Kate Laurensen is a veteran reporter. She started out covering entertainment news for the local city paper before moving up to the City desk. She studied journalism at San Francisco City College for the Arts.
November 6 , 2026
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Friday that he would replace White House chief of staff Susie Wiles with Stephen Miller, blaming Wiles for Republicans’ midterm defeat and citing a series of additional grievances, including what he described as insufficient enthusiasm for a new helipad.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said the election results reflected shortcomings in political planning and communication. He said Wiles had failed to ensure that Republican candidates adequately emphasized his administration’s accomplishments.
“We had a very good message, and it wasn’t delivered,” Trump said. “Susie was in charge of a lot of that.”
The president then turned to the helipad, which he described as an example of a broader failure by senior aides to recognize improvements he had made.
“We built a beautiful new helipad,” he said. “Very practical, very important. I showed it to Susie, and she said, ‘That should make the scheduling easier.’ That was her response.”
Asked what response he had expected, Trump said, “Some enthusiasm.”
Two people familiar with the discussions said the president had raised the exchange repeatedly during meetings about the election results. One said Trump viewed Wiles’s reaction as evidence that she had become less engaged with his priorities. The other said the conversation had originally concerned helicopter movements and scheduling.
Wiles declined to address the president’s remarks directly. In a brief statement, she thanked White House employees and said she remained committed to supporting the administration.
Miller said his focus would be on carrying out the president’s agenda and coordinating the staff.
“The president has set clear expectations,” he said. Asked whether those expectations included greater enthusiasm for the helipad, Miller said transportation infrastructure was “an important component of presidential operations.”
The appointment followed several days of internal discussions over responsibility for the Republican losses. According to people familiar with those conversations, aides offered competing explanations involving campaign spending, candidate recruitment, and the administration’s message.
Trump rejected suggestions that the results called for a change in his own approach. “The policies were right,” he said. “We need people who can explain them.”
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