A remarkably candid interview with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has triggered significant political turbulence within the Trump administration, revealing extraordinary internal dynamics through blunt character assessments of key figures. Published by Vanity Fair following extensive interviews conducted over the past year with veteran journalist Chris Whipple, the piece portrays a White House grappling with internal tensions despite public displays of unity.
Wiles, whom President Trump has previously dubbed the ‘ice maiden’ and credited as instrumental to his second-term operations, offered startlingly frank evaluations of administration colleagues. She characterized Vice President JD Vance as a ‘conspiracy theorist’ regarding his long-standing views on the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, described tech mogul Elon Musk—who briefly headed the Department of Government Efficiency—as an ‘odd, odd duck’ and ‘complete solo actor,’ and labeled budget director Russ Vought a ‘right-wing absolute zealot.’
Most remarkably, Wiles suggested President Trump possesses ‘an alcoholic’s personality,’ drawing from her personal experience with her father’s alcoholism. She elaborated that this manifests as an unwavering belief ‘that there’s nothing he can’t do,’ while clarifying she considers herself ‘not an enabler’ to the president.
The interview revealed significant policy divisions, including Wiles’ criticism of Musk’s shutdown of USAID’s international aid apparatus and her disclosure of a ‘loose agreement’ with Trump to limit political retaliation against opponents after 90 days. On foreign policy, she indicated Trump believes Vladimir Putin ‘wants the whole country’ of Ukraine, despite ongoing peace negotiations.
The administration responded with a coordinated defense, with Trump himself validating Wiles’ characterization of his personality while praising her job performance. Vice President Vance downplayed the remarks as inside jokes, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared there was ‘absolutely nobody better’ for the chief of staff role. Wiles herself dismissed the piece as a ‘disingenuously framed hit piece’ that omitted crucial context.