Some MAGA and Trump supporters have expressed growing unease over President Trump’s selection of Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff, viewing her as a moderating influence that dilutes the America First agenda.
Critics have accused Wiles of steering the administration toward corporate-friendly policies and of being responsible for recent polls showing Democrats leading on the generic ballot for the first time since 2022.
In a rare interview on “The Mom View” podcast, Wiles outlined plans for Trump to hit the campaign trail aggressively before the 2026 midterms, aiming to rally low-propensity GOP voters and avert a potential blue wave by treating the races like a 2024 rematch. She emphasized Trump’s “turnout machine” status, noting recent off-year losses as evidence of what happens without his active involvement, and highlighted his massive war chest for supporting Republican candidates.
Wiles’ extensive background as a mega-lobbyist, representing 42 clients from 2017 to 2024, including tobacco giant Swisher and foreign entities like Venezuela’s Globovisión, owned by indicted money launderer Raúl Gorrín, has fueled accusations of siphoning influence to special interests. Advocacy groups like Public Citizen have demanded that she recuse herself from policies affecting former clients, warning of conflicts of interest in areas such as mining, gaming, and international relations.
Adding to the controversy, Wiles once served as a key advisor to Ron DeSantis’ 2018 gubernatorial campaign, and DeSantis fired her in 2019 amid suspicions that she was charging lobbyists for access. DeSantis even pressured Trump to oust her from his 2020 Florida operation, though Trump later rehired her.
Despite the backlash from hardline MAGA voices calling for her removal over perceived sabotage of movements like MAHA, Wiles’ power and influence in the White House remain substantial as the first woman in the role. Trump recently quipped at an event that she is “the most powerful woman in the world,” adding that she could “take out a country with one phone call” and might even outrank him as the most powerful person overall.
We want to ask you, the reader: do you support keeping Susie Wiles as Trump’s Chief of Staff? Answer in our poll below and comment your thoughts on her role and performance in Trump’s White House so far.
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