A former senior aide and ally of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has accused outgoing White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles of accepting money from corporations and foreign interests to undermine President Donald Trump’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda.
Trump announced Friday that Wiles, often nicknamed the “ice queen,” would leave the powerful post on Monday to join his political operation. Stephen Miller will replace her as chief of staff.
Although Trump and others praised Wiles’ tenure, former Kennedy adviser Calley Means accused her of engaging in a pay-to-play arrangement involving her daughter during an interview with Joe Rogan.
Means, who left the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) two weeks ago, alleged that companies hiring Katie Wiles as a lobbyist received preferential treatment from the White House.
Among his most explosive claims, Means said businesses that employed the daughter of Trump’s longtime chief of staff received greater priority when seeking funding from the administration.
“If you’re a special interest and you want to get something done, the secret’s out. You pay Susie’s daughter, and it was openly discussed when they had a client,” he told Rogan.
Means also blamed Wiles for blocking MAHA-related reforms, alleging that corporate pressure and the need to raise money for Republicans influenced decisions inside the administration.
“Susie said to me many times: ‘We need money for the midterms, Calley. We need money for the midterms,’” he said, while accusing her of halting a study into the effects of sugar on children.
A key former staffer and ally of Robert F Kennedy Jr accused outgoing Chief of Staff Susie Wiles of taking money from corporations and foreign interests to sabotage RFK’s MAHA agenda
While many, including Trump, celebrated the work Wiles did, former Kennedy advisor Calley Means accused Wiles of pay to play involving her daughter
“Everyone in DC convinced themselves that money is more important than voters. Again, that’s the Susie Wiles premise.”
Means further claimed that Wiles told him: “I need the money from the sugar people to win the midterms.”
Wiles, whom Means described as “the most powerful chief of staff in modern American history,” presided over a culture that disrespected the voters who returned Donald Trump to the White House for a second term, he said.
“The simple reality [of] why I left is that there is a very concentrated group of people in the Trump administration that are antagonistic to what people voted for and are, frankly — I think it’s very clear — doing things for other reasons,” Means said.
He added: “Particularly in many cases to enrich their families.”
Means also accused Wiles of taking a lenient approach toward the e-cigarette and kratom industries because of lobbying money.
“Unrelenting lobbying happened and this Susie world… huge pushing, huge, huge pushing, meetings pushing from the West Wing… to relax the standards,” he said.
The Daily Mail has contacted the White House and HHS for comment.
Trump announced Friday that ‘ice queen’ Wiles would take over the powerful position on Monday for a position in Trump’s political operation, to be replaced by Stephen Miller (pictured)
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Wiles, whom Means called ‘the most powerful chief of staff in modern American history,’ led a culture that disrespected the voters who got Donald Trump his second term in the White House, he said
Trump confirmed the White House shake-up earlier Friday, days after a sweeping Democratic election victory handed the president and Republicans a major defeat.
“I am pleased to announce that Mr. Stephen Miller, the current Deputy Chief of Staff of the Trump Administration, and one of my most trusted advisors, will become the Chief of Staff starting Monday, November 9, 2026,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Susie Wiles, who has done an outstanding job, will be moving over to the Trump Political Operation. I want to thank her for her service as Chief of Staff — She has done a great job!”
The scale of the Democrats’ victory earlier in the week could keep Republicans from holding a congressional majority for much of the next decade — a bitter outcome for many conservatives who had urged Trump to make changes.
While the move came as a surprise, the Daily Mail reported in June that Wiles was quietly preparing to leave after the midterm elections. The White House denied the report at the time.
Asked about the change Friday afternoon, Trump told reporters: “I wanted to make a change. I think Susie’s done a very good job, great job, but … we gotta make moves. Sometimes in life, you have to make moves.”
That account differs from the version provided by a senior White House official, who told the Daily Mail that Wiles “gave her resignation last night.”
President Trump praised White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles as having done an ‘outstanding job’ and insisted she had ‘done a great job’
Trump has said publicly that he decided a change was necessary, while the official said Wiles made the decision herself, creating uncertainty over the circumstances of her departure.
Trump said Miller had “been with me from the beginning,” describing him as “very good politically” and predicting that “he’ll do a great job.”
“It has been the privilege of my lifetime to have served on his team from Day One, and I am honored beyond words to serve as his White House Chief of Staff,” Miller said in a statement on X. “I want to thank the incomparable Susie Wiles for her years of devoted service to the President and the Country, and for her friendship.”
“The mission now is more clear than ever: Fight with all of our soul to support our President and defend this magnificent Republic.”
Wiles posted her farewell message on X shortly after Trump announced the change.
“Today is my last day as White House Chief of Staff,” Wiles wrote Friday. “Serving President Trump in the White House has been the honor of a lifetime.”
“I’m so proud to have been a part of what we’ve accomplished together from securing our border and cutting taxes to strengthening our economy and putting America First. More than anything, I’m grateful for the extraordinary people I’ve had the privilege of working alongside.”
Her departure came after the Daily Mail first reported in June that she planned to step down following the midterm elections.
Wiles denied the report at the time, but left just days after the election results were announced.
Wiles is the longest-serving Republican White House chief of staff and has been part of Trump’s political orbit since his 2016 campaign.