Trump Removes Wiles After Midterm Losses
Susie Wiles’ tenure as White House chief of staff ended on Friday, November 6, after a confrontation with President Donald Trump over Republicans’ midterm losses. Trump said he wanted a change and praised Wiles’ work, while a White House official disputed claims that he had shouted at her during a meeting with aides on Thursday.
Accounts of her departure differ on how it unfolded. Wiles submitted a resignation letter Thursday night, but Trump had not accepted it by Friday morning. She returned to the Oval Office and said the departure had to proceed. She had sought to remain until February, but her last day was Friday. Stephen Miller is expected to take over on Monday.
The election losses saw Democrats take both the House and Senate. Trump acknowledged that higher gasoline costs linked to the Iran war had affected voters. Some Wiles allies were said to have blamed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for the results, while advisers told Trump that Wiles’ team was leaking information about Hegseth. A former administration official also accused Wiles of leaking.
Wiles had arranged a Camp David meeting with White House aides for Saturday, but it was delayed and then canceled as Trump traveled to Florida. Hegseth celebrated Miller’s appointment in posts on X, praising him without mentioning Wiles. The personnel change places Miller in charge of the chief of staff role as Trump’s administration responds to the midterm defeat.
Trump’s Midterm Fallout Ends With Wiles’ Ouster
The White House’s response to a sweeping midterm defeat has ended with the departure of Susie Wiles, Trump’s chief of staff and the first woman to hold the role. Democrats took both chambers, and Wiles was gone by Friday, November 6. Stephen Miller is due to take over on Monday.
Trump said he wanted a change and complimented Wiles, but accounts from people familiar with the dispute describe him berating her over the election results. A White House representative said Trump did not raise his voice. Wiles submitted a resignation letter Thursday night, sought to stay until February, then returned to the Oval Office Friday and said the departure had to proceed. Trump did not agree to the longer transition.
The losses came as Trump acknowledged voters were unwilling to absorb higher gasoline costs tied to the Iran war. Wiles’ allies were said to have blamed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for the outcome, while advisers accused her team of leaking information about him. Hegseth publicly cheered Miller’s promotion but said nothing about Wiles.
The change leaves a woman who had been central to Trump’s operation out of the White House after a major electoral setback. The administration’s next move is a new chief of staff, not a public account of how its approach to the election failures will change.
Trump Replaces Chief of Staff After Midterm Rout
After Republicans lost both chambers, Trump moved to replace chief of staff Susie Wiles, whose operation had promised a midterm win. She left on Friday, November 6, and Stephen Miller is set to assume the role on Monday.
Wiles submitted a resignation letter Thursday night, but the transition she wanted—staying until February—did not happen. Trump said he wanted to make a change and described her work positively. Accounts from people familiar with a Thursday meeting say he berated her over the losses; a White House representative rejected claims he yelled. Wiles returned to the Oval Office on Friday and said the departure had to be settled.
The election outcome has also sharpened scrutiny of the administration’s handling of the Iran war and its effect on gasoline costs. Trump acknowledged that voters were unwilling to bear those higher costs. Wiles’ allies were said to have tried to pin blame on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, while Trump’s advisers accused her team of leaking about him. A former administration official also alleged she leaked.
Hegseth celebrated Miller’s appointment on X, praising his loyalty and political stance. Replacing Wiles puts a new chief of staff in charge after a costly political failure and a dispute over who should bear responsibility for it.
Reported by The Daily Beast, Daily Mail US.
