President Donald Trump hinted that further changes could be coming to his inner circle after dismissing Chief of Staff Susie Wiles on Friday.
Trump, 80, spoke with 60 Minutes yesterday, just hours before announcing Wiles’ departure and naming Stephen Miller as her successor.
“I do,” the Republican president replied when journalist Ross Douthat asked whether he expected to remove anyone following his party’s heavy losses in Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Democrats won control of both the House and Senate and even flipped deep-red Texas, electing Gina Hinojosa as governor and James Talarico to the Senate.
“I love my Cabinet, I think they’re good,” Trump said. “But I’ll be making maybe a few changes. I don’t want to mention who.”
Douthat then asked whether controversial Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth could be among those facing removal. Trump appeared to indicate that Hegseth was safe for the time being.
“I do,” Trump said when asked whether he still had confidence in Hegseth.
“Look, we’ve won two wars. We’ve won Venezuela and taken out billions and billions and billions of dollars already, and we will be taking out many billions of dollars… We won that war in less than one hour.”
President Donald Trump, 80, suggested that more dismissals could be coming from his inner circle just hours before he fired Susie Wiles
Trump announced Wiles’ departure on Friday. Sources told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that the rest of the Cabinet is operating in a “knives out” atmosphere
Sources told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that tension inside the rest of Trump’s Cabinet had reached a “knives out” level.
“It’s hard to overstate just how factionalized that environment has become in the last several days alone,” Collins said.
Aides she interviewed described a workplace marked by tension and infighting, comparing it with the “knives-out” atmosphere of Trump’s first term.
According to Collins’ sources, Wiles’ departure “will only accelerate the shift in the balance of power that is underway right now.”
CNN’s sources said Trump privately blamed Wiles for the Republican Party’s poor showing in the midterm elections.
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Trump, however, told reporters on Friday that her departure was “not because of the election.”
Wiles was replaced by longtime aide Stephen Miller, who was seen boarding Air Force One with Trump.
“I am pleased to announce that Mr. Stephen Miller, the current Deputy Chief of Staff of the Trump Administration, and one of my most trusted advisors, will become the Chief of Staff starting Monday, November 9, 2026,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump appeared to suggest that controversial Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth would remain in his post for now
Wiles joins the list of Cabinet officials Trump has removed, including former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and former Attorney General Pam Bondi
“Susie Wiles, who has done an outstanding job, will be moving over to the Trump Political Operation. I want to thank her for her service as Chief of Staff — she has done a great job!”
The scale of the Democrats’ victory earlier this week was so significant that it could leave Republicans without a congressional majority for much of the next decade — a difficult prospect for conservatives who have urged Trump to overhaul his team.
Although the sudden change came as a surprise, Our News Outlet reported in June that Wiles had been quietly preparing an exit plan for after the midterms. The White House denied the report at the time.
Asked about the shake-up Friday afternoon, Trump told reporters: “I wanted to make a change. I think Susie’s done a very good job, a great job, but… we gotta make moves. Sometimes in life, you have to make moves.”
That account differs from the version offered by a senior White House official, who told Our News Outlet that Wiles “gave her resignation last night.”
Trump has said publicly that he decided a change was necessary, while the official described the departure as Wiles’ decision. The conflicting accounts have fueled questions about what prompted the transition.
Wiles joins the growing list of Cabinet officials Trump has ousted, including former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and former Attorney General Pam Bondi.
The Daily Mail has contacted the White House for comment.
Trump’s 60 Minutes interview will air Sunday at 7 p.m. on CBS.
