Sarah Matthews, who served as deputy press secretary during President Donald Trump's first term, recalls an administration defined by internecine warfare, in which rival enclaves battled one another for the president's favor and other advantages. In her assessment, that internal combativeness was kept somewhat in check during Trump's second term. But Friday's departure of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles signaled to Matthews that the old battles and betrayals are back in play.

Trump announced on Truth Social that Wiles would be replaced by Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, effective Monday, November 9, 2026.

"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!" Trump wrote.

The arrangement leaves little runway: Miller steps into the West Wing's most senior staff post just days after the announcement, while Wiles' shift to the Trump Political Operation keeps her inside the president's political orbit rather than outside it.

Matthews reacted to the news Friday night in an interview with CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins. "I couldn't help but laugh to think that now this is playing out as if it's Trump 1.0 all over again, because when I was there, it was chaos," she said. "I mean, it felt like there were maybe a handful of people I could trust. And even then, you still didn't really trust anyone because you felt like at any given moment, someone would knife you to try to make themselves look better."

Matthews said there were always "competing factions happening within the White House," and that "it felt like we were competing."

"The press team: me and Kayleigh McEnany against [senior presidential advisor] Jared Kushner and Ivanka, who were also competing against [former White House Chief of Staff] Mark Meadows, who were also competing against the vice president's team," she said. "So, it always felt like this chaotic nature because we're all supposed to be on the same team. But then people are looking out for their own self-interest. And in Trump 2.0, they've prided themselves on this idea that there's been no leaking and that they're all this one unified front. And now we're kind of seeing the wheels come off."

White House Bloomberg correspondent Jeff Mason said he was personally surprised that Trump set aside a dedicated organizer like Wiles in favor of a fire-starter like Miller, whose appeal he described as limited to a small minority of extremists. The concern turns on the nature of the job: the chief of staff is the operational hub of a White House, the post from which day-to-day order — or disorder — tends to set the tone for everything else.

"I thought it was interesting that he said very plainly he was ready for a change, given that he had given that strong, strong defense of Susie Wiles only a few weeks ago. Also, the fact that Wiles … is largely responsible for the fact that this second term has not been as chaotic of a White House as it was during his first term," Mason said. He added that Wiles was "essentially the architect of his campaign for reelection," credited with giving Trump's campaign the discipline to reclaim "power at all."

"So, it's a pretty big break to be jettisoning this particular chief of staff, and then to be replacing her … with someone who absolutely appeals to some instincts … that I think many Republicans would be happy for him not to emphasize in these next two years, as they are also keeping an eye on 2028," Mason concluded.

Miller formally takes over on Monday — a handoff landing in what Mason called "these next two years," when Republicans are also keeping an eye on 2028. How the West Wing actually runs under its new chief of staff will be the first real-world check on Matthews' "Trump 1.0" framing and Mason's misgivings alike.

The full CNN interview is available on YouTube.