President Donald Trump stunned attendees at a White House artificial-intelligence summit after he praised his Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, as ‘the most powerful person in the world,’ joking that she could ‘wipe out a country with a mere phone call.’
Hours later, federal officials confirmed they were investigating a cybersecurity breach linked to Wiles’s personal phone, raising concerns about impersonation, AI-generated voice cloning and vulnerabilities in the communications of one of Trump’s closest and most influential advisers.
Trump’s Hyperbolic Praise for His Chief of Staff
Speaking at the summit, Trump said Wiles had effectively been ‘voted the most powerful woman,’ and emphasised her reach within the administration. In a moment of theatrical exaggeration, he added: ‘I was going to say one phone call and a country is wiped out, but we’re not going to say that because we’re a peace-loving nation.’
While clearly hyperbolic, Trump’s comments revealed how central Wiles has become in his inner circle. Her influence has grown significantly since serving as his 2024 campaign manager and later taking on one of the administration’s most powerful unelected roles.
Federal Investigation Launched After Cyber Breach
Shortly after the remarks, federal officials confirmed they were probing a cybersecurity incident involving Wiles’s personal mobile phone.
According to TechCrunch, attackers appear to have accessed her contact list and used it to call and message high-profile political and business figures while pretending to be her — though they were not using her actual number.
Trump acknowledged the breach, telling reporters: ‘They breached her phone… tried to impersonate her,’ but quickly added: ‘Nobody can impersonate Susie. There’s only one Susie,’ as reported by The Washington Post.
Who Is Susie Wiles? A Powerful Yet Low-Profile Force
Wiles is a veteran Republican strategist with deep ties to Trump’s political machinery. Though she tends to operate behind the scenes, she has enormous leverage within the administration.
Earlier this year, she told a podcast her main role is ‘keeping the trains on the tracks so that subject-matter experts can do what they need to fix the country.’
Her combination of discretion and authority has made her a pivotal — and increasingly visible — figure in Trump’s second term.
According to reports, the impersonator did not use Wiles’s actual phone number but contacted senators, governors, and business executives using her list of contacts.
Some recipients said the person on the other end of the line sounded like Wiles–raising suspicion that artificial intelligence was used to clone her voice.
White House Response
The White House said it is treating the matter seriously. A spokesperson noted that ‘the White House takes the cybersecurity of all staff very seriously, and this matter continues to be investigated.’
FBI Director Kash Patel also weighed in, stating that the bureau is ‘committed to protecting the communications of senior officials,’ and warned that text- and voice-based impersonation campaigns pose a growing threat, according to The Washington Post.
Why Trump’s Hyperbole Matters
Trump’s joke about Wiles having the power to ‘take out a country’ was flamboyant even by his standards, but it underscored something real: his deep trust in her and the concentration of influence she holds.
The cybersecurity breach, however, exposes a vulnerability in that power. If someone can convincingly impersonate one of the administration’s most influential figures — potentially using AI — the national security implications are significant.
The incident highlights the collision between political authority and the rapidly evolving risks posed by artificial intelligence.
Originally published on IBTimes UK
