White House Pushes Back On NYT Claim of Rift Between Vance, Wiles

The Trump administration is forcefully rejecting a New York Times report that claimed White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles urged Vice President JD Vance to reduce his social media presence, calling the allegation outright false.

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung responded Saturday on X after Jewish Insider editor Josh Kraushaar shared the claim from the Times report.

“This isn’t true,” Cheung wrote.

“We denied it to the New York Times and they refused to run our quote. Complete fake news,” Cheung continued.

“This supposed ‘conversation’ never happened,” he added.

The Times had reported that Wiles and other senior White House officials encouraged the vice president to “take a break from social media,” allegedly arguing that his regular online clashes with critics were “beneath his office.”

The claim appeared inside a broader article examining Vance’s relationship with President Donald Trump and assessing where the vice president may stand ahead of what could become a highly competitive Republican presidential primary in 2028.

But the White House pushed back sharply against the report, framing it as another example of establishment media relying on anonymous claims to create division inside President Trump’s team.

Cheung, in a response included in the Times article, defended Vance and dismissed suggestions that there is tension between the president and vice president.

“Vice President Vance has done a remarkable job of helping implement the president’s America First agenda,” Cheung told the Times.

“Any false media narratives from unknown and unnamed sources fabricating stories clearly do not have any knowledge of the truth,” he added.

Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz also ripped the report, accusing the Times of pushing what he described as “Vance Derangement Syndrome.”

“Steven Cheung has stated clearly in the article and reiterated on X that this is completely fake news,” Bruesewitz wrote on X.

“JD Vance is an exceptionally effective communicator and invaluable member of President Trump’s Team. Vance Derangement Syndrome is real, folks,” Bruesewitz added.

The report comes as Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio continue to draw national attention as two of the most prominent figures in the Republican Party’s post-Trump future.

Both men have been discussed as early favorites for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, with recent hypothetical primary polling showing them running closely together. Their rise reflects the continuing strength of President Trump’s America First movement and the internal debate over who may eventually carry that agenda forward.

In March, President Trump reportedly asked donors at Mar-a-Lago for their views on both men.

“What do you think of JD Vance and Marco Rubio?” Trump asked, according to a Wall Street Journal report at the time.

Sources who spoke to the outlet said donors responded with loud applause for Rubio, reportedly louder than the reaction for Vance.

The informal moment came shortly after President Trump had placed Rubio in a prominent role in the administration’s public messaging.

During a press conference in Florida around that time, Trump noted that Vance had been “less enthusiastic” about going to war with Iran. He also described differences in how Vance and Rubio handle politics and diplomacy.

“He gets a little bit tough on occasion; we gotta slow him down on occasion,” Trump said about Vance, according to the Journal report.

Trump then contrasted Vance’s approach with Rubio’s more polished diplomatic style.

“Then we have the opposite extreme,” Trump said.

“Marco does it with a velvet glove. But it’s a kill,” Trump said.

While donor reaction may have favored Rubio in that setting, polling suggests Vance maintains significant influence with voters and within President Trump’s political orbit.

A Daily Mail and JL Partners survey conducted March 2 to March 3 asked registered voters which figures hold the most influence inside Trump’s inner circle.

Vance led the field with 19 percent, while Rubio followed with 12 percent.

Stephen Miller and Donald Trump Jr. tied for third place. The survey included 1,020 registered voters and carried a margin of error of 3.1 percent.

The same poll found Rubio’s approval rating had fallen from 40 percent in February to 36 percent. Thirty-four percent of respondents said they disapproved of Rubio, while 17 percent said they were neutral and 14 percent said they were unsure.

For conservatives, the media fixation on alleged tensions inside the administration may say more about the press than about the Trump team itself.

Vance has become one of the administration’s most visible and combative defenders of the America First agenda, using direct communication to challenge liberal narratives, corporate media framing, and establishment attacks. That style has made him a powerful messenger for the movement, even as it continues to provoke criticism from legacy outlets.

The White House’s message, however, was clear: the reported warning from Wiles never happened, and the administration remains united behind President Trump’s agenda.