COLD SHOULDER

Fresh Cracks Between Trump and His Ice Maiden Exposed in New Leak

The president reportedly sidelined his chief of staff while handpicking his new White House press secretary.

Donald Trump has dealt his powerful chief of staff another humiliating snub by reportedly choosing his new White House press secretary without consulting her.

The 80-year-old president overrode Susie Wiles’ preferred candidate for the prestigious role in favor of conservative television commentator Katie Zacharia, 41, according to a Daily Mail report.

As Zacharia prepares to hold her first White House press briefing on Tuesday, insiders have suggested Trump’s latest move shows the ongoing power struggle with his so-called ‘Ice Maiden.’

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“This is seen as one of many recent microaggressions of Donald to Susie. He is taking back control, and it is starting to feel more like the first term,” an administration official said.

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One official told the Mail that the decision to appoint Zacharia was one of several apparent slights directed at Wiles, 69, whose influence over the president’s second-term operation has increasingly come into question.

The revelation follows an August report by the Daily Beast’s sister investigations Substack, PunchUp, that exposed how Wiles learned of another major Trump appointment only after the president announced it on social media.

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PunchUp revealed that Trump had nominated Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s old buddy, Richard “Lance” Schroyer, to lead ICE in June after Mullin quietly met with the president while his senior advisers were out of town.

Wiles had been at her daughter Caroline’s wedding in Charlottesville, Virginia, and learned of Trump’s decision through his Truth Social post, sources close to Wiles confirmed.

They also said that the appointment had surprised White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and border czar Tom Homan. Trump later pulled Schroyer’s nomination after PunchUp revealed that lawmakers across Capitol Hill were mocking his lack of experience.

Now Trump appears to have bypassed Wiles once again. She had preferred conservative CNN commentator Scott Jennings to replace Karoline Leavitt after she stepped down in August following the birth of her second child.

But the president had been impressed by Zacharia’s TV appearances and called her directly about the job, the Mail reported.

Zacharia, a California-born lawyer and mother of four, has built her profile by steadfastly defending the administration on Fox News and Newsmax, and has also worked on Trump’s 2024 election campaign and served as a communications adviser to Trump Media and Technology Group.

Leavitt reportedly supported the decision when Trump asked her opinion.

“Susie wanted someone who would be loyal to her and instead Trump chose someone loyal to him, as it should be,” one administration source told the Mail.

Despite the reported tensions, a person close to Zacharia said she wants to establish a strong working relationship with Wiles.

But the appointment looks likely to revive another uncomfortable dispute—this time involving Lauren Bis, a White House communications official Zacharia worked with at the Department of Homeland Security.

Zacharia spent about six weeks at DHS earlier this year, after being recruited to represent the department on TV. But according to the Mail and multiple Daily Beast sources, she was frozen out after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and her adviser Corey Lewandowski were removed.

Sources allege that Bis, who replaced Tricia McLaughlin as acting assistant secretary, wanted to be DHS’s public face. They told the Beast that Bis had limited Zacharia’s opportunities to perform the role she had been recruited for, leading her to depart, feeling burned by the experience.

Zacharia has attributed her departure to the demands of commuting between Washington and her family in California. Bis then transferred to the White House, where she will now report to Zacharia.

One source close to the White House suggested to the Mail that Bis should consider her future employment in light of their previous difficulties.

But people familiar with Zacharia’s plans said she was not seeking retaliation. Another source told the Mail: “There have been no discussions about any staffing changes at this time.”

The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.

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Tom LatchemLead Global Correspondent

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