Donald Trump scarcely recognized the name of the young operative helping staff his administration, according to people familiar with the matter.
Yet insiders say the president pushed for Morgan DeWitt-Snow to be dismissed in late July after aides told him she had once contributed to Mike Pence, his former vice president who later became a bitter political rival.
Susie Wiles is said to have stepped in on her behalf. Around the White House, aides have privately described the 29-year-old DeWitt-Snow as “Susie’s pet,” suggesting the famously guarded chief of staff has taken a particular liking to her.
DeWitt-Snow, who effectively leads the Presidential Personnel Office, is now facing an internal pressure campaign, sources say. The PPO plays a crucial role in recruiting, screening and placing candidates in federal government jobs across the administration.
Six sources told Our News Outlet that DeWitt-Snow is still on “thin ice” and “hanging by a thread,” as critics blame her office for delays in hiring and vetting political appointees. Every political hire across the federal government must pass through her operation.
The controversy traces back to a small but politically explosive detail: a $10 donation DeWitt-Snow made to Pence’s 2023 presidential campaign after his high-profile break with Trump.
One White House official said the contribution was not an expression of loyalty to Pence but an effort to help him qualify for the Republican donor threshold needed to appear in the first GOP presidential debate in 2023.
“One of Morgan’s friends begged her to donate $10 to Mike Pence so he would make the debate stage,” the White House official said.
Donald Trump barely knew the name Morgan DeWitt-Snow. Then his aides informed him that the woman effectively running the White House’s vetting operation had donated to his nemesis Mike Pence in 2023 (Trump pictured at the White House on August 19)
Susie Wiles, Morgan DeWitt-Snow’s mentor, came to rescue (Wiles pictures in the White House on March 6)
Morgan DeWitt-Snow is the defacto head of the Presidential Personnel Office
The White House denies DeWitt-Snow is on the chopping block, and that POTUS asked for her removal, saying they met earlier this week to discuss FDA nominees.
But Trump had explicitly blacklisted anyone tied to his former VP at the start of his second term, warning on Truth Social: ‘It would be helpful if you would not send, or recommend to us people who worked with, or are endorsed by… Mike Pence.’
The catalyst for any decision on DeWitt-Snow’s future may come down to Trump’s longtime confidante Dan Scavino, who is the official head of PPO.
Scavino has handed over the day-to-day running to DeWitt-Snow and has made it clear he hopes to relinquish his PPO director role by early 2027, sources say. He would still be able to serve in a deputy capacity.
Scavino, who first met Trump as a teenage golf caddie and went on to manage one of his Westchester clubs, is among the president’s most durable and trusted loyalists, also serving as his deputy chief of staff.
That proximity was on display in Ankara, Turkey, where Scavino was included in the small inner circle secretly transferred with Trump to a separate military aircraft amid a reported Iranian assassination threat.
But sources say his other responsibilities have left him unable to oversee PPO’s day-to-day operations.
Scavino acknowledged as much in a January 20 appearance on Katie Miller’s podcast, saying ‘it’s been very challenging to take it on because I’m still doing other things for [Trump] or things I’ve done with him over the years.’
Wiles, who declined to comment to Our News Outlet, groomed DeWitt-Snow to take over, according to sources.
The pair have a relationship that traces back to the end of Trump’s first term when they worked at the lobbying firm Ballard Partners.
‘They have become inseparable since,’ one White House source said.
Scavino has handed over the day-to-day running to DeWitt-Snow and has made it clear he hopes to relinquish his PPO director role by early 2027, sources say
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino wait as Marine One lands on the south lawn of the White House
But the succession plan has now collapsed as Trump has been briefed on her chaotic handling of PPO, according to sources.
The office, insiders claim, is plagued by infighting and complaints from frustrated cabinet secretaries over excruciatingly slow hiring rates.
‘It’s a disaster over there. It’s like a failed state,’ said a source familiar with the matter. ‘People are taking forever to get people hired and vetted.’
On behalf of the White House, Secretary Brooke Rollins sent a statement pushing back, saying ‘nobody moves faster.’
DeWitt-Snow has also reportedly created friction by hiring friends into top positions.
Sara Grove, one of her bridesmaids, was put in charge of hiring for the Department of War and the intelligence community at PPO, which has led to complaints from Pentagon officials, according to a source familiar with the situation.
The source told Our News Outlet that DeWitt-Snow and Grove previously worked together in low-level roles at PPO, where they were viewed as part of the first-term old guard and regarded with distrust by Trump loyalists.
‘They were part of the old guard, which was generally terrible, incompetent and disloyal,’ the source said.
Another insider said: ‘Sara Grove is a random bridesmaid running the DOW staffing in the middle of the war. The previous occupant of her role had over a decade of military intelligence experience.’
The source said that Grove was moving ‘remarkably slowly’ and inserting ‘petty personal feuds’ into staffing decisions.
DeWitt-Snow put her husband’s groomsman, Ryan Shrum, in charge of disaster and humanitarian relief at the State Department, where he oversees lucrative foreign assistance contracts.
The same source said: ‘Shrum had no prior political or foreign policy aside from being a House intern ten years ago. He’s just a random real-estate guy.’
Sources claim his multiple responsibilities, including a carefully curated social media page and jetting around the country with Trump, have left him unable to oversee its day-to-day operations
Sara Grove, one of her bridesmaids, was put in charge of hiring for the Department of War and the intelligence community at PPO, which has led to complaints from Pentagon officials
She also put her husband’s groomsman, Ryan Shrum, in charge of disaster and humanitarian relief at the State Department, where he oversees lucrative foreign assistance contracts
Grove and Shrum did not respond to Our News Outlet’s requests for comment.
A White House official insists that Grove was the Pentagon’s chief of staff Ricky Burria’s ‘top pick’ and Shrum was vetted properly through the State Department.
‘It is Morgan’s job to be friendly with political appointees in the administration,’ the official stated.
While some sources believe DeWitt-Snow could soon leave the White House, others suggested she may survive Trump’s wrath because of Wiles’ fondness for her.
‘Gun to my head, I think she’ll be fine because Susie has her back,’ one source said.
Trump reportedly expressed shock that she obtained such a senior position, according to a senior administration official.
The official told Our News Outlet: ‘The president is so busy – he isn’t really aware of all the people running leadership roles in the White House or what they have been up to.
‘Most people don’t realize that is how people slip through the crack.’
The White House claims POTUS meets with DeWitt-Snow’s team weekly.
Scavino has showered public praise on DeWitt-Snow, calling her ‘the best deputy I could have hoped for, 100 percent MAGA.’
‘[She] has done a phenomenal job staffing the administration,’ he told Our News Outlet.
But DeWitt-Snow has already started making a contingency plan, sources say.
She has reportedly been in touch with Continental Strategies, and Our News Outlet has reviewed evidence establishing that DeWitt has been in talks with the consulting firm where Wiles’ daughter works.
An official denied that DeWitt-Snow is in ‘talks’ with the consulting firm.
White House spokeswoman Liz Huston told Our News Outlet: ‘This story is fake news.’
A number of cabinet secretaries also issued statements to Our News Outlet praising De-Witt Snow, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Attorney General Todd Blanche, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, FBI Director Kash Patel and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.
They described PPO as ‘an outstanding partner’ and DeWitt-Snow as ‘loyal, hardworking, and effective.’
The remarkable outpouring may also be attributed to DeWitt-Snow’s closeness to the White House’s powerful boss, Wiles.
The PPO drama comes amid a broader wave of high-profile departures this month, including White House legislative affairs director James Braid, White House counsel David Warrington, Emily Underwood, the top deputy to deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, press secretary Karoline Leavitt, and deputy national security advisor Andy Baker.
White House associate counsel Samuel D Adkisson is also departing after being nominated by Trump for a federal judgeship.
