In brief
In response to a Vanity Fair interview, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles denied negative portrayals of Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, claiming significant context was omitted to create a 'chaotic and negative narrative.' Wiles described Trump’s personality as that of an 'alcoholic' and criticized Elon Musk after their public spat. Trump defended her, indicating she was misrepresented.
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. In a New York Post interview, Trump defended Wiles, describing her as 'fantastic' and suggested she had been 'deceived' by the writer.The president also said he thought Wiles' comments about his personality mirrored remarks he previously made. 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 the 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'.Among the other figures that Wiles commented on was JD Vance, a one-time critic of Trump who has since become a close ally and vice-president. Wiles suggested that Vance's shift in opinions was 'sort of political'. Speaking to reporters at an event, Vance said he had not read the article but only believes in conspiracy theories that are 'true'.Wiles also reserved strong comments for Elon Musk, calling him an 'avowed Ketamine user' and describing him as 'an odd, odd duck.' Following his departure from government, Wiles expressed her opposition to Musk's proposed budget cuts at USAID, stating that such actions weren't beneficial.After the article's publication, Wiles criticized Vanity Fair for a 'disingenuously framed hit piece' aimed at her, Trump, and other cabinet members. The White House defended Wiles, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt praising her contributions to the administration. Musk has yet to comment on the Vanity Fair piece.
