clinic showed she was cancer-free. She thanked Trump for his “unwavering support” during her battle.
Despite the swirl of anonymous claims, the president’s message is clear: Wiles remains his chief of staff, and he stands firmly behind her.
[READ MORE: Michigan Senate Hopeful Abdul El-Sayed Faces Questions After Denying Family Ties to Muslim Brotherhood]
