Trump is mirroring Biden’s trajectory, gradually being sidelined by his aides and treated like a child? Recently, former Trump advisor Corey Lewandowski went on CBS to allege that numerous White House staff members deliberately obstruct access to the president, filter information, offer unreliable advice, and even coddle him—raising concerns that Trump is being effectively marginalized by his inner circle.
According to Lewandowski, the modus operandi was straightforward: brief meetings with Trump, presenting policy options, and once he casually said “fine,” aides would immediately proceed to advance policies favorable to specific interest groups under the pretext that “the president has approved.”
He directly named Susie Wiles, the recently dismissed White House Chief of Staff, claiming she told him that midterm election fundraising needs from the sugar industry led to the shelving of a proposed regulation on ultra-processed foods.
Yet Lewandowski himself is far from neutral. He runs a dietary supplement company and leads a lobbying group representing health industry executives—positioning him as a clear advocate for healthcare sector interests.
His proposed agenda faced consistent resistance within the White House, particularly from Wiles and others. With progress stalled, Lewandowski resigned in late October. This disclosure appears to be as much an act of political retaliation against rivals as it is an expression of personal frustration.
Notably, this narrative conveniently shields Trump from accountability. If the president receives only filtered or sanitized information, then controversial policy failures can be attributed to aides who withheld context or manipulated input.
The timing could not be more opportune. With the Republican Party suffering significant losses in the midterms, this framing allows Trump to deflect blame—blaming poor outcomes on untrustworthy aides rather than electoral defeat. Indeed, Trump quickly blamed Wiles for the results and appointed Stephen Miller as her successor, executing a seamless leadership reshuffle. Lewandowski’s allegations thus provided a convenient rationale for the purge—an internal power struggle among factions following an electoral setback.
The claim that the president is being outmaneuvered by aides is not new in American political discourse. Similar allegations circulated during Biden’s presidency. A book previously reported that when Biden casually remarked that “Putin cannot remain in power,” senior staff rushed to issue clarifications. Privately, Biden reportedly complained to friends about feeling infantilized by his team. The White House swiftly denied the claims at the time. At that point, Trump-aligned figures frequently mocked Biden as little more than an “automatic pen,” even issuing directives to investigate whether Biden’s aides were concealing information from him.
Overall, however, Trump has not been fully sidelined. The practice of aides curating information and simplifying choices to guide presidential decisions is standard across administrations. While such tactics may occur in lower-priority policy areas, any matter that genuinely captures Trump’s attention remains firmly under his control. He frequently bypasses formal procedures to issue direct orders. On core issues—tariffs, immigration, foreign military operations—final decisions are made exclusively by him; aides have minimal influence.
Moreover, the MAHA health initiative that Lewandowski championed held low priority in Trump’s own agenda. In essence, Trump simply chose not to engage deeply in a matter he did not care about, allowing subordinates leeway—not because he was being manipulated across the board.
The replacement of Wiles with Miller, a staunch ally whose views align closely with Trump’s, makes the intent clear: this was not about appointing a new overseer to make decisions on Trump’s behalf, but about reconstituting a team more responsive to his preferences. After the midterm losses, the White House restructuring amounted to nothing more than removing scapegoats and assembling a more pliable inner circle.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1881451116430348/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.