‘Maybe a few changes’: Trump hints at Cabinet firings after Susie Wiles' ouster

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump has hinted that his administration's shake-up could extend beyond former White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles following the Republicans' bruising midterm losses.

The 80-year-old teased that his Cabinet could witness a few more firings in a '60 Minutes' interview recorded just hours before Wiles got the boot.

The reports of a possible Cabinet shake-up started making the rounds after Republicans suffered significant losses in the Tuesday, November 3, elections, losing seven Senate seats, with two more potentially at risk, and at least 29 seats in the House.

Trump says he loves his Cabinet but will be doing 'maybe a few changes'

The commander-in-chief, on Friday, sat down for an interview with CBS News correspondent Ross Douthat, who asked, “In a previous lifetime, you were rather famous for saying ‘You’re fired,’ quite often. After a big midterm defeat like this, do you expect to fire anyone from your team?”

“Yeah,” Trump said. “You do a little bit. A little bit. I love my Cabinet. I think they’re good. But I’ll be doing maybe a few changes. I don’t want to mention who.”

Douthat pointed out that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had been seen in the hallway meeting with Trump shortly before the interview, noting that his name had repeatedly surfaced among those calling for his resignation.

He then asked the president whether he still had “confidence in him.”

“I do,” Trump said. “Look, we’ve won two wars. We’ve won Venezuela, and taken out billions and billions and billions of dollars already. And we will be taken out many billions of dollars and get along very well. And you could call it a territory; you could call it whatever you want. We won that war in less than one hour, and nobody was killed.”

“And you credit Pete Hegseth for that?” Douthat asked, to which the president replied, “No, but he was part of it.”

Trump’s interview with CBS News was taped before he announced the departure of Wiles, and his comments suggest his changes to the administration may extend beyond the top White House official.

Trump replaces Susie Wiles with Stephen Miller

Just days after witnessing Republicans’ brutal loss in the midterm election, Trump announced the decision to replace Wiles with longtime adviser Stephen Miller.

“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,” he wrote on Truth Social.

By choosing Miller, Trump appears poised to adopt an even more combative strategy, with a loyalist at the helm to defend his policies and push back against Democratic investigations when they take control of Congress next year.

Other potential heads to roll after the midterm loss include Defense Secretary Hegseth and Commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM) Adm Brad Cooper for their roles overseeing the Iran war, which fueled the landslide changeover in legislative power.

Hegseth has cultivated a combative, Trump-like political image, frequently targeting Democratic military veterans in Congress over their criticism of the administration. He has also pushed out Pentagon officials he considered too “woke” while defending the increasingly unpopular war against Iran.

However, controversies surrounding his leadership, which began with a contentious confirmation process, are now mounting. Outgoing Republican Rep Thomas Massie of Kentucky has initiated impeachment proceedings against Hegseth, accusing him of high crimes and misdemeanors.

Now, a number of experts believe Hegseth could be a target for impeachment by Democrats over the Iran war.