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Disbelief as White House suggests Susie Wiles may not have known she was on record
Despite having about a year's worth of interviews — 11 to be exact — for an in-depth Vanity Fair story, White House insiders scrambled on Tuesday, suggesting to CNN that President Donald Trump's Chief of Staff Susie Wiles may not have known she was on the record.
The bombshell story prompted a White House meltdown and plenty of chatter in Washington, D.C.
"But obviously this has really left the White House and not just the White House, but Trump world as a whole in a state of shock," CNN senior White House correspondent Kristen Holmes said. "I cannot tell you how many conspiracy theories I've heard about how this interview got published, whether it was the idea that she thought she was talking off the record, whether it was the idea that she was sitting for some kind of other interview that wasn't going to be published immediately, that it has something to do with the 2028 campaign, because Susie Wiles is a calculated and political figure. Everything she does has meaning."
The interview was an unusual move for Wiles, who generally has stood guard behind the scenes.
"She is not somebody who seeks the limelight," Holmes added. "She doesn't get out there in the press and do interviews. So the fact that she did this to so many people who are close to President Trump say that it must mean something. Now, of course, again, Wiles has said that that's not the case, that it was just taken out of context. There was an omission in much of what she said. But again, this has caused quite a stir here at the White House."
Social media users responded to the story and Wiles' accusations that she might not have known the interviews were to be included in the story.
"Susie Wiles: What’s that recorder for? Reporter: Recording your answers. Susie Wiles: Right, like I’m going to say anything that’ll come back to bite me in the a--. Ha!" Chris Robinson, former referee and manager, wrote on X.
"Why would a chief of staff agree to an interview that she may now be saying she thought was off the record???. Under those circumstances it's not an 'interview,'" Duff Montgomerie, who described himself as a retired public servant, wrote on X.
"If you give multiple interviews to Vanity Fair and don’t know whether or not you are on or off the record - then you are not qualified to be a chief of staff. Speaking as a chief of staff," Dj Omega Mvp wrote on X.
"Translation: CNN can't believe Wiles would be that dumb," college instructor Anthony M. Hopper wrote on X.
"Haha! So now Wiles & the White House want to follow the rules," social worker and gerontologist Dolly Madison wrote on X.
"She’s been around long enough," retired attorney and professor Howell Ellerman wrote on X.
‘It’s not me wearing a MAGA hat!’ Dem scrambles as identical twin leaps into politics
Sometimes, identical twins enter politics together. One of the most famous examples are Julián and Joaquin Castro, who have both held various offices in Texas. But in Indiana, something even more unusual is brewing: a pair of identical twins active in politics — but in opposite parties.
The reveal came on Tuesday, when Indianapolis City Councilor Nick Roberts posted a video statement on X, captioned, "Addressing something you might have heard about. And no, this isn’t a joke."
"My identical twin brother, Nate, has recently decided to get involved in Republican politics," said Roberts. "While this might seem ridiculous for a lot of reasons, it's been very confusing because we look similar, because he's a Republican, and because a lot of people didn't know I was a twin in the first place."
"Like a lot of families, we have a lot of political disagreement in ours, and it's just something that we've had to deal with," said Roberts. "So, just know if you see somebody that looks like me at a Republican event, or definitely if they're wearing a MAGA hat, it is not me. It is him. And while we disagree on a lot of things, he's still my brother and I care about him. We just disagree on basically every single political issue."
Roberts' brother recently gained attention when he spoke at the Indiana legislature in support of President Donald Trump's mid-decade gerrymandering scheme that would have deleted the state's two Democratic congressional districts. That plan, which triggered months of White House pressure and violent threats against Indiana lawmakers, ultimately failed as even a majority of the GOP state Senate caucus voted it down.
This is not the first time a pair of brothers has found themselves on opposite sides in politics. Another such pair is Brad Woodhouse, who heads up the liberal health care group Protect Our Care, and Dallas Woodhouse, who previously headed the North Carolina Republican Party.
‘All that glitters is not gold’: Trump’s shiny new scheme brutally mocked
President Donald Trump's latest scheme got a brutal mocking on social media after months of imposing harsh regulations on visas, a looming social media policy for tourists, and anti-immigrant remarks.
Trump on Wednesday revealed that his "Trump Gold Card," which allows wealthy foreigners to effectively purchase residency in the United States for $1 million — with a $15 million DHS processing fee — was now available on the government's website. The policy is intended to replace the existing EB-5 immigrant investor visa program, which allows foreign entrepreneurs to apply for a U.S. work permit if they either invest $800,000 in the U.S. economy or create at least 10 U.S. jobs. The upcoming platinum card is slated to cost $5 million.
Trump wrote this on his Truth Social platform:
"THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT’S TRUMP GOLD CARD IS HERE TODAY! A direct path to Citizenship for all qualified and vetted people. SO EXCITING! Our Great American Companies can finally keep their invaluable Talent. Live Site opens in 30 minutes! trumpcard.gov"
The website featured a scene of eagles flying over amber mountains with a visa tucked behind the landscape background and the text "Unlock life in America."
Social media users had plenty to say in response to the announcement.
"Trump: You just pay me with this make believe gold card and do whatever the hell you want. We love bribes. Especially gold, card shaped bribes," Chris Robinson wrote on X.
"The gold card does not provide expedited EB-1 or EB-2 green cards. They are still subject to the same per-country quota and limited numbers of green cards. They also require dependents to pay an extra $1 million each. All that glitters is not gold," immigration attorney Emily Neumann wrote on X.
"American entrepreneurs now have to compete with wealthy foreigners coming in? The hotel business has already succumbed to this phenomenon. The American dream is being killed by a thousand cuts, and the Trump Gold Card is a deep one," Matthew VanDyke wrote on X.
"Genuinely agog at this; Trump's 'Gold Card' application suggests they'll let people pay the US in crypto, after declaring anyone who has $1 million is inherently a person of 'exceptional business ability' who should be allowed to get an employment-based visa without a job," Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, American Immigration Council fellow, wrote on X.
"An official website of the United States Government," Irish sociologist Kieran Healy wrote on Bluesky, sharing images of the website.
"Just how unserious is the Trump Gold Card program? The administration has been promising it's 'days away' for the last six months, and the website is now touting a separate 'Platinum Card' product with no details other than the option to join a waitlist. Email scam-a-- government," writer Jay Willis wrote on Bluesky.
‘2 private jets not enough?’ Kristi Noem roundly mocked for pricey airplane purchase
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was roundly mocked by political analysts and observers on Wednesday after it was revealed that her agency is spending $140 million to buy new airplanes for its deportation operations.
The Washington Post first reported on Wednesday that DHS has signed a $140 million contract with a company called Daedalus Aviation, which was formed in August 2024, to purchase six Boeing 737 airplanes that a Trump administration official told the outlet will allow immigration agents to "operate more effectively, including by using more efficient flight patterns."
Daedalus Aviation appears to have been created by a pair of executives from a company that already has a nearly $1 billion contract with DHS, according to the report.
Political analysts and observers shared their reactions on social media.
"You can’t afford healthcare — and DHS is buying itself a fleet of 737s with your money," the House Homeland Security Committee Democrats posted on X. "Were 2 private Gulfstream jets not enough for Kristi?"
"DHS is spending $140 million dollars on 6 Boeing 737 planes so they can have their own 'deportation fleet.' F Boeing," independent journalist Karly Kingsley posted on X.
"DHS is now for the first time buying its own deportation planes," journalist Katya Schwenk posted on X. "ICE already uses air charter companies for deportation flights, which is cheaper than maintaining a fleet; imo, this is about making it more difficult to scale back the agency in the long run."
"Your tax dollars at evil. Evil in your name," author Jeff Jarvis posted on X.
Trump personally begged MAGA ally not to primary GOP lawmaker — but failed
President Donald Trump failed to keep a Republican primary clear for one of his MAGA allies in his home state of New York.
The president personally called attorney Bruce Blakeman, the county executive for Nassau County, to persuade him not to run in the GOP gubernatorial primary against Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), saying polling indicated she was the favorite to face off against Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, but he entered the race anyway, reported New York Magazine.
“He’s great, and she’s great,” Trump said after Blakeman announced his candidacy. “They’re both great people.”
However, sources told the magazine that Trump believes Blakeman will lose the primary but doesn't want to publicly come out against him, and New York Republicans say the situation reminds them of the 2022 GOP primary, when Lee Zeldin had to spend much of his campaign money to win a fairly uncompetitive race before losing that November.
“He ran a hell of a race against Kathy Hochul, as close as anyone’s come in a generation,” said one New York Republican operative. “Can we say for sure that, if not for the primary, he wins? No, we can’t say that, but boy, he’d have had a better shot.”
Blakeman may not appear on the ballot unless he wins the support of 25 percent of attendees at the party’s February convention, where Stefanik will likely have many allies, or obtains 15,000 valid signatures from registered Republicans across the state.
President rages at paper, calling reporting on his health ‘seditious’ and ‘treasonous’
Donald Trump erupted on Truth Social Tuesday night, accusing The New York Times of committing “sedition” and even “treason” for reporting on his apparent physical and cognitive decline. Fresh off a meandering Pennsylvania speech that drifted far from its billed focus on affordability, Trump insisted he is the “hardest-working” president in history and raged that any suggestion he’s “slowing up” is a deliberate lie. He attacked the outlet as “Enemies of the People” and said the country would be better off if it “ceased publication,” even as medical experts point to recent cognitive tests, MRIs, and visible physical changes as signs of his deteriorating health.
Watch the video below.
President rages at paper, calling health reporting 'seditious' and 'treasonous'
Trump official claims ’50 years of discrimination’ against whites as lawyers flee DOJ
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon claimed that the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division was guilty of "50 years of discrimination" against white people after about 75% of the agency's lawyers said she was behind a plot to drive them out.
"I think there was some denial and they had crying sessions together," Dhillon told The New York Post this week. "Frankly, it was shocking to them. They had unhappy hours. It was like a lot of drama and handwringing."
"I didn't fire anybody. I just told them they have to approach their job differently. They self-deported with a nice golden parachute from the government."
On Wednesday's appearance on The Charlie Kirk Show, Dhillon encouraged viewers to apply for jobs at the reconstructed Civil Rights Division.
"We just sued Minneapolis for discriminating against teachers who are not minorities and, you know, on and on and on," she promised. "And so we are hiring, and so lawyers with at least 18 months of experience who are interested in serving a tour of duty to help their country."
Charlie Kirk Show producer Andrew Kolvet lamented that white people could soon no longer hold majority status in the U.S.
"Let's say it was 83% white country [in the 1960s]; now we're basically 50%," he noted. "You give that another 10 years, it's going to be probably under 50%, maybe right around 50%. ... When I was born, I think we were around 80% white still."
Dhillon admitted that "we have a history of discrimination in our country."
But she suggested that the courts went too far with a 1971 decision that started the concept of disparate impact.
"So in other words, you no longer necessarily had to prove in your discrimination case, whatever the context was, that you are actually being the victim of intentional discrimination," she remarked. "You could simply prove that there's a hiring process or a policy, or there's certain, you know, tests that are required, and I, because I'm African-American, I can't pass a test."
"We have now issued a guidance that says that this 50 years of discrimination is against frankly law-abiding practices and businesses and recipients is over," she added. "It is harming a lot of people. It is wrong."
Pete Hegseth’s ‘worn out’ MAGA excuse is running out of steam: ex-White House insider
Pete Hegseth’s reliance on using a Donald Trump deflection as allegations of incompetence, criminality and Pentagon infighting continue to grow is starting to wear thin, according to one former Trump White House insider.
The embattled Secretary of Defense is fighting a war on two fronts this week as he fends off accusations of war crimes over the killing of two alleged drug boat survivors who were reportedly clinging to their boat after a U.S. military attack.
At the same time, a damning report from the Pentagon Inspector General (IG) stated that the Pentagon chief violated protocols with his use of the Signal app, which endangered U.S. troops during an assault on Houthi rebels.
According to a report from Jack Detsh of Politico, in order to fend off bad press and investigations into his conduct, the former Fox News personality has been taking a page out of Trump’s MAGA playbook, by criticizing the messenger and not addressing the issues head-on.
As Detch wrote, Hegseth’s strategy can be summed up as, “Attack your enemies, revamp your story and never say you got it wrong.”
Add to that, Hegseth has been quick to fall back on calling anything that portrays him in a bad light as “fake news.”
As the report notes, that may work for Trump, but it’s being overused by the Pentagon chief, who has already has a trust deficit with many less-than-supportive Republican lawmakers.
According to a former senior Trump adviser, “There’s only so many times that you can stand next to the president and label everything as fake news and deny everything. It’s worn out.”
The same official also claimed the strategy doesn’t work for the defense secretary because of his reputation.
“When he takes this approach of, ‘this is fake news,’ and then hits back with some type of a troll…that only reinforces his biggest liability, which is that he’s unqualified for the job,” they explained. “That just reinforces that he’s not serious.”
You can read more here.
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Disbelief as White House suggests Susie Wiles may not have known she was on record
Despite having about a year's worth of interviews — 11 to be exact — for an in-depth Vanity Fair story, White House insiders scrambled on Tuesday, suggesting to CNN that President Donald Trump's Chief of Staff Susie Wiles may not have known she was on the record.
The bombshell story prompted a White House meltdown and plenty of chatter in Washington, D.C.
"But obviously this has really left the White House and not just the White House, but Trump world as a whole in a state of shock," CNN senior White House correspondent Kristen Holmes said. "I cannot tell you how many conspiracy theories I've heard about how this interview got published, whether it was the idea that she thought she was talking off the record, whether it was the idea that she was sitting for some kind of other interview that wasn't going to be published immediately, that it has something to do with the 2028 campaign, because Susie Wiles is a calculated and political figure. Everything she does has meaning."
The interview was an unusual move for Wiles, who generally has stood guard behind the scenes.
"She is not somebody who seeks the limelight," Holmes added. "She doesn't get out there in the press and do interviews. So the fact that she did this to so many people who are close to President Trump say that it must mean something. Now, of course, again, Wiles has said that that's not the case, that it was just taken out of context. There was an omission in much of what she said. But again, this has caused quite a stir here at the White House."
Social media users responded to the story and Wiles' accusations that she might not have known the interviews were to be included in the story.
"Susie Wiles: What’s that recorder for? Reporter: Recording your answers. Susie Wiles: Right, like I’m going to say anything that’ll come back to bite me in the a--. Ha!" Chris Robinson, former referee and manager, wrote on X.
"Why would a chief of staff agree to an interview that she may now be saying she thought was off the record???. Under those circumstances it's not an 'interview,'" Duff Montgomerie, who described himself as a retired public servant, wrote on X.
"If you give multiple interviews to Vanity Fair and don’t know whether or not you are on or off the record - then you are not qualified to be a chief of staff. Speaking as a chief of staff," Dj Omega Mvp wrote on X.
"Translation: CNN can't believe Wiles would be that dumb," college instructor Anthony M. Hopper wrote on X.
"Haha! So now Wiles & the White House want to follow the rules," social worker and gerontologist Dolly Madison wrote on X.
"She’s been around long enough," retired attorney and professor Howell Ellerman wrote on X.
‘It’s not me wearing a MAGA hat!’ Dem scrambles as identical twin leaps into politics
Sometimes, identical twins enter politics together. One of the most famous examples are Julián and Joaquin Castro, who have both held various offices in Texas. But in Indiana, something even more unusual is brewing: a pair of identical twins active in politics — but in opposite parties.
The reveal came on Tuesday, when Indianapolis City Councilor Nick Roberts posted a video statement on X, captioned, "Addressing something you might have heard about. And no, this isn’t a joke."
"My identical twin brother, Nate, has recently decided to get involved in Republican politics," said Roberts. "While this might seem ridiculous for a lot of reasons, it's been very confusing because we look similar, because he's a Republican, and because a lot of people didn't know I was a twin in the first place."
"Like a lot of families, we have a lot of political disagreement in ours, and it's just something that we've had to deal with," said Roberts. "So, just know if you see somebody that looks like me at a Republican event, or definitely if they're wearing a MAGA hat, it is not me. It is him. And while we disagree on a lot of things, he's still my brother and I care about him. We just disagree on basically every single political issue."
Roberts' brother recently gained attention when he spoke at the Indiana legislature in support of President Donald Trump's mid-decade gerrymandering scheme that would have deleted the state's two Democratic congressional districts. That plan, which triggered months of White House pressure and violent threats against Indiana lawmakers, ultimately failed as even a majority of the GOP state Senate caucus voted it down.
This is not the first time a pair of brothers has found themselves on opposite sides in politics. Another such pair is Brad Woodhouse, who heads up the liberal health care group Protect Our Care, and Dallas Woodhouse, who previously headed the North Carolina Republican Party.
Trump blindsided by DOJ decision to move Ghislaine Maxwell to low-security prison: aide
Donald Trump was “mighty unhappy” and caught off guard when the Justice Department transferred convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell to a minimum-security prison after interviewing her, according to unusually candid remarks from his chief of staff, Susie Wiles. In interviews with Vanity Fair, Wiles said the decision was driven by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, not the president, and insisted Trump had no advance knowledge of the move.
Watch the video below.
Trump blindsided by DOJ decision to move Ghislaine Maxwell to minimum-security prison
