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White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has delivered a series of unusually frank remarks about President Donald Trump, his administration, and key allies in a wide-ranging set of interviews with Vanity Fair, published Tuesday. Wiles, who played a central role in Trump's return to the White House and became the first woman to serve as his chief of staff, offered rare insights into the president's personality, governance style, and second-term agenda.
Over the course of more than ten interviews with author Chris Whipple, Wiles described Trump as governing with "a view that there's nothing he can't do. Nothing, zero, nothing," and said the president exhibits what she called "an alcoholic's personality," despite abstaining from alcohol. Wiles explained her perspective, noting, "High-functioning alcoholics or alcoholics in general, their personalities are exaggerated when they drink. And so I'm a little bit of an expert in big personalities." Her assessment draws on her own experience growing up with an alcoholic father, sportscaster Pat Summerall.
Wiles also reflected on Trump's approach to political rivals, admitting there "may be an element of" retribution in his pursuit of cases against opponents, while clarifying, "I don't think he wakes up thinking about retribution. But when there's an opportunity, he will go for it." She expressed frustration over instances when the president disregarded her advice, including decisions related to deportations, pardons for violent January 6 rioters, and the timing of major tariff announcements.
Beyond Trump, Wiles offered candid evaluations of administration figures. She described Vice President JD Vance as having "been a conspiracy theorist for a decade," though she noted his loyalty to the president. Wiles was critical of former Attorney General Pam Bondi's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, stating, "First she gave them binders full of nothingness. And then she said that the witness list, or the client list, was on her desk. There is no client list, and it sure as hell wasn't on her desk." She also commented on Elon Musk, calling him "an avowed ketamine [user]" and "an odd, odd duck, as I think geniuses are," while expressing disapproval of his cost-cutting efforts at the US Agency for International Development.
Following the publication, Wiles took to X to push back against the coverage, calling it a "disingenuously framed hit piece on me and the finest President, White House staff, and Cabinet in history." White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended Wiles, calling her "the most loyal advisor" and praising her "steady leadership" that contributed to what the administration describes as the most successful first 11 months of any presidency.
