In the first big White House shakeup following the disastrous-for-Republicans midterms, Trump's close advisor and chief of staff Susie Wiles is being replaced by Voldemort himself, Stephen Miller.
Susie Wiles is taking her leave of the Trump White House, after working at Donald Trump's side for much of the past decade and after being named the first woman to serve as White House chief of staff after Trump won his second term in 2024. Wiles, a Florida-based communications and political consultant, has been seen as one of Trump's steadying forces in the White House, but she's now being blamed for advocating for Trump's super PAC's massive spending in the midterms ($400M), which amounted to a whole lot of nothing for the party.
As the New York Times reports, Trump had been reluctant to commit the money, and had only done so in September.
Just as happened in Trump's first term, tensions and interpersonal dramas have been bubbling up in the White House, and we are likely to see more departures and firings in the coming weeks. On Thursday we learned that former SF GOP Chair Harmeet Dhillon was resigning from Trump's Department of Justice, where she had played a key role in going after universities over antisemitism and DEI programs.
Evidence of Trump's growing rift with Wiles has been growing, per the Times, with Wiles being cut out of hiring decisions — including the disastrous hiring of inexperienced political commentator Katie Zacharia to serve as Press Secretary, which she only did for a matter of days.
And Trump has reportedly been criticizing Wiles in front of others in recent weeks, "including over decisions he had approved," the Times reports.
Wiles submitted her resignation to the president on Thursday, as the Associated Press reports.
"Serving President Trump in the White House has been the honor of a lifetime," Wiles said in a statement. "I’m so proud to have been a part of what we’ve accomplished together from securing our border and cutting taxes to strengthening our economy and putting America First." Wiles added in a social media post that her commitment to "the President and the mission" will not change after her departure.
Given that Wiles was seen as one of the remaining "adults in the room" during Trump's unhinged second term, perhaps the wheels will really come off now. Wiles has even managed to be critical of Trump without raising his ire — telling Vanity Fair last year that the president has "an alcoholic's personality" despite being a teetotaler himself.
Stephen Miller, the architect of Trump's brutal immigration raids and more, will now assume the chief of staff role — which will likely lead to more "Lord Voldemort" jokes from Gavin Newsom.
Wiles, who also previously served as an advisor to Florida governors Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis, began working with the Trump campaign in 2016. Her LinkedIn lists her as the CEO (contract) of Save America Leadership PAC, and the principal of Right Coast Strategies, based in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Wiles announced she was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year, but subsequently said she was "cancer free" in September.
Related: Former SF GOP Chair Harmeet Dhillon Resigns From DOJ After Turbulent Tenure
