President Trump said news stories suggesting he’ll oust White House chief of staff Susie Wiles are false, tamping down rumors shortly after firing newly minted press secretary Katie Zacharia, who was “transitioned” from the job after just four days.
Mr. Trump told reporters Friday as he departed the White House that a Politico report claiming Ms. Wiles is on her way out is a “fake story” and that Ms. Wiles “has been incredible,” “smart” and “tough.”
Reports swirled in Politico and other outlets that Ms. Wiles, nicknamed “Ice Maiden” by the president, may leave her position after the midterm elections due to tensions within the administration.
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Other top Trump aides are jockeying for her role, including deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, news reports claimed.
But it was Ms. Zacharia who was forced out of a job, while Ms. Wiles, according to Mr. Trump, “will be here for a long time.”
Ms. Zacharia, 41, left the job after just one rocky press briefing. It lasted 15 minutes and seemed overly scripted to some critics. She also faced questions about why she identified herself as a lawyer despite not passing the bar exam.
News reports credit Ms. Wiles, at least in part, for her downfall. They claim Ms. Wiles arranged for Ms. Zacharia’s interview on Fox News’s “Hannity,” where she struggled to answer questions about her law credentials and disastrous press briefing.
“It’s been widely panned. I’m sure you’re aware,” host Sean Hannity said of her first briefing Tuesday. “It only lasted 14 minutes. You only took three questions.”
Ms. Zacharia said she detailed Mr. Trump’s accomplishments and delivered breaking news about a major change in the administration, referring to the forced resignation of Kimberly Guilfoyle, who had been serving as U.S. ambassador to Greece.
“Given the fact that I’ve been on the job less than maybe eight hours and had a briefing book in the morning, I feel like I did my very best, Sean, to deliver for the American people that day,” Ms. Zacharia said.
Ms. Wiles’ anonymous allies told news outlets that she had nothing to do with setting up the interview.
Mr. Trump admitted to reporters on Friday that he urged Ms. Zacharia to reconsider taking the job, citing the “nasty” response to her public debut.
“I said to Katie, ’You know, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” he told White House reporters Friday. “I said to her, ’Honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider.’
“I just want her to be happy,” Mr. Trump said.
Ms. Wiles, who served as Mr. Trump’s 2024 co-campaign manager, batted down the rumors she’s leaving the White House, telling reporters, “To be crystal clear, I am not going anywhere.”
Ms. Wiles, 69, recently completed treatment for breast cancer.
Mr. Trump told reporters that Ms. Wiles will remain in her role until he finishes his second term.
“Susie is here, and she’s going to be here for a long time,” the president said.
Mr. Trump, 80, once explained Ms. Wiles’ nickname, telling a crowd of lawmakers last year that “she’s very nice until she decides not to be, then she’s brutal.”
Meanwhile, Ms. Zacharia’s firing occurred while she was in the middle of an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
According to reports, Trump senior adviser Jason Miller knocked on the door and asked Ms. Zacharia to step outside for a talk with Vice President J.D. Vance. She did not return to the interview room.
According to the White House, she’ll be transitioned into another role, which has yet to be identified.
On Friday, hours after she was fired, Ms. Zacharia posted a photo standing next to Mr. Trump in the Oval Office.
“President Trump is a kind, wonderful, gracious, thoughtful, enthusiastic, and hardworking man. I wish more Americans appreciated him. No one will ever make America great the way he has and continues to,” she said. “It was an honor to work for him.”
• Jeff Mordock, Tom Howell Jr. and Kerry Picket contributed to this report.
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