The midterms produced a gigantic sea change, and now everybody has to figure out the rules of New DC. Democrats are back in control of Congress and deciding how much time to spend prosecuting the Trump administration versus advancing their own agenda. Meanwhile, the person who defined Trump 2.0 is gone: Susie Wiles is out as chief of staff, and Stephen Miller is replacing her.
Wiles was seen as necessary for this version of Donald Trump to become president again. After January 6, she steadied an orbit so chaotic that Trump didn’t know who was real, who wasn’t and who was taking money from him. Along with Chris LaCivita and Tony Fabrizio, she formed the core of the operation that rebuilt Trump’s political power. But chiefs of staff make enemies because they’re the only thing separating powerful people from the most powerful person on the planet. Wiles’ enemies accused her and her daughter of pay-to-play corruption and of keeping “real MAGA” out of power.
