A power struggle breaks out in the White House

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White House aides, who had kept their disagreements quiet during President Donald Trump's second term, have begun to compete more openly for power as they brace for the possibility of widespread midterm election losses and internal unrest. According to interviews conducted with 20 employees, advisors and people close to the president.

These interviews - most of which were conducted on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of personnel arrangements - reveal internal conflicts that have begun to closely resemble the intense battles witnessed in Trump's first presidential term, according to the Washington Post.

Believing that White House chief of staff Susie Wiles might step down after the election, a number of Trump aides - including deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, senior housing official Bill Bolte, and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin - began seeking the position if it became vacant.

Although Wiles has not indicated to any of her aides or allies that she intends to leave, senior White House officials often leave their stressful positions after a period ranging from 18 months to two years. Note that Trump had four White House chiefs of staff (including an interim chief) during his first presidential term.

One of Trump's allies described the atmosphere in the White House over the past week as being like the "American Wild West."

This rivalry began in earnest last week, when Trump approached Katie Zacharias about joining the administration as the new White House spokeswoman. It's a move he took without consulting Wiles, according to four people familiar with the decision.

This single action by the President was seen as undermining Wiles' standing, creating the impression of a less disciplined administration and an unstable center of power within the West Wing of the White House.

For veteran observers of Trump's inner circle, the tensions that emerged this week are reminiscent of his first term, when shifting factions of aides and family members vie for power and undermine each other; It is a pattern that the current White House has succeeded in avoiding - until now.

Adding to the uncertainty, the president has expressed his frustration to his allies; Due to the lack of anyone to defend him publicly and with the force he aspires to, only 18 days before the midterm elections.

Trump engaged in an intense schedule of campaign rallies in the final stretch, aimed at boosting the enthusiasm of the Republican base.

However, he - along with the Republican Party - faces strong political headwinds, with his approval ratings at record lows and voters growing dissatisfied with rising prices.

According to one of the advisors who received a call from him, the president has been making calls to friends, White House aides, and advisors outside the administration; He seems concerned that the information will not reach him.

During these conversations, Trump expressed his dissatisfaction with the midterm elections and with his two external advisors managing his political strategy, James Blair and Chris Lacivita, both of whom are close allies of Wiles.

According to two people familiar with these conversations, among those who reached out to Trump was his former aide Corey Lewandowski - a staunch opponent of Wiles and a supporter of Bolte.

When reached for comment, Lewandowski said: “I have never spoken to the president about Bill Bolte becoming White House chief of staff.”

“These anonymous sources know nothing,” White House spokeswoman Danielle Alvarez said in response to a request for comment. “It is the same selfish and opportunistic behavior from people who are more focused on themselves than on President Trump, whose priority is delivering for the American people and winning the midterm elections.” She added: "President Trump has formed a strong, talented, and united team that focuses on his 'America First' agenda, not on personal ego and the political games of unknown external parties."

According to a Republican strategist who has seen the numbers, internal GOP polls show a sharp decline in support for Republican candidates following the party's midterm convention in Dallas; Voters expressed their belief that the party does not pay enough attention to their economic concerns.

Instead of ramping up campaigning during September, Trump spent most of that month hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House and busying himself with construction projects, including a new White House helipad and a proposed ballroom.

Although the White House continues to publicly express confidence, many Trump aides and allies believe that they will lose control of the House of Representatives, although the extent of this loss remains unclear.

Trump advisers and Republican strategists point out that the fate of the Senate appears to be 50-50, despite huge spending in recent weeks by the president's super PAC, MAGA Inc., and the Senate Leadership Fund. They also acknowledge that states traditionally considered Republican strongholds, such as Kansas and Texas, are now uncertain competitive arenas.

One Wiles ally said that “a landslide defeat for the Republican Party next month will likely be an excuse for ambitious people” to become White House chief of staff.

The competition for the next chief of staff position has taken many forms; Bolte has been carrying large displays with him to golf courses, or aboard the presidential helicopter (Marine One) or Air Force One, in an attempt to convince Trump to adopt his ideas.

These panels usually include Bolte's proposals for dealing with whatever issue is troubling the president that day; Whether it's the Kennedy Center renovations, or the Federal Reserve's failure to lower interest rates.

According to a person who has seen these paintings, some of them include artistic drawings of the president or pictures from his election rallies.

Trump's penchant for visuals has its limits; He told his advisers that Bolt had brought him so many posters that they were causing chaos in the president's White House residence, according to two White House officials and a third person close to the administration.

Wiles led Trump's highly disciplined 2024 presidential campaign and paved the way for him and his team to take swift action by issuing more than 100 executive orders during the first 100 days of his term.

Although she does not consider herself a policy expert, she has placed herself at the center of discussions within the administration about global tariffs and potential controls on artificial intelligence, especially as both of these issues have become a political liability for the president.

But Wiles and her inner circle found themselves on the defensive recently, after Blair and La Civita traveled to Republika Srpska (the Serb-controlled part of Bosnia) to provide political advice to the pro-Russian government.

This has caused problems for Wiles, who brought the two men into Trump's 2024 campaign. The president has long frowned when aides - both current and former - make personal profits by exploiting their connections to him.

Trump responded by publishing a sharp message on the Truth Social platform, in which he distanced himself from Blair and LaCivita, and pledged to fire them if it turned out that their consulting work involved a conflict of interest.

The situation worsened for the chief of staff when a photo surfaced of her daughter, Katie Wiles, during a visit to Republika Srpska.

The daughter works as a partner in Continental Strategy, a firm specializing in political lobbying, which represents the government of that region (note that her name does not appear individually in the company’s disclosure documents).

According to three outside advisers to the administration, opponents of Wiles, LaCivita and Blair worked to inflame tensions and arouse suspicions of Trump by providing him with critical articles covering this outside consulting work.

Blair and Lacivita continue to lead Trump's midterm strategy, and the president still communicates with Blair frequently; But his initial dissatisfaction with their trip may have weakened the duo's ability to provide guidance and instructions to various election campaigns, according to one Republican strategist.