Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell effectively shut himself out of the second Trump White House by screaming at the president’s right-hand woman, insiders have revealed.
Grenell has long sought a higher perch in Trump’s orbit—reportedly floating himself as the Republican Party’s vice presidential nominee in 2024 and secretary of state a year later—but has been blocked by Susie Wiles, multiple sources told the Daily Mail. Instead, he was put in charge of MAGAfying the Kennedy Center, only for Trump to shut it down for repairs.
And he only has himself to blame, according to White House and Trump family insiders.
Tensions between Grenell, 59, and Wiles, 68, rose to a fever pitch at the Republican National Convention, when they reportedly had a heated argument over a speaking spot.
“He screamed at Susie, and he told her, ‘You’re the reason why we’re going to lose this f—ing election!’” a White House source told the Mail. The confrontation was said to have left Wiles, who was Trump’s campaign manager at the time, on the verge of tears.
“He berated Susie Wiles because he didn’t get a primetime speaking spot at the convention,” the same source said. “That’s why he doesn’t have… a big job. It’s why he was never considered for secretary of state.”
A Trump family source said Wiles has made jokes about Grenell in the Oval Office: “Susie f—ing hates his guts.”
When reached for comment, the White House referred the Daily Beast to a statement given to the Mail by Chris LaCivita, who helped Wiles run Trump’s 2024 campaign: “Whoever is feeding you this silly s--t is an a–hat.” LaCivita settled his lawsuit against the Daily Beast last month. He had wanted “triple damages” and boasted about his “discovery game” but ended the suit before he had to hand over his own tax returns and bank accounts. He got no damages, no apology, and no retraction.
During the first Trump administration, Grenell served as the U.S. ambassador to Germany before he became the first openly gay Cabinet member when he was named acting Director of National Intelligence. He was never confirmed by the Senate.
At the start of Trump 2.0, Grenell was appointed special envoy to Venezuela, tasked with negotiating a diplomatic agreement with its president, Nicolás Maduro. But last October, Trump instructed Grenell to halt all communications with the Venezuelan autocrat. The president had reportedly grown frustrated with Maduro’s refusal to step down and accept U.S. demands.
But Secretary of State Marco Rubio has since “elbowed” Grenell out of the Venezuela picture with the help of Wiles, two diplomatic sources and a State Department insider told the Mail. Other diplomatic sources added that Grenell has also been locked out of the administration’s most high-level and sensitive foreign policy decisions.
“Even María Machado refused to meet with him,” one U.S. diplomat who worked with Grenell told the Mail, referring to the Venezuelan opposition leader. “We heard she did not want to deal with him and did not like what he stood for.”
“She thought Grenell was beneath her... didn’t understand who Grenell was. He is a nobody in Latin America. She was also cautious; she didn’t know or trust him,” the source added.
The Kennedy Center did not immediately return a request for comment from the Beast on the reported rift between Grenell and Wiles.
Grenell told the Mail that the screaming match with Wiles did not occur and insisted that they remain friendly. The outlet reported that Grenell said Wiles herself would call to shut down the story, but she never rang. When the Mail followed up with Grenell on the supposed call from Wiles, he abruptly dropped the call.
