White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has disputed portions of a Vanity Fair article in which she paints an unflattering picture of the Trump administration and many of its top officials. In the interview, Wiles described Donald Trump as having an 'alcoholic's personality' and Vice President JD Vance as having been a 'conspiracy theorist' for a decade. But in a post on X, Wiles said that Vanity Fair disregarded 'significant context' to create 'an overwhelmingly chaotic and negative narrative' about the administration.
Wiles, 68, played a key part in Trump's successful 2024 presidential campaign before becoming the first woman to be White House Chief of Staff. Over the course of nearly a dozen interviews with Vanity Fair, Wiles talked about a wide range of issues, including handling of Epstein files, Trump's legal actions against political rivals, and also about personalities around the president.
She admitted that 'there may be an element of' retribution in Trump's efforts to pursue criminal cases against political adversaries or perceived foes. 'I don't think he wakes up thinking about retribution,' she added. 'But when there's an opportunity, he will go for it.' Wiles is widely considered among the most powerful members of the Trump White House in his second term.
Prior to becoming Chief of Staff, Wiles had a long history working with Trump, including as his campaign manager in Florida in 2016 and as the head of his fundraising apparatus, Save America. In the interview, she credits her upbringing with an alcoholic father as what enabled her to work with the president. 'High-functioning alcoholics or alcoholics in general, their personalities are exaggerated when they drink,' she said. 'So I'm a little bit of an expert in big personalities.'
While the president does not drink, she said Trump has 'an alcoholic's personality' and governs with the mindset that 'there's nothing he can't do. Nothing, zero, nothing.' Wiles' comments also included criticism of Elon Musk's cost-cutting measures at the Department of Government Efficiency, calling him an 'avowed Ketamine user'. She emphasized the importance of the work done by the US Agency for International Development, calling Musk's approach to cuts 'initially aghast'.
On Tuesday morning, hours after the Vanity Fair article was published, Wiles took to X, accusing the magazine of 'disingenuously framed hit piece' aimed at her, Trump, and other cabinet members and highlighted that the piece created an alarmingly negative narrative. The White House Press Secretary also came to Wiles' defense, commending her as a loyal advisor to Trump.
Wiles, 68, played a key part in Trump's successful 2024 presidential campaign before becoming the first woman to be White House Chief of Staff. Over the course of nearly a dozen interviews with Vanity Fair, Wiles talked about a wide range of issues, including handling of Epstein files, Trump's legal actions against political rivals, and also about personalities around the president.
She admitted that 'there may be an element of' retribution in Trump's efforts to pursue criminal cases against political adversaries or perceived foes. 'I don't think he wakes up thinking about retribution,' she added. 'But when there's an opportunity, he will go for it.' Wiles is widely considered among the most powerful members of the Trump White House in his second term.
Prior to becoming Chief of Staff, Wiles had a long history working with Trump, including as his campaign manager in Florida in 2016 and as the head of his fundraising apparatus, Save America. In the interview, she credits her upbringing with an alcoholic father as what enabled her to work with the president. 'High-functioning alcoholics or alcoholics in general, their personalities are exaggerated when they drink,' she said. 'So I'm a little bit of an expert in big personalities.'
While the president does not drink, she said Trump has 'an alcoholic's personality' and governs with the mindset that 'there's nothing he can't do. Nothing, zero, nothing.' Wiles' comments also included criticism of Elon Musk's cost-cutting measures at the Department of Government Efficiency, calling him an 'avowed Ketamine user'. She emphasized the importance of the work done by the US Agency for International Development, calling Musk's approach to cuts 'initially aghast'.
On Tuesday morning, hours after the Vanity Fair article was published, Wiles took to X, accusing the magazine of 'disingenuously framed hit piece' aimed at her, Trump, and other cabinet members and highlighted that the piece created an alarmingly negative narrative. The White House Press Secretary also came to Wiles' defense, commending her as a loyal advisor to Trump.
