President Donald Trump scored a victory Wednesday after Politico corrected a report about White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles following a 48-hour ultimatum from the administration.

The correction addressed a story claiming Wiles had coordinated an interview between Fox News host Sean Hannity and then-White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia. Politico acknowledged that its earlier report and headline mischaracterized Wiles’ role, adding that follow-up reporting indicated she had not directly arranged the interview.

Zacharia’s appearance with Hannity was widely viewed as a turning point in her brief tenure as White House press secretary.

On Monday, White House counsel William Scharf sent a letter to Politico Global Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Greenberger challenging the outlet’s reporting. Scharf accused Politico of publishing a series of false and defamatory articles between Oct. 14 and Oct. 17 that sought to portray the Trump administration as plagued by dysfunction and infighting.

Scharf argued that the outlet had been presented with direct denials from senior White House officials, statements from Trump himself and documentary evidence contradicting claims central to its coverage. Despite that information, he said, Politico proceeded with its reporting.

The letter also questioned the publication’s journalistic standards, accusing it of disregarding evidence and relying on anonymous sources when challenged over the accuracy of its claims.

Scharf demanded that Politico correct or retract the articles, issue a prominent public apology to Trump and Wiles, and remove false reporting from its digital archives. He warned that failure to comply or provide a justification within 48 hours would trigger an immediate review of Politico’s relationship with the White House, along with consideration of potential legal remedies.

The dispute comes amid broader tensions between the Trump administration and major news organizations. Politico, CNN and MS NOW previously faced restrictions at the White House, though a federal judge granted the outlets temporary relief while their legal challenge proceeds.

Trump has also pursued legal action against other major media companies. In 2025, he reached a $16 million settlement with Paramount, the parent company of CBS, over the editing of a Kamala Harris interview on “60 Minutes” during the 2024 presidential election. He also secured a $15 million settlement from ABC News following a defamation lawsuit involving statements by anchor George Stephanopoulos, as well as an approximately $25 million settlement with Meta over the suspension of his social media accounts.

Most of the money from those settlements is expected to support Trump’s future presidential library, with the remainder going toward legal expenses.