Politico published a troubling report Thursday claiming that President Donald Trump has been quietly shopping around for a replacement for White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
According to Playbook, four people with direct knowledge say Trump has been asking friends and allies what they think of Wiles and discussing who might replace her. Those sources claim the questions have picked up as the November midterms draw closer and Trump grows frustrated with his political standing.
NEW in @Playbook: Trump is asking close allies about CoS Susie Wiles, and floating possible future successors, per sources Knives are out for Wiles—with rivals privately putting recent headlines surrounding her daughter’s foreign lobbying in front of POTUS urging he make changes, per sources One senior elected GOP official who received a call from Trump said the president had raised “the first honest questions about Susie” Wiles has survived past efforts, and so far has yet to discuss how long she’ll remain chief of staff with the president, per source familiar Trump in statement to Playbook forcefully stood by his longest serving CoS More with @DashaBurns:
— Will Steakin (@wsteaks) October 15, 2026
The names Trump has supposedly floated make for an eclectic list. It includes Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and Yankees president Randy Levine.
The report also claims that Wiles' rivals and critics have been feeding Trump negative coverage of her and her inner circle. Politico's sources also had plenty to say about Wiles herself.
"She's burned a lot of people," a Republican operative close to the White House told Playbook.
A senior outside Trump adviser, speaking about the people around Wiles, offered a harsher take. "Susie has this whole cadre of people that have been found to have been monetizing his ecosystem pretty dramatically," the adviser said.
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If this report about Wiles were true, it would be bad news. Wiles has done a decent job as chief of staff, albeit not a perfect one. When Trump returned to the White House, supporters expected her to keep him more focused and disciplined than he was during his first term. They believed she could pull it off, and overall, I think she has done well on that front.
That said, I've sometimes wished she had more control over his social media posting.
Last year, Trump posted on Truth Social about the murders of Rob Reiner and his wife, and I called that post an unforced error at the time and argued that Wiles should take away his phone, or at least review his posts before they go live. That episode was easily avoidable, and it stands out precisely because the rest of the operation has run so much more smoothly than the first time around. Trump’s recent doxxing of Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) was also not the best move.
However, the rumors appear to be false. Trump responded to the Politico report directly.
"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 in a statement to Politico. "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."
White House spokesperson Danielle Alvarez also weighed in, saying the anonymous sources "know nothing." She described the administration as a "united team focused on his America First agenda – not the egos and political games of anonymous outsiders."
It's worth noting that every critical voice in the Politico piece is anonymous. The people defending Wiles, by contrast, include the president himself and are on the record.