Trump Surrounded by Flatterers

Trump’s chief of staff has urged US officials to stop flattering him and tell him the truth about the Iran war.

News ID: 87618

Date: 07 April 2026 - 08:35

TEHRAN (Defapress) - Donald Trump’s longtime aide and chief of staff Susie Wiles has privately expressed concerns about the information bubble surrounding the US president, according to a report in Time.

Two White House sources told Time that Wiles was concerned that Trump’s aides were giving him an “optimistic view” of how to fight Iran domestically and were “telling Trump what he wants to hear rather than what he needs to hear.” The report added that Wiles has urged her colleagues to be “more candid with their boss” about the political and economic risks.

Two weeks into the war, the New York Times reported that some U.S. administration officials were pessimistic about the lack of a clear strategy for ending the war, but they were careful not to express this directly to Trump, who has repeatedly declared the military operation a complete success.

NBC News also reported that U.S. military officials were assembling video updates for Trump about the war, filled with images of explosions. The video montages, it said, “are raising concerns among some of Trump’s friends that he may not be getting the full picture of the war.”

MSNBC writes that Trump has placed himself in a circle of sycophants who have been able to stay in office and achieve job security in exchange for endless praise and endorsements.