• Analysis
Susie Wiles Exits as White House Women Face Wave of Dismissals and Resignations
Susie Wiles, the first woman to serve as White House chief of staff, will leave her post, Donald Trump said on Friday in a Truth Social post. Her departure lands amid a string of dismissals and resignations by women across the Trump administration.
Trump's announcement
Donald Trump said on Friday that Susie Wiles, the first woman to hold the White House chief of staff job, will leave her post, announcing the move alongside the appointment of her replacement, the immigration hardliner Stephen Miller, in a post on Truth Social. Wiles reportedly handed in her resignation on Thursday night.
Trump told reporters on Friday: "I wanted to make a change," going on to praise both Wiles and Miller. Wiles said serving in the role "has been the honor of a lifetime," adding: "I'm so proud to have been a part of what we've accomplished together, from securing our border".
A pattern of departures
Wiles is the newest name on a list of senior women who have left or been removed from the administration in recent months:
- •White House press secretary Katie Zacharia was ousted just five days after taking up the role
- •Former homeland security secretary Kristi Noem was dismissed
- •Former attorney general Pam Bondi was also dismissed
- •Former national intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard reportedly resigned under pressure
- •Kimberly Guilfoyle, the former US ambassador to Greece, has departed her post
Wiles had stayed on through a breast cancer diagnosis, announced in September that she was cancer-free, and was once told by Trump: "She's going to be here for a long time".
Justice Department resignations
Just a day before Trump announced Wiles's ouster, Harmeet Dhillon, head of the justice department's civil rights division, also resigned. Her departure comes amid expectations that Democrats will use their majority in Congress to investigate federal agencies under Trump, including the US justice department.
Two other justice department figures have also gone: John Eisenberg, the assistant attorney general for national security, and Jason Reding Quiñones, a key attorney who led inquiries into Trump's rivals.
Who remains
Few women remain in Trump's cabinet, among them agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins and Kelly Loeffler, head of the Small Business Administration. Natalie Harp, a 35-year-old political aide, remains a frequent presence by the president's side and has described him in letters as "my guardian and protector".
Wiles's departure takes effect as announced on Friday.
