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.
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 perceptions was sort of political.
Speaking to reporters at an event on Tuesday, Vance said he had not read the article, but that he only believes in conspiracy theories that are true - citing reports of former President Joe Biden's ill-health as an example.
Her strongest comments were reserved for tech billionaire Elon Musk, who led cost-cutting efforts at the Department of Government Efficiency - or Doge - before leaving the government in May. Wiles described Musk as an avowed Ketamine [user] who sleeps in a sleeping bag in the EOB, the Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House.
Wiles on Musk and his tumultuous relationship with Trump adds unique insights to the current political climate and the power dynamics within the administration.
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. Significant context was disregarded and much of what I, and others, said about the team and the President was left out of the story. I assume, after reading it, that this was done to paint an overwhelmingly chaotic and negative narrative about the President and our team, she wrote.
When contacted for comment on the story, the White House also defended Wiles. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that Wiles has helped President Trump achieve the most successful first 11 months in office of any President in American history.
Wiles' response to Vanity Fair emphasizes the ongoing narrative and tensions within the Trump administration as it continues to navigate controversy and public perception amidst political challenges.
