Trump Aides Jostle for Chief of Staff Role 18 Days Before Midterms as GOP Losses Loom
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Oct 16
Trump Aides Jostle for Chief of Staff Role 18 Days Before Midterms as GOP Losses Loom
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Oct 16
Summary
18 days before the midterms, White House aides have begun openly maneuvering for power, with Stephen Miller, Bill Pulte and Lee Zeldin seen angling for chief of staff if Susie Wiles departs after expected GOP losses.
Trump intensified the turmoil by moving to bring in Katie Zacharia as press secretary without consulting Wiles, a step aides viewed as undercutting her authority and exposing a less-settled chain of command.
Wiles has given no sign she plans to leave, but Trump has been venting to allies about weak public defenses of him and worries information is not reaching him, while also criticizing advisers James Blair and Chris LaCivita.
Internal GOP polling shows support for Republican candidates cratered after the Dallas convention, and aides increasingly expect Republicans to lose the House while viewing the Senate as a 50-50 fight, with Kansas and Texas now in play.
The infighting marks a break from the discipline Wiles imposed after running Trump’s 2024 campaign and increasingly resembles the factional battles that defined his first White House.