Susie Wiles reportedly knew about JD Vance’s Iran-war blame post before being pushed out
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Reports indicate that Susie Wiles, the former White House chief of staff, knew in advance about Vice President JD Vance’s social-media post blaming the Republican midterm losses on the Iran war before it was published, and that she was dismissed shortly afterward. The episode highlights the administration’s deep internal fractures over a costly and increasingly unpopular conflict.
Three Reuters sources said Susie Wiles, who was dismissed on Friday from her role as chief of staff to President Donald Trump, knew in advance of Vice President JD Vance’s viral post that blamed the Iran war for the Republican Party’s midterm defeat. The post read, “The reason we lost is the war… The president himself said so last night,” and added that voters could judge whether the loss was a worthwhile cost.
The statement was widely read as a clumsy attempt by the vice president to create daylight between himself and President Trump over an increasingly unpopular war, while Trump has kept defending the conflict even after acknowledging its effect on gas prices and the election outcome. “I would have done nothing different,” Trump told reporters.
Wiles and Vance have had a contentious relationship; a December Vanity Fair interview featured Wiles describing the vice president as a “conspiracy theorist for about a decade,” which Vance defended and Wiles later called a “disingenuously framed hit piece.” After news of Wiles’s departure became public, Vance posted a statement thanking her for her friendship and service, and praising Stephen Miller’s promotion.
Republican strategist Michael Ricci said Vance was using his vice-presidential platform to shape the debate ahead of his potential 2028 presidential bid. Trump later said he understood Vance’s perspective, adding, “I know how he feels about it. I think it was fine.”