The White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles, conveyed a series of notably candid and at times unflattering observations regarding President Donald Trump, his potential second-term platform, and some of his closest associates in a set of broad-ranging discussions with Vanity Fair released Tuesday.
Across upward of 10 conversations, Wiles spoke openly about serving Trump, stating the president “possesses an alcoholic’s disposition,” despite being recognized as abstinent. She admitted the president’s craving for payback, conceding many of his post-election actions were motivated by a wish for vengeance. Wiles implied Trump sought a change of governing in Venezuela via his strategy of bombing vessels, running counter to official rationales for those actions. Furthermore, she detailed several contentious matters where the president disregarded her counsel, including concerning deportations and clemency actions.
The remarks, made during discussions over the past year with author Chris Whipple, are surprising both in frankness and subject matter. Wiles—who asserted Tuesday that her statements were misrepresented in a “smear piece”—is regarded within the Executive Mansion as a cautious operator with few internal critics, unlike the gentlemen who held the post during Trump’s initial four years. She has maintained Trump’s trust partly by maintaining an orderly West Wing that refrains from attempting to curb the president’s inclinations.
Trump frequently refers to his principal aide as the “most influential woman globally,” possessing the capacity to sway international events with a solitary phone call. Although she is a nearly constant presence during his gatherings and public appearances, her public statements during Trump’s subsequent term have been restricted to a small number of supportive interviews.
Her inconspicuous profile made her disclosures to Whipple, whose book “The Gatekeepers” is regarded as a foundational text on the chief of staff function, all the more remarkable.
Wiles observed that Trump governs with “a belief that there is nothing he cannot accomplish. Nothing, none, zero, nothing.”
“Individuals who are high-functioning alcoholics or alcoholics generally, their temperaments are amplified when consuming alcohol,” she remarked. “And so I am somewhat of a specialist in dominant personalities.” The piece points out she grew up alongside an alcoholic parent—the celebrated sportscaster Pat Summerall.
Trump dismissed the characterization in an interview with the New York Post, declaring he concurred he had a “possessive and obsessive sort of temperament.” He downplayed notions Wiles’s position might be unstable. “I did not review it, but I eschew Vanity Fair—but she has performed exceptionally well,” Trump asserted.
In the discussions, Wiles notably conceded there “might be an aspect of” retaliation in the legal actions against Trump’s political adversaries.
“I mean, people could figure it appears vengeful,” she commented in reply to an inquiry about the unsuccessful prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey. “I cannot explain why you should not believe that.”
“I do not imagine he rises contemplating retribution. But when a chance arises, he will pursue it,” she added.
Writing after the interviews were released in Vanity Fair, Wiles stated her comments were taken out of their proper setting.
“The report published at the crack of dawn is a disingenuously organized character assassination piece targeting me and the finest President, White House personnel, and Cabinet in history,” Wiles typed on X. “Substantial context was overlooked and much of what I, and others, mentioned about the team and the President was omitted from the narrative. I surmise, subsequent to reading it, this was done to create an overwhelmingly turbulent and negative portrayal of the President and our group.”
In a separate declaration, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt communicated that Trump “has no greater or more devoted counselor than Susie.”
“The whole Administration appreciates her steady guidance and stands completely with her,” Leavitt composed.
Whipple upheld his documentation in an exchange with CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Tuesday evening, pointing out that every interview he conducted for the feature was recorded.
“Everything was meticulously in context,” he affirmed. “The sign is that they have been unable to dispute a solitary fact.”
Wiles, in her interviews with Whipple, detailed numerous instances when her counsel was ignored.
When questioned about the mortgage fraud allegations against New York Attorney General Letitia James, she responded, “Well, that may be the one act of payback.”
Wiles also acknowledged that Trump lacked proof to back his assertion that former President Bill Clinton visited the private atoll of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“There is no substantiation,” Wiles said concerning Clinton’s alleged visits. When Vanity Fair inquired whether there was anything damaging about Clinton in the Epstein records, she reportedly added, “The president erred on that point.”
Wiles provided critical appraisals of several of the president’s closest supporters in the discussions. Regarding Vice President JD Vance, she commented he has “been a proponent of conspiracy theories for a decade,” and suggested his shift from Trump antagonist to devoted supporter was “somewhat political.”
Vance admitted during an address in Pennsylvania later Tuesday that he “sometimes” subscribes to conspiracy theories, but that he believes only “in the conspiracies that are valid.” He supported Wiles, despite what he termed occasional differences.
“We concur on far more than we disagree,” he remarked. “But I have never observed her being disloyal to the President of the United States, and that makes her the supreme White House chief of staff that I think the President could wish for.”
On tech magnate and former Trump backer Elon Musk, Wiles noted he is “an open user of ketamine” and “a strange, peculiar character, as I believe gifted individuals are.” His move to dismantle the US Agency for International Development, however, left her “appalled.”
Turning to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Wiles stated she “entirely missed the mark” in her handling of the Epstein files.
“I believe she completely missed the point regarding that being the exact focused demographic that cared about this,” Wiles commented on Bondi presenting folders of material on the case to a circle of conservative opinion makers. “First, she provided them binders full of nothingness. And then she claimed that the witness roster, or the client directory, was on her desk. There is no client roster, and it certainly was not on her desk.” (Bondi defended Wiles in an X post later Tuesday, calling her “my dear confidante” and writing of the administration: “We are kin. We are unified.”)
In another striking remark, Wiles characterized Russell Vought, a co-author of conservative framework Project 2025 and director of the Office of Management and Budget, as “a vehemently zealous conservative extremist.” (Vought later wrote on X that Wiles is his “confidante” and an “outstanding” chief of staff.)
Wiles also voiced policy reservations throughout the exchanges. On removals, she opined the administration needed to “examine more closely” to prevent blunders. Regarding Venezuela, she remarked the president “intends to keep detonating vessels until [President Nicolás] Maduro gives in,” adding, “and individuals far more astute than I on that matter suggest he will.” She conceded that Trump would require legislative sanction to conduct strikes in Venezuela that he has been indicating will occur “shortly.”
Wiles stated she advised Trump against pardoning the most aggressive demonstrators from January 6, 2021, counsel he eventually disregarded, and mentioned she unsuccessfully persuaded him to postpone announcing major import duties amid what she depicted as a “significant divergence of opinion” among his advisors.
She also confessed she wishes the president would concentrate more on the financial system and less on Saudi Arabia, and gave thoughts on potential successors, differentiating how figures such as Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio came to support Trump after initially opposing him.
Subsequent to the interviews being released Tuesday morning, White House staff, advisors, and Trump supporters were shaken by some of the starkly honest characterizations.
“It’s in every messaging thread,” one Trump associate shared with CNN, adding, “Everyone is stunned and bewildered.
“Ouch,” a senior White House advisor said of the dialogue.
The interview spurred intense conjecture in Trump circles, with one primary query: Why would Wiles commit this act? Was she seeking retribution against someone? Was she planning to depart? Was there some misunderstanding with the reporter concerning which of her statements were on record and when they could be disseminated?
Everyone concurred on this much: Wiles is one of the most calculating and tactical individuals in politics—and an interview like this would inevitably signify something.
One advisor pointed out that Wiles, in her X post, did not dispute making the remarks. Another suggested that every quotation sounded like her voice.
About the Author
