Former Trump aide: Prospect of replacing Wiles with Stephen Miller ‘terrifying’

Sarah Matthews, a former White House deputy press secretary, said Sunday that the prospect of President Trump replacing chief of staff Susie Wiles with deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller was “terrifying” amid speculation Wiles will depart after the midterms .

Trump has dismissed reporting that Wiles could soon leave her post , but Matthews told MeidasTouch’s Jack Cocchiarella that Trump “is unhappy with the way things are right now” and appears to be blaming Wiles.

“He’s been doing his favorite thing, which is calling around, seeing what people think of different names that he floats if he chooses to replace her,” Matthews said. “Publicly, he said that he’s sticking with Susie, but we know that he’s making these calls, and one of those names is Stephen Miller.”

“And that is a terrifying prospect,” she added.

Matthews said Wiles is not “crazy” but accused her of being “complicit in the horrors of this administration.”

“Stephen Miller is bats— crazy,” she continued. “And the idea that in the last two years of Trump’s administration, when he’s going to be spiraling because he’s a lame-duck president … The idea of someone like a Stephen Miller in charge is a very scary thing.”

Matthews told Cocchiarella that she and Miller “interacted here and there,” including when Matthews would work with former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany before briefings during Trump’s first term. She said Miller would go to McEnany’s office and “help consult if we felt like we needed his guidance on something or advice or whatever it was.”

Former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney told NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday” that he expects Wiles to depart the White House after the midterms “not necessarily because she’s fallen out of favor with Trump. It’s just a natural sort of time to make that change.”

Trump said Politico’s reporting Thursday about Wiles departing in the near future was “TOTAL FAKE NEWS,” accusing the outlet of not caring about “facts, integrity, or honest journalism –– it’s why I kicked them out of the White House!”

“Susie Wiles is my loyal and longest serving Chief of Staff — there is a reason for that,” he said in a statement. “She has been with me since the beginning, is my trusted advisor, and has my COMPLETE confidence.”

Trump told CNN on Friday that Wiles has “been incredible” and will be with the White House “for a long time.”

Wiles is seen as one of Trump’s most trusted advisers and confidants, shaping his second administration after serving as his 2024 co-campaign manager.

Following her breast cancer diagnosis earlier this year, Trump praised Wiles as an “amazing person” and an “amazing fighter.” She said in September she was cancer free .